Editing House of Orange-Nassau (section)

==Coats of Arms==

{{main|Armorial of the House of Nassau|nl:Wapen van Nassau#Tak van Otto}}
{{See also|Coat of arms of the Netherlands}}

[[File:Arms of Nassau.svg|thumb|200px|Arms of the Ottonian Branch of the House of Nassau:<ref name="Rietstap"/> ''Azure billetty or, a lion rampant of the last armed and langued gules'']]

The gallery below show the [[coats of arms]] used by members of the house of Orange-Nassau. Their growing complexity and use of crowns shows how arms are used to reflect the growing political position and royal aspirations of the family.  A much more complete armorial is given at the [[Armorial of the House of Nassau]], and another one at [[:nl:Wapen van Nassau#Tak van Otto|Wapen van Nassau, Tak van Otto]] at the Dutch Wikipedia.

The ancestral coat of arms of the Ottonian line of the [[house of Nassau]] is shown right.  Their distant cousins of the Walramian line added a red coronet to distinguish them. There is no specific documentation in the literature on the origin of the arms.  The lion was always a popular noble symbol, originating as a symbol of nobility, power, and royal aspirations in western culture going all the way back to [[Hercules]].  The lion was also heavily used as a heraldic symbol in border territories and neighbouring countries of the [[Holy Roman Empire]] and [[France]]. It was in all likelihood a way of showing independence from the [[Holy Roman Emperor]], who used an [[Reichsadler|eagle]] in his personal arms and the [[King of France]], who used the famous [[Fleur-de-lis]]. The lion was so heavily used in the Netherlands for various provinces and families (see [[Leo Belgicus]]) that it became the national arms of the [[Dutch Republic Lion|Dutch Republic]], its successor [[Coat of arms of the Netherlands|Kingdom of the Netherlands]], [[Coat of Arms of Belgium|Belgium]], and [[Coat of arms of Luxembourg|Luxembourg]].  Blue, because of its nearness to purple, which in the northern climes tended to fade (red was the other choice), was also a popular color for those with royal aspirations. The billets could have been anything from blocks of wood to abstractions of the reenforcements holding the shield together.  The fact that these were arms were very similar to those of the [[List of counts of Burgundy|counts of Burgundy]] (Franche-Comté) did not seem to cause too much confusion.

Henry III of Nassau-Breda came to the Netherlands in 1499 as heir to his uncle, [[Engelbert II of Nassau|Engelbrecht II of Nassau-Breda]].  His and his uncle's arms are shown below.  When [[Philibert of Chalon|Philbert, prince of Orange]] died in 1530, his sister's son [[René of Chalon|René of Breda]] inherited the Princedom of Orange on condition that he used the name and coat of arms of the Chalon-Orange family. History knows him therefore as René of Chalon instead of as "René of Nassau-Breda." The 1st and 4th grand quarters show the arms of the Chalons-Arlay (the gold bend) princes of Orange (the bugle). The blue and gold cross is the arms of Jeanne of Geneva, who married one of the Chalons princes. The 2nd and 3rd show the quarterings of Brittany and Luxembourg-St. Pol.  The inescutcheon overall is his paternal arms quartered of Nassau and Breda. [[William the Silent]]'s father, William the Rich, was rich only in children.  He bore the arms shown below.  Clockwise from upper left they displayed the arms of Nassau (1st quarter), Katzenelenbogen (3rd quarter), Dietz (2nd quarter), Vianden (4th quarter).
<gallery class="center" >
Nassau-Dillenburg 1420 klein.svg|Arms of Engelbrecht II and Henry III of Nassau-Breda.<ref name="Rietstap"/>
File:Nassau-Chalons wapen.svg|Coat of arms of Rene of Chalons as Prince of Orange.<ref name="Rietstap"/>
File:Nassau-Dillenburg 1559-1739.svg|Arms of William the Rich, count of Nassau-Dillenburg.<ref name="Rietstap"/>
</gallery>

