ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Roll of arms

Okay kiddo, imagine you're a prince or a princess, and you need something special to show who you are and where you come from. Well, a Roll of Arms is a fancy list of pictures and words that tell everyone what your family's special symbols and colors are.

It all started a long time ago when knights were very important people. They needed a way to show who they were on the battlefield or during tournaments. So, they started putting special symbols on their shield or coat of arms.

A Coat of Arms is kind of like a picture that tells a story about your family. It has colors, designs, and pictures that are special to your family. For example, if your grandfather was really good at running, your family might have a picture of a running shoe on your coat of arms.

A Roll of Arms is a list of all the different Coats of Arms that different people have. It's like a fancy book with pictures and words. People would look at the Roll of Arms to learn about different families and what symbols and colors they used.

Today, people still use Coats of Arms to show their family history or to represent a company or organization. So, if you ever see a picture with a bunch of different shields and pictures on it, you can say that it's a Roll of Arms!