No historian has been able to directly pinpoint the exact beginnings of the use of heraldry but it is generally believed to have come first into common use around the 11th and 12th centuries. For the Capetian and Valois Kings of France, it became increasingly important as a means of consolidating their bloodline and divine right. As heraldry became more popular, it became a distinct symbol of identity not just for the royal state, but for the principalities too and can be credited with a ‘uniquely influential role’ in the Hundred Years’ War. This essay examines the function of heraldry in the visual symbolism of the principality and it's importance in the newly emerging French nation state.