A record of documented arms, meaning and origin, researched for the Armagnac family of France.
lionCourage, strength and royaltyJ. B. Rietstap, Armorial Général, Gouda: G. B. van Goor Zonen, 1884–87
Blazon (the actual original written record)“D'arg. au lion de gu.”
The Armagnac arms were recorded in France, c. 1663.
Arms such as these were typically recorded in Bretagne.
More families held coats of arms in Bretagne than anywhere else in France. The land was divided into many small estates rather than a few large ones, so far more households counted as gentry, and each needed a shield of its own to be told apart.
This is where the arms were entered in the register. Families often moved to other parts of the country, so the same name can turn up in more than one region.
The body that granted and recorded arms in France in this period.
Reigning in France when the Armagnac arms are first recorded.
In France, a coat of arms was a mark of honor that passed down through the male line to all legitimate descendants. Families often used the same shield without changes to show their shared heritage. If a branch wanted to stand out, they could add a small mark to their shield to show their specific place in the family tree.
The family name Armagnac carries a deep history rooted in the southwestern region of France, specifically within the historic province of Gascony. While the name is famously associated with a powerful line of medieval counts, branches of the family eventually spread to other parts of the country. By 1663, records confirm that members of the family were well-established in the region of Bretagne. During this period, families often moved due to shifts in regional politics, marriage alliances, or the search for new land. Settling in Bretagne suggests that these early ancestors were likely integrated into the local social structures of the time, moving away from their traditional southern roots to build lives in the northwestern coastal provinces. This migration reflects the broader movement of French families who sought to expand their influence and adapt to new environments during the seventeenth century.
A Germanic name of uncertain origin possibly meaning universal or whole.
