Editing Heraldry (section)

====Dutch heraldry====
{{Main|Dutch heraldry|South African heraldry|Belgian heraldry}}
The [[Low Countries]] were great centres of heraldry in medieval times. One of the famous armorials is the [[Gelre Armorial]] or ''Wapenboek'', 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 [[Nobility|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]].<ref>{{cite book |first=J. A. |last=de Boo |title=Familiewapens, oud en nieuw. Een inleiding tot de Familieheraldiek |publisher=Centraal Bureau voor Genealogie |location=[[The Hague]] |year=1977 |language=nl |oclc= 	63382927}}</ref> 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 [[Dutch Republic|republic]] (1581–1806).{{citation needed|date=June 2012}} This heraldic tradition was also exported to the erstwhile [[South African heraldry|Dutch colonies]].<ref name="AHS">{{cite web|url = https://www.americanheraldry.org/heraldry-in-the-usa/arms-of-famous-americans/presidents-of-the-united-states/theodore-roosevelt-and-franklin-delano-roosevelt-26th-and-32nd-presidents-of-the-united-states|title = Theodore Roosevelt and Franklin Delano Roosevelt, 26th and 32nd Presidents of the United States|website = American Heraldry Society|first = Joseph |last = McMillan}}</ref> 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.<ref name="CP">Cornelius Pama ''Heraldiek in Suid-Afrika''. (Balkema, Cape Town: 1956).</ref>