The study of Dutch heraldry focuses on the use of coats of arms and other insignia in the country of the Netherlands. Dutch heraldry is characterised by its simple and rather sober style, and in this sense, is closer to its medieval origins than the elaborate styles which developed in other heraldic traditions. [1]
The Netherlands, and more generally the Low Countries, was an area significant to heraldic development in medieval times.[ citation needed ] One of the famous armorials is the Gelre Armorial, written between 1370 and 1414. Coats of arms in the Netherlands were not controlled by an official heraldic system like the two in the United Kingdom, nor were they used solely by noble families. Any person could develop and use a coat of arms if they wished to do so, provided they did not usurp someone else's arms, and historically, this right was enshrined in Roman Dutch law. [2] As a result, many merchant families had coats of arms even though they were not members of the nobility. These are sometimes referred to as burgher arms, and it is thought that most arms of this type were adopted while the Netherlands was a republic (1581-1806). This heraldic tradition was also exported to the erstwhile Dutch colonies, such as South Africa, where it influenced South African heraldry. [3]
Like English and some other countries' heraldry, achievements of arms are usually blazoned in a specialized jargon.
| Tinctures |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| English | Or | Argent | Azure | Gules | Vert | Purpure | Sable | Ermine | Vair |
| Heraldic name (Dutch) | Goud/Or | Zilver/Argent | Azuur/Lazuur (Blauw) | Keel (Rood) | Sinopel (Groen) | Purper | Sabel (Zwart) | Hermelijn | Vair |
| Ordinaries |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| English | Pale | Fess | Bend | Bend sinister | Cross | Saltire | Chevron | Bordure |
| Dutch | Paal | Dwarsbalk | Schuinbalk | Linker schuinbalk or baar | Kruis | Schuinkruis or andrieskruis | Keper | Schildzoom |
| Division of the field |  |  |  |  |  |  |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| English | Party per fess | Party per pale | Party per bend | Party per bend sinister | Quarterly | Party per saltire |
| Dutch | Doorsneden | Gedeeld | Geschuind | Linksgeschuind | Gevierendeeld (in vier kwartieren) | Schuin gevierendeeld |
 | This section needs expansionwith: a more detailed overview of royal heraldry; Information on crests, supporters, etc. should also be expounded upon. You can help by adding to it. (September 2017) |
Royal heraldry refers to the coats of arms of the members of the Dutch royal family, including the monarch and various princes.
Following the union of former territories of the former Dutch Republic, Austrian Netherlands, and Prince-Bishopric of Liège into a Kingdom in 1815, the following heraldic system was adopted by decree n. 71 of 24 Augustus 1815:
| Dutch royal family members (1815–1907 heraldic system) | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 |  |  |  |  | |||
| Monarch | Prince of Orange (heir apparent) | Eldest son of the Prince of Orange | Second son of the monarch | Eldest daughter of the monarch | |||
The system of heraldry for the Dutch royal family was revised by a decree issued in 1907. The arms of the monarch and kingdom were updated and this update was therefore incorporated into the arms of the Prince of Orange and his son (specific references to arms of the second son and eldest daughter were removed, instead providing that the arms would be provided for separately). The thereotical revised arms of the Prince of Orange and his son would never be used as there would not be another Prince of Orange since 1884 until the birth of Willem-Alexander in 1967 and his becoming heir apparent in 1980. At the same time a new decree regarding the arms of the monarch and kingdom was issued repealing that of 1907.
No Dutch princes would be born until 1967. A new system of heraldry for the Dutch royal house emerged. In 1909, arms for the male-line descendants of Queen Wilhelmina and Duke Henry of Mecklenburg-Schwerin were granted. Likewise, arms were granted for subsequent marriages in the royal family.
For the children of Willem-Alexander, arms were granted in 2003 without specifying any difference for sons and daughters. Previously, arms for princes, would feature helms atop their heraldic achievement whereas females would use the royal crown. Now, both sons and daughters would use the royal crown.
| | This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (September 2017) |
Heraldry of the Dutch nobility is managed by the Council of Nobility which maintains a register of arms.
| Dutch coronet rankings | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 |  |  |  |  |  |  |
| Prince (noble) | Duke | Marquess | Count | Viscount | Baron | Knight |
Dutch civic heraldry is regulated by the High Council of Nobility (Dutch : Hoge Raad van Adel), which grants the arms of provinces, municipalities, water boards, Roman Catholic dioceses and Roman Catholic basilicas.
