Arms of the De Ruyter family, made between 1676 and 1683. Michiel de Ruyter was a commoner by birth. In gratitude for his exploits against the Swedes, the king of Denmark ennobled the Dutch admiral in 1660. De Ruyter received a coat of arms of which the four quarters represented the Danish flag, a ship at sea, a gun and a horseman - a play on his name. The Spanish king awarded De Ruyter's son Engel a baronetcy in 1678. This added a heart-shaped shield with a lion to the family coat of arms.