The seal of the Emperor Henry of Flanders is one of the many seals that would be necessary for authenticating and protecting imperial documents. The images and inscriptions on each side manifest a unique interpretation of the emperor for those who came across a document with his seal. Each side of the seal presents a compelling connection for the emperor by displaying religious authority on the obverse side and military expertise on the reverse side.  

If you received a document with this seal, you would see both sides of the seal imprinted on the bottom of the document. The images and inscriptions on this particular seal reflect the emperor’s authority over the empire. So, people would understand the significance of the emperor being linked to religious power and military pursuits to respect his authority. 

Seals are not unique to this period and truthfully have been around long before the crusades began. People have been using seals before the invention and popularization of writing. So, from the Ancient world to the crusader period and until now, seals have been a medium to authenticate documents to ensure the receiver understands that it’s the final word of whoever sent it. 

Across time, seals are held as icons of power. As we are doing with this seal, we should examine seals in their social and political context to understand their relationship to a document and its user. Even though some may perceive this seal and others as holding some profound authoritative and imperial power, this is entirely conditional to the audience. So, whoever received a document with this seal would have to have understood it within the greater social and political context. Regardless, it is obvious that seals like this would assert their power over those who received the document. If it served as the official ‘word’ on a document, the person who received it would immediately understand whose word it was. It would be fully authenticated by the fact that it had a particular seal.