| Coat of arms of the Kingdom of the Netherlands | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Versions | |
 Lesserachievement | |
 Greater (royal)achievement | |
| Armiger | Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands |
| Adopted | 10 July 1907 23 April 1980[1] |
| Crest | Dutch royal Crown |
| Shield | Azure, billettyOr alion with acoronet Or armed and languedGules holding in his dexter paw aswordArgent hilted Or and in the sinister paw sevenarrows Argent pointed and bound together Or |
| Supporters | Two lions rampant Or armed and langued Gules |
| Motto | French:Je Maintiendrai |
| Other elements | The monarch places this coat of arms on a mantle gules lined with Ermine. Above the mantle is a pavilion gules again topped with the royal crown. |
| Earlier version | 24 August 1815 |
Thecoat of arms of theKingdom of the Netherlands was originally adopted in 1815 and later modified in 1907. The arms are a composite of the arms of the formerDutch Republic and the arms of theHouse of Nassau, it features a checkered shield with a lion grasping a sword in one hand and a bundle of arrows in the other and is the heraldic symbol of themonarch (King Willem-Alexander) and the country. The monarch uses a version of the arms with a mantle (Dutch:Koninklijk wapen) while thegovernment of the Netherlands uses a smaller version without the mantle (cloak) or the pavilion, sometimes only the shield and crown are used (Dutch:Rijkswapen). The components of the coats of arms were regulated byQueen Wilhelmina in a royal decree of 10 July 1907, affirmed byQueen Juliana in a royal decree of 23 April 1980.[1]
Theblazon is as follows:
Azure, billettyOr alion with acoronet Or armed and languedGules holding in his dexter paw aswordArgent hilted Or and in the sinister paw sevenarrows Argent pointed and bound together Or. (The seven arrows stand for the seven provinces of the Union of Utrecht.) Theshield is crowned with the (Dutch) royalcrown and supported by two lions Or armed and langued gules. They stand on a scroll Azure with the text (Or) "Je Maintiendrai" (pronounced[ʒəmɛ̃tjɛ̃dʁe], French for "I shall maintain".)
The monarch places this coat of arms on a mantlegules lined withermine. Above the mantle is a paviliongules again topped with the royal crown.
In the royal decree, it is stated that male successors may replace the crown on the shield with ahelm with thecrest of Nassau.
 | This sectionneeds additional citations forverification. Please helpimprove this article byadding citations to reliable sources in this section. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.(January 2025) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
This version of the coat of arms has been in use since 1907 but differs 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 were facing.
The royal arms were adopted by the first king of TheKingdom of the Netherlands,William I, when he became king after theCongress 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 formerDutch Republic that existed from 1581 until 1795.
From his family arms he used theazure, billetty or witha lion rampant or ofNassau (blue shield, lion, billets). The "Je Maintiendrai" motto represents the Orange family since it came into the family with theprincedom of Orange as "Je MaintiendraiChâlons". These elements are also found in the arms of kingWilliam III, who was also king of England, Scotland & Ireland (1689–1702). From the arms of the formerStates General of theRepublic of the United Provinces he took the lion with a coronet, sword and arrows. The arrows symbolize the seven provinces that made up the Republic, the sword the determination to defend their liberty, and the coronet their sovereignty. William replaced the coronet with a royal crown. In 1907,Queen Wilhelmina returned to an open coronet.
.svg)
The arms ofNassau has existed since about 1250. There are two versions of the Nassau arms, representing the two main branches. This is a result of two brothers,count Walram II andcount Otto I, agreeing to divide their father's (Henry II) lands between them in 1255. The line of Walram added a crown to the lion in the Nassau arms to make it different from the lion used by the line of Otto.
Thekings and queens of the Netherlands are descendants of count Otto. TheGrand Dukes of Luxemburg are descendants of count Walram. They also still use "Nassau" in their arms.[2] Both lines are now extinct in the male line.
Thehelm andcrest that can be used in the royal arms by the male successors to the throne (and is in fact being used by some male members of the royal family) is:"On a (ceremonial) helmet, with bars and decoration Or andmantling Azure and Or, issuing from acoronet Or, a pair of wings joinedSable each with an arched bend Argent charged with three leaves of the lime-tree stems upwardVert".
This crest is used by the descendants of Otto and differs from the crest used by the descendants of Walram. But in the royal decree of 1815 the crest issuing from a crown on the Dutch royal arms was the one used by the Walram line. Why this was done is not sure. Maybe due to the "mistake" this crest was hardly used.
The crest of the Walram-line is:Between two trunks Azure billetty Or a sitting lion Or.The trunks are probably a misinterpretation of two cow horns, a crest that is frequently used inGerman heraldry.On the Grand Coat of Arms of theGrand Duke of Luxemburg the lion is crowned, armed and langued Gules.
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 thePrincedom of Orange in 1530. CountHenry III of Nassau-Breda, who was living in the Low Countries, was married toClaudia Orange-Châlon. Her brother,Philibert of Châlon, was the last Prince of Orange from the House of Châlon. When he died in 1530, 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 asRené 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 inherited all of René's lands. William became William of Orange (in English better known under his nicknameWilliam the Silent) and the founder of theHouse of Orange-Nassau. William first changed the motto to "Je Maintiendrai Nassau". Later he (or his sons) dropped the family name from the motto.
