Il peut sembler étonnant de consacrer une étude d’ampleur aux fortunes politiques d’une fée médiévale, d’une part parce qu’il est habituel de distinguer merveilleux et politique - alors que le recours au merveilleux est courant pour légitimer un pouvoir ou pour fonder une communauté politique -, et d’autre part parce que la branche maîtresse de la lignée desLusignan, dont Mélusine est l’ancêtre mythique, est éteinte depuis 1308. Pourtant, étonnamment, Mélusine, merveille suscitant des interprétations et représentations contrastées, entre dans des dynamiques politiques multiples. Dès le Moyen Âge, elle incarne des fortunes diverses, l’essor et le déclin de la lignée des Lusignan, qu’elle justifie.Instrumentalisée à des fins de domination, de légitimation et pour célébrer une mémoire lignagère dans les romans médiévaux de Jean d’Arras (1393) et Coudrette (c.1401), Mélusine s’impose au fil des siècles comme la Merlusine, la mère des Lusignan, mais aussi d’autres lignées aristocratiques, par le biais de textes littéraires, paralittéraires etd’armoiries. Parallèlement, dès le Moyen Âge, mais de façon accrue depuis le XXe siècle, cette figure lignagère est défigurée, ses enjeux sont déplacés, et Mélusine peut ainsi informer des questionnements identitaires divers, relatifs à une classe sociale ou à un individu, à la Nation ou à l’affirmation d’idées féministes. / It can seam surprising to dedicate such a consistent study to political sorts of a medieval fairy, on the one hand because it is common to differentiate fantasy and politics — whereas the appeal to fantasy is common to legitimate a power or to build a political community —, and on the other hand because the main branch of the Lusignan lineage, of which Mélusine is the mythical ancestor, has been exctincted since 1308. However, surprisingly, Mélusine, a marvel drawing contrasted understandings and representations, falls into multiple political dynamics. As early as the Middle Age, Mélusine incarnates diverse sorts : the expansion and the decline of the Lusignan lineage that she justifies. Manipulated for domination andlegitimation purposes, as well as to celebrate a lineage memory explored in medieval novels by Jean d’Arras (1393) and Coudrette (c.1401), Mélusine establishes herself over the centuries through literary and paraliterary texts and coats of arms as the Merlusine, the mother of the Lusignan, but also the mother of other aristocratic lineages. At the same time, from the Middle Age onwards, but in an increased way since the 20th century, this lineage figure has been disfigured, its goals have been displaced, and Mélusine can respond to multiple identity questionings related to a social class or an individual, to the Nation or to the assertion of feminist ideas.

Heraldry has been called the "shorthand of history" and with its own specific rules, symbols and shields in use for over eight hundred years, it is still of value today. Heraldry was first used as identification method in battle, but spread to other spheres of society. Heraldry was always part of the military and is still more visible in use by the military than other parts of society. It is these rules, terminology, and symbolism that influenced the choice of topic to understand the meaning of the emblems. Heraldry is a science that studies the rules and terminology of armorial bearings, as well as the colourful and artistic emblems of individuals, families, communities or nations. In ancient times man used symbols to distinguish and to identify with his world view. Ancient man's symbolic illustrative or carved signs evolved from totems being used as emblems of identification with clan members, to flags, badges and shields used in the army and logos used as trademarks. It grew into a science of heraldry with hereditary and regulating rules and systems. Symbols can mean different things to different people, the construction and reconstruction of meaning rely on the different cultural contexts in which it is used. It is these cultural contexts and the cohesion between them that will unveil the deeper meaning and worth of heraldic emblems. The study aims at compiling a catalogue of South African Army military units by presenting the emblems of the different units to understand the significance of the emblem for its users. To achieve this an exploratory and descriptive investigation on heraldry and South African military heraldry was done, defining esprit de corps, symbolism, identity, traditions, indigenous elements and totemism. The study focuses on the period 1994 to 2014 to give a snapshot of emblems in use during this period. It was mostly the emblems of higher headquarters that changed. The colours of the old flag of orange, white and blue changed to green, gold or yellow, red, blue, black and white. In spite of changes, the unit emblem still forged a strong bond of identity amongst members. / Mini Dissertation (MHCS)--University of Pretoria, 2017. / Historical and Heritage Studies / MHCS / Unrestricted

The thesis doesn't have the tendency or ambition to reach the particular conclusion or final solution (which would be at least as debatable as the construction that it is based on). But it should bring different approach and focus on selected animal genus (our distant ancestors), accepting them as a contemporary cultural, economical and culinary interest. Insight trough the prism of tendency, specifics and unwritten rules of linguistics, under the thumb of cultural representativneness and its identification. The contact of two distinc worlds, antithesises. The silent and peaceful world of fishes, that has retained the objectified prism of lucent wall under the water level, which singularises it from antropocentric world of "those", who think to stand on the top of imaginary pyramid. The work is divided in three parts: Introductory principles, etymological research and addendum, which interprets fish from the art, astronomy, folklore, and booklore point of view.