The princes of Orange in the 16th and 17th century used the following sets of arms.  On becoming prince of Orange, William placed the Chalon-Arlay arms in the center ("as an inescutcheon") of his father's arms.  He used these arms until 1582 when he purchased the [[marquisate of Veere]] and Vlissingen.  It had been the property of Philip II since 1567, but had fallen into arrears to the province. In 1580 the [[Hof van Holland|Court of Holland]] ordered it sold. William bought it as it gave him two more votes in the States of Zeeland. He owned the government of the two towns, and so could appoint their magistrates. He already had one as First Noble for Philip William, who had inherited Maartensdijk. This made William the predominant member of the States of Zeeland. It was a smaller version of the countship of Zeeland (& Holland) promised to William, and was a potent political base for his descendants. William then added the shield of Veere and Buren to his arms as shown in the arms of [[Frederick Henry, Prince of Orange|Frederick Henry]], [[William II of Orange|William II]] and [[William III of England|William III]] with the arms of the marquisate in the top center, and the arms of the county of Buren in the bottom center.<ref name="Rowen"/>{{rp|29–30}} William also started the tradition of keeping the number of billets in the upper left quarter for Nassau at 17 to symbolize the original 17 provinces of the Burgundian/Habsburg Netherlands, which he always hoped would form one united nation.

<gallery class="center">
File:Willem van Oranje wapen oud.svg|Coat of arms of [[William the Silent]] as Prince of Orange from 1544 to 1582, and his eldest son [[Philip William, Prince of Orange|Philip William]]<ref name="Rietstap"/>
File:Arms of William Henry, Prince of Orange, Count of Nassau with Veere.svg|The coat of arms used by [[William the Silent]] from 1582 until his death, [[Frederick Henry, Prince of Orange|Frederick Henry]], [[William II of Orange|William II]], and [[William III of England|William III]] as [[Prince of Orange]]<ref name="Rietstap">{{cite book |title=Armorial general|first=Johannes Baptist|last =Rietstap|publisher=Genealogical Publishing Co.|year=2003|volume= 2|page=297|isbn=0-8063-4811-9|quote=Ecartelé : au 1. d'azur, semé de billettes d'or au lion d'or, armé et lampassé de gueules, brochant sur le tout (Maison de Nassau); II, d'or, au léopard lionné de gueules, arméc ouronné et lampassé d'azur (Katzenelnbogen); III, de gueules à la fasce d'argent (Vianden); IV, de gueules à deux lions passant l'un sur l'autre; sur-le-tout écartelé, aux I et IV de gueules, à la bande d'or (Chalon), et aux II et III d'or, au cor de chasse d'azur, virolé et lié de gueules (Orange); sur-le-tout-du-tout de cinq points d'or équipolés à quatre d'azur (Genève); un écusson de sable à la fasce d'argent brochant en chef (Marquis de Flessingue et Veere); un écusson de gueules à la fasce bretessée et contre-bretessée d'argent brochant en pointe (Buren). Cimier: 1er un demi-vol cont. coupé d'or sur gueles (Chalons), 2er une ramure de cerf d'or (Orange) 3er un demi-vol de sa, ch. d'un disque de armes de Dietz. Supports: deux lions d'or, arm. et lamp. de gueles. Devise: JE MAINTIENDRAI.|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=KGwv4BDnlaQC&q=orange|access-date = 26 May 2015}}</ref>
File:Maurits Nassau wapen klein.svg|alt=The coat of arms used by Maurice showing the county of Moers (top left center and bottom right center) and his mother's arms of Saxony (center): 78|The coat of arms used by [[Maurice of Nassau, Prince of Orange|Maurice]] showing the county of [[Moers]] (top left center and bottom right center) and his mother's arms of [[House of Wettin|Saxony]] (center)<ref name="Haley"/>{{rp|78}}<ref>{{Cite web|last=Anonymous |title=Wapenbord van Prins Maurits met het devies van de Engelse orde van de Kouseband |work=Exhibit of a painted woodcut of Maurice's Arms encircled by the Order of the Garter in the Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam |publisher=Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam |url=http://www.rijksmuseum.nl/collectie/zoeken/asset.jsp?id=NG-NM-10152&lang=en |access-date=26 April 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120111084906/http://www.rijksmuseum.nl/collectie/zoeken/asset.jsp?id=NG-NM-10152&lang=en |archive-date=11 January 2012 }}</ref><ref>{{cite book |title=Armorial général, contenant la description des armoiries des familles nobles et patriciennes de l'Europe: précédé d'un dictionnaire des termes du blason|first=Johannes Baptist|last =Rietstap|publisher=G.B. van Goor|year=1861|page=746|url = https://books.google.com/books?id=TU4EAAAAIAAJ&q=nassau+princes+d%27orange|quote=a la exception de celebre prince Maurice qui portai les armes ...}}</ref>
File:Arms of William Henry, Prince of Orange, Count of Nassau.svg|An alternate coat of arms sometimes used by [[Frederick Henry, Prince of Orange|Frederick Henry]], [[William II, Prince of Orange|William II]], and [[William III of England|William III]] as Prince of Orange showing the county of [[Moers]] in the top center rather than [[marquisate of Veere|Veere]].<ref>{{Cite web|last=Post |first=Pieter |title=Coat of Arms as depicted in "Begraeffenisse van syne hoogheyt Frederick Hendrick" |work=engraving, in the collection of |publisher=Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam |year=1651 |url=http://www.rijksmuseum.nl/collectie/zoeken/asset.jsp?id=NG-793-53 |access-date=1 June 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120111092052/http://www.rijksmuseum.nl/collectie/zoeken/asset.jsp?id=NG-793-53 |archive-date=11 January 2012 }}</ref>
File:Coat of arms of William and Mary as Prince and Princess of Orange.svg|Coat of arms on expeditionary banner of William and Mary, 1688, showing the arms of [[William III of England|William III]] impaled with the royal arms of England
File:Royal Arms of England (1694-1702).svg|Coat of arms of King William III of England as King of England.
</gallery>

