Abolition of Heraldry?

[o***@gmail.com]

Not sure if anyone is aware; but following the French revolution (but whilst France was still a monarchy), the use of Arms, as well as liveries, pennons, banners and various other items associated with the use of Arms was outlawed, under the (false) belief that nobility and the use of Arms were related, despite the fact that the use of Arms in France was never restricted in this way and indeed in some areas like Normandy for example, even peasants bore arms. (the use of Heraldry was of course subsequently restored under Napoleon I and is so to this day.) The use of Arms was also outlawed under the French puppet state in the Netherlands, the Batavian Republic.

My question is this: are there any other examples of the use of Arms being specifically outlawed in this way?

[s***@gmail.com]

Well in 1826 the Mexican government outlawed titles of nobility and ordered the destruction of the coats of arms of Mexico's noblemen and women:

http://cdigital.dgb.uanl.mx/la/1080120377_C/1080008405_T3/1080008405_76.pdf#page=2

According to "The Mexican Nobility at Independence" by Doris Ladd, "to meet the public demand to erase all visible links with the Spanish past, the congress directed the nobles to destroy all public displays of coats of arms...blank shields and ovals on ornate colonial buildings still testify to the mutilation that early Mexican nationalism prescribed to erase the Spanish past. Letters to the editor [of the 'Aguila mexicana' newspaper] in 1826 chided those nobles who were slow to remove their arms, castles and lions rampant. Such displays, one writer complained, insulted liberty, for anything that recalled Spain was an insult to Mexico" (pages 160-161).

-Sebastian

[Tim Powys-Lybbe]

Post by s***@gmail.com
Well in 1826 the Mexican government outlawed titles of nobility and
ordered the destruction of the coats of arms of Mexico's noblemen and

http://cdigital.dgb.uanl.mx/la/1080120377_C/1080008405_T3/1080008405_76.pdf#page=2

Post by s***@gmail.com
According to "The Mexican Nobility at Independence" by Doris Ladd, "to
meet the public demand to erase all visible links with the Spanish
past, the congress directed the nobles to destroy all public displays
of coats of arms...blank shields and ovals on ornate colonial
buildings still testify to the mutilation that early Mexican
nationalism prescribed to erase the Spanish past. Letters to the
editor [of the 'Aguila mexicana' newspaper] in 1826 chided those
nobles who were slow to remove their arms, castles and lions rampant.
Such displays, one writer complained, insulted liberty, for anything
that recalled Spain was an insult to Mexico" (pages 160-161).

Thanks for that gem.

So the nobles had to deface their arms. But what about ordinary people
with coats of arms? Or were there no such ordinary armigers there?

[s***@gmail.com]

Not sure...wish I knew, especially since I'm a native Californian, and California remained a part of Mexico until 1848. If this law of 1826 was restricted just to titled nobles, then I don't think it would have had much impact in California because titled nobles were rare around here. In 1804 King Charles IV of Spain asked the colonial officials to nominate residents they considered worthy (or who had a high enough income) to receive new titles of nobility to celebrate the marriage of Prince Ferdinand to Maria Antonia of Naples. As far as I can recall, this survey didn't identify anyone "worthy" anywhere in California, New Mexico, Texas or those other parts of Mexico that are now in the USA.

-Sebastian

[Charles Ring]

Post by s***@gmail.com
http://cdigital.dgb.uanl.mx/la/1080120377_C/1080008405_T3/1080008405_76.pdf#page=2
According to "The Mexican Nobility at Independence" by Doris Ladd, "to meet the public demand to erase all visible links with the Spanish past, the congress directed the nobles to destroy all public displays of coats of arms...blank shields and ovals on ornate colonial buildings still testify to the mutilation that early Mexican nationalism prescribed to erase the Spanish past. Letters to the editor [of the 'Aguila mexicana' newspaper] in 1826 chided those nobles who were slow to remove their arms, castles and lions rampant. Such displays, one writer complained, insulted liberty, for anything that recalled Spain was an insult to Mexico" (pages 160-161).
-Sebastian

If they wanted to erase all links to Spain they would have had to force
almost everyone to use another language.

[o***@gmail.com]

Am I correct in saying that personal (but not municipal, provincial or national) heraldry was abolished in 1919 along with the nobility?

[o***@gmail.com]

-in Austria that is.