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of providing stationary and nonstationary visual stimuli to preterm infants by designing a device that met basic hospital safety requirements and fit within the incubator. A sample of 20 preterm infants were observed. Differences in responses between baseline, stationary, and nonstationary conditions were recorded using state, focal point, time attending, heart and respiratory rates. Each infant was observed on two separate days. Each observation period was divided into three 2-minute segments. On the intervention day, data were collected in a baseline, stimulus, stimulus sequence. On the nonintervention day, only baseline data were collected in the three 2-minute time· segments. Parametric and nonparametric analyses revealed significant differences in state, focal point, and heart rate between observation days. Results of state, focal point, and heart rate indicate a response to the stimulus during the first stimulus exposure period. Significant effects in state, focal point, time, period, and heart rate during the second exposure period indicate an orienting response. It is suggested that after a period of response and reorganization, the infants were able to orient to the device during the second exposure period. These results also suggest that this visual stimulation device may be helpful in long-term visual stimulation studies and interventions. / M.S.

The purpose of this thesis is to analyze and discuss the changing ways in which the visual art of heraldiy was perceived by the feudal aristocracy of twelfth- and thirteenth-century England. It shows how the aristocracy evolved from a military class to a courtly, chivalric class, and how this change affected art and culture. The shifts in the perceptions of heraldry reflect this important social development of the knightly class.

Didesnių ir konkrečių darbų apie Nagurskių, ypatingai Gorskių heraldiką yra mažai arba visiškai nėra, nors heraldikos šaltinių randama nemažai. Būtina pažymėti, kad šiame darbe siekiama nustatyti herbų, antspaudų priklausymą konkrečiam asmeniui, giminei, bei vedybinius arba giminystės ryšius, užimamas pareigas, gautus apdovanojimus. Šie nauji tyrimai ir jų rezultatai galėtų praplėsti žinias apie bajorų Gorskių ir Nagurskių gimines. Darbe siekiama išanalizuoti ir atskleisti Žemaitijos bajorų Nagurskių ir Gorskių heraldikos raidą nuo XVII a. iki XIX a. Atliekant tyrimą naudojami šių giminių XVIII – XIX a. herbiniai atspaudai ir ikonografinė medžiaga, kurioje pavaizduoti jų herbai. Būtina pažymėti, kad Lenkijos išeiviai bajorai Nagurskiai ir Gorskiai į Žemaitiją atvyko XVI a. Čia pradėjo kurtis, plėsti savo valdas ir giminiuotis su šio krašto giminėmis. Darbe aptartas heraldikos tradicijų susiformavimas LDK ir Žemaitijos kunigaikštystėje. Išanalizuota Nagurskių bei Gorskių Nalenčo (Nalęcz) herbų atsiradimas, raida ir naudojimas. Nagurskių herbas siejamas su lenkiškuoju Pobogo herbu, bei laikomas jo atmaina. Nagurskių herbe vaizduojama pasaga iš vidaus perverta strėle, šalme trys povo plunksnos. Gorskių giminės Nalenčo (Nalęcz) herbe vaizduojama surišta baltos spalvos skara. Herbo šalme tarp ragų pavaizduota moteris, vienoje rankoje laikanti vieną ragą, o kitoje rankoje kitą. Moters galva perrišta skarele. Šių šeimų herbai ir herbiniai antspaudai buvo puošiami įvairiais... [toliau žr. visą tekstą] / There are few or even no greater and particular works about the heraldry of Nagurskiai, especially Gorskiai, although sources of heraldry can be found. The work seeks to determine both the belonging of coats of arms, seals to a particular person, family and marital relations, kinship, occupied positions, received awards. This new research and its results could broaden knowledge about relatives of the noblemen Gorskiai and Nagurskiai. The aim of the work is to analyze and reveal the development of the heraldry of the noblemen Nagurskiai and Gorskiai from the 17th century till the 19th century. Performing the research, their armorial seals and iconographic material of the 18th-19th centuries which show their coats of arms are used. It should be noted that emigrants from Poland, noblemen Nagurskiai and Gorskiai, arrived in Žemaitija in the 16th century. They began to settle, expand their possessions and relate to people of that region. The formation of the heraldry traditions in Grand Duchy of Lithuania and Duchy of Žemaitija has been discussed in the work. The origin, development and use of coats of arms which belonged to Gorskiai and Nagurskiai have been analyzed. The coat of arms of Nagurskiai is related to Polish Pobogo coat of arms and is treated as its equivalent. The coat of arms of Nagurskiai shows a horseshoe which is pierced by an arrow, there are three plumes of the pavonine in the helmet. Nalenčo coat of arms belonging to Gorskiai shows a white shawl. The helmet... [to full text]

