The history of Polish heraldry is an integral part of the history of the Szlachta, the Polish nobility. The history of Polish heraldry is an integral part of the history of the Szlachta, the Polish nobility. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (848x938, 551 KB) Coat of Arms of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth Made by Halibutt in GIMP and blender, out of Image:Pogon. ... Over the past millennium, the territory ruled by Poland has shifted and varied greatly. ... Stanisław Antoni Szczuka, a Polish nobleman Szlachta ( ) was the noble class in Poland and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, the two countries that later jointly formed the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. ... Nobility is a traditional hereditary status (see hereditary titles) that exists today in many countries (mainly present or former monarchies). ...

History

Unlike in Western Europe, the Polish szlachta did not emerge from the class of knights under Chivalry, but rather from a Slavic class of Free Warriors or Mercenaries. These were often hired by Princes to form guard units (Polish Drużyna) and were eventually paid in land. There is, however, a lot of written evidence from the Middle Ages showing how the Polish nobility does emerge from the knights under the chivalric law (ius militare). A statue of an armoured knight of the Middle Ages For the chess piece, see knight (chess). ... Bors Dilemma - he chooses to save a maiden rather than his brother Lionel Chivalry[1] is a term related to the medieval institution of knighthood. ... The Slavic peoples are the most numerous ethnic and linguistic body of peoples in Europe. ... Mercenary (disambiguation). ...

Only a small number of szlachta families or clans (Polish: Rody) can be traced all the way back to the traditional clan system. Most szlachta, since at least the 12th century, were not related and their unions were mostly voluntary and based on followership and brotherhood rather than kinship. Since Poland emerged almost at once as a relatively unified duchy in the 10th century, it was the Prince or, later, the King who was considered the patron of all the clans. He granted privileges and land to clan members rather than to clans as such and was allowed to assign new knights to the clans of his choice, in theory. In practice, it would require a formal adoption from the bloodline members of a clan and was later forbidden anyway. As a result, a stable system of strong and wealthy groups of relatives never developed in Poland, as in Scotland. The Polish clans, perhaps, were much more like the Norse clans. So they were much more unstable than their western counterparts. Historic evidence, however, shows clans even fighting wars one against the other like the famous domestic war between the Nalecz and the Grzymala in late XIV cent. Greaterpoland. Polish clans (Polish: ) differ from most others in being a collection of families bearing the same coat of arms, as opposed to actually claiming a common descent. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... StanisÅ‚aw Antoni Szczuka, a Polish nobleman Szlachta ( ) was the noble class in Poland and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, the two countries that later jointly formed the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. ... (11th century - 12th century - 13th century - other centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 12th century was that century which lasted from 1101 to 1200. ... In common usage, the word followership generally refers to: a position of submission to a leader a position under tutelage or guidance // Followership and leadership (Much of the following view of followership expresses profound dedication to the preservation of status quo social hierarchies, extreme reverence for an aristocratic concept of... Look up brotherhood in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Kinship is the most basic principle of organizing individuals into social groups, roles, and categories. ... A duchy is a territory, fief, or domain ruled by a duke or duchess. ... As a means of recording the passage of time, the 10th century was that century which lasted from 901 to 1000. ... Armenian king Tigranes the Great. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... The silver Anglia knight, commissioned as a trophy in 1850, intended to represent the Black Prince. ... The Scandinavian clan or Ätt was a social group based on common descent or on the formal acceptance into the group at a Ting. ...

Heraldic symbols began to be used in Poland in the 13th century. The generic Polish term for a coat of arms, herb, dates from the early 15th century, originating as a translation of the Czech erb, which in turn came from the German Erbe - heritage. (12th century - 13th century - 14th century - other centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 13th century was that century which lasted from 1201 to 1300. ... (14th century - 15th century - 16th century - other centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 15th century was that century which lasted from 1401 to 1500. ...

