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Belgian heraldry is the form of coats of arms and other

heraldic Heraldry is a discipline relating to the design, display and study of armorial bearings (known as armory), as well as related disciplines, such as vexillology, together with the study of ceremony, rank and pedigree. Armory, the best-known bran ...

bearings and insignia used in the Kingdom of Belgium and the

Belgian colonial empire Belgium controlled several territories and concessions during the colonial era, principally the Belgian Congo (modern DRC) from 1908 to 1960 and Ruanda-Urundi (modern Rwanda and Burundi) from 1922 to 1962. It also had small concessions in Guate ...

but also in the

historical territories History (derived ) is the systematic study and the documentation of the human activity. The time period of event before the invention of writing systems is considered prehistory. "History" is an umbrella term comprising past events as well ...

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 In heraldry, an armiger is a person entitled to use a heraldic achievement (e.g., bear arms, an "armour-bearer") either by hereditary right, grant, matriculation, or assumption of arms. Such a person is said to be armigerous. A family or a cl ...

Characteristics

The characteristic of Belgian heraldry are similar to varying degrees to those of its neighbouring countries' (

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 ...

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 ...

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 ...

Helms

In Belgium, barred helms are most commonly used, and are not reserved for the nobility like in some jurisdictions. They most often have gold bars, as well as a gold collar and trim. They are often lined and attached to the escutcheon with a shield strap. File:Helm comte.png, Barred helm with gold bars, collar, and trim. File:Meuble héraldique Heaume comte.svg, All silver barred helm. File:Meuble héraldique casque joute.svg, Jousting or tourney helms are sometimes also used, but are rarer. They are the only alternative accepted by 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 ...

to the barred helmet.

Mottos

A distinct characteristic that isn't found in anglo-saxon heraldry is that the

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 ...

, motto scroll and letters thereon are

blazoned In heraldry and heraldic vexillology, a blazon is a formal description of a coat of arms, flag or similar emblem, from which the reader can reconstruct the appropriate image. The verb ''to blazon'' means to create such a description. The visu ...

History

Terminology

Like English and some other countries' heraldry, achievements of arms are usually

blazon In heraldry and heraldic vexillology, a blazon is a formal description of a coat of arms, flag or similar emblem, from which the reader can reconstruct the appropriate image. The verb ''to blazon'' means to create such a description. The vi ...

ed in a specialized jargon.

Civic heraldry

National arms

Other versions

File:Middle coat of arms of Belgium.svg, Middle version File:State Coat of Arms of Belgium.svg, Lesser or State coat of arms File:Arms of Belgium (with crown).svg, Escutcheon and crown

Communities, regions, and language areas

File:Blason de Bruxelles-Capitale.svg, Coat of arms of the

Brussels-Capital Region Brussels (french: Bruxelles or ; nl, Brussel ), officially the Brussels-Capital Region (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) (french: link=no, Région de Bruxelles-Capitale; nl, link=no, Bruss ...

. File:Arms of Flanders.svg, Coat of arms of

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 ...

. File:Armoiries de la Wallonie.svg, Coat of arms of

Wallonia Wallonia (; french: Wallonie ), or ; nl, Wallonië ; wa, Waloneye or officially the Walloon Region (french: link=no, Région wallonne),; nl, link=no, Waals gewest; wa, link=no, Redjon walone is one of the three regions of Belgium—alo ...

. File:BE DG Belgien COA.svg, Coat of arms of the

German-speaking Community The German-speaking Community (german: links=no, Deutschsprachige Gemeinschaft, or DG; french: links=no, Communauté germanophone; nl, links=no, Duitstalige Gemeenschap), since 2017 also known as East Belgium (german: links=no, Ostbelgien), is ...

Provinces

File:Wapen van de provincie Antwerpen (klein).svg, Antwerp File:Wapen van Oost-Vlaanderen.svg,

East-Flanders , native_name_lang = , settlement_type = Province of Belgium , image_flag = Flag of Oost-Vlaanderen.svg , flag_size = , image_shield = Wapen van O ...

