Military Orders

A military order is a Christian religious society of knights. Initially formed to protect and offer medical care for pilgrims traveling through the Holy Land, the military orders such as the Knights Templar, Knights Hospitaller and Teutonic Knights soon established themselves as an invaluable military presence in the region.⁣

Surname Origins

Surname Origins Surnames or family names reach centuries into our history, back to our forefathers long departed. The memories of parents, grandparents, or even great-grandparents cannot recall these first ancestors. The single heirloom we all carry with us is our last name. It is an identifier, used as a constant in our everyday lives. But […]

Heraldry and its Symbolism

Heraldry and its Symbolism A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z A AcornThe sign of the acorn in heraldry has traditionally been used to indicate independence in its bearer. It can be found slipped and leaved; the acorn-sprig is […]

Surnames Origins old

Surnames Origins Surnames Origins The practice of using family names spread through the Eastern Roman Empire and gradually into Western Europe, although it was not until the modern era that family names came to be explicitly inherited as they are today. Surnames rarely appeared in their modern form in ancient chronicles. In the 11th and […]