![Coat of arms of the Council of Heraldry and Vexillology](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e7/Coat_of_arms_of_the_Council_of_Heraldry_and_Vexillology.svg)
Burgher arms or bourgeois arms are
coats of arms borne by persons of the ''
burgher
Burgher may refer to:
* Burgher (social class), a medieval, early modern European title of a citizen of a town, and a social class from which city officials could be drawn
** Burgess (title), a resident of a burgh in northern Britain
** Grand Bu ...
'' social class of
Europe
Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a subcontinent of Eurasia and it is located entirel ...
since the
Middle Ages
In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire ...
(usually called ''
bourgeois'' in English). By definition, however, the term is alien to
British heraldry, which follows other rules.
In some European countries, certain armorial bearings have traditionally been restricted to a particular social class (usually the
nobility
Nobility is a social class found in many societies that have an aristocracy. It is normally ranked immediately below royalty. Nobility has often been an estate of the realm with many exclusive functions and characteristics. The character ...
), e.g. the use of
supporters in
Great Britain
Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the northwest coast of continental Europe. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the largest European island and the ninth-largest island in the world. It i ...
,
tinctures
A tincture is typically an extract of plant or animal material dissolved in ethanol (ethyl alcohol). Solvent concentrations of 25–60% are common, but may run as high as 90%.Groot Handboek Geneeskrachtige Planten by Geert Verhelst In chemis ...
in
Portugal
Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic ( pt, República Portuguesa, links=yes ), is a country whose mainland is located on the Iberian Peninsula of Southwestern Europe, and whose territory also includes the Atlantic archipelagos of ...
or
coronets
A coronet is a small crown consisting of ornaments fixed on a metal ring. A coronet differs from other kinds of crowns in that a coronet never has arches, and from a tiara in that a coronet completely encircles the head, while a tiara does ...
in
Sweden. Notwithstanding, in most countries outside the
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...
, any individual, family and community has usually been free to adopt arms and use them as they please, provided they refrain from wrongfully assuming the preexisting arms of another. In addition to the
bourgeoisie,
peasant
A peasant is a pre-industrial agricultural laborer or a farmer with limited land-ownership, especially one living in the Middle Ages under feudalism and paying rent, tax, fees, or services to a landlord. In Europe, three classes of peasant ...
s sometimes made use of this tradition. Arms of the
clergy
Clergy are formal leaders within established religions. Their roles and functions vary in different religious traditions, but usually involve presiding over specific rituals and teaching their religion's doctrines and practices. Some of the ter ...
are classified as
ecclesiastical heraldry
Ecclesiastical heraldry refers to the use of heraldry within Christianity for dioceses, organisations and Christian clergy. Initially used to mark documents, ecclesiastical heraldry evolved as a system for identifying people and dioceses. ...
.
Use of coats of arms by burghers and
artisan
An artisan (from french: artisan, it, artigiano) is a skilled craft worker who makes or creates material objects partly or entirely by hand. These objects may be functional or strictly decorative, for example furniture, decorative art ...
s began during the 13th century and in the 14th century some peasants took to using arms. The arms of burghers bore a far wider variety of
charges
Charge or charged may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Films
* ''Charge, Zero Emissions/Maximum Speed'', a 2011 documentary
Music
* ''Charge'' (David Ford album)
* ''Charge'' (Machel Montano album)
* '' Charge!!'', an album by The Aqu ...
than the arms of
nobility
Nobility is a social class found in many societies that have an aristocracy. It is normally ranked immediately below royalty. Nobility has often been an estate of the realm with many exclusive functions and characteristics. The character ...
like everyday objects, and particularly
tool
A tool is an object that can extend an individual's ability to modify features of the surrounding environment or help them accomplish a particular task. Although many animals use simple tools, only human beings, whose use of stone tools dates ba ...
s.
House mark
A house mark was originally a mark of property, later also used as a family or clan emblem, incised on the facade of a building, on animals, in signet and similar in the farmer and burgher culture of Germany and Scandinavia.
These marks have t ...
s are another type charges usually only used in burgher arms. Most widespread burgher heraldry was and still is found in
Belgium
Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...
,
Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
,
Switzerland and in the
Netherlands
)
, anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau")
, image_map =
, map_caption =
, subdivision_type = Sovereign state
, subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands
, established_title = Before independence
, established_date = Spanish Netherl ...
. In the latter only a small percentage of the existing arms belong to the nobility.