When [[John William Friso, Prince of Orange|John William Friso]] became Prince of Orange, he used the arms below.  However, he was never recognized outside of Holland and areas friendly to Holland as Prince of Orange.  His son, [[William IV, Prince of Orange|William IV]], recognized as Prince of Orange, seems to have used the original arms of [[William the Silent]].<ref name="Rietstap2">{{cite book |title=Armorial général, contenant la description des armoiries des familles nobles et patriciennes de l'Europe: précédé d'un dictionnaire des termes du blason|first=Johannes Baptist|last =Rietstap|publisher=G.B. van Goor|year=1861|page=746}}</ref> When the princes of Orange fled the Netherlands during the Batavian Republic and the Kingdom of Holland, and when France occupied the Netherlands, they were compensated by Napoleon with the [[Principality of Nassau-Orange-Fulda]]. These principalities were confiscated when Napoleon invaded Germany (1806) and William VI supported his Prussian relatives. He succeeded his father as prince of Orange later that year, after William V's death.  The house of Orange-Nassau also had several illegitimate lines (see below) who based their arms on the arms of Nassau-Dillenburg.

<gallery class="center" >
File:Arms of Johan Willem Friso as Prince of Orange.JPG|Arms of Johan Willem Friso as Prince of Orange.<ref name="Familiegraf">{{Cite web| title = "Coat of Arms as depicted on the "Familiegraf van de Oranje-Nassau's in de Grote of Jacobijnerkerk te Leeuwarden"| work = Familiegraf van de Oranje-Nassau's in de Grote of Jacobijnerkerk te Leeuwarden| url = http://www.hethuisvanoranje.nl/14%20Familiegraven/IndexOranjegraven.html| access-date = 9 November 2011| archive-date = 15 December 2018| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20181215172246/https://www.hethuisvanoranje.nl/14| url-status = dead}}</ref>

File:Nassau-Fulda wapen.svg|Arms of William VI of Orange as prince of Orange-Nassau-Fulda.  The bottom most shield shows clockwise from top left the principality of Fulda, the lordship of Corvey, the county of Weingarten, and the lordship of Dortmund.<ref name="Rietstap2"/>

Image:Justinus van Nassau wapen.svg|Arms of [[Justinus van Nassau]],<ref name="Rietstap2"/> natural son of [[William the Silent]].