File:Coat of arms of Flemish Brabant.svg, Flemish Brabant File:Wapen van Henegouwen (provincie).svg, Hainaut File:Blason liege prov crown.svg, Liège File:Blason Limburg province Belgique.svg,

Limburg Limburg or Limbourg may refer to: Regions * Limburg (Belgium), a province since 1839 in the Flanders region of Belgium * Limburg (Netherlands), a province since 1839 in the south of the Netherlands * Diocese of Limburg, Roman Catholic Diocese in ...

File:Wapen van Luxemburg (België).svg,

Luxembourg Luxembourg ( ; lb, Lëtzebuerg ; french: link=no, Luxembourg; german: link=no, Luxemburg), officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, ; french: link=no, Grand-Duché de Luxembourg ; german: link=no, Großherzogtum Luxemburg is a small lan ...

File:Wapen van Namen (provincie).svg, Namur File:Coat of arms of Walloon Brabant.svg,

Walloon Brabant Walloon Brabant (french: Brabant wallon ; nl, Waals-Brabant ; wa, Roman Payis) is a province located in Belgium's French-speaking region of Wallonia. It borders on (clockwise from the North) the province of Flemish Brabant (Flemish Region) and ...

File:Klein wapen van West-Vlaanderen.svg, West-Flanders

Municipal heraldry

Municipal heraldry Civic heraldry is heraldry used by municipalities. Cities, towns, boroughs and other civic bodies often use heraldic arms as symbols for themselves and their authority. The traditions differ somewhat from one country to the other, but some simi ...

is regulated through the competent council of the

community A community is a social unit (a group of living things) with commonality such as place, norms, religion, values, customs, or identity. Communities may share a sense of place situated in a given geographical area (e.g. a country, village, ...

in question, which are the

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. File:Greater coat of arms of the City of Brussels.svg, Coat of arms of the City of Brussels.

Colonial heraldry

File:Coat of arms of the Congo Free State.svg, Coat of arms of the Congo Free State. File:Greater Coat of Arms of the Belgian Congo.svg, Coat of arms of the

Belgian Congo The Belgian Congo (french: Congo belge, ; nl, Belgisch-Congo) was a Belgian colony in Central Africa from 1908 until independence in 1960. The former colony adopted its present name, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), in 1964. Colo ...

. File:Coat of arms of Ruanda-Urundi.svg, Coat of arms of Ruanda-Urundi.

Royal heraldry

The coats of arms of the Belgian royal family is currently regulated by a Royal Decree published on 19 July 2019 and signed on the same day, by King Philippe. This decree also reinstated the Saxonian escutcheon in all the royal versions of the family's coat of arms. The reinstatement of the shield of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha into the royal arms occurred shortly after the visit of King Philippe and Queen Mathilde to the ancestral

Friedenstein Castle Friedenstein Palace (german: Schloss Friedenstein) is an early Baroque palace built in the mid-17th century by Ernest I, Duke of Saxe-Gotha at Gotha, Thuringia, Germany. In Germany, ''Friedenstein'' was one of the largest palaces of its time and ...

. The king also added translations of the motto into the three official languages of Belgium, to reflect his wish "to be the King of the whole Kingdom and of all Belgians". The latest royal decree therefore reverses previous changes made to the Royal versions of the coat arms which removed the armorial bearings of Saxony during the First World War. ; Coats of arms of the King ; Coats of arms of the Royal family

Individuals and families

Like civic arms, arms of non-noble individuals and families (in the form of family associations) are regulated by the competent council of the

in question. These are the

for the French Community and the

for the Flemish Community. Today, both councils 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 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

as additaments of the shield. The additaments reserved for 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 ...

, such as crowned helmets (i.e. crest coronets) 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 ...

(coronets), supporters,

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. Before that, the

Genealogical and Heraldic Office of Belgium The Royal Belgian Genealogical and Heraldic Office (French: Association Royale Office Généalogique et Héraldique de Belgique or OGHB) is a private genealogical and heraldic society in Belgium. It was founded in 1942 as an asbl and has over a tho ...

recorded the arms of persons and families. File:Coat of arms of the Council of Heraldry and Vexillology.svg,

File:Vlaamse Heraldische Raad wapen.svg,

File:Blason de Muyser Lantwyck.jpg, Example of bourgeois (or burgher) arms: the coat of arms of the de Muyser Lantwyck family. File:De Brabant (Perwez and Wavre) achievement.svg, Coat of arms of the de Brabant family fr.html"_;"title=":fr:Famille_de_Brabant.html"_;"title="nowiki/>:fr:Famille_de_Brabant">fr">:fr:Famille_de_Brabant.html"_;"title="nowiki/>:fr:Famille_de_Brabant">frFile:Vander_Borcht_achievement.svg.html" ;"title=":fr:Famille_de_Brabant">fr.html" ;"title=":fr:Famille_de_Brabant.html" ;"title="nowiki/> fr">:fr:Famille_de_Brabant.html"_;"title="nowiki/>:fr:Famille_de_Brabant">frFile:Vander_Borcht_achievement.svg">Coat_of_arms_of_the_Vander_Borcht_family_[:fr:Famille_Vander_Borcht.html" ;"title=":fr:Famille de Brabant">fr">:fr:Famille_de_Brabant.html" ;"title="nowiki/>:fr:Famille de Brabant">frFile:Vander Borcht achievement.svg">Coat of arms of the Vander Borcht family [:fr:Famille Vander Borcht">fr] File:Dewandre achievement.svg, Arms of the Dewandre family [:fr:Famille Dewandre, fr]

Nobility

Arms of the Belgian nobility are regulated by the Council of Nobility. File:De Lannoy achievement.svg, Coat of arms of the

de Lannoy family The House of Lannoy is the name of an old and important Belgian noble family that takes its name from the French town of Lannoy, Nord. The name comes from ''l'Annoy'' (or ''l'Annoit'', from Latin ''alnetum'') which means «the alderwood» in ...

with a princely mantle. File:Baron Empain Arms.jpg, Coat of arms of the

Empain Barons Baron Empain is a title of nobility of the Kingdom of Belgium. The title was created in 1907 by Leopold II of Belgium for Édouard Empain, a wealthy Belgian engineer, entrepreneur, financier and industrialist, as well as an amateur Egyptologist. ...

. File:Coat of arms of d'Udekem d'Acoz (1999).svg, Coat of arms of the Counts d'Udekem d'Acoz File:Armoiries de la famille de Norman et d'Audenhove.png, Example of

banners 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. Also ...

on the arms of the de Norman et d'Audenhove family.

Coronets rankings

Ecclesiastical heraldry

Notes and references

Bibliography

Heraldic laws and customs in Belgium

* * chevalier Braas, ''La législation nobiliaire en Belgique'', Brussels, 1960. * Claude Chaussier, ''Le droit ancien et actuel des armoiries non nobles en Belgique'', Brussels: Éditions du S.C.G.D., 1980. * Jean-Baptiste Christyn, ''Jurisprudentia Heroica'', Brussels, 1668 and 1689. *

Georges Dansaert Georges Dansaert PB, (21 January 187616 November 1960) was a Belgian lawyer, historian, poet, heraldist, genealogist, and writer from Brussels. In 1938, he received the Hercule-Catenacci prize from the Académie Française along with Baudouin d ...

, ″L'Art Héraldique et ses diverses applications″, in: ''Nouvel armorial belge'', Brussels, 1949, pp. 113–119. *