Most Dutch civic arms were originally recorded and confirmed in the years following the establishment of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in 1815, when mayors were asked to send in the coat of arms traditionally used. Some coats of arms recorded at that time were based on seals. In instances where the original tincture of the arms was unknown or unclear, the arms were blazoned in the ‘national tinctures’ or and azure, the colours of the royal arms. In the twentieth century, the faulty blazon of a number of these arms was subsequently corrected, when historical colours became clear or charges turned out to be misinterpreted. [4]
Generally, the High Council pursues a policy of stylistic simplicity, as decreed by Interior Ministry guidelines from 1977. [5] Most modern grants occur as a result of administrative reforms, with municipalities merging into larger ones. Usually, a civic body submits a proposal to the High Council which adapts it to meet heraldic standards. Regional historical or genealogical societies are known to have been involved drawing up these initial designs. [6] Newly formed municipalities tend to press for inclusion of elements of the old arms of the constituting municipalities into the new arms, with the High Council sometimes rejecting proposals on the grounds that they are ‘overcharged’. [7]
Helmets, crests and mantling are generally absent in Dutch civic heraldry; instead a system of rank coronets is used. Exceptions are the national arms and the coat of arms of Beverwijk. Supporters, mottoes and atypical coronets are only granted if there is historical evidence for them being used, or if a preceding grant featured them. A notable exception to this rule are arms granted to newly created municipalities of Flevoland in the late 1970s and early 1980s which feature seals, sealions and seahorses as supporters, the use of which was previously unknown in civic heraldry in the Netherlands. A few municipalities have renounced their right to supporters in recent years. [8] Mottoes being generally rare, recent years have seen some pre-1795 mottoes being granted again. [9]
The High Council generally disapproves of quartering of existing arms [10] and has a policy not to include the figure of saints on shields. [11] As the names of a number of recent fusion municipalities refer to water bodies or courses within their boundaries, an ordinary representing ‘water’ is an ever often occurrence in recent grants, with the High Council calling them "typical of Dutch heraldry" in 2004 and 2010. [12]
A coat of arms is a heraldic visual design on an escutcheon, surcoat, or tabard. The coat of arms on an escutcheon forms the central element of the full heraldic achievement, which in its whole consists of a shield, supporters, a crest, and a motto. A coat of arms is traditionally unique to the armiger. The term 'coat of arms' itself, describing in modern times just the heraldic design, originates from the description of the entire medieval chainmail 'surcoat' garment used in combat or preparation for the latter.
In heraldry, cadency is any systematic way to distinguish arms displayed by descendants of the holder of a coat of arms when those family members have not been granted arms in their own right. Cadency is necessary in heraldic systems in which a given design may be owned by only one person at any time, generally the head of the senior line of a particular family.
Swedish heraldry encompasses heraldic achievements in modern and historic Sweden. Swedish heraldic style is consistent with the German-Nordic heraldic tradition, noted for its multiple helmets and crests which are treated as inseparable from the shield, its repetition of colours and charges between the shield and the crest, and its scant use of heraldic furs. Because the medieval history of the Nordic countries was so closely related, their heraldic individuality developed rather late. Swedish and Finnish heraldry have a shared history prior to the Diet of Porvoo in 1809; these, together with Danish heraldry, were heavily influenced by German heraldry. Unlike the highly stylized and macaronic language of English blazon, Swedish heraldry is described in plain language, using only Swedish terminology.
The Dutch nobility is a small elite social class constisting of individuals or families recognized as noble, and with or without a title of nobility in the Kingdom of the Netherlands.
Norwegian heraldry has roots in early medieval times, soon after the use of coats of arms first appeared in continental Europe. Some of the medieval coats of arms are rather simple of design, while others have more naturalistic charges. The king-granted coats of arms of later times were usually detailed and complex. Especially in the late 17th century and the 18th century, many ennobled persons and families received coats of arms with shields containing both two and four fields, and some even with an inescutcheon above these.
The Flemish Heraldic Council advises the Flemish Government on all matters relating to heraldry. The Council was created on 11 April 1984, as the successor to the Subcommittee for Heraldry or Subcommissie Heraldiek, established in 1978. Its prime task was to supervise the granting of a coat of arms and a flag to all municipalities of the Flemish Region. Following the reorganization of the Belgian provinces, the council's field of action was extended to provincial arms and flags in 1994. Since 2000, the Council has likewise advised the Flemish Government on grants of arms to Flemish individuals and corporations. In the meantime, more than 200 such grants have received official sanction. Grants of arms by the Flemish Government are published in the Belgian official journal.
