Poland Heraldry: Difference between revisions

In Poland the noble class was entitled to bear armorial signs. Signs were acquired differently in Poland than in other areas of Europe. Polish arms belong to groups or clans, not related by blood, who share a common armorial shield (herb). Originally Polish kings rewarded people who distinguished themselves in battle, performed a heroic deed or notable achievement, or held a prominent position in government by granting them a noble title and the right to use an armorial shield (often called a coat of arms). In the era of elected kings, people could be admitted to a shield either by election by nobles assembled in the parliament (sejm) or by adoption to a noble family. Only with rare exceptions could an elected Polish king grant nobility and a coat of arms to anyone other than a foreigner.  

Each armorial differs from others depending on the research of the author. No one armorial includes all Polish nobility though significant families are included in all of them. Some minor noble families are not included in any armorial. Polish armorials generally contain genealogical information as well as illustrations of the heraldic arms. They are a good place to start a study of genealogy and heraldry for noble families since they list family members and descendants from a common arms-bearing ancestor in the distant past. The following is an easily accessible popular Polish armorial:  

POLAND - HERALDRY  

In addition, such families are often subjects of published genealogical books or articles. See the “[[Poland Genealogy|Genealogy]]” and “[[Poland Nobility|Nobility]]” sections in this outline.  

=== External Links  ===

[[Category:Poland]] [[Category:Heraldry]]