Crest-
coronet
A coronet is a small crown consisting of ornaments fixed on a metal ring. A coronet differs from other kinds of crowns in that a coronet never has arches, and from a tiara in that a coronet completely encircles the head, while a tiara doe ...
s in burgher arms are correct only if the arms were granted by a
sovereign and the coronet is explicitly mentioned in the grant.
By country
Belgium
Bourgeois arms, such as those of the
bourgeois of Brussels, were, and remain, common in Belgium and were granted except during the
French Revolution
The French Revolution ( ) was a period of radical political and societal change in France that began with the Estates General of 1789 and ended with the formation of the French Consulate in coup of 18 Brumaire, November 1799. Many of its ...
ary period and subsequent
republic.
Men admitted to the
Seven Noble Houses of Brussels
The Seven Noble Houses of Brussels (also called the Seven Lineages or Seven Patrician families of Brussels; french: Sept lignages de Bruxelles, nl, Zeven geslachten van Brussel, Latin: ''Septem nobiles familiae Bruxellarum'') were the seven ...
, many of whom were ''not'' noble, were also granted arms.
Today, the
Council of Heraldry and Vexillology
The Council of Heraldry and Vexillology (French: Conseil d’héraldique et de vexillologie) is the Heraldic authority for the French-speaking Community of Belgium. It is the institution that advises the Government of the French-speaking Communit ...
for the
French Community and the
Flemish Heraldic Council
The Flemish Heraldic Council (Dutch: ''Vlaamse Heraldische Raad'', French: ''Conseil héraldique flamand'') advises the Flemish Government on all matters relating to heraldry. The Council was created on 11 April 1984, as the successor to the Subc ...
for the
Flemish Community grant a
helm
Helm may refer to:
Common meanings
* a ship's steering mechanism; see tiller and ship's wheel
* another term for helmsman
* an archaic term for a helmet, used as armor
Arts and entertainment
* Matt Helm, a character created by Donald Hamilton
* ...
with torse,
crest
Crest or CREST may refer to:
Buildings
*The Crest (Huntington, New York), a historic house in Suffolk County, New York
*"The Crest", an alternate name for 63 Wall Street, in Manhattan, New York
*Crest Castle (Château Du Crest), Jussy, Switzerla ...
, and
mantling
In heraldry, mantling or "lambrequin" (its name in French) is drapery tied to the helmet above the shield. In paper heraldry it is a depiction of the protective cloth covering (often of linen) worn by knights from their helmets to stave off the ...
as well as a
motto
A motto (derived from the Latin , 'mutter', by way of Italian , 'word' or 'sentence') is a sentence or phrase expressing a belief or purpose, or the general motivation or intention of an individual, family, social group, or organisation. Mot ...
as external ornaments of the
shield. The additaments reserved for the nobility, such as crowned helmets and rank
crowns
A crown is a traditional form of head adornment, or hat, worn by monarchs as a symbol of their power and dignity. A crown is often, by extension, a symbol of the monarch's government or items endorsed by it. The word itself is used, partic ...
,
supporters and supports,
banner
A banner can be a flag or another piece of cloth bearing a symbol, logo, slogan or another message. A flag whose design is the same as the shield in a coat of arms (but usually in a square or rectangular shape) is called a banner of arms. Als ...
s and
battle cries
A battle is an occurrence of combat in warfare between opposing military units of any number or size. A war usually consists of multiple battles. In general, a battle is a military engagement that is well defined in duration, area, and force ...
, mantles and pavilions, are prohibited.
Examples of Belgian bourgeois arms:
File:Armoiries famille be de Keghel.svg, Arms of the de Keghel family, Bourgeois of Brussels until the 16th Century.
File:Blason Famille be Pipenpoy.svg, Arms of the Pipenpoy family, an old Patrician
Patrician may refer to:
* Patrician (ancient Rome), the original aristocratic families of ancient Rome, and a synonym for "aristocratic" in modern English usage
* Patrician (post-Roman Europe), the governing elites of cities in parts of medieval ...
family of Brussels.
File:Dewandre achievement.svg, Arms of the Dewandre family, originally from Liège.
File:Blason de la famille Poelaert (Bruxelles).svg, Arms of the Poelaert family
The Poelaert family is a Brussels bourgeois family famous for its architects and sculptors. Its most notable member is Joseph Poelaert, architect of the law courts of Brussels.{{Cite web, title=Law Courts of Brussels, url=https://visit.brussels/en ...
