Arms of alliance

{{Short description|Heraldic term to denote alliances by marriage}}

File:Coat of arms at Portsmouth Dockyard, Hampshire.jpg, to the left, and Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, to the right.]]

Arms of alliance refers to the heraldic practice of displaying two armorial bearings in their own right side by side, as opposed to impalement or dimidiation. Arms of alliance are acquired either by marriage or taken up by the children of heiresses to show their maternal descent.{{sfn|Chisholm|1911}}{{cite book |last1=Clark |first1=Hugh |last2=Wormull |first2=Thomas |title=An Introduction to Heraldry |date=1829 |publisher=H. Washbourne |page=11 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=lR1PAQAAMAAJ&q=%22arms+of+alliance%22+heraldry&pg=PA11 |access-date=17 January 2019}}{{cite web|url=https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/arms%20of%20alliance|title=Definition: arms of alliance|quote=(heraldry 1) arms taken up by the issue of heiresses to show their maternal descent. (heraldry 2) arms acquired by marriage|publisher=Merriam-Webstar Dictionary|access-date=17 January 2019}} Arms of alliance are used almost exclusively by royalty and the nobility, while commoners typically impale the arms of both parties within a single shield.{{cn|date=March 2023}}