File:Nassau laLecq.svg|Arms of the [[Louis of Nassau, Lord of De Lek and Beverweerd]], natural son of [[Maurice of Nassau, Prince of Orange]], and his descendants the lords of den Lek and the [[earl of Grantham|earls of Grantham]] in England<ref name="Rietstap2"/>

Image:Blason Nassau-Zuylestein.svg|Arms of the [[Frederick Nassau de Zuylestein|lords of Zuylestein]], natural son of [[Frederick Henry, Prince of Orange]] and his descendants the [[earl of Rochford|earls of Rochford]] in England<ref name="Rietstap2"/>
</gallery>

When [[William I of the Netherlands|William VI of Orange]] returned to the Netherlands in 1813 and was proclaimed Sovereign Prince of the Netherlands, he quartered the former [[Dutch Republic Lion|Arms of the Dutch Republic]] (1st and 4th quarter) with the "Chalon-Orange" arms (2nd and 3rd quarter), which had come to symbolize Orange. As an in escutcheon he placed his ancestral arms of Nassau. When he became King in 1815, he combined the [[Dutch Republic Lion]] with the billets of the Nassau arms and added a royal crown to form the [[Coat of arms of the Netherlands]]. In 1907, Queen Wilhelmina replaced the royal crown on the lion and the shield bearers of the arms with a coronet.<ref>{{cite web | title = Wapens van leden van het Koninklijk Huis| work = Coats of Arms of the Dutch Royal Family, Website of the Dutch Monarchy, the Hague | publisher = Rijksvoorlichtingsdienst (RVD), the Hague, the Netherlands | url = http://www.koninklijkhuis.nl/onderwerpen/wapens|quote="Het wapen van het Koninkrijk der Nederlanden (Rijkswapen) en dat van de Koningen der Nederlanden (Koninklijk wapen) is vanaf de oprichting van het Koninkrijk in 1815 identiek. Het Wapen werd in 1907 gewijzigd en laatstelijk vastgesteld bij Koninklijk Besluit van 23 april 1980, nr. 3 (stb. 206) bij de troonsaanvaarding van Koningin Beatrix. De beschrijving van het wapenschild in het eerste artikel is dwingend voorgeschreven, de in het tweede en derde artikel beschreven uitwendige versierselen zijn facultatief. In de praktijk wordt de basisuitvoering van het wapen wel het Klein Rijkswapen genoemd. Het Koninklijk Wapen wordt sinds 1907 gekenmerkt door een gouden klimmende leeuw met gravenkroon. De blauwe achtergrond (het veld) is bezaaid met verticale gouden blokjes. De term bezaaid geeft in de heraldiek aan dat het aantal niet vaststaat, waardoor er ook een aantal niet compleet zijn afgebeeld. Het wapenschild wordt gehouden door twee leeuwen die in profiel zijn afgebeeld. Op het wapenschild is een Koningskroon geplaatst. Op een lint dat onder het wapenschild bevestigd is, staat de spreuk 'Je Maintiendrai'. Bij Koninklijk Besluit van 10 juli 1907 (Stb. 181) werd het Koninklijk Wapen, tevens Rijkswapen, aangepast. De leeuw in het schild en de schildhoudende leeuwen droegen vóór die tijd alle drie de Koninklijke kroon, maar raakten deze kwijt nu de toegevoegde purperen hermelijn gevoerde mantel, gedekt door een purperen baldakijn, een Koningskroon ging dragen. De schildhouders waren vóór 1907 bovendien aanziend in plaats van en profiel."|access-date = 30 April 2012}}</ref>

<gallery class="center" >
File:Arms of the Dutch Republic.svg|[[Dutch Republic Lion|Arms of the States General of the Dutch Republic]].  The sword symbolizes the determination to defend the nation, and the bundle of 7 arrows the unity of the 7 United Provinces of the Dutch Republic.
File:Arms of Sovereign Prince William I of Orange.svg|Arms of William VI as sovereign prince of the Netherlands.<ref name="Rietstap"/>
File:Royal Arms of the Netherlands (1815-1907).svg|[[Coat of arms of the Netherlands|First arms of the Kingdom and Kings of the Netherlands]] from 1815 to 1907.<ref name="koninklijkhuis"/>
File:Arms of the Kingdom of the Netherlands.svg|[[Coat of arms of the Netherlands|Arms of the Kingdom and Kings of the Netherlands]] since 1907.<ref name="koninklijkhuis"/>
</gallery>