, bourgeois of Brussels.
File:Blason famille van der Meulen.svg, Arms of the Van der Meulen family
The van der Meulen family of Brussels was an important Bourgeois of Brussels, bourgeois family of freshwater fish merchants. Many of its members were deans of the Guilds of Brussels, guild of freshwater fish merchants
Properties and estates
...
File:Armorial de la Gilde Drapière Bruxelles 02.jpg, Roll of arms
A roll of arms (or armorial) is a collection of coats of arms, usually consisting of rows of painted pictures of shields, each shield accompanied by the name of the person bearing the arms.
The oldest extant armorials date to the mid-13th centu ...
of the Drapery Court of Brussels, some of which are Bourgeois arms.
France
Bourgeois arms used to be common in
France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...
, but they disappeared in the
French Revolution
The French Revolution ( ) was a period of radical political and societal change in France that began with the Estates General of 1789 and ended with the formation of the French Consulate in coup of 18 Brumaire, November 1799. Many of its ...
, which was hostile to heraldry. In the end of the 17th century, an attempt was made to list all arms in ''
Armorial général'' as a device to increase tax revenue. When the attempt failed, in order to force people to pay tax, arms were given to many burghers who had never had them. These arms were never used by their recipients. In France burgher arms are not supposed to have a helmet.
Examples of French bourgeois arms:
File:Blason de la famille Martinot (Paris).svg, Arms of the Martinot family, famous clockmaker family of Paris.
File:Blason famille fr Thouéry.svg, Arms of the Thouéry family, an old bourgeois family from Moyrazès.
Germany
Although assumption of arms always remained free, the emperors of the
Holy Roman Empire
The Holy Roman Empire was a political entity in Western, Central, and Southern Europe that developed during the Early Middle Ages and continued until its dissolution in 1806 during the Napoleonic Wars.
From the accession of Otto I in 962 ...
since
Charles IV began to grant arms without raising people to nobiliary status. In the 15th century the authority to grant arms was delegated to “
Counts Palatine of the Imperial Court” (german:
Hofpfalzgrafen), who from then on also granted arms to burghers. This was regarded as luxury everyone was not able to afford.
The
tilting helmet was prescribed for arms of non-nobles, while the barred helmet was restricted by the imperial chancellery to the nobility as upholders of the tradition of tourneying. This privilege was also shared by certain people who enjoyed the same standing as the nobility, e.g. those who had a doctor's title in law or theology.
Custom of the use of the barred helmet was also followed by city
patricians
The patricians (from la, patricius, Greek: πατρίκιος) were originally a group of ruling class families in ancient Rome. The distinction was highly significant in the Roman Kingdom, and the early Republic, but its relevance waned after ...
.
[ Handbuch der Heraldik: Wappenfibel. (19th expanded edition). Edited by Ludwig Biewer. (Degener & Co, Neustadt an der Aisch 1998), p. 173] Although the rule of the use of the tilting helmet by burghers was not always obeyed, it has still become the norm in many countries of the
German-Nordic heraldic tradition, e.g. in
Swedish heraldry.
After the fall of the
Holy Roman Empire
The Holy Roman Empire was a political entity in Western, Central, and Southern Europe that developed during the Early Middle Ages and continued until its dissolution in 1806 during the Napoleonic Wars.
From the accession of Otto I in 962 ...
, arms were no longer granted to burghers except in the
Kingdom of Saxony
The Kingdom of Saxony (german: Königreich Sachsen), lasting from 1806 to 1918, was an independent member of a number of historical confederacies in Napoleonic through post-Napoleonic Germany. The kingdom was formed from the Electorate of Saxo ...
, where such grants continued from 1911 until 1918. Elsewhere burgher arms were assumed. Such family heraldry is still alive in Germany and burgher arms
are protected by law.
Examples of German burgher arms:
File:Duerer.JPG, Canting arms
Canting arms are heraldic bearings that represent the bearer's name (or, less often, some attribute or function) in a visual pun or rebus.
French heralds used the term (), as they would sound out the name of the armiger. Many armorial all ...
of the German painter Albrecht Dürer (1471–1528)
File:Albrecht Dürer 038.jpg, Arms of Jakob Heller from the ''Heller Altarpiece
The ''Heller Altarpiece'' was an oil on panel triptych by German Renaissance artists Albrecht Dürer and Matthias Grünewald, executed between 1507 and 1509. The artwork was named after Jakob Heller, who ordered it. Dürer painted the interior, ...
