Impalement (heraldry)

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Impalement is a heraldic practice in which two coats of arms are combined in one shield to denote a union. The impaled shield is bisected in pale, that is by a vertical line, with each half of the shield displaying one coat of arms. Most often the practice is used to denote the union of a husband and wife in marriage, but impalement is also used to display unions with an ecclesiastical office, academic position, government office, or mystical union.