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.
History
The Netherlands, and more generally the Low Countries, was an area significant to heraldic development in medieval times. 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. 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.
Terminology
Like English and some other countries' heraldry, achievements of arms are usually blazoned in a specialized jargon.
Royal heraldry
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:
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.
Nobility
Heraldry of the Dutch nobility is managed by the Council of Nobility which maintains a register of arms.
Civic heraldry
Dutch civic heraldry is regulated by the High Council of Nobility (), 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.