Friday, December 23, 2011

Couriers up and down

...Couriers have been dispatched by Emperor Charles VI to King Louis XIV at Versailles, and also to Wittenberg and the rest of lands on the Vienna - Paris road, acknowledging them on the imminent journey through their respective countries of an official retinue under His protection: Lady Elisenda Folc de Cardona, who has just been appointed as Princess of Galatea/Catalonia by His Imperial Majesty, wishes to arrive in Gallia as safely and fast as possible, with the aim to obtain King Louis' approval to the appointment and ease the achievement of a satisfactory peace with that powerful Nation.

The above mentioned couriers are carrying full detailed accounts on the journey scheduled milestones, retinue members listings and safe-conducts to be delivered to respective Authorities, along with a request on the additional measures they esteem appropriate to ensure the retinue's peaceful transit through their lands. The retinue itself can be identifiable through the two standards they will carry:





Also, others couriers have been sent by Princess Elisenda herself to the Sovereigns of Poland, Beerstein and Lagerburg-Slobbovia, acknowleding them on her pledge to visit their respective Imagi-Nations as soon as her duties in Versailles are duly fulfilled.

Details on the whole can be learnt here.

5 comments:

abdul666 said...

Herrschaden -specially our dear friend Directorix Katarin Lahmia- will *love* the bat.

abdul666 said...

The best protection against an assassin is another assassin (or, even better, a full team of them). Yet, against a mine, a machine infernale or a group of snipers, the only safe protection is a decoy look-alike; *provided* no leak occurred.

Soldadets said...

In Catalan heraldry, this bat is called "víbria" or "vibra" (from an ancient Catalan word meaning "wyvern").

The bat device is actually some kind of "corruption" or "derivation" from the old Kings of Aragon helmet crest --a dragon or wyvern bust: http://ca.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cimera_Reial

Such derivation started appearing on coats of arms by the end of XV century, and consolidated by full XVI century.

It is still proudly displayed on the Coat of Arms of Valencia city (http://ca.wikipedia.org/wiki/Escut_de_Val%C3%A8ncia), or that one of Palma of Majorca (http://ca.wikipedia.org/wiki/Escut_de_Palma). Only in very recent times, by the end of 20th century, it dropped from the coat of arms of Barcelona where it also was present (http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/c6/Escut-barcelona1882a.JPG/220px-Escut-barcelona1882a.JPG); it now displays a Spanish Royal Crown as a crest (http://ca.wikipedia.org/wiki/Escut_de_Barcelona) :(

Interstingly enough, although the Catalan víbria is represented as a 2-legged dragon, just as other European wyverns, its most remarkable feature is her female nature. In Catalan mythology, a Drac is male, a Víbria is female.

abdul666 said...

A female dragon? Specially fitting for Princess Elisenda if pushed to her limits, I suspect. And a clear message once associated with the other elements of her banner.

I may be biased, but the corner devices look to my eyes as akin to the Flors de França?

Salvador said...

The fleurs de lys feature too, for example, in the city of Lleida coat of arms (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coat_of_arms_of_Lleida)