Under the Union of Horodlo (1413), the noble families of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, such as the Mielzynskis, were adopted en masse into the various Polish noble clans and began to use Polish coats of arms. Evidence shows however that the Mielzynski family are native Polish and simply the lords of Mielzyn near Gniezno. The title given to this article is incorrect due to technical limitations. ... The Grand Duchy of Lithuania (Lithuanian: , Ruthenian: Wialikaje Kniastwa Litowskaje, Ruskaje, Żamojckaje, Belarusian: , Ukrainian: , Polish: , Latin: ) was an Eastern and Central European state of the 12th[1] /13th century until the 18th century. ... The Mielzynski family, originally of Lithuanian and Polish stock in the first millenium, became a major noble family within Poland from the 13th century into the 20th. ...

Peculiarities

Although the Polish heraldic system evolved under the influence of French and German heraldry, there are many notable differences.

The most striking peculiarity of the system is that a coat of arms does not belong to a single family. A number of unrelated families (sometimes hundreds of them), usually with a number of different family names, may use a coat of arms, and each coat of arms has its own name. The total number of coats of arms in this system was relatively low – ca. 200 in the late Middle Ages. The same can be also seen in Western Europe, when families of different surnames but sharing clan origin would use similar coats-of-arms, the fleur-de-lis of the many Capetian families being perhaps the best known example.

One side-effect of this unique arrangement was that it became customary to refer to noblemen by both their family name and their coat of arms name (or clan name). For example: Jan Zamoyski herbu Jelita means Jan Zamoyski of the Jelita coat of arms (though it is often translated as ... of the clan Jelita ). From 15th to 17th centuries, the formula seems to have been to copy the ancient Roman naming convention: praenomen (or given name), nomen gentile (or Gens/Clan name) and cognomen (surname), following the Renaissence fashion. So we have: Jan Jelita Zamoyski, forming a double-barrelled name (nazwisko złożone, literally compound name). Later, the double-barrelled name began to be joined with a hyphen: Jan Jelita-Zamoyski. (See Polish names). The Polish émigrés of 19th century sometimes used adaptations of their names according to the Western European (mainly French) style, becoming (to use the same example): Jan de Jelita-Zamoyski or Jan Zamoyski de Jelita. Some would also keep the Latin forms of their surnames, as Latin was the official language of the Kingdom of Poland. Hence the popularity of Late-Medieval or Early-Modern forms such as "de Zamosc Zamoyski". Noble Family Zamoyski Coat of Arms Jelita Parents Stanisław Zamoyski Anna Herburt Consorts Anna Ossolińska Krystyna Radziwiłł Gryzelda Batory Barbara Tarnowska Children with Barbara Tarnowska Tomasz Zamoyski Date of Birth March 19, 1542 Place of Birth Skokówka, Poland Date of Death June 3... Jelita - is a Polish Coat of Arms. ... ... GENS is an open source emulator for the Sega Genesis (Sega Megadrive). ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... A Polish personal name, like names in most European cultures, consists of two main elements: imiÄ™, or the given name, followed by nazwisko, or the family name. ...

A single coat of arms could appear in slightly different versions, typically in different colours, depending on the custom of the family using it. Such modifications ( odmiany ) are still considered to represent the same coat of arms.

One of the most visually striking characteristics of Polish heraldry is the abundance of gules (red) fields. Among the oldest coats of arms in Poland, nearly half use a red background, with blue (azure) coming in a distant second. Nowhere else in Europe, shows such a strong bias towards a particular color scheme. It follows however the well known heraldic custom of all Europe that the vassals would follow the colour-scheme of their overlord. It had even a practical meaning in the battlefield. In heraldry, gules is the tincture with the colour red, and belongs to the class of dark tinctures called colours. In engraving, it is sometimes depicted as a region of vertical lines or else marked with gu. ... A modern coat of arms is derived from the medi val practice of painting designs onto the shield and outer clothing of knights to enable them to be identified in battle, and later in tournaments. ... The term Azure (from Persian لاژورد lazhward) can refer to any of the following: The blueish color of the sky. ...

Other typical features used in Polish heraldry include horseshoes, arrows, Maltese crosses, scythes, stars and crescents. There are also many purely geometrical shapes for which a separate set of heraldic terms was invented. It has been suggested that originally all Polish coats of arms were based on such abstract geometrical shapes, but most were gradually "rationalized" into horseshoes, arrows and so on. If this hypothesis is correct, it suggests in turn that Polish heraldry, also unlike western European heraldry, may be at least partly derived from a kind of rune-like symbols: the Tamgas used by nomadic peoples of the Steppe, such as the Sarmatians or the Avars, to mark property. However, the evidence about the origins of the system is scanty, and this hypothesis has been criticized as being part of the Polish noble tradition of romanticizing their supposed Sarmatian ancestry. On this matter, research and controversy continue. Maltese cross The insignia of a Serving Brother of the Most Venerable Order of the Hospital of Saint John of Jerusalem The Maltese Cross is featured on the badge of the Bermuda Regiment, heir to the BVRC. Typical St. ... A rune can mean a single character in the Runic alphabet as well as an inscription of several runic charcters or symbols. ... A tamgha, or tamga (Modern Turkish: damga) is an abstract seal or device used by Eurasian nomadic peoples and by cultures influenced by them. ... Sarmatia Europea in Scythia map 1697 AD Sarmatia Europæa separated from Sarmatia Asiatica by the Tanais (the River Don), based on Greek literary sources, in a map printed in London, ca 1770 Great steppe in early spring. ... Late Avar period Map showing the location of Avar Khaganate, c. ...

A Polish coat of arms consists of: shield, crest, helm and crown. The 18th and 19th centuries fashion includes the mantling. Supporters, mottos and compartments normally do not appear, although certain individuals used them, especially in the final stages of the system's development, partly in response to French and German influence. Preserved medieval evidence shows Polish coats-of-arms with mantling and supporters. A shield is a protective device, meant to intercept attacks. ... In heraldry, a crest is a component of a coat of arms. ... This article is about the headgear. ... Coin showing a coronet A coronet is a small crown consisting of ornaments fixed on a metal ring. ... In heraldry, mantling is drapery depicted tied to the helmet above the shield. ... The Coat of Arms of Prince Edward Island uses two foxes as supporters. ... A motto (from Italian) is a phrase or a short list of words meant formally to describe the general motivation or intention of an entity, social group, or organization. ... In heraldry, a compartment is a design placed under the shield, usually rocks, a grassy mount, or some sort of other landscape upon which the supporters are depicted as standing (a compartment without supporters is possible but practically unknown, with the exception of South Australia[1]). It is sometimes said... In heraldry, mantling is drapery depicted tied to the helmet above the shield. ... The Coat of Arms of Prince Edward Island uses two foxes as supporters. ...

Shield

Polish coats of arms are divided in the same way as their western counterparts. However, since coats of arms were originally granted to clans rather than to separate families, there was no need to join coats of arms into one when a new branch of a family was formed. Thus Polish escutcheons are rarely parted. There is however a lot of preserved quartered coats-of-arms. These would most often show the arms of the four grandparents of the bearer. Or also the paternal-paternal great-grandmother in the 5th field if the male-line coat-of-arms goes in the heart field. Heraldry in its most general sense encompasses all matters relating to the duties and responsibilities of officers of arms. ... Shield Field Supporter Crest Wreath Mantling Helm Compartment Charge Motto Coat of arms elements Escutcheon is often the term used in heraldry for the shield displayed in a coat of arms. ...

