The Coat of Arms of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth was the symbol of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, representing the union of the Crown of the Polish Kingdom and Grand Duchy of Lithuania.

Modern reconstruction

File:Coat of Arms of Jagiellon kings of Poland.svg, Grand Coat of Arms of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth File:Lob Rech Pospolita.svg, Grand Coat of Arms of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth File:Polish House of Vasa Coa.svg, Coat of Arms of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth design during the

House of Vasa The House of Vasa or Wasa Georg Starbäck in ''Berättelser ur Sweriges Medeltid, Tredje Bandet'' pp 264, 275, 278, 291–296 & 321 ( sv, Vasaätten, pl, Wazowie, lt, Vazos) was an early modern royal house founded in 1523 in Sweden. Its memb ...

reign

Background

The Coat of Arms of the Commonwealth combined the Coat of Arms of the Kingdom of Poland and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, which are depicted as follows: File:Herb Polska (Alex K).svg, Coat of arms of Poland, the White Eagle File:Herb Lytwa (Alex K).svg,

Coat of arms of Lithuania The coat of arms of Lithuania consists of a mounted armoured knight holding a sword and shield, known as (). Since the early 15th century, it has been Lithuania's official coat of arms and is one of the oldest European coats of arms. It is ...

, the White Knight During the Commonwealth, an inescutcheon contained the person or family arms of the reigning Monarch. File:Henri Ier de Pologne.png, Polish-Lithuanian coat of arms under

King Henry There have been many monarchs adopting the name "Henry". Years shown below are the regnal years. {{tocright Byzantine Empire * Henry of Flanders (1205–1216) (Latin Empire) Castile * Henry I of Castile * Henry II of Castile * Henry III of Cas ...

File:Polish House of Vasa Coa.svg, Polish-Lithuanian coat of arms under Vasa dynasty File:Coat of arms of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth with the Polish Eagle and Vytis (Waikymas), 1550-1609.jpg, Polish-Lithuanian coat of arms under Vasa dynasty File:15 ducats of Sigismund III Vasa from 1617.png, 15 ducats of King Sigismund III Vasa from 1617 File:Coat of Arms of Michal Korybut Wisniowiecki as king of Poland.svg, Polish-Lithuanian coat of arms under Michael I. Korybut coat of arms is placed in the middle of the shield. File:Coat of Arms of Jan Sobieski as king of Poland.svg, Polish-Lithuanian coat of arms under

John III Sobieski John III Sobieski ( pl, Jan III Sobieski; lt, Jonas III Sobieskis; la, Ioannes III Sobiscius; 17 August 1629 – 17 June 1696) was King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania from 1674 until his death in 1696. Born into Polish nobility, Sobie ...

. Janina coat of arms is placed in the middle of the shield. File:Coat of arms of Jonas III Sobieskis with his personal coat of arms, Polish Eagle and Lithuanian Vytis (Waykimas), 1698.jpg, Polish-Lithuanian coat of arms under John III Sobieski. Janina coat of arms is placed in the middle of the shield. File:Coat of Arms of Stanislaus Leszczynski as king of Poland.svg, Polish-Lithuanian coat of arms under Stanisław I. Wieniawa coat of arms is placed in the middle of the shield. File:Coat of Arms of Stanislaus II August of Poland.png, Polish-Lithuanian coat of arms under Stanislaus II Augustus. Ciołek coat of arms is placed in the middle of the shield. File:Coat of arms of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth with the Polish Eagle and Vytis (Waykimas), 1764-1795.jpg, Polish-Lithuanian coat of arms under Stanislaus II Augustus, 1764–1795 File:Coat of arms of Stanislaw August Poniatowski with Lithuanian Vytis (Waykimas), Polish Eagle and his personal coat of arms, 1780.png, Coat of arms of Stanislaus II Augustus, 1780

Insurrections

During the

January uprising The January Uprising ( pl, powstanie styczniowe; lt, 1863 metų sukilimas; ua, Січневе повстання; russian: Польское восстание; ) was an insurrection principally in Russia's Kingdom of Poland that was aimed at ...

a similar coat of arms was proposed for the restored Commonwealth, with Archangel Michael, the coat of arms of

Ruthenia Ruthenia or , uk, Рутенія, translit=Rutenia or uk, Русь, translit=Rus, label=none, pl, Ruś, be, Рутэнія, Русь, russian: Рутения, Русь is an exonym, originally used in Medieval Latin as one of several terms ...

added as the third element. However, it was never officially introduced. File:Coat_of_arms_of_the_January_Uprising.svg, Coat of arms for a proposed Polish–
Lithuanian–Ruthenian Commonwealth

The coat of arms in various cities

File:Malbork zamek 26.jpg,

Malbork Castle The Castle of the Teutonic Order in Malbork ( pl, Zamek w Malborku; german: Ordensburg Marienburg) is a 13th-century Teutonic castle and fortress located near the town of Malbork, Poland. It is the largest castle in the world measured by land ...