The sword and arrows originated from theHabsburg rulers.[citation needed]
.svg)
.svg)
The lion, as representing theBurgundian Netherlands, first appears as acrest on the tomb ofPhilip the Handsome. LaterCharles V added the sword. The arrows were used, on coins etc., since the early 16th century to represent theSeventeen Provinces in theLow Countries under control of Charles V. In 1578, during theEighty Years' War, theStates General ordered a new great seal representing the lion, the sword and the 17 arrows combined. Although only seven provinces remained free from Spain, this seal stayed in use until 1795.
After the completion of its forming in 1584 theRepublic 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 thecounts of Hollandc. 1198).
The arrows symbolize the seven provinces that made up the Republic, the sword the determination to defend their liberty, and the coronet their sovereignty.
Part ofa series on the |
|---|
| History of the Netherlands |
 |
 Netherlands portal |
In 1795, with French help, the lastStadholderWilliam V was forced to flee and theBatavian Republic (1795–1806) was proclaimed. At first this had no influence on the use of the arms of the former Republic. Then in the following year the lion, that had served for approximately 280 years, was replaced by an allegoric image of a"Dutch maiden of Freedom". In 1802 the Batavian Republic reverted to the Republican lion, although it does not carry seven arrows.
With the replacement of the Batavian Republic with theKingdom of Holland (1806–1810), the lion of the States General was again adopted.Louis Napoleon Bonaparte (brother of the French EmperorNapoleon) used as King Louis I a coat of arms that quartered the Dutch lion with theFrench Imperial Eagle. After the emperor Napoleon abolished the Kingdom of Holland in 1810 the lion again had to leave the stage and the Imperial Eagle was the only image in use.
In 1813 the French were forced out of the Netherlands and the son of the last Stadholder,William VI/I, was proclaimed 'Sovereign Prince' (1813–1815). To symbolize his new status he assumed a new coat of arms. In it the old lion with the sword and arrows made his second reappearance, now with a royal crown upon his head. Again it was placed in the prime locations of a quartered shield (I and IV quarters). In the II and III quarters were the arms of Châlon-Orange-Geneve. The arms of Nassau (Otto) were placed on an escutcheon in the center of the shield.
The final retirement of the Republican lion came in 1815 with the establishment of the "United Kingdom of the Netherlands". Because this new kingdom comprised not only the lands of the former Dutch Republic but also of the former Austrian orSouthern Netherlands, it was also not appropriate to continue the use of the old arms. First a combination with the arms ofBrabant (Sable a Lion Or, now thecoat of arms of Belgium) was considered. In the end the attributes, the sword, arrows and crown, were placed in the care of his older "colleague" from Nassau to symbolize the union between the (now Royal) House of Nassau and the Netherlands. As seen above, this is still the basis of the current coat of arms.
.svg)
.svg)
.svg)
Various versions of the Dutch royal arms are used byGovernment, theParliament and courts. Government and its agencies generally use a simplified version of the royal arms without the mantle, the pavilion and the topped royal crown.[3] This simplified royal arms also feature on the cover ofpassports,[4]embassies and consulates.[5] The versions used by the legislature and itschambers show the royal arms with the royal crown and a buckled dark-blue strap that bears the name of the parliament or each chamberStaten-Generaal (States General),Eerste Kamer der Staten-Generaal (Senate),Tweede Kamer der Staten-Generaal (House of Representatives) in gold letters surrounding the shield.[6]
Members of theDutch royal family receive their own personalised arms which are based on the royal arms. For more details seeWapen van Nassau, Tak van Otto (in Dutch).
| Coat of arms | Bearer | Details | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Full achievement | Escutcheon | ||
 |  | Queen Máxima | Oval shield-shaped (usually borne by women), aquartering of the Dutch royal arms withOrange; over all anescutcheon with the arms ofZorreguieta (paternal arms): Or, two poplar trees proper flanking a Triple-towered castle Gules, ondoyant to the gate of the castle a river Azure.[7] |
 |  | Children of King Willem-Alexander (PrincessesCatharina-Amalia,Alexia andAriane) | A quartering of the Dutch royal arms with Orange; over all an escutcheon with the arms ofZorreguieta (maternal arms).[7] |
.svg) |  | Children of Princess Beatrix (Prince Constantijn) | A quartering of the Dutch royal arms with Orange; over all an escutcheon with the arms of the House ofAmsberg (paternal arms): Vert, a triple-towered castle argent, on a mount Or.[7] |
 |  | Princess Beatrix | A quartering of the Dutch royal arms with Orange; over all an escutcheon with the arms of the House ofLippe (paternal arms): Argent, a rose Gules barbed and seeded Or.[7] |
 |  | Children of Queen/Princess Juliana (PrincessesIrene,Margriet andChristina) | Oval shield-shaped, a quartering of the Dutch royal arms with Orange; over all an escutcheon with the arms of the House ofLippe (paternal arms).[7] |
 |  | Children of Princess Margriet (PrincesMaurits,Bernhard,Pieter-Christiaan andFloris) | A quartering of the Dutch royal arms with Orange; over all an escutcheon with the arms of the House ofVollenhoven (paternal arms): Azure, a six-pointed star Argent impaling Or, a deer Gules supported on a tree, the tree on a Mount Vert.[7] |
| National |  | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Subnational |
| ||||||||
| Historical | |||||||||