, ″Du droit de propriété des armoiries et de ses conséquences″, in: ''Nouvel armorial belge'', Brussels, 1949, pp. 7–110. * Lucien Fourez, ''Le droit héraldique dans les Pays-Bas catholiques'', Brussels, 1932. * Octave le Maire, "Diplômes d'armoiries bourgeoises conférées par le roi Guillaume", in: ''L'Intermédiaire des généalogistes'', Brussels, n° 91, 1961, pp. 34–36. * Pierre Nisot, ''Le droit des armoiries. Essai de systématisation et de construction théorique'', préface de M. C. Terlinden, professeur à l'Université de Louvain, membre du Conseil héraldique de Belgique, membre de la Commission royale d'histoire, Brussels : P. Dyckmans, 1924. * Jean Scohier, ''L'Estat et comportement des armes'', Brussels, 1597. * PANTENS, Chr., Le cri en héraldique, in: Le Parchemin, 58, 1993, n° 285, p. 171-184. * VAN ORMELINGEN, J.-J., De toekenning van het adellijk wapen, in: Le Droit nobiliaire et le Conseil héraldique (1844–1994), Brussels, 1994, p. 139-169. * DE MOFFARTS D'HOUCHENÉE, baron St., L'écartelé, mode de rappel, dans les armoiries concédées, d'armoiries d'une autre famille, in: Le Droit nobiliaire et le Conseil héraldique (1844–1994), Brussels, 1994, p. 221-234. * HOUTART, J.-F. (ed.), Florilegium Heraldicae Belgicae (Fédération généalogique et héraldique de Belgique, Cahier 4), Brussels, 2004. * VAN ORMELINGEN, J.-J., Enregistrement officiel d'armoiries en Belgique, in: A. VANDEWALLE, L. VIAENE-AWOUTERS & L. DUERLOO (eds.), Genealogica & Heraldica. Handelingen van het XXVI Internationaal Congres voor Genealogische en Heraldische Wetenschappen, Brussel/Bruxelles, 2006, p. 427-436 (cf. VAN ORMELINGEN, J.-J., L'enregistrement officiel des armoiries en Belgique, in: Bulletin de l'Association de la noblesse du Royaume de Belgique, n° 246, avril 2006, p. 3-14). * Jules Bosmans, ''Traité d'héraldique belge'', 1890.

Armorials

Individuals and families

* P. Bohet et H. Willems, ''Armorial belge'', Brussels, 1965. * Damien Breuls de Tiecken, ''Armorial bruxellois'', Brussels, 2009. * Georges Dansaert, ''Armorial belge du bibliophile'' (same with viscount de Jonghe d'Ardoye and J. Havenith), Brussels, 1930. *

, ''Nouvel armorial belge, ancien et moderne, précédé de l'art héraldique et ses diverses applications'', Brussels : Éditions J. Moorthamers, 1949. * Georges de Crayencour, ''Dictionnaire Héraldique, tous les termes et figures du blason'', Brussels : G. de Crayencour, 1974 (first edition). *
Armorial héraldique vivante
'' in: ''Le Parchemin'',

, 2003. * Jan van Helmont, ''Dictionnaire de Renesse. Lexique héraldique illustré'', Louvain, 1994. * Jean-Paul Springael, ''Armoiries de personnes physiques et d'association familiale en communauté française'', edited by the direction of the ''Patrimoine culturel'' * Carnet Mondain * État présent de la noblesse belge fr;_:nl:État_présent_de_la_noblesse_belge.html" ;"title=":fr:État présent de la noblesse belge">fr; nl.html" ;"title=":nl:État présent de la noblesse belge">nl">:nl:État présent de la noblesse belge">nl

Municipalities

* Lieve Viaene-Awouters and Ernest Warlop, ''Armoiries communales en Belgique, Communes wallonnes, bruxelloises et germanophones'', 2002, 2 volumes.

External links

Heraldry in Belgium on the website of the Genealogical and Heraldic Office of Belgium (in French)

The Council of Nobility

The Council of Heraldry and Vexillology

The Flemish Heraldic Council
{{Heraldry by country Belgian coats of arms

Characteristics

Helms

Mottos

History

Terminology

Civic heraldry

National arms

Other versions

Communities, regions, and language areas

Provinces

Municipal heraldry

Colonial heraldry

Royal heraldry

Individuals and families

Nobility

Coronets rankings

Ecclesiastical heraldry

See also

Notes and references

Bibliography

Heraldic laws and customs in Belgium

Armorials

Individuals and families

Municipalities

External links