The tradition of differentiating between the coat of arms proper and a lozenge granted to women did not develop in Poland. Usually men inherited a coat of arms from their fathers (or a member of a clan who had adopted them), while women either inherited a coat from their mothers or adopted the arms of their husbands. The brisure was rarely used. All children would inherit the coat-of-arms of their father. Image File history File links Parted_per_fess. ... Image File history File links Parted_per_pale. ... Image File history File links Parted_per_bend_sinister. ... Image File history File links Parted_quarterly. ... Image File history File links Parted_quarterly_with_a_heart. ... A modern coat of arms is derived from the medi val practice of painting designs onto the shield and outer clothing of knights to enable them to be identified in battle, and later in tournaments. ... A lozenge (â—Š) is a form of rhombus. ... Cadency is any systematic way of distinguishing similar coats of arms belonging to members of the same family. ...

Heart-shaped shields were mostly used in representations of the coats of arms of royalty. Following the union between Poland and Lithuania, and the creation of the elective monarchy, it became customary to place the coats of Poland and Lithuania diagonally, with the coat of arms of the specific monarch placed centrally on top. Research continues to find out what a "heart-shaped" shield is. Most likely, the coat of Poland was placed on the left-right diagonal and Lithuania on the right-left diagonal (as evidenced in the crest at the top of this page). The specific monarch crest then being placed in the "heart" position. Armenian king Tigranes the Great. ...

Tinctures

In addition to these seven basic tinctures, which were standard in English heraldry and elsewhere in western Europe, many more tinctures were used in Poland and (after the union with Poland) Lithuania, including grey, steel, brunatre, weasel and carnation. For a list of words with definitions, see the Heraldic tincture category of words in Wiktionary, the free dictionary In heraldry, tinctures are the colours used to blazon a coat of arms. ... Tinctures are the colours used to blazon coats of arms in heraldry. ... ==Criminal Life == AL-Hamad is a Homosexual petifile with 135. ... The term Azure (from Persian لاژورد lazhward) can refer to any of the following: The blueish color of the sky. ... In heraldry, gules is the tincture with the colour red, and belongs to the class of dark tinctures called colours. In engraving, it is sometimes depicted as a region of vertical lines or else marked with gu. ... Heraldry Tinctures In heraldry, Purpure is a tincture, more or less the equivalent of the colour purple. It is one of the five dark tinctures and portrayed in black and white by lines at a clockwise 45 degree angle. ... Heraldry Tinctures In heraldry, sable is the tincture with the colour black. ... In heraldry, vert is the name of a tincture, more or less the equivalent of the colour green. It is one of the five dark tinctures (colours). ...

Bibliography and Listings of Coats of Arms

Traditionally coats of arms were published in various listings of szlachta and in armorials, known in Polish as herbarz. Some of the most notable among such publications are: Stanisław Antoni Szczuka, a Polish nobleman Szlachta ( ) was the noble class in Poland and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, the two countries that later jointly formed the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. ... Roll of arms (or armorial) is a register of coats of arms in a given area, e. ...

1. Bartosz Paprocki, Gniazdo cnoty. Kraków, 1578.
2. Bartosz Paprocki, Herby rycerstwa polskiego; Kraków, 1584 (II ed. Kraków, 1858).
3. Szymon Okolski, Orbis Polonus; V. 1-3. Kraków, 1641-1643.
4. Wacław Potocki, Poczet herbów szlachty Korony Polskiey i Wielkiego Xsięstwa Litewskiego; Krakow, 1696.
5. rev. Kacper Niesiecki, Herby i familie rycerskie tak w Koronie jako y w W.X.L.; Lwów, 1728.
6. rev. Kacper Niesiecki, Korona polska; Lwów, 1728–1743.
7. rev. Benedykt Chmielowski, Zbiór krótki herbów polskich, oraz wsławionych cnotą i naukami Polaków; Warsaw, 1763.
8. rev Kasper Niesiecki, Herbarz Polski; Leipzig, 1839-1846.
9. Teodor Żychliński, Złota księga szlachty polskiej; Poznań, 1879-1908
10. Adam Boniecki, Herbarz polski; Warsaw, 1899-1913.
11. hr. Jerzy Dunin-Borkowski, Almanach błękitny. Genealogia żyjących rodów polskich; Lwów, 1908.
12. Edward Borowski, Genealogie niektórych polskich rodzin utytułowanych; Buenos Aires-Paris, 1964.
13. Sławomir Górzyński, Jerzy Kochanowski Herby szlachty polskiej; Warsaw, 1990
14. Alfred Znamierowski Insygnia, symbole i herby polskie; Warsaw, 2003
15. Andrzej Brzezina Winiarski, Herby szlachty Rzeczyposolitej; Warsaw, 2006

