Burgher arms
or
bourgeois arms
are
coats of arms
borne by persons of the
burgher
social class of
Europe
since the
Middle Ages
(usually called
bourgeois
in English). By definition, however, the term is alien to
British heraldry
, which follows other rules.
In some European countries, certain armorial bearings have traditionally been restricted to a particular social class (usually the
nobility
), e.g. the use of
supporters
in
Great Britain
,
tinctures
in
Portugal
or
coronets
in
Sweden
. Notwithstanding, in most countries outside the
United Kingdom
, any individual, family and community has usually been free to adopt arms and use them as they please, provided they refrain from wrongfully assuming the preexisting arms of another.
[1]
In addition to the
bourgeoisie
,
peasants
sometimes made use of this tradition.
[
citation needed
]
Arms of the
clergy
are classified as
ecclesiastical heraldry
.
Use of coats of arms by burghers and
artisans
began during the 13th century and in the 14th century some peasants took to using arms.
[2]
The arms of burghers bore a far wider variety of
charges
than the arms of
nobility
like everyday objects, and particularly
tools
.
House marks
are another type charges usually only used in burgher arms. Most widespread burgher heraldry was and still is found in
Belgium
,
Germany
,
Switzerland
and in the
Netherlands
. In the latter only a small percentage of the existing arms belong to the nobility.
[3]
Crest-
coronets
in burgher arms are correct only if the arms were granted by a
sovereign
and the coronet is explicitly mentioned in the grant.
[4]
By country
[
edit
]
Belgium
[
edit
]
Bourgeois arms, such as those of the
bourgeois of Brussels
, were, and remain, common in Belgium and were granted except during the
French Revolutionary
period and subsequent
republic
.
Men admitted to the
Seven Noble Houses of Brussels
, many of whom were
not
noble, members of the
Guilds of Brussels
, and of the
Brussels Bourgeoisie
, were also granted or assumed arms.
Today, the
Council of Heraldry and Vexillology
for the
French Community
and the
Flemish Heraldic Council
for the
Flemish Community
grant a
helm
with torse,
crest
, and
mantling
as well as a
motto
as external ornaments of the
shield
. The additaments reserved for the nobility, such as crowned helmets and rank
crowns
,
supporters
and supports,
banners
and
battle cries
, mantles and pavilions, are prohibited.
[5]
Examples of Belgian bourgeois arms:
France
[
edit
]
ancient French bourgeoisie
[
fr
] arms used to be common in
France
, but they disappeared in the
French Revolution
, which was hostile to heraldry. In the end of the 17th century, an attempt was made to list all arms in
Armorial general
as a device to increase tax revenue. When the attempt failed, in order to force people to pay tax, arms were given to many burghers who had never had them. These arms were never used by their recipients.
[6]
In France burgher arms are not supposed to have a helmet.
Examples of French bourgeois arms:
-
Arms of the
Martinot
family, famous clockmaker family of Paris.
-
Arms of the Thouery family, an old bourgeois family from
Moyrazes
.
-
Coat of arms of the
Bordes family
.
-
-
-
-
Germany
[
edit
]
Although assumption of arms always remained free, the emperors of the
Holy Roman Empire
since
Charles IV
began to grant arms without raising people to nobiliary status. In the 15th century the authority to grant arms was delegated to “
Counts Palatine of the Imperial Court
” (
German
:
Hofpfalzgrafen
), who from then on also granted arms to burghers. This was regarded as luxury everyone was not able to afford.
The
tilting helmet
was prescribed for arms of non-nobles, while the barred helmet was restricted by the imperial chancellery to the nobility as upholders of the tradition of tourneying. This privilege was also shared by certain people who enjoyed the same standing as the nobility, e.g. those who had a doctor's title in law or theology.
[8]
Custom of the use of the barred helmet was also followed by city
patricians
.
[9]
Although the rule of the use of the tilting helmet by burghers was not always obeyed, it has still become the norm in many countries of the
German-Nordic heraldic tradition
, e.g. in
Swedish heraldry
.
After the fall of the
Holy Roman Empire
, arms were no longer granted to burghers except in the
Kingdom of Saxony
, where such grants continued from 1911 until 1918.
[
citation needed
]
Elsewhere burgher arms were assumed. Such family heraldry is still alive in Germany and burgher arms
are protected by law
.
Examples of German burgher arms:
Portugal
[
edit
]
Burgher arms had a complicated and suppressed history in Portugal. During the reign of King
Afonso V
, burgher arms were restricted to the use of colours only. This restriction would become irrelevant when King
Manuel I
forbade the use of arms to those who were not of the
Portuguese nobility
.
[10]
This restriction against burgher arms in Portugal lasted until the establishment of the Republic in 1910.
Arms of peasants
[
edit
]
In some regions (
Normandy
,
Flanders
) even peasants sometimes bore arms.
[11]
In
Switzerland
14th century arms of farmers are known, but they are rare and did not become numerous until the 17th century,
[12]
as well as in
Lower Saxony
,
Frisia
and
Tyrol
, where farmers had personal freedom.
[9]
In
Denmark
arms of farmers are preserved on seals from about 1300.
[13]
In
Norway
peasants have used arms since the Middle Ages and some of the arms have even been used as family arms.
[14]
See also
[
edit
]
References
[
edit
]
- ^
Pastoureau, Michel
(1997).
Heraldry: Its Origins and Meaning
. '
New Horizons
' series. Translated by Garvie, Francisca. London: Thames & Hudson. p. 14.
ISBN
0-500-30074-7
.
- ^
Carl-Alexander von Volborth
. Heraldry: Customs, Rules, and Styles. (Blandford Press, Dorset: 1981), p. 96
- ^
Carl-Alexander von Volborth
. Heraldry: Customs, Rules, and Styles. (Blandford Press, Dorset: 1981), p. 106
- ^
Carl-Alexander von Volborth
. The Art of Heraldry. Tiger Books International, London. 1991, p. 59
ISBN
1-85501-154-9
- ^
"Heraldique en Belgique | Association Royale Office Genealogique et Heraldique de Belgique"
.
oghb.be
. Retrieved
2019-11-30
.
- ^
Michel Pastoureau
, Heraldry: its origins and meaning (Thames & Hudson 1997), p. 33-36
- ^
Charles d'Hozier
,
Armorial general de France. Provence, Grasse
, vol. 29,(
read online
).
- ^
Ottfried Neubecker
: A Guide to Heraldry. Cassell, London 1981, p.161.
ISBN
0-304-30751-3
- ^
a
b
Handbuch der Heraldik: Wappenfibel
. (19th expanded edition). Edited by Ludwig Biewer. (Degener & Co, Neustadt an der Aisch 1998), p. 173
- ^
Stephen Slater: The Complete Book of Heraldry. Lorenz Books 2002, p. 204
- ^
Michel Pastoureau
, Heraldry: its origins and meaning (Thames & Hudson 1997), p. 20
- ^
Carl-Alexander von Volborth
. Heraldry: Customs, Rules, and Styles. (Blandford Press, Dorset: 1981), p. 108
- ^
Carl-Alexander von Volborth
. Heraldry: Customs, Rules, and Styles. (Blandford Press, Dorset: 1981), p. 112
- ^
Hans Krag:
Norsk heraldisk mønstring fra Frederik IV's regjeringstid 1699-1730
, Bind II Bønder, (1942 ? 1955) and Allan Tønnesen (ed.):
Magtens besegling. Enevoldsarveregeringsakterne af 1661 og 1662 underskrevet og beseglet af stænderne i Danmark, Norge, Island og Færøerne
, Odense 2013.
External links
[
edit
]
Look up
burgher
in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.