Malbork Malbork; ; * la, Mariaeburgum, ''Mariae castrum'', ''Marianopolis'', ''Civitas Beatae Virginis'' * Kashubian: ''Malbórg'' * Old Prussian: ''Algemin'' is a town in the Pomeranian Voivodeship, Poland. It is the seat of Malbork County and has a ...

, 1590s File:02013-02 Wawels coat of arms.JPG, Wawel, Kraków File:Płaskorzeźba godła wazów wieża zygmuntowska warszawa.jpg, Royal Castle, Warsaw, 17th century File:Sobieski Crown.PNG, Royal Chapel,

Gdańsk Gdańsk ( , also ; ; csb, Gduńsk;Stefan Ramułt, ''Słownik języka pomorskiego, czyli kaszubskiego'', Kraków 1893, Gdańsk 2003, ISBN 83-87408-64-6. , Johann Georg Theodor Grässe, ''Orbis latinus oder Verzeichniss der lateinischen Benen ...

, 1681 File:Dresden Zwinger Wappen 3.jpg, Zwinger, Dresden, 18th century File:Grimma Poeppelmannbruecke Saechsisches Wappen.jpg, Bridge over Mulde, Grimma, 18th century File:Pirna Postmeilensäule (4) 2005.jpg, Post milestone, Pirna, 1722 File:Freiberg katedra mpazdziora.JPG, Freiberg Cathedral, Freiberg, 18th century File:Lubań, Saski słup pocztowy - fotopolska.eu (190341).jpg, Post milestone, Lubań, 1725 File:Coat of arms Moritzburg Castle.jpg,

Moritzburg Castle Moritzburg Castle (german: Schloss Moritzburg) or Moritzburg Palace is a Baroque palace in Moritzburg, in the German state of Saxony, about northwest of the Saxon capital, Dresden. The castle has four round towers and lies on a symmetrical art ...

Moritzburg Moritzburg may refer to: * Moritzburg, Saxony, German municipality * Moritzburg (Halle), fortified castle in Halle, Germany * Moritzburg Castle Moritzburg Castle (german: Schloss Moritzburg) or Moritzburg Palace is a Baroque palace in Moritz ...

, 18th century File:Zamek królewski fasada saska 03 panoplia.jpg, Royal Castle, Warsaw, Warsaw, 18th century File:Dresden Hofkirche 2012 Wappen.jpg, Dresden Cathedral, Dresden, 18th century File:20050116190DR Wilsdruff Rathaus Wappen.jpg, Town hall, Wilsdruff, 18th century File:Bonsecours Nancy.JPG, Catholic church, Nancy, 18th century File:Cartouche of the Church of the Holy Spirit in Vilnius with the Polish Eagle and Lithuanian Vytis (Waikymas).jpg, Church of the Holy Spirit, Vilnius, 18th century File:Albertina Vienna June 2006 606.jpg, Albertina, Vienna, 18th century File:Theatinerkirche, München, Deutschland09.jpg, Theatine Church, Munich, 18th century File:Palais Walderdorff 08.jpg, Walderdorff Palace, Trier, 18th century File:Herb Rzeczypospolitej za Stanisława Augusta RB1.jpg, Guardhouse, Poznań, 1780s File:Coat of Arms of Stanisław August Poniatowski with colland of Order of White Eagle.PNG, Royal Castle, Warsaw, Warsaw, 18th century File:4 Warszawa-Lazienki Krolewskie 008.jpg, Łazienki Park, Warsaw, 18th century File:Pomnik króla Jana III Sobieskiego w Gdańsku Detal 3.JPG, John III Sobieski Monument,

(moved from

Lwów Lviv ( uk, Львів) is the largest city in western Ukraine, and the seventh-largest in Ukraine, with a population of . It serves as the administrative centre of Lviv Oblast and Lviv Raion, and is one of the main cultural centres of Ukraine ...

), 1898 File:Adam Mickiewicz Monument in Lviv (1).jpg, Adam Mickiewicz Monument, