Flemish Heraldic Council

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Vlaamse Heraldische Raad
Official language
Dutch
Key people
Luc Duerloo (President)
Website/ SARO Vlaanderen

The Flemish Heraldic Council (

Belgian official journal
.

The Council of Heraldry and Vexillology serves a similar purpose in the French Community.

Heraldry of provinces and municipalities

Antwerp (75%).[3] Broadly speaking these figures reflected the relative degree of urbanization and the long and strong tradition of local self-government in the erstwhile feudal entities of Flanders and Brabant
.

Arms of the town of Izegem, granted 1979.

Following a major overhaul of local government, the number of Belgian municipalities was reduced from 2359 to 596 on 1 January 1977. Six years later, one more merger brought the number down to 589. In the Flemish Region the number of municipalities fell from 906 to 308. Municipalities that were affected by a merger could no longer use their preexisting arms. As a result, a mere 66 (21%) of Flemish municipalities could continue to bear a coat of arms. On the eve of the mergers the Cultural Council of the Dutch Speaking Cultural Community (the precursor of the Flemish Parliament) used its powers to legislate in cultural affairs to vote a decree aimed at safeguarding the heraldic heritage of local authorities. The measure received the royal assent on 28 January 1977.[4] Under the terms of the decree every municipality is obliged to have its own arms and flag. The arms have to be displayed on the municipal seal that is used to authenticate official documents. The local council has to initiate the procedure by proposing a coat of arms and a flag. Proposals have to conform to the principles of heraldry and vexillology. The arms furthermore have to take the local historic and heraldic heritage into account.[5]

Flag of Borsbeek, granted 1993.

On 21 December 1978 a Royal Decree instituted the Subcommittee of Heraldry within the Royal Commission for Monuments and Sites with instructions to report on the municipalities' proposals. Following the revision of the Belgian constitution of 1980, the Subcommittee was upgraded to become the independent Flemish Heraldic Council by the decree of the Flemish Government of 11 April 1984. The task of the Council in matters of local heraldry has always been advisory. It considers the symbolism and design of the arms and flags, bearing in mind historical precedents. In many cases it makes suggestions for improvement. Upon recommendation by the Council, the municipal arms and flag are given official approval. Until 1980 the approval took the form of a Royal Decree. Since then it is issued as a Decree of the competent Flemish minister. Under the aegis of the Flemish Heraldic Council, Flemish municipal heraldry has gone through a complete overhaul. The task of assigning a proper coat of arms and flag to each municipality was completed by the early 1990s. In the process care was taken to rectify errors from the past, execute drawings in a clear style and standardize the blazon. While municipal coats of arms have to be in keeping with local historic and heraldic heritage, considerably more creativity is allowed in the design of flags.[6]

Arms of the province of Limburg, granted 1996.
Antwerp
, granted 1997.

Before 1994, the arms of the Belgian provinces were never the subject of a separate legal disposition. They were merely described as banners surmounting the royal mantle in the

Antwerp the coronet of a sovereign margrave. Supporters and the accompanying compartments were based on historical, heraldic and geographical considerations. Thus the deer and the swan of Limburg were based on the arms of Hasselt and Tongeren, the two historical centers of the province, while the oak branches refer to the lore of woods of oak trees.[7]

Heraldry of families and corporations

A decree of 3 February 1998 providing for the means of granting arms to private individuals and institutions was put into effect in 2000.

  • Examples of grants to people and families
  • Coat of arms of the Caluwaerts family, granted on 2 September 2003.[8]
    Coat of arms of the Caluwaerts family, granted on 2 September 2003.[8]
  • Coat of arms of the Haelterman family, granted on 1 March 2019.[9]
    Coat of arms of the Haelterman family, granted on 1 March 2019.[9]
  • Coat of arms of the De Keyser family, granted on 18 April 2018.[10]
    Coat of arms of the De Keyser family, granted on 18 April 2018.[10]
  • Coat of arms of the De Laet family, granted on 30 November 2004.[11]
    Coat of arms of the De Laet family, granted on 30 November 2004.[11]
  • Coat of arms of the du Quesne family, granted on 2 September 2003.[12]
    Coat of arms of the du Quesne family, granted on 2 September 2003.[12]

Presidents of the Flemish Heraldic Council

  • Ernest Warlop (1984-1997)
  • Lieve Viaene-Awouters (1997-2005)
  • André Vandewalle (2005-2014)
  • Luc Duerloo (2015- )

Current members of the Flemish Heraldic Council

  • Luc Duerloo, president
  • Leonard Adriaen
  • Jozef Dauwe
  • Brigitte Meijns
  • Annelies Somers
  • Anne-Laure Van Bruaene
  • Valeria Van Camp
  • Steven Thiry, secretary

Other Heraldic authorities in Belgium

The Council of Heraldry and Vexillology serves a similar purpose in the French Community and the Council of Nobility (est. 1844) grants arms to the nobility in all of Belgium.[13]

Sources

  • ISSN 0773-9273
    .
  • ISSN 0773-9273
    .
  • ISBN 90-5066-201-3
    .

See also

References

  1. ^ Lieve Viaene-Awouters and Ernest Warlop (2002) p.33.
  2. ^ Lieve Viaene-Awouters and Ernest Warlop (2002) p. 40.
  3. ^ Lieve Viaene-Awouters (1977) pp. 291-294.
  4. ^ Scufflaire Andrée (1979) pp. 177-179.
  5. ^ Lieve Viaene-Awouters and Ernest Warlop (2002) pp. 47-48.
  6. ^ Lieve Viaene-Awouters and Ernest Warlop (2002) passim.
  7. ^ Lieve Viaene-Awouters and Ernest Warlop (2002) pp. 71-85.
  8. ^ "Caluwaerts". www.sarovlaanderen.be (in Dutch). Retrieved 2020-08-22.
  9. ^ "Haelterman". www.sarovlaanderen.be (in Dutch). Retrieved 2020-08-22.
  10. ^ "de Keyser". www.sarovlaanderen.be (in Dutch). Retrieved 2020-08-23.
  11. ^ "de Laet". www.sarovlaanderen.be (in Dutch). Retrieved 2020-08-23.
  12. ^ "du Quesne". www.sarovlaanderen.be (in Dutch). Retrieved 2020-08-23.
  13. ^ "Héraldique en Belgique | Association Royale Office Généalogique et Héraldique de Belgique". oghb.be. Retrieved 2019-12-13.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Heraldry of Belgium.
  • (in Dutch) Official website with online register of all arms granted to private persons and corporations.
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