The Coat of Arms of Charles the
Bold
This beautiful original mille fleur
tapestry is now located at the Bern Museum in Switzerland and
stems from the end of the 15 th century.
Depicted is the Coat of Arms of Charles the Bold, last Duke of
Burgundy. The focal point is the golden helmet with barred visor,
crowned by the lily (flure de lys) from the Coat of Arms of France.
It is surrounded by lavish manteling that curls around the helmet
and crest.
The shield is divided into four (4) quadrants, the first and 4th
fields being the most significant. Notice the flure de lys in
those fields. The 2nd and 3rd fields contain the golden lion (rampart)
another outward sign of his royal lineage. The lion is also repeated
in the "ineschutcheon" in the center of the shield.
The chain is that of the Grand Master of the Order of the Golden
Fleece (founded by Charles the Bold's father, Philip of Burgundy
in 1429).
Above the crest are two opposing initial "C's" tied
with love knots. This tapestry was part of the booty taken from
Charles the Bold at the time of his defeat by the Swiss Confederates
at Granson (in Southern France near the Swiss border) on March
3, 1476.
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