Coat of arms of the Masovian Voivodeship
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The
coat of arms A coat of arms is a heraldry, heraldic communication design, visual design on an escutcheon (heraldry), escutcheon (i.e., shield), surcoat, or tabard (the latter two being outer garments). The coat of arms on an escutcheon forms the central ele ...
that serves as the official symbol of the Masovian Voivodeship,
Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populous ...
, consists of a red
escutcheon Escutcheon may refer to: * Escutcheon (heraldry), a shield or shield-shaped emblem, displaying a coat of arms * Escutcheon (furniture), a metal plate that surrounds a keyhole or lock cylinder on a door * (in medicine) the distribution of pubic ha ...
, that features a white (silver) eagle, with raised wings, and its head turned left. Its current version had been designed by
Andrzej Heidrich Andrzej Ryszard Heidrich (November 6, 1928 – October 20, 2019) was a Polish graphic artist and type designer who designed Polish bank notes. He studied at the Academy of Fine Arts and graduated with honors. He designed bank notes for the Natio ...
, and adopted in 2006.


Design

The coat of arms of the Masovian Voivodeship has a red Iberian style
escutcheon Escutcheon may refer to: * Escutcheon (heraldry), a shield or shield-shaped emblem, displaying a coat of arms * Escutcheon (furniture), a metal plate that surrounds a keyhole or lock cylinder on a door * (in medicine) the distribution of pubic ha ...
with square top and rounded base. It features a white (silver)
eagle Eagle is the common name for many large birds of prey of the family Accipitridae. Eagles belong to several groups of genera, some of which are closely related. Most of the 68 species of eagle are from Eurasia and Africa. Outside this area, just ...
with raised wings, and its head turned left. It has a yellow (golden) beak with tongue, and yellow (golden) legs. The design of the coat of arms had been based on the design used by the Masovian Voivodeship of the
Crown of the Kingdom of Poland The Crown of the Kingdom of Poland ( pl, Korona Królestwa Polskiego; Latin: ''Corona Regni Poloniae''), known also as the Polish Crown, is the common name for the historic Late Middle Ages territorial possessions of the King of Poland, includ ...
, used between 1526 and 1795.


History


Masovian duchies and the Kingdom of Poland

The design of the coat of arms had originated from the seal used by Siemowit III, Duke of Masovia, in 14th century, that depicted an
eagle Eagle is the common name for many large birds of prey of the family Accipitridae. Eagles belong to several groups of genera, some of which are closely related. Most of the 68 species of eagle are from Eurasia and Africa. Outside this area, just ...
with raised wings, and its head facing left. From 1370 to 1381, duke Siemowit III was a sole ruler of the Duchy of Masovia. In 1381, the state had been partitioned by the sons of Siemowit III. In such division, the areas under the control of duke
Siemowit IV Siemowit IV (Ziemowit IV), also known as Siemowit IV the Younger (pl: ''Siemowit IV Młodszy''; ca. 1353/1356 – 21 January 1426), was a Polish prince member of the House of Piast from the Dukes of Masovia, Masovian branch, from 1373/74 Duke ...
, the duchies of Płock, and
Rawa The Revolutionary Association of the Women of Afghanistan (RAWA) (Persian:جمعیت انقلابی زنان افغانستان, ''Jamiʿat-e Enqelābi-ye Zanān-e Afghānestān'', Pashto:د افغانستان د ښڅو انقلابی جمعیت) ...
, continued using the design of the seal of their father, as a coat of arms with white (silver) eagle on a red background. At the same time,
Janusz I of Warsaw Janusz I of Warsaw (pl: ''Janusz I warszawski''), also known as Janusz I the Old (pl: ''Janusz I Starszy'') (c. 1347/52 – 8 December 1429), was a Polish prince member of the House of Piast in the Masovian branch, from 1373/74 Duke of Warsaw and ...
, duke of the Duchy of Warsaw, begun using the coat of arms divided into 4 equal fields, with top left and bottom right fields were white, with a red dragon on them, while top right and bottom left fields were white with a red eagle on them. The design of the coat of arms with a white (silver) eagle on a red background continued being used as a symbol Masovian duchies until 1526, when the area was incorporated into the
Crown of the Kingdom of Poland The Crown of the Kingdom of Poland ( pl, Korona Królestwa Polskiego; Latin: ''Corona Regni Poloniae''), known also as the Polish Crown, is the common name for the historic Late Middle Ages territorial possessions of the King of Poland, includ ...
, where it was rearranged into the Masovian Voivodeship. The voivodeship continued using the similar design of the coat of arms, until 1795, when it ceased to exist in the Third Partition of Poland.