Johannes Baptista Rietstap was a Dutch heraldist and genealogist. He is most well known for his publication of the Armorial Général. This monumental work contains the blazons of the coats of arms of more than 130,000 European families. It is still one of the most complete works of its kind.
The coat of arms of Amsterdam is the official coat of arms symbol of the city of Amsterdam. It consists of a red shield and a black pale with three silver Saint Andrew's Crosses, the Imperial Crown of Austria, two golden lions, and the motto of Amsterdam. Several heraldic elements have their basis in the history of Amsterdam. The crosses and the crown can be found as decorations on different locations in the city.
The current Crown of the Netherlands is of relatively modern origin. In 1813 the new "Sovereign Ruler" of the Netherlands, Prince Willem of Orange, son and heir of the exiled stadtholder Willem V of Orange, was sworn in as Dutch monarch in Amsterdam. There was no crown present at the ceremony.
A heraldic authority is defined as an office or institution which has been established by a reigning monarch or a government to deal with heraldry in the country concerned. It does not include private societies or enterprises which design and/or register coats of arms. Over the centuries, many countries have established heraldic authorities, and several still flourish today.
The coat of arms of the Orange Free State was the official heraldic symbol of the Orange Free State as a republic from 1857 to 1902, and later, from 1937 to 1994, as a province of South Africa. It is now obsolete.
The coat of arms of Sint Eustatius consists of a shield and the motto. It was established on 9 November 2004 by the Island council of Sint Eustatius, when it was still part of the Netherlands Antilles. It remained the coat of arms of Sint Eustatius after the dissolution of the Netherlands Antilles and the subsequent change of Sint Eustatius's constitutional status into a special municipality of the Netherlands in 2010.
The coat of arms of Saba was established in 1985 by the island council of Saba, when it was still part of the Netherlands Antilles. It remained the coat of arms of Saba after the dissolution of the Netherlands Antilles, and the subsequent change of Saba's constitutional status into a special municipality of the Netherlands in 2010.
The coat of arms of Bonaire was established in 1986 by the island council, when Bonaire was still part of the Netherlands Antilles. It remained the coat of arms of Bonaire after the dissolution of the Netherlands Antilles and the subsequent change of Bonaire's constitutional status into a special municipality of the Netherlands in 2010.
The coat of arms of Hoorn is a coat of arms that has been in use since the middle ages. Although over time it underwent some changes, there has been no change to the coat of arms since it was acknowledged in use by the High Council of Nobility in 1816. At present, in the original form, it is the coat of arms of the municipality of Hoorn. The current municipality was formed in 1979 by merging the city of Hoorn with the villages Zwaag and Westerblokker; it was decided to use the old coat of arms as coat of arms of the new municipality.
The coat of arms of Zaanstad has been formally acknowledged since 27 February 1974. The coat of arms was previously that of the jurisdictional area of Westsane en Crommenie, which now form the municipality of Zaanstad. These two areas were on the same areas as the municipalities who fused in 1974 to become the municipality of Zaanstad. The municipality of Assendelft alone used a coat of arms who didn't look like those of the other municipalities. The other municipalities and places used a coat of arms with four lions in it.
The flag of Scheveningen is in azure with three right swimming herrings of silver, each herring with a three-leaved yellow crown, floating above the head. The origin of the coat of arms is a matter of debate because Scheveningen is not, and never has been, an autonomous municipality. Since the village was founded in 1284, Scheveningen has always been a part of the municipality of The Hague.
The coat of arms of Groningen is an official symbol of the province. It was designed when the region was united in 1595 and formally approved in 1947 by Queen Wilhelmina. The coat of arms consists of two lions supporting a crowned shield which is decorated with the shields of the city of Groningen and of the Ommelanden.
The coat of arms of Enkhuizen has been the coat of arms ever since Enkhuizen received borough rights in 1355. The coat of arms was acknowledged in 1816 by the High Council of Nobility, the coat of arms has not been changed ever since.
Belgian heraldry is the form of coats of arms and other heraldic bearings and insignia used in the Kingdom of Belgium and the Belgian colonial empire but also in the historical territories that make up modern-day Belgium. Today, coats of arms in Belgium are regulated and granted by different bodies depending on the nature, status, and location of the armiger.