Łodzia (obsolete Polish for "

boat A boat is a watercraft of a large range of types and sizes, but generally smaller than a ship, which is distinguished by its larger size, shape, cargo or passenger capacity, or its ability to carry boats. Small boats are typically found on i ...

") is a Polish coat of arms. It was used by many noble families of the

Kingdom of Poland The Kingdom of Poland ( pl, Królestwo Polskie; Latin: ''Regnum Poloniae'') was a state in Central Europe. It may refer to: Historical political entities * Kingdom of Poland, a kingdom existing from 1025 to 1031 * Kingdom of Poland, a kingdom exi ...

and the

Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth The Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, formally known as the Kingdom of Poland and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, and, after 1791, as the Commonwealth of Poland, was a bi-confederal state, sometimes called a federation, of Crown of the Kingdom of ...

. A variant serves as the

coat of arms A coat of arms is a heraldic visual design on an escutcheon (i.e., shield), surcoat, or tabard (the latter two being outer garments). The coat of arms on an escutcheon forms the central element of the full heraldic achievement, which in its ...

of the city of

Łódź Łódź, also rendered in English as Lodz, is a city in central Poland and a former industrial centre. It is the capital of Łódź Voivodeship, and is located approximately south-west of Warsaw. The city's coat of arms is an example of ca ...

(the city's name literally means "Boat"). It's a classic example of the so-called ''

canting arms Canting arms are heraldic bearings that represent the bearer's name (or, less often, some attribute or function) in a visual pun or rebus. French heralds used the term (), as they would sound out the name of the armiger. Many armorial all ...

'' well known in European heraldry as it was borne by the medieval lords de Łodzia (a feudal lordship) and their clan. Hence the boat in the shield, clearly alluding to the estate's name literally meaning ''Boat''. Coats of Arms in the Polish Lithuanian Commonwealth were a symbol of a

heraldic clan A heraldic clan (''ród herbowy''), in Poland, comprised all the noble ('' szlachta'') bearers of the same coat of arms. The members of a heraldic clan were not necessarily linked by consanguinity. The concept was unique to Polish heraldry. ...

History

''Łodzia'' is one of the oldest Polish coats of arms. Its earliest appearance (1303) is on a seal belonging to Wojciech of Krośno, Palatine of Kalisz. The first

blazon In heraldry and heraldic vexillology, a blazon is a formal description of a coat of arms, flag or similar emblem, from which the reader can reconstruct the appropriate image. The verb ''to blazon'' means to create such a description. The ...

description dates from 1411. The first ''Łodzia'' coat of arms featured a golden letter M on the

shield A shield is a piece of personal armour held in the hand, which may or may not be strapped to the wrist or forearm. Shields are used to intercept specific attacks, whether from close-ranged weaponry or projectiles such as arrows, by means of ...

, and a boat in the crest. That version was used by Mikołaj of Łodzia in 1301. By 1315, however, all the bearers of the coat of arms had adopted the version used by Wojciech of Krośno. Initially the coat of arms had a

checkerboard A checkerboard (American English) or chequerboard (British English; see spelling differences) is a board of checkered pattern on which checkers (also known as English draughts) is played. Most commonly, it consists of 64 squares (8×8) of altern ...

background, which by 1382 had been supplanted by a plain red field. Until the 16th century, variously shaped boats were depicted. After the publication of

Bartosz Paprocki Bartosz Paprocki (also ''Bartholomeus Paprocky'' or ''Bartholomew Paprocki'', pl, Bartłomiej (Bartosz) Paprocki, cs, Bartoloměj Paprocký z Hlahol a Paprocké Vůle; ca. 1540/43 in Paprocka Wola near Sierpc – 27 December 1614 in Lviv, P ...

