Portuguese heraldry has been in use at least since the 12th century.
White seems to be regarded as a different tincture from argent in Portuguese heraldry, as evidenced by the arms of municipal de Santiago do Cacém in Portugal, in which the white of the fallen Moor's clothing and the knight's horse is distinguished from the argent of the distant castle, and in the arms of the Logistical and Administrative Command of the Portuguese Air Force.
The Portuguese system of heraldic differencing is unlike any other. It has its origin in the regulations of king Manuel I. Although it is true that the brisure (difference mark) personalizes the arms, in Portugal anyone is entitled to choose their surname (see Portuguese name) and coat of arms, which does not have to coincide with it, from whichever side of the pedigree they wish, and a system of difference marks denotes from which ancestral line the arms are derived and whether they come from parents or grandparents.[1] The head of a lineage uses its arms without a difference; should he be the head of more than one family, the arms are combined by quartering. See coat of arms/crests of Portuguese surnames The heir apparent to the arms of the head of a lineage never uses a mark of difference.[2]
King Afonso V restricted burgher arms to the use of colours only and later king Manuel I forbade the use of arms to all but the titled classes.[3] This restriction against burgher arms in Portugal lasted until 1910.
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