Gonfanon

see also: Etymology of Gonfanon

The gonfanon or gonfalon (as former French, let us confenons ) is a piece of fabric quadrangular, like the banner, or finished by points. It was attached to the pole or the iron of a lance and could be rolled up there. One said, to close the gonfanon, to attach it to the pole. The orthography gonfalon - and Gonfalonier or Gonfalonnier for the carrier - is also very frequent, although the etymology makes prefer gonfanon . It was not necessary that the gonfanon is very large, since one fought with the lance at which it was fixed and which the fabric could penetrate in the wound.

History

The term was initially used to indicate a standard bringing together around its folds the men of a baron or the vassal ones of a lord. It could also be used at the time of the gathering of the Ost. The authors of appear to employ indifferently the words gonfanon and Bannière , to indicate a standard bringing together around its folds the men of a baron.
The object could have a religious significance and the standard which the pope sends to William the Conqueror, before its forwarding of On the other side of the channel, is described as gonfanon in the Roman of Rou of Wace.

Let us gonfalons (in Italian, gonfalone or confalone ) was also used very largely in the common S Italian of the Trecento - following the example His, Milan, Padoue - and thereafter they were applied to the district S ( vicinanze with Florence or piviere ), companies armed or with weapons and corporations ( Arti ) of its communes. Later and until XVIe, it came to indicate, as in Florence, of the intermediate subdivisions between the Paroisse and the district, with the tax functions, electoral and administrative. The gonfaloni were their representatives and were responsible for the monitoring of the streets and their lighting but also to return justice.

Heraldic

The gonfanon is also a piece of furniture Héraldique, which can be fringed, and which generally is represented by three pennons rounded. Example: Gold to the gonfanon of sinople mouths fringed. (blazon of the counts d' Auvergne)

See too

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