Wilhelmina further decreed that in perpetuity her descendants should be styled "princes and princesses of Orange-Nassau" and that the name of the house would be "Orange-Nassau" (in Dutch "Oranje-Nassau").  Only those members of the members of the Dutch Royal Family that are designated to the smaller "Royal House" can use the title of prince or princess of the Netherlands.<ref name="koninklijkhuis"/> Since then, individual members of the House of Orange-Nassau are also given their own arms by the reigning monarch, similar to the United Kingdom. This is usually the royal arms, quartered with the arms of [[Prince of Orange|the principality of Orange]], and an in escutcheon of their paternal arms.<ref>{{cite web | title = Wapens van leden van het Koninklijk Huis| work = Coats of Arms of the Dutch Royal Family, Website of the Dutch Monarchy, the Hague | publisher = Rijksvoorlichtingsdienst (RVD), the Hague, the Netherlands | url =http://www.koninklijkhuis.nl/onderwerpen/wapens/inhoud/wapens-van-leden-van-het-koninklijk-huis| access-date = 30 April 2012}}</ref>

<gallery class="center" >
File:Arms of Juliana of the Netherlands.svg|Juliana of the Netherlands & Oranje-Nassau Personal Arms
File:Arms of Beatrix of the Netherlands.svg|Beatrix of the Netherlands & Oranje-Nassau Personal Arms
File:Arms of the children of Beatrix of the Netherlands.svg|William Alexander of the Netherlands and Oranje-Nassau Personal Arms
File:Arms of the children of Wilhelm-Alexander of the Netherlands.svg|Arms for children of King William Alexander of the Netherlands
File:Arms of the children of Margriet of the Netherlands.svg|Sons of Princess Margriet of the Netherlands, Pieter van Vollenhoven<ref>{{Cite web| last = Klaas| title = Maurits van Vollenhoven| work = Article on Maurits van Vollenhoven, 18-09-2008 10:28| publisher = klaas.punt.nl| url = http://klaas.punt.nl/content/2008/09/maurits-van-vollenhoven| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20131020013849/http://klaas.punt.nl/content/2008/09/maurits-van-vollenhoven| url-status = dead| archive-date = October 20, 2013| access-date = 4 April 2013}}</ref>
</gallery>

As sovereign Princes, the princes of Orange used an [[Fürst|independent prince's]] [[:File:Princely crown.svg|crown]] or the [[:File:Princely Hat.svg|princely hat]]. Sometimes, only the coronet part was used ([[:File:Arolsen Klebeband 01 343.jpg|see]], [[:File:Anselmus-van-Hulle-Hommes-illustres MG 0442.tif|here]] and [[:File:Funeral procession of Frederik Hendrik prince of Orange.jpg|here]]). After the establishment of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, and as the [[principality of Orange]] had been incorporated into France by Louis XIV, they used the Dutch Royal Crowns.  The full coats of arms of the princes of Orange, later Kings of the Netherlands, incorporated the arms above, the crown, 2 lions as supporters and the motto "Je maintiendrai" ("I will maintain"), the latter taken from the Chalons princes of Orange, who used "Je maintiendrai Chalons".<ref name="Grew"/>{{rp|35}}
{| border="0" align="center" width="80%"
|-
!width=33% |[[File:Prince of Orange proper.svg|center|300px]]
!width=33% |[[File:Royal coat of arms of the Netherlands (1815-1907).svg|center|220px]]
!width=33% |[[File:Royal coat of arms of the Netherlands.svg|center|220px]]
|-
|{{center|Coat of Arms of Frederick Henry, William II and William III as sovereign princes of Orange.<ref name="Rietstap"/> }}
|{{center|Royal coat of arms of the Netherlands (1815–1907)<ref name="koninklijkhuis"/> }}
|{{center|Royal coat of arms of the Netherlands (1907–present)<ref name="koninklijkhuis"/> }}
|}