Congress Poland

The Masovian Voivodeship of the
Congress Poland Congress Poland, Congress Kingdom of Poland, or Russian Poland, formally known as the Kingdom of Poland, was a polity created in 1815 by the Congress of Vienna as a semi-autonomous Polish state, a successor to Napoleon's Duchy of Warsaw. It w ...
had been established on 16 January 1816. Its coat of arms featured four equally-sized fields. The top left field featured a red background with a white (silver) eagle, with raised wings, its head turned left, and a yellow (golden) legs. The top right field featured a yellow (golden) background, with a left-facing half of a black
lion The lion (''Panthera leo'') is a large Felidae, cat of the genus ''Panthera'' native to Africa and India. It has a muscular, broad-chested body; short, rounded head; round ears; and a hairy tuft at the end of its tail. It is sexually dimorphi ...
, joined with a right-facing half of a white (silver) eagle, both wearing together a yellow (golden) crown on their heads. The bottom left field featured a background divided vertically onto two identical stripes, white and red. It depicted a left-facing half of a red lion, joined with a right-facing half of a white (silver) eagle, both wearing together a yellow (golden) crown on their heads. The bottom right field featured a red background, with a red eagle with raised wings, its head turned left, and a yellow (golden) legs, and a yellow (golden) letter R in a ring, placed on its chest. The four
charges Charge or charged may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Films * ''Charge, Zero Emissions/Maximum Speed'', a 2011 documentary Music * ''Charge'' (David Ford album) * ''Charge'' (Machel Montano album) * '' Charge!!'', an album by The Aqu ...
represented a historical
voivodeships A voivodeship is the area administered by a voivode (Governor) in several countries of central and eastern Europe. Voivodeships have existed since medieval times and the area of extent of voivodeship resembles that of a duchy in western medieval ...
(pronvices) that used to exist within the borders of the voivodeship. Those were from left to right, and from top to bottom: Masovian Voivodeship, Łęczyca Voivodeship, voivodeships of Brześć Kujawski and Inowrocław, Łęczyca Voivodeship, and
Rawa Voivodeship Rawa Voivodeship () was a unit of administrative division and local government in the Kingdom of Poland since 15th century until the partitions of Poland in 1795. It was part of the Province of Greater Poland. Together with the Plock and Masovian ...
. On 7 March 1837, the voivodeship had been replaced by
Masovian Governorate The Masovia Governorate; russian: Мазовская Губерния was a governorate of Congress Poland, from 1837 to 1944, with its located in Warsaw. History It was established on 7 March 1937, replacing the Masovian Voivodeship,Juliusz B ...
, which continued using the same coat of arms, until its disestablishment on 31 December 1844, when it was incorporated into then-established
Warsaw Governorate Warsaw Governorate ( pl, Gubernia warszawska; russian: Варшавская губерния) was an administrative unit (governorate) of Congress Poland. It was created in 1844 from the Masovia and Kalisz Governorates, and had the capital in Wa ...
. In 1845, the Warsaw Governorate had established a new coat of arms, in form of a shield divided into seven fields, in three rows. The two bottom rows consisted of four rectangular fields of equal sizes, with two fields in both rows. The top row consisted of three triangular fields, with curved boundaries between them. It was dived into two smaller fields that bordered the sidewall and the row below, and a field twice the size of other two, located in the middle of the row, bordering the top wall. The top left field featured a red background, with a white (silver)
Lamb of God Lamb of God ( el, Ἀμνὸς τοῦ Θεοῦ, Amnòs toû Theoû; la, Agnus Dei, ) is a title for Jesus that appears in the Gospel of John. It appears at John 1:29, where John the Baptist sees Jesus and exclaims, "Behold the Lamb of God wh ...
facing right, with its head turned left, and a yellow (golden) aureola behind it. It hold a white (silver) banner with the red cross on it, and stood next to a yellow (golden) chalice, to which, it was bleeding blood from its chest. The top central field consisted of white and red chessboard, with the head of a black
aurochs The aurochs (''Bos primigenius'') ( or ) is an extinct cattle species, considered to be the wild ancestor of modern domestic cattle. With a shoulder height of up to in bulls and in cows, it was one of the largest herbivores in the Holocen ...
with a yellow (golden) crown, and a yellow (golden) ring in its nose. The top right field featured a background divided vertically onto two identical stripes, yellow and red. It depicted a left-facing half of a white lion, joined with a right-facing half of a white (silver) eagle, both wearing together a yellow (golden) crown on their head. The central left field featured a red background with a white (silver) eagle, with raised wings, its head turned left, and a yellow (golden) legs. The central right field featured a yellow (golden) background, with a left-facing half of a black lion, joined with a right-facing half of a white (silver) eagle, both wearing together a yellow (golden) crown on their heads. The bottom left field featured a background divided vertically onto two identical stripes, white and red. It depicted a left-facing half of a red lion, joined with a right-facing half of a white (silver) eagle, both wearing together a yellow (golden) crown on their heads. The bottom right field featured a red background, with a red eagle with raised wings, its head turned left, and a yellow (golden) legs, and a yellow (golden) letter R in a ring, placed on its chest. The four charges represented a historical subdivisions of Poland, that used to exist within the borders of the voivodeship. Those were from left to right, and from top to bottom:
Wieluń Land The Wieluń Land ( pl, Ziemia Wieluńska; Latin: ''Terra Velumensis''), originally known as the Ruda Land (Polish: ''ziemia rudzka''; Latin: ''terra Rudensis'', ''territorium Rudense''), was a land of the Kingdom of Poland and the Polish–Lithuani ...
,
Kalisz Voivodeship Kalisz Voivodeship may also refer to: *Kalisz Voivodeship (1314–1793) *Kalisz Voivodeship (1816–1837) The Kalisz Voivodeship was a voivodeship of the Congress Poland, that existed from 1816 to 1837. Its capital was Kalisz. It was established o ...
,
Sieradz Voivodeship Sieradz Voivodeship () was a unit of administrative division and local government in Poland in the years 1975–1998, superseded by Łódź Voivodeship. A Voivodeship is an area administered by a voivode (Governor), and the Sieradz Voivodeshi ...
, Masovian Voivodeship, voivodeships of Brześć Kujawski and Inowrocław, Łęczyca Voivodeship, and
Rawa Voivodeship Rawa Voivodeship () was a unit of administrative division and local government in the Kingdom of Poland since 15th century until the partitions of Poland in 1795. It was part of the Province of Greater Poland. Together with the Plock and Masovian ...
. The coat of arms had been used until 1866. The new design of the coat of arms had been approved on 25 February 1869, by
Alexander II of Russia Alexander II ( rus, Алекса́ндр II Никола́евич, Aleksándr II Nikoláyevich, p=ɐlʲɪˈksandr ftɐˈroj nʲɪkɐˈlajɪvʲɪtɕ; 29 April 181813 March 1881) was Emperor of Russia, Congress Poland, King of Poland and Gra ...
, the emperor of the
Russian Empire The Russian Empire was an empire and the final period of the Russian monarchy from 1721 to 1917, ruling across large parts of Eurasia. It succeeded the Tsardom of Russia following the Treaty of Nystad, which ended the Great Northern War. ...
. It depicted an orange (golden) sheaf of hay, tied up with an orange band, placed on a blue French style escutcheon. In the middle of the coat of arms was placed horizontally a grey (silver) wavy line. Around the shield, there are yellow (golden) leaves of the
oak An oak is a tree or shrub in the genus ''Quercus'' (; Latin "oak tree") of the beech family, Fagaceae. There are approximately 500 extant species of oaks. The common name "oak" also appears in the names of species in related genera, notably ''L ...
tree, interspersed with the blue ribbon of the
Order of St. Andrew The Order of St. Andrew the Apostle the First-Called (russian: Орден Святого апостола Андрея Первозванного, translit=Orden Svyatogo apostola Andreya Pervozvannogo) is the highest order conferred by both the ...
. On the top of the coat of arms, above the escutcheon, there was the yellow (golden) Imperial Crown of Russia. The coat of arms remained in the use until 1915.S.K. Kuczyński: ''Polskie herby ziemskie. Geneza, treści, funkcje'' Warsaw: PWN, 1993.


Second Polish Republic

In 1928, as part of the project to design the coat of arms for the
voivodeships A voivodeship is the area administered by a voivode (Governor) in several countries of central and eastern Europe. Voivodeships have existed since medieval times and the area of extent of voivodeship resembles that of a duchy in western medieval ...
of the
Second Polish Republic The Second Polish Republic, at the time officially known as the Republic of Poland, was a country in Central Europe, Central and Eastern Europe that existed between 1918 and 1939. The state was established on 6 November 1918, before the end of ...
, the design for the coat of arms of the Warsaw Voivodeship had been created. Though planned to be officially approved, it never was, as it was decided to postpone the approval of the subdivision symbols due to the planned administrative reform, that eventually took place in 1938. Eventually, the plans for the establishment of the coat of arms had been stopped by the
Invasion of Poland The invasion of Poland (1 September – 6 October 1939) was a joint attack on the Republic of Poland by Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union which marked the beginning of World War II. The German invasion began on 1 September 1939, one week aft ...
by
Nazi Germany Nazi Germany (lit. "National Socialist State"), ' (lit. "Nazi State") for short; also ' (lit. "National Socialist Germany") (officially known as the German Reich from 1933 until 1943, and the Greater German Reich from 1943 to 1945) was ...
, on 1 September 1939, that begun the
World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
, and were not picked up back after the end of the conflict. The proposed design featured a white eagle with raised wings and its head turned left. It had a yellow (golden) beak with tongue, and legs. It was placed within a red Iberian style escutcheon, with square top and rounded base.
Rozporządzenie Prezydenta Rzeczypospolitej z dnia 13 grudnia 1927 r. o godłach i barwach państwowych oraz o oznakach, chorągwiach i pieczęciach.
', In: ''1927 Journal of Laws'', no.: 115, position: 980. 13 December 1927.
''Projekt Rozporządzenia Prezydenta Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej w sprawie nadania herbów województwom'', AAN, PRM 59-10, p. 18-21.


Third Polish Republic

The coat of arms of the Masovian Voivodeship of the
Third Polish Republic Third or 3rd may refer to: Numbers * 3rd, the ordinal form of the cardinal number 3 * , a fraction of one third * 1⁄60 of a ''second'', or 1⁄3600 of a ''minute'' Places * 3rd Street (disambiguation) * Third Avenue (disambiguation) * Hig ...
had been adopted by the Masovian Voivodeship Sejmik, on 3 May 2002. The coat of arms depicted a white (silver) eagle with raised wings, and its head turned left. It had yellow (golden) beak and legs. It was placed within a red Iberian style
escutcheon Escutcheon may refer to: * Escutcheon (heraldry), a shield or shield-shaped emblem, displaying a coat of arms * Escutcheon (furniture), a metal plate that surrounds a keyhole or lock cylinder on a door * (in medicine) the distribution of pubic ha ...
, with square top and rounded base.
Uchwała 50/02 Sejmiku Województwa Mazowieckiego z dnia 13 maja 2002 r. w sprawie wzoru herbu Województwa Mazowieckiego
', 13 May 2002, Warsaw: Masovian Voivodeship Sejmik. In: ''2002 Journal of Laws of the Masovian Voivodeship'', no. 183, position 4101. Warsaw: Masovian Voivodeship Sejmik. 2002.
The design had been based on a 14th-century seal used by Siemowit III, Duke of Masovia. That design of the coat of arms had been criticized by the Heraldic Commission, for not having a significant historical connection to Masovia. Additionally, it was brought to attention that the coat of arms used the similar design of the eagle, to the one used in the coat of arms of the town of
Oborniki Oborniki (german: Obornik) is a town in Poland, in Greater Poland Voivodeship, about 30 km north of Poznań. It is the capital of Oborniki County and of Gmina Oborniki. Its population is 18,176 (2005). History Oborniki was granted town ri ...
,
Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populous ...
. As such, both coat of arms and flag, had been redesigned in 2006. The new versions had been created by graphic designer
Andrzej Heidrich Andrzej Ryszard Heidrich (November 6, 1928 – October 20, 2019) was a Polish graphic artist and type designer who designed Polish bank notes. He studied at the Academy of Fine Arts and graduated with honors. He designed bank notes for the Natio ...
, and officially approved on 29 May 2006. The design of the eagle had been changed, to one based on the coat of arms of the Masovian Voivodeship of the
Crown of the Kingdom of Poland The Crown of the Kingdom of Poland ( pl, Korona Królestwa Polskiego; Latin: ''Corona Regni Poloniae''), known also as the Polish Crown, is the common name for the historic Late Middle Ages territorial possessions of the King of Poland, includ ...
, used from 1526 to 1795.


See also

*
flag of the Masovian Voivodeship The flag of the Masovian Voivodeship, Poland is a red rectangle with silver (white) eagle, with golden (yellow) beak and legs, located on the left side of the flag. Design The current flag of the Masovian Voivodeship is a red rectangle with the ...


References

{{authority control Masovian Voivodeship Masovian Voivodeship Masovian Voivodeship History of Masovia History of Masovian Voivodeship Masovian Voivodeship (1526–1795) Warsaw Voivodeship (1919–1939) Culture of Masovian Voivodeship Masovian Voivodeship Masovian Voivodeship 2002 establishments in Poland 2006 establishments in Poland