How old is it and why was it formed?

How old is it and why was it formed?

Peter O'Donoghue (Bluemantle Pursuivant ) gives expert video advice on: What are the origins of the College of Arms?; How old is it and why was it formed?; How can it help someone looking for their Coat of Arms? and more...

The College of Arms is about 520 years old, and it was formed because the Tudor kings, and Richard III slightly before them, wanted to bring heraldry and questions of status more closely under the Crown's control. So as part of the centralizing instinct that you see at the end of the Middle Ages when the Crown gets more and more control over heraldry, status, and retaining of private armies, and all of those issues.