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[caption id="attachment_3214" align="alignright" width="175"] Paris, BnF, ms. fr. 5230, f.1r (Bellenville armorial)[/caption]Everybody agrees that the Bellenville manuscript is an armorial. It exclusively consists of collections of coats of arms. However, manuscripts are often not as homogenous as Bellenville. Some works we regard as armorials do not only hold collections of coats of arms, but texts and images as well, while other works with text, images and some collections of coats of arms are not considered armorials. What is the difference? When does a collection of coats of arms becomes an armorial?In this presentation I will discuss the problematics of defining armorials. Through various examples from the sources I will point out the shortcomings of some of the current definitions, after which I will propose a different approach to armorials.The presentation will take place on Wednesday 20 May in the Fürstenberghaus in Münster, room F 102.[cite]