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Bronz statue of the Saxon Steed in Hannover.

The Saxon Steed (German: Sachsenross, Niedersachsenross, Welfenross, Westfalenpferd Dutch: Twentse Ros) is a favorite heraldic motif of the Saxons.

The Saxon Steed originated in the tribal Duchy of Saxony and was later adopted by the House of Welf, whose original symbol was a golden lion on red ground. It has also been used in several provinces in Westphalia (therefore, it is also called "Westfalenross", meaning "westphalian steed", or "Welfrenross", meaning "welf steed"). After this, it became the heraldic animal of the Kingdom of Hannover (since 1866 Prussian Province of Hannover), of the Prussian Province of Westphalia and since 1922 of the Free State of Brunswick. This tradition continues in two modern federal States of Germany: Lower Saxony and North-Rhine Westphalia.^[1]

Modern Uses

The white horse is similar to the one used in the coat of arms for the county of Kent in England which is likely to have originated from the Rhineland area.

The coat of arms of the German state of Lower Saxony shows a white Saxon steed ("Sachsenross") on a red background.

The steed became the coat of arms of the Province of Hanover as a province of the Kingdom of Prussia in 1866 after it had been in use for the Duchy of Brunswick and the Kingdom of Hanover since 1814. It was even in use after the abolition of German monarchy after World War I until 1935. From that year, the use of state flags was prohibited by the NAZI government; only the Flag of Nazi Germany was to be used.

Coat of arms of Lower Saxony

Coat of arms of Lower Saxony

After World War II, the province of Hanover became an independent state on August 23, 1946 and used the steed as its coat of arms again. Brunswick, which was an independent state as well, had made the same decision some weeks before on July 8, 1946. When these two states where merged into the new state of Lower Saxony (along with Oldenburg and Schaumburg-Lippe), eventually the Saxonian steed became the unofficial coat of arms of the new state.

Coat of arms of North Rhine-Westphalia

Greater Coat of arms of North Rhine-Westphalia.

The Saxon steed is also shown in one of the three sections of the coat of arms of North Rhine-Westphalia, particularly associated with the area Westphalia (Westfalen).

References

See also

• Coat of arms of Prussia
• Coat of arms of Germany
• Origin of the coats of arms of German federal states.

Coats of arms of Germany German states Baden-Württemberg • Bavaria • Berlin • Brandenburg • Bremen • Hamburg • Hesse • Lower Saxony • Mecklenburg-Vorpommern • North Rhine-Westphalia • Rhineland-Palatinate • Saarland • Saxony • Saxony-Anhalt • Schleswig-Holstein • Thuringia