Pennants and Banners General

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In the heat of battle in the Middle Ages, where most of the combatants had the same or similar equipment, the standard, banner or pennant was often the only way to differentiate friend from foe. Standards also helped lift morale and organize the various units during troop movements.
At the turn of the 14th and 15th centuries, standards and banners were the shape of extended triangles, upright rectangles or squares. Flags were fashioned from coloured canvas or silk and the depictions or emblems were painted onto them, most often the coats of arms of the respective feudal lords.
Cavalry carried small standards on their spears and craftsmen who were members of the guilds also had their own banners. The guild banner was emblematic of the profession and was shown at public ceremonies and at army and other ostentatious events.
The banner of the Bohemian lands dates back to the 13th century and depicts ‘gules, a lion rampant queue forchée argent’ i.e. a two-tailed silver lion raised on its hind legs, on a red background.
If the banner is topped with a triangular point, it is reffered to as a pennant.

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