Polish Nobility Association Foundation

THE POLISH NOBILITY

The origins of the Polish Nobility are clouded in mystery. Most noblemen, in Poland and Lithuania, claimed only to belong to the szlachta odwieczna, meaning that knowledge of their origin had been lost, through time, wars, and travel to other lands.

Szlachta (shlákh-ta) comes from the Old German slahta that is now schlagen (to strike, fight, cleave, breed) and Geschlecht (sex, species, family race). It came from the Polish language via a Czech word slehta (nobility). The szlachta were a blend of "high birth" and "military prowess." In Poland, a coat of arms was shared by many members of the same clan, based on various criteria:

Bon~cza (Boniface) was from a personal name.
Sreniawa, Rawa, and Leliwa were place names.
Amadej (Hungarian) and Rogala (Saxony) were
foreign in origins,as were Sas (Saxon Transylvanian)
and Prus (Prussian).
Dabrowa (Oak) and Poraj (wild rose) were plant names.
Akszak (Fox), Lewart (Lampart), Raka (Crab), Gryf (Dragon), Labedz (Swan), Swinka (Boar), and Wezyk (Snake) were animal names.

Krzywda (Injustice), Prawda (Truth), Niezgoda (Discord), and Madrostki (Wisdom) were moral qualities.
Oksza (Axe) and Lodzia (Boat) were everyday objects.
Jelita (bowel) was derived from the battlefield of Plowce, in 1331, when Florian Szaryusz (a knight) was disembowelled by three Teutonic spears/lances. The Jelita, therefore, has three tilting lances as its shield.
Doliwa was a battle cry.

In the fifteenth century, there were 139 clans. In 1584, there were 107 clans, and today there are several hundred* (209). Click here for more information on these clans.

*Statistics can often times be confusing:
On the whole, Polish Heraldry may seem simple and relatively poor in its design. Its rules were much less rigid than the rules developed in Western Europe. Without the maintenance of an institution of heralds, which disappeared during the 15th century, without heraldic visitations (conformations), and the disintegration of the clan system in the 16th century it [The Polish Heraldry System] degenerated. The old Polish terminology was eventually forgotten and foreign influences were introduced without control.

As a result of the tribal system, which influenced all the countries of the Polish Commonwealth, the nobility, now consists of more than forty thousand families who use about seven thousand different arms, including those [coat of arms] of Western origin. A second result of this system was that homonymous families, with surnames derived from estates with identical names, bear different arms depending upon the clan to which they belong. (Klec-Pilewski, Dr. Bernard J. A European Armorial. Pinches & Woods, 17)

In the beginning, members of the same clan were neighbors and fought together in battle. As people moved around, of course, the clans were located in all parts of Poland.

These clan banners were simple devices. Some think they might relate to occult symbols or Viking runes. Each clan had one motto (or War cry) and one coat-of-arms that stayed much the same throughout the centuries. Blazoning, marshalling, quartering, and cadency were vitually unknown in ancient Polish coat of arms. However, as European influences took hold, modern coat of arms have evolved to include these. This change being a product of the mixing of the nations, each with their own set of heraldry rules. Only the purist, in modern times, would argue this concept of inevitable changes through multi-ethnicity.

There are many Polish, German, Lithuanian, and Russian armorials (and public records) that can help decendants discover their place in nobility. This requires an apt sense of how to do your genealogy, which is an all-consuming passion with most.

The purpose of the Polish Nobility Association Foundation is to assist those of Polonia (people living outside of Poland proper) to discover these ancient roots.

Please explore and read the articles we have presented here, upon our expansive site. These articles should open up your mind and show you "how to" rediscover your heritage through pride and understanding.