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 or capacity, its shape, or its ability to carry boats. Small boats are typically used on inland waterways s ...

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

Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth The Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, also referred to as Poland–Lithuania or the First Polish Republic (), was a federation, federative real union between the Crown of the Kingdom of Poland, Kingdom of Poland and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania ...

. A variant serves as 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 last two being outer garments), originating in Europe. The coat of arms on an escutcheon f ...

of the city of

Łódź Łódź is a city in central Poland and a former industrial centre. It is the capital of Łódź Voivodeship, and is located south-west of Warsaw. Łódź has a population of 655,279, making it the country's List of cities and towns in Polan ...

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

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 an accurate image. The verb ''to blazon'' means to create such a description. The visual d ...

description dates from 1411. The first ''Łodzia'' coat of arms featured a golden letter M on the shield, 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 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'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 feathers with boat superimposed. The ''Łodzia'' coat of arms was used by over 150 families, mostly around Kalisz,

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

and Sieradz. After the Union of Horodło, it was also adopted by several

Lithuania Lithuania, officially the Republic of Lithuania, 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, bordered by Latvia to the north, Belarus to the east and south, P ...

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 of

** 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">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)]

** Piotr Starkowiecki, translator of Ottoman Turkish, Persian, and

Arabic Arabic (, , or , ) is a Central Semitic languages, Central Semitic language of the Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic language family spoken primarily in the Arab world. The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) assigns lang ...

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 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