Coat of arms at Portsmouth Dockyard, Hampshire

Arms of alliance are those

coat of arms A coat of arms is a heraldry, heraldic communication design, visual design on an escutcheon (heraldry), escutcheon (i.e., shield), surcoat, or tabard (the latter two being outer garments). The coat of arms on an escutcheon forms the central ele ...

that families or private persons take up and join to their own to denote the

alliance An alliance is a relationship among people, groups, or states that have joined together for mutual benefit or to achieve some common purpose, whether or not explicit agreement has been worked out among them. Members of an alliance are called ...

s they have contracted by marriage. In England arms of alliance are used exclusively by royalty, with non-royal / commoner armigers impaling the arms of both parties within a single shield.

References

;Attribution * Heraldry {{Heraldry-stub

See also

References