During the rule of the house of Vasa 1523-1654, Sweden saw a vastly increased output of new government heraldry and official symbols. This thesis investigates the political motives behind the creation of these symbols and their use as propaganda tools as part of the formation of the Swedish state.  Heraldry is a well-covered topic in academia in many European countries, but in Sweden it has yet to be properly integrated into historical research. This thesis covers the bigger picture by investigating the Vasa dynasty’s heraldry in its entirety in order to follow its use over time.  The thesis analyses all grants of arms to cities and nobles, as well as new royal and provincial arms. It carries out an analysis of the arms’ composition and motif, as well as charting the political context in which they were created and their role in the formation of the modern state.  The question the thesis seeks to answer is if the Vasa dynasty used heraldry as a political propaganda tool, and if so — for what purpose. The thesis uses Jaques Ellul’s categories of propaganda as a theoretical framework.  Among the key findings is the discovery that the Vasa monarchs did treat official heraldry as an integrated part of their propaganda efforts, both in conflicts with the outside world and with each other. However, the heraldic motifs of most cities and nobles, making up the vast majority of new coats of arms, were not part of those efforts.  There was also a clear shift from the agitation propaganda during the early Vasa era, to propaganda of integration as the institutions of state took form and Sweden became a regional power.

Heinrich Aldegrever (1502-1555) was a highly skilled and innovative printmaker working around the area of Westphalia during the sixteenth century. He used complex systems of allegory and adapted established visual codes, such as those of traditional heraldry, to engage his audience to unpack the meaning of his work and set himself apart from his contemporaries. However, due to Aldegrever’s stylistic similarities to both Albrecht Dürer and the so-called German ‘Little Masters’ working in Nuremberg, his prints are often given the short shrift by modern historians, who have considered his images unoriginal or derivative. Through a close study of Aldegrever's 1552 series of engravings depicting the Christian Virtues and Vices, this paper rectifies this scholarly oversight and attempts to restore Aldegrever's place among the great masters of the printed image in the generation immediately following Dürer. As this subject matter of Virtues and Vices was popular among printmakers and their targeted audiences, I compare Aldegrever’s series with similar works from his immediate predecessors and contemporaries to show that his Virtues and Vices are, in fact, more innovative than previously thought in their invocation of ancient texts and complex iconographic twists, and worthy of scholarly discussion on their own terms for values of effective marketability and artistic imitation. / Art History

This thesis represents the most detailed investigation into English royal funeral ceremonies 1570-1625 yet undertaken. It builds on earlier scholarship dealing with the French royal funeral and with the social history of death and burial in early modern England. When gathering my source material I consulted manuscript and early printed material at the British Library, the Bodleian Library, the Library of Westminster Abbey, the College of Arms and the Bibliothèque Nationale. My approach is to consider royal funeral rituals in terms of performance. I endeavour to place each of the royal funerals in its immediate performance and broader cultural context. The evidence is analysed using an approach which seeks to take account of both the political and affective implications of ritual. Preliminary chapters establish the form of the English heraldic funeral and the French royal funeral, and assess the impact of the English Reformation on funeral ritual. I go on to discuss the funerals of Mary Stuart, Elizabeth I, Prince Henry Stuart, Anne of Denmark and James I respectively. Included is a bridging chapter which briefly summarises the religious and cultural changes which took place under James I and their impact on funeral ritual. Royal funerals are seen as flexible rather than fixed. They were modified to meet changing political needs but such modifications were always in accord with broader cultural trends. My thesis demonstrates that royal funeral rituals were highly dependent on their performance and cultural contexts. The Epilogue looks at the implications my research has for readings of stage representations of funeral ritual and funeral symbolism in Elizabethan and Jacobean drama. I show that royal funerals formed an important aspect of playhouse audience experience. Dramatists exploited that experience to show the operative nature of funeral ritual performance and the potency of its symbols for political propaganda.

The theme of this thesis is history of the knights (later lords) of Vřesovice in the late Middle Ages. The work deals mainly with political and economic role of the family members in the late medieval Bohemia, with special attention to the hussite captain Jakoubek of Vřesovice, who was mainly responisible for family rise. Furthermore, this work tries to answer the question, what happened to the family of Vřesovice since Jakoubek's death until the late Middle Ages, because during the 16th century, knights of Vřesovice belonged to the most powerful aristocratic families in Bohemia. Family members from the times of king George and Jagellonian rulers were not yet reflected by many historians. Fates of individual family members are assessed and placed into historical context. The work deals with property relations of knights of Vřesovice and manifestations of their aristocratic representation. As a whole, the work probes into political, economic, cultural and social life in late medieval northwest Bohemia. Key words: Jakoubek of Vřesovice, gentry, nordwest Bohemia, late Middle ages, 15.-16. century, castles, heraldy