Coat of arms of Luxembourg
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| Coat of arms of Luxembourg | |
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| Details | |
| Escutcheon | burely of 10 argent and azure, a lion rampant queue fourché in saltire gules armed, langued and crowned or |
| Supporters | Two or reguardant lion |
The coat of arms of Luxembourg has its origins in the Middle Ages, and was derived from that of the Duchy of Limburg, in modern day Belgium and the Netherlands. In heraldic language, these arms are described as: burely of 10 argent and azure, a lion rampant queue fourché in saltire gules armed, langued and crowned or.
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[edit] The coat of arms of Henry V, Count of Luxembourg (1216–1281)
Henry V was the first Count of Luxembourg to adopt a primitive form of these arms. His father, Waleran III, Duke of Limburg, bore the arms, argent a lion rampant queue fourché gules armed, langued and crowned or (white field bearing a red double tailed lion with yellow claws, teeth, tongue and crown). Henry V replaced the white field by a series of white and blue stripes (burely of 10 argent and azure) to differentiate from his half-brother Henry IV, Duke of Limburg.
It is yet uncertain where the origins of this burely of 10 argent and azure are. Jean-Claude Loutsch, Luxembourg's most prominent heraldist, authored the theory that the original Luxembourg dynasties may have born a striped banner (colours unknown). Two dynasties closely related to the first Houses of Luxembourg also adopted striped coats of arms during this period. Both the Counts of Loon and Counts of Grandpré bore the arms burely of 10 or and gules (yellow and red alternating stripes). In such a case, the choice of colour of the stripes would have been determined to match the white field and red lion of Limburg.
 Coat of arms of Waleran III, Duke of Limburg |
 Coat of arms of the Counts of Grandpré and Counts of Loon |
 Coat of arms of Henry V, Count of Luxembourg |
[edit] The coat of arms of Henry VI, Count of Luxembourg (1240-1288)
In 1282, after the death of Waleran IV of Limburg, Henry VI, count of Luxembourg changed his arms by doubling the lion's tail and passing it in saltire as a claim on the duchy of Limburg. After Henry VIth death in 1288 at the Battle of Worringen, Henry VII readopted his grandfather Henry VII's arms which remained in use until the extinction of the House of Luxembourg.
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Coat of arms of the Dukes of Limburg |
 Coat of arms of Henry VI, Count of Luxembourg between 1282 and 1288 |
Coat of arms of the Counts of Luxembourg after 1288 |
[edit] References
- Armorial du pays de Luxembourg, Dr. Jean-Claude Loutsch, Publications nationales du Ministère des Arts et des Sciences, Luxembourg 1974