Motto: Ex navicula navis (From a boat, a ship) Coordinates: , Country Poland Voivodeship Lesser Poland Powiat city county Gmina Kraków City Rights June 5th, 1257 Government  - Mayor Jacek Majchrowski Area  - City 326. ... Events January 31 - Battle of Gemblours - Spanish forces under Don John of Austria and Alexander Farnese defeat the Dutch. ... 1584 was a leap year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar or a leap year starting on Wednesday of the Julian calendar. ... 1858 (MDCCCLVIII) is a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Sunday of the 12-day-slower Julian calendar). ... Szymon Okolski (also known as Simon Okolski) (1580-1653) was a well-known Polish historian, theologian, specialist in heraldry. ... The title given to this article is incorrect due to technical limitations. ... The year 1696 had the earliest equinoxes and solstices for 400 years in the Gregorian calendar, because this year is a leap year and the Gregorian calendar would have behaved like the Julian calendar since March 1500 had it have been in use that long. ... Motto: Semper fidelis Oblast Lviv Oblast Municipal government City council (Львівська міська рада) Mayor City chairman Lyubomyr Bunyak Area 171,01 km² Population  - city  - urban  - density 808,900 ? 4786/km² Founded City rights 13th century 1353 Latitude Longitude 49°51′ N 24°01′ E Area code +0322 Car plates  ? Twin towns Corning, Freiburg... Events Astronomical aberration discovered by the astronomer James Bradley Swedish academy of sciences founded at Uppsala The founding of the University of Havana (Universidad de la Habana), Cubas most well-established university. ... Events Astronomical aberration discovered by the astronomer James Bradley Swedish academy of sciences founded at Uppsala The founding of the University of Havana (Universidad de la Habana), Cubas most well-established university. ... // Events February 14 - Henry Pelham becomes British Prime Minister February 21 - - The premiere in London of George Frideric Handels oratorio, Samson. ... NaÅ‚Ä™cz – Chmielowski coat of arms Benedykt Joachim Chmielowski Born in Łuck 1700 1763) – Polish priest. ... Motto: Contemnit procellas (It defies the storms) Semper invicta (Always invincible) Coordinates: , Country  Poland Voivodeship Masovia Powiat city county Gmina Warszawa Districts 18 boroughs City Rights turn of the 13th century Government  - Mayor Hanna Gronkiewicz-Waltz (PO) Area  - City 516. ... 1763 was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar). ... Leipzig ( ; Sorbian/Lusatian: Lipsk from the Sorbian word for Tilia) is, with a population of over 506,000, the largest city in the federal state of Saxony, Germany. ... 1839 (MDCCCXXXIX) was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ... 1846 was a common year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ... PoznaÅ„ ( ; full official name: The Capital City of PoznaÅ„, Polish: StoÅ‚eczne Miasto PoznaÅ„ (Latin: , German: , Yiddish: פּױזן Poyzn) is a city in west-central Poland with over 578,900 inhabitants (2002). ... 1879 (MDCCCLXXIX) was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ... 1908 (MCMVIII) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar). ... Motto: Contemnit procellas (It defies the storms) Semper invicta (Always invincible) Coordinates: , Country  Poland Voivodeship Masovia Powiat city county Gmina Warszawa Districts 18 boroughs City Rights turn of the 13th century Government  - Mayor Hanna Gronkiewicz-Waltz (PO) Area  - City 516. ... Year 1899 (MDCCCXCIX) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Friday [1] of the 12-day-slower Julian calendar). ... Year 1913 (MCMXIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Tuesday of the 13-day-slower Julian calendar). ... Motto: Semper fidelis Oblast Lviv Oblast Municipal government City council (Львівська міська рада) Mayor City chairman Lyubomyr Bunyak Area 171,01 km² Population  - city  - urban  - density 808,900 ? 4786/km² Founded City rights 13th century 1353 Latitude Longitude 49°51′ N 24°01′ E Area code +0322 Car plates  ? Twin towns Corning, Freiburg... 1908 (MCMVIII) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar). ... For other uses, see Buenos Aires (disambiguation). ... City flag City coat of arms Motto: Fluctuat nec mergitur (Latin: Tossed by the waves, she does not sink) The Eiffel Tower in Paris, as seen from the esplanade du Trocadéro. ... 1964 (MCMLXIV) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (the link is to a full 1964 calendar). ... Motto: Contemnit procellas (It defies the storms) Semper invicta (Always invincible) Coordinates: , Country  Poland Voivodeship Masovia Powiat city county Gmina Warszawa Districts 18 boroughs City Rights turn of the 13th century Government  - Mayor Hanna Gronkiewicz-Waltz (PO) Area  - City 516. ... Year 1990 (MCMXC) was a common year starting on Monday (link displays the 1990 Gregorian calendar). ... Motto: Contemnit procellas (It defies the storms) Semper invicta (Always invincible) Coordinates: , Country  Poland Voivodeship Masovia Powiat city county Gmina Warszawa Districts 18 boroughs City Rights turn of the 13th century Government  - Mayor Hanna Gronkiewicz-Waltz (PO) Area  - City 516. ... Year 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link displays 2003 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Motto: Contemnit procellas (It defies the storms) Semper invicta (Always invincible) Coordinates: , Country  Poland Voivodeship Masovia Powiat city county Gmina Warszawa Districts 18 boroughs City Rights turn of the 13th century Government  - Mayor Hanna Gronkiewicz-Waltz (PO) Area  - City 516. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday (link displays full 2006 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ...