'' by Albrecht Dürer
Portugal
Burgher arms had a complicated and suppressed history in Portugal. During the reign of King
Afonso V
Afonso V () (15 January 1432 – 28 August 1481), known by the sobriquet the African (), was King of Portugal from 1438 until his death in 1481, with a brief interruption in 1477. His sobriquet refers to his military conquests in Northern Africa ...
, burgher arms were restricted to the use of colours only. This restriction would become irrelevant when King
Manuel I Manuel I may refer to:
* Manuel I Komnenos, Byzantine emperor (1143–1180)
*Manuel I of Trebizond, Emperor of Trebizond (1228–1263)
*Manuel I of Portugal
Manuel I (; 31 May 146913 December 1521), known as the Fortunate ( pt, O Venturoso), wa ...
forbade the use of arms to those who were not of the
Portuguese nobility
Portuguese may refer to:
* anything of, from, or related to the country and nation of Portugal
** Portuguese cuisine, traditional foods
** Portuguese language, a Romance language
*** Portuguese dialects, variants of the Portuguese language
** Portu ...
. This restriction against burgher arms in Portugal lasted until the establishment of the Republic in 1910.
Arms of peasants
In some regions (
Normandy
Normandy (; french: link=no, Normandie ; nrf, Normaundie, Nouormandie ; from Old French , plural of ''Normant'', originally from the word for "northman" in several Scandinavian languages) is a geographical and cultural region in Northwestern ...
,
Flanders
Flanders (, ; Dutch: ''Vlaanderen'' ) is the Flemish-speaking northern portion of Belgium and one of the communities, regions and language areas of Belgium. However, there are several overlapping definitions, including ones related to cultu ...
) even peasants sometimes bore arms.
In
Switzerland 14th century arms of farmers are known, but they are rare and did not become numerous until the 17th century, as well as in
Lower Saxony
Lower Saxony (german: Niedersachsen ; nds, Neddersassen; stq, Läichsaksen) is a German state (') in northwestern Germany. It is the second-largest state by land area, with , and fourth-largest in population (8 million in 2021) among the 16 ...
,
Frisia and
Tyrol
Tyrol (; historically the Tyrole; de-AT, Tirol ; it, Tirolo) is a historical region in the Alps - in Northern Italy and western Austria. The area was historically the core of the County of Tyrol, part of the Holy Roman Empire, Austrian Emp ...
, where farmers had personal freedom.
In
Denmark
)
, song = ( en, "King Christian stood by the lofty mast")
, song_type = National and royal anthem
, image_map = EU-Denmark.svg
, map_caption =
, subdivision_type = Sovereign state
, subdivision_name = Kingdom of Denmark
, establish ...
arms of farmers are preserved on seals from about 1300. In
Norway
Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the ...
peasants have used arms since the Middle Ages and some of the arms have even been used as family arms.
[Hans Krag: ''Norsk heraldisk mønstring fra Frederik IV's regjeringstid 1699-1730'', Bind II Bønder, (1942 – 1955) and Allan Tønnesen (ed.): ''Magtens besegling. Enevoldsarveregeringsakterne af 1661 og 1662 underskrevet og beseglet af stænderne i Danmark, Norge, Island og Færøerne'', Odense 2013.]
See also
*
Bourgeoisie
*
Grand Burgher
Grand Burgher aleor Grand Burgheress emale(from German: Großbürger ale Großbürgerin emale is a specific conferred or inherited title of medieval German origin and legally defined preeminent status granting exclusive constitutional privil ...
*
Bourgeois of Paris
A bourgeois of Paris was traditionally a member of one of the corporations or guilds that existed under the Ancien Régime. According to Article 173 of the Custom of Paris, a bourgeois had to possess a domicile in Paris as a tenant or owner fo ...
*
Bourgeois of Brussels
*
Bourgeoisie of Geneva
The inhabitants of the ''seigneurie'' and the Republic of Geneva were divided into four orders of people:Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Collection complète des œuvres de J.J. Rousseau : Œuvres mêlées, 1776, p. 451 the Citoyens, the Bourgeois, the Habi ...
References
External links
Right to Bear Armsfrom François Velde's Heraldica website
Registro araldico italiano{{Heraldry
Heraldry
Personal coats of arms
Estates (social groups)
Bourgeoisie