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Dutch Flag and Coat of Arms
History and description of the flagThe tricolour of the Netherlands with its three horizontal stripes is one of the world’s sovereign flags. It is not the country’s first flag. When, at the end of the l5th century, the majority of the provinces of the Low Countries were united under one lord, a single common flag came into use for joint expeditions. This was the banner of the Duke of Burgundy, which consisted of a white field charged with two bundles of red laurel branches in the form of an X, with flames issuing from the intersection: the Cross of Burgundy. Under the House of Habsburg, this flag remained in use. In the 1560s, however, the provinces of the Low Countries rose in revolt against King Philip II of Spain, and the Prince of Orange placed himself at the head of the rebels. The “Watergeuzen” or Sea Beggars (pro-independence pirates), acting on his instructions, harassed the enemy everywhere under an orange-white-blue tricolour or “Orange Blanche Bleu”, the colours of the Prince’s coat of arms. It was thus a flag easily associated with the leader, and the association was expressed in the name the Prince’s Flag. It is not known when this flag was unfurled for the first time, but it can be seen in illustrations dating from the earliest days of the Dutch War of Independence. The flag had three, sometimes six or even nine horizontal stripes, but also took the form of rays projecting from a circle. The colours were used without any fixed order and it was only towards the end of the 16th century that any degree of uniformity appeared. After 1630, the orange stripe was gradually replaced by a red one, as paintings of that time indicate. Since there was no political reason for introducing a non-orange motif in the flag, the probable reason is that orange and blue are faint colours and more difficult to distinguish than red and dark blue, especially at sea. However that may be, since about the year 1630, the Dutch national flag has always been red-white-blue and has always borne the name the Prince’s Flag. The orange-white-blue flag, however, continued to be flown as well. In addition, a third official flag, that of the States General, came into being, although it never assumed the importance of the tricolour. Originally it consisted of the red lion of the Province of Holland, taken from its coat of arms, on a gold field, and later, of a gold lion on a red field. It was not at odds with the Prince’s flag and in old paintings of ships and sea battles, both flags may be seen flying harmoniously side by side, thus illustrating the complex form of government with its two centres of authority: the stadholder (who was always a member of the House of Orange) and the States General. The diversity in form and colour of the Dutch national flags in the time of the Republic of the United Provinces shows clearly that a flag is not immutable, but evolves with the country it represents and frequently reflects that country’s history. Very few national flags have retained their original form. The oldest national flag existing is that of Denmark, the “Dannebrog” (Danish cloth), which dates from 1219. Since a flag evolves with its country, the most radical changes take place in periods of revolutionary upheaval. The best known example of this was the replacement of the “fleur-de-lis” flag of the French monarchy by the present tricolour during the French Revolution. The revolution in the Netherlands, in the last decade of the 18th century, and the conquest by the French also resulted in another flag. The name “Prince’s Flag” was banned. No change was made to the red-white-blue (colours to which the French liberators were kindly disposed, as they were similar to their own tricolour), but in 1796 the red part of the flag was embellished with a female figure personifying the Netherlands, with a lion at her feet. In one hand she bore a shield with the Roman fasces and in the other a lance crowned with the cap of liberty. This flag had a life as short as that of the Batavian Republic for which it was created. Louis Napoleon, made king of Holland by his brother, wished to pursue a purely Dutch policy and to respect national susceptibilities as much as possible. He removed the maiden of freedom from the flag and restored the old tricolour. His pro-Dutch stance led to conflicts with his brother the Emperor, however, and the Netherlands was incorporated into the French Empire. Its flag was replaced by the imperial emblems. In 1813, the Netherlands regained its independence and the Prince of Orange returned to the country from England. The tricolour reappeared from the attics and cellars where it had remained hidden for three years, waiting for better times. To demonstrate the attachment of the people to the House of Orange, the orange-white-blue and the red-white-blue fluttered together from the rooftops. Which of them should be the national flag was left undecided. Until recently, both had had the same rights, although the red-white-blue was generally given precedence. This is apparent from the fact that it was not only hoisted on public buildings but also chosen by the first King as his personal standard, showing the national coat of arms on the white stripe. From the same period dates the custom, deriving spontaneously from the popular will, of flying an orange pennon together with the national flag as a sign of allegiance to the House of Orange. In 1937 a Royal Decree laid down the red, white and blue colours as the national flag (heraldic colours of bright vermilion, white and cobalt blue). Days when the flag is flown on official buildings
Coat of Arms of the Kingdom of the NetherlandsThis coat of arms is a combination of the arms of the Royal Family (Orange-Nassau) and the arrows and sword of the 17th-century Dutch Republic. History William and his descendants commanded the Dutch armies during the war of independence from Spanish rule (1568-1648), also known as the Eighty Years’ War. It was during this period of Spanish occupation that the 17 provinces of the Low Countries (including present-day Belgium) formed an assembly called the States General. Since most of the provinces had a lion in their arms, this became the symbol of the States General, with a sword added as a symbol of power and 17 arrows representing the unity of the provinces. In 1579 seven northern provinces formed the Republic of the United Provinces in a move known as the Union of Utrecht, in response to the union formed in Arras by the southern provinces. When the Republic became officially independent in 1648, it took the arms of the original 17 provinces, but reduced the number of arrows to seven. The red, white and blue colours chosen for the Republic’s new arms were those of the most important of the newly united provinces: Holland. The family of Orange-Nassau continued to play a major role in the political life of the Republic. When the Netherlands became a kingdom in 1813, William I of Orange-Nassau, the country’s first king, combined the ancient arms of Nassau with the arms of the Dutch Republic to make up the royal arms still born by his descendants, the current royal family of the Netherlands. Royal Decree of 23 April 1980, no. 3:
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