See also

• Coat of Arms
• Heraldry
• History of Poland
• List of Polish Coats of Arms
• List of Polish coat of arms images
• Szlachta
• Polish name
• Polish clans

Image File history File links Commons-logo. ... A modern coat of arms is derived from the medi val practice of painting designs onto the shield and outer clothing of knights to enable them to be identified in battle, and later in tournaments. ... Heraldry in its most general sense encompasses all matters relating to the duties and responsibilities of officers of arms. ... Over the past millennium, the territory ruled by Poland has shifted and varied greatly. ... This is a List of Polish Coats of Arms. ... Polish heraldry is closely related to the Polish nobility, the szlachta, which has its origins in Middle Ages warriors clans that provided military support to the King, Dukes or overlords. ... Stanisław Antoni Szczuka, a Polish nobleman Szlachta ( ) was the noble class in Poland and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, the two countries that later jointly formed the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. ... A Polish personal name, like names in most European cultures, consists of two main elements: imię, or the given name, followed by nazwisko, or the family name. ... Polish clans differ from most others in being a collection of families bearing the same coat of arms, as opposed to actually claiming a common descent. ...

Further reading

• Tadeusz Gajl, "Herby szlacheckie Rzeczypospolitej Obojga Narodow", Gdansk, 2003

Tadeusz Gajl (born 1940 in Wilno) is a Polish artist, notable for his study on Polish heraldry. ...

External links

• Polish coats of arms - a full list of Polish coats of arms
• Rycerskie Herby Polaków - a very good site in Polish with beautiful images of the arms and complete surname lists of 48 of the clans
• Polish Nobility and Its Heraldry
• Armorial
• Coats of Arms within the context of the hereditary aristocracy of the historic Polish Noble Republic, The Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth