The Coat of Arms of The Netherlands (click for larger image)

The Coat of Arms of The Netherlands (click for larger image)

The Greater Coat of Arms of the Realm, (or “Grote Rijkswapen”), is the personal Coat of Arms of the Monarch (Queen Beatrix). The Government of The Netherlands uses a smaller version without the mantle and the pavilion or even only the shield and crown. The components the coats of arms are regulated by a Royal decry of July 10th 1907. Of the two versions of the coat of arms shown here, the Queen uses the first. (See the website of the Dutch Royal House) This has been converted to Image:Netherlands coat of arms large. ... This has been converted to Image:Netherlands coat of arms large. ... Image File history File links Coat_of_arms_of_the_Netherlands. ... Image File history File links Coat_of_arms_of_the_Netherlands. ... A modern coat of arms is derived from the medi val practice of painting designs onto the shield and outer clothing of knights to enable them to be identified in battle, and later in tournaments. ... Her Majesty, Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands Beatrix Wilhelmina Armgard of Orange-Nassau (born January 31, 1938) is the Queen of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, having acceded to the throne in 1980. ... The Netherlands (Dutch: Nederland) is the European part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands (Dutch: Koninkrijk der Nederlanden). ...

The description of the coat of arms

Azure, billetty Or a lion crowned Or armed and langued Gules holding in his dexter paw a sword argent hilted Or and in the sinister paw seven arrows Argent pointed and bound together Or. The shield is crowned with the (Dutch) royal crown and supported by two lions Or armed and langued Gules. They stand on a scroll Azure with the text “Je Maintiendrai” Or. (French for "I will uphold.")

The monarch places this coat of arms on a mantle Gules lined with Ermine. Above the mantle is a pavilion Gules again toped with the royal crown.

History and origin of the coat of arms

This version of the coat of arms is in use since 1907 but divers only slightly from the version that was adopted in 1815. From 1815 until 1907 all the lions wore the royal crown and the supporting lions where facing.

The royal arms where adopted by the first king of the Netherlands, William I, when he became king after the Congress of Vienna in 1815. As king, he adopted a coat of arms that combined elements of his family’s (Orange-Nassau) coat of arms and that of the former Dutch Republic that existed from 1581 until 1795. King William I of the Netherlands was born as Willem Frederik on 25 August 1772 in The Hague, and died December 12, 1843 in Berlin, Germany. ... The Congress of Vienna was a conference between ambassadors from the major powers in Europe that was chaired by the Austrian statesman Klemens Wenzel von Metternich and held in Vienna, Austria, from September 1, 1814, to June 9, 1815. ... The House of Orange-Nassau (in Dutch Oranje-Nassau), is a family that has played a central role in the political life of the Netherlands since William I of Orange (also known as William the Silent and Father of the Fatherland) organised the Dutch revolt against Spanish rule, which after... This article is about the Dutch United Provinces. ...

From his family arms he used the azure, billety or with a lion or of Nassau. The “Je Maintiendrai” motto represents the Orange family since it came into the family with the princedom of Orange. You can find these elements also in the arms of the English king William III (1689-1702). From the arms of the former States General of the Republic of the United Provinces he took the sword and arrows. The arrows symbolize the sevens provinces that made up the republic. The royal House of Nassau is one of the most prominent dynasties in Europe. ... // The Principality of Orange The title originally referred to the sovereign principality of Orange in the valley of Rhone in southern France, which was a property of the House of Orange (and from 1544 of the House of Orange-Nassau). ... William III of England (14 November 1650 – 8 March 1702; also known as William II of Scotland and William III of Orange) was a Dutch aristocrat and a Protestant Prince of Orange from his birth, King of England and King of Ireland from 13 February 1689, and King of Scots... The Estates-General (Staten-Generaal) is the parliament of the Netherlands. ... This article is about the Dutch United Provinces. ...

Nassau

The arms of Nassau exist since ca 1250. There are two versions of the Nassau arms representing the two main branches. This is a result of two brothers, Walram II and Otto I, agreeing to dived their father’s (Henry II) lands between them in 1225. The line of Walram has added a crown to the lion in the Nassau arms to make it different from the lion used by the line of Otto. The royal House of Nassau is one of the most prominent dynasties in Europe. ... Walram II of Nassau (ca. ... Otto I of Nassau (ca. ... Henry II of Nassau (German: Heinrich II der Reiche) (1180–25 January 1251), Count of Nassau. ...

The kings and queens of the Netherlands are descendents of Otto. The Grand Dukes of Luxemburg are the descendents of Walram. Both lines are now extinct in de male line. The Netherlands have been an independent monarchy since March 16, 1815, and have been governed by members of the House of Orange-Nassau since. ... The Grand Ducal Family of Luxembourg (House of Nassau-Weilburg) consists of the extended family of the sovereign Grand Duke. ...

Orange

The CRoyal Standard of the Netherlands (click for larger image)

The motto has been used by every “ruling” member of the Nassau family who was also the prince of Orange since it came into the family with the princedom of Orange in 1530. Count Henry III of Nassau-Breda, who was living in the Low Countries, was married to Claudia Orange - Châlon. Her brother, Philibert of Châlon, was the last Prince of Orange from the house of Châlon. When he died, Henry’s and Claudia’s son René of Nassau-Breda inherited the Princedom on condition that he used the name and coat of arms of the Châlon family. History knows him therefore as René of Châlon. With this inheritance came the “Je Maintiendrai Châlons” motto into the Nassau family. René died in 1544 without leaving a child. His cousin William of Nassau-Dillenburg inhered all of René’s lands. William became William of Orange (in English better known under is nickname William the Silent) and the founder of the House of Orange-Nassau. William first changed the motto to “Je Maintiendrai Nassau”. Later he (or his sons) dropped the family name from the motto. File links The following pages link to this file: Dutch monarchy ... File links The following pages link to this file: Dutch monarchy ... // The Principality of Orange The title originally referred to the sovereign principality of Orange in the valley of Rhone in southern France, which was a property of the House of Orange (and from 1544 of the House of Orange-Nassau). ... Count Henry III of Nassau-Breda (1483-1538) was a count of the house of Nassau. ... Claudia of Châlon-Orange (1498 - May 31, 1521, Diest) was the wife of Henry III of Nassau-Breda, whom she had married in 1515. ... René of Châlon (February 5, 1519 – July 15, 1544), also known as Renatus of Châlon, was a Prince of the House of Orange and stadtholder of Holland, Zeeland, Utrecht and Gelre. ... William I (William the Silent) William I of Orange-Nassau (April 24, 1533 – July 10, 1584), also widely known as William the Silent, was born in the House of Nassau, and became Prince of Orange in 1544. ... The House of Orange-Nassau (in Dutch Oranje-Nassau), is a family that has played a central role in the political life of the Netherlands since William I of Orange (also known as William the Silent and Father of the Fatherland) organised the Dutch revolt against Spanish rule, which after...

The horn from the arms of the princedom of Orange is not used in the coat of arms of the kingdom but is part of the personal arms and flags of many members of the royal family. See for example the image of the Royal Standard of the Netherlands. // The Principality of Orange The title originally referred to the sovereign principality of Orange in the valley of Rhone in southern France, which was a property of the House of Orange (and from 1544 of the House of Orange-Nassau). ... The Netherlands have been an independent monarchy since March 16, 1815, and have been governed by members of the House of Orange-Nassau since. ...

The Dutch Republic

The sword and arrows originated form the Habsburg rulers: The lion, as representing the Burgundian Netherlands, first appears as a crest on the tomb of Philip the Handsome. Later [Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor|Charles V]] added a the sword. The arrows where used, on coins etc, since the early 16th century to represent the Seventeen Provinces in the low countries under control of Charles V. In 1578, during the Eighty Years' War, the States General ordered a new great seal representing the lion, the sword and the 17 arrows combined. Althoug only seven provinces remaind free form Spain, this seal stayed in use until 1795. In the history of the Low Countries, the Burgundian Netherlands refers to the period when the dukes of Burgundy ruled the area, as well as Luxembourg and northern France from 1384 to 1477. ... In heraldry, a crest is a component of a coat of arms. ... Philip I (July 22, 1478 — September 25, 1506), sometimes called Philip the Handsome (Felipe el Hermoso) was king of Castile, son of the Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian I, and husband of Joanna the Mad, daughter of Ferdinand and Isabella, was the founder of the Habsburg dynasty in Spain. ... The Seventeen Provinces were a personal union of states in the Low Countries in the 16th century, roughly covering the current Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, a good part of the North of France (Artois, Nord) and a small part of Germany. ... The Low Countries, the historical region of de Nederlanden, are the countries (see Country) on low-lying land around the delta of the Rhine, Scheldt, and Meuse (Maas) rivers. ... The Eighty Years War, or Dutch Revolt, was the war of secession between the Netherlands and the Spanish king, that lasted from 1568 to 1648. ... The Estates-General (Staten-Generaal) is the parliament of the Netherlands. ...

After the completion if ts forming in 1584 the Republic of the Seven United Provinces used as its arms: Or a crowned lion Gules armed and langued Azure, holding in his dexter paw a sword and in the sinister paw seven arrows tight together Azure. The colours of this version where derived from the most important of the seven provinces, the county of Holland (its arms are still in use since being adopted by the counts of Holland in ca 1198) After ca 1650 the colours where reversed and the arms became Gules a crowned lion Or armed and langued Azure holding in his dexter paw a sword Argent hilted Or and in the sinister paw seven arrows Argent pointed and tight together Or. This article is about the Dutch United Provinces. ... The Counts of Holland ruled over the county of Holland in the Low Countries between the 10th and the 16th century. ...

Sources:

Wapens van de Nederlanden : de historische ontwikkeling van de heraldische symbolen van Nederland, België, hun provincies en Luxemburg / Hubert de Vries. - 1995