Maurice, revered during the medieval period. And I suspect the gentleman carrying the shield didn't realize that. He's an African saint who carries that standard. LISA FAGIN DAVIS: There was one young man who was carrying a shield with a black spread eagle that was clearly co-opted from either the Holy Roman Empire or - there's actually a saint. ULABY: On so many levels, says Lisa Fagin Davis, the white supremacists recorded in this video have gotten history completely wrong.
NEDA ULABY, BYLINE: The head of the Medieval Academy of America was horrified when she saw dozens of Charlottesville demonstrators brandishing white shields with crosses that looked a lot like crusader flags.
And as NPR's Neda Ulaby reports, those historians are angry. Professional historians have noticed this, too. If you've watched videos of white supremacist rallies and marches across the U.S., you may have noticed people dressed up as crusaders from the Middle Ages or waving banners with medieval insignias.