's ''Herby rycerstwa polskiego'' (The Coats-of-Arms of Polish Chivalry, 1584), most authors adopted the present version. Paprocki was also the first to mention the crest as comprising

peacock Peafowl is a common name for three bird species in the genera '' Pavo'' and '' Afropavo'' within the tribe Pavonini of the family Phasianidae, the pheasants and their allies. Male peafowl are referred to as peacocks, and female peafowl are r ...

feather Feathers are epidermal growths that form a distinctive outer covering, or plumage, on both avian (bird) and some non-avian dinosaurs and other archosaurs. They are the most complex integumentary structures found in vertebrates and a premie ...

s with boat superimposed. The ''Łodzia'' coat of arms was used by over 150 families, mostly around

Kalisz (The oldest city of Poland) , image_skyline = , image_caption = ''Top:'' Town Hall, Former "Calisia" Piano Factory''Middle:'' Courthouse, "Gołębnik" tenement''Bottom:'' Aerial view of the Kalisz Old Town , image_flag = POL Kalisz flag.svg ...

Poznań Poznań () is a city on the River Warta in west-central Poland, within the Greater Poland region. The city is an important cultural and business centre, and one of Poland's most populous regions with many regional customs such as Saint Joh ...

and

Sieradz Sieradz ( la, Siradia, yi, שעראַדז, שערעדז, שעריץ, german: 1941-45 Schieratz) is a city on the Warta river in central Poland with 40,891 inhabitants (2021). It is the seat of the Sieradz County, situated in the Łódź Voivode ...

. After the

Union of Horodło The Union of Horodło or Pact of Horodło was a set of three acts signed in the town of Horodło on 2 October 1413. The first act was signed by Władysław II Jagiełło, King of Poland, and Vytautas, Grand Duke of Lithuania. The second and thir ...

, it was also adopted by several

Lithuania Lithuania (; lt, Lietuva ), officially the Republic of Lithuania ( lt, Lietuvos Respublika, links=no ), is a country in the Baltic region of Europe. It is one of three Baltic states and lies on the eastern shore of the Baltic Sea. Lithuania ...

n families.

Blazon

Gules, a rudderless and mastless boat Or.

Notable bearers

Notable members of the clan and bearers of this

include: * House of Czarniecki ** Stefan Czarniecki (consort Sofia Kobierzycka) * House of Opaliński ** Andrzej Opaliński (1540–1593), Great Crown Marshal ** Andrzej Opaliński (1575–1623), Bishop of Poznań ** Łukasz de Bnin Opaliński,

Castellan A castellan is the title used in Medieval Europe for an appointed official, a governor of a castle and its surrounding territory referred to as the castellany. The title of ''governor'' is retained in the English prison system, as a remnant ...

** Łukasz de Bnin Opaliński, poet, Court Marshal of the Crown ** House of Kurnatowski ** Zygmunt Łodzia Kurnatowski ** Łukasz Górka z Górki h. Łodzia, _komornik_[cendwór_królewski_(1433),_podczaszy_[poz.html" ;"title="en.html" ;"title=" komornik [cen"> komornik [cendwór królewski (1433), podczaszy [poz">en.html" ;"title=" komornik [cen"> komornik [cendwór królewski (1433), podczaszy [pozPoznań (1438), starosta generalny [poz] Wielkopolska, starosta [poz] Kościan (1441), starosta [str] pobiedziskie, wojewoda [poz] Poznań (1441-1475)/

Gallery

file:Gultowy2 Apr05.jpg, Gultowy manor house, Western Poland File:Herb Ponińskich.PNG, Princes Poniński File:HerbLodzia.png, Łodzia in "Orgelbrand Encyclopedia", 1901 File:JanKarolOpalinski sarcophagus.jpg, The Łodzia coat of arms on

Jan Karol Opaliński Jan Karol Opaliński (1642 – 26 March 1695), known as Henri Opaliński in France, was a Polish starost and kasztelan of Poznań. He was the son of Krzysztof Opaliński and Teresa Konstancya Czarnkowska. Marriage and issue In December 16 ...

sarcophagus File:Stanisław Samostrzelnik, Św Stanisław.jpg, Painting of Saint Stanislaus Bniński POL COA.svg, Counts Bniński

External links

* Lodzia Coat of Arms and the bearers.

Bibliography