<P> In Italy the use of coats of arms was only loosely regulated by the states existing before the unification of 1861 . Since the Consulta Araldica, the college of arms of the Kingdom of Italy, was abolished in 1948, personal coats of arms and titles of nobility, though not outlawed, are not recognised . </P> <P> Coats of arms in Spain were generally left up to the owner themselves, but the design was based on military service and the heritage of their grandparents . In France, the coat of arms is based on the Fleur - de-lys and the Rule of Tinctures used in English heraldry as well . </P> <P> Among the states ruled by communist regimes, emblems resembling the Soviet design were adopted in all the Warsaw Pact states except Czechoslovakia and Poland . Since 1989, some of the ex-Communist states, as Romania or Russia have reused their original pre-communist heraldry, often with only the symbols of monarchy removed . Other countries such as Belarus or Tajikistan have retained their communist coats of arms or at least kept some of the old heraldry . </P> <P> Japanese emblems, called kamon (often abbreviated "mon"), are family badges which often date back to the 7th century, and are used in Japan today . The Japanese tradition is independent of the European, but many abstract and floral elements are used . </P>

What was the purpose of a coat of arms in medieval times