Augmentation of honour

Under crest improvement in the Herald understands the change of an existing coat of arms to adjust the timing of this development or other significant events of the coat of arms carrier.

These improvements take place in heraldry by

• Change of tincture (color )
• Adding new characters, such as initials, a common figure, helmets, crowns, etc.
• Crown and helmet changes, including their wallpapering
• Adding new fields
• Adding small escutcheons

In the early days of heraldry, it was common without being asked to change his coat of arms at will and independent action. Later improvements were possible only by the will and the right of the ruler. These controlled the heralds in the court chancelleries, and there arose the emblem books and directories, which are the basis of research today.

The reasons for changes in the meaning of the coat of arms improvement were complex. Such was the succession, in which the coat of arms transfers to the next generation, one reason small things on coat of arms remodel to distinguish between father and son. The use of strings with this belong here, but also all other possibilities of improvement of Arms. The upgrade in the noble hierarchy was another important reason.

Often, the ruler has the use of parts of his coat of arms granted also in gratitude to the subject. Examples are the adoption of the Habsburg -Lorraine babensbergisch shield by the Worliker branch of Prince Schwarzenberg and the permitted acquisition of Austrian eagle by Count Clam- Martinic.

Preferred agents were culture - and country- dependent. In France, the coat of arms improvements often Prussia went with the lily in England with lions and Russia, along with the eagle. In the main shield these little things were, if not independent, well- placed in the larger field coat of arms.

There were, however, gender and families who held despite many improvements on the old coat of arms coat of arms.

Besides the arms improvements but there were also coat of arms reductions. Thus, the sovereign could make changes to crest, which should reduce the sentimental value. This happened often as punishment for not gefügsamen cities or families. A form of reduction was, heraldic animals to put on a helmet over his head ( " capped "). This is what happened in the coat of arms of Prenzlau on the instructions of the Elector of Brandenburg, who was provided with a helmet the eagle of Brandenburg, as the citizens of the city in 1425 the Pomeranian troops opened the gates. Also, the Bohemian lion in the town crest of Usti nad Labem (now Ústí nad Labem ) was capped, as a punishment, as the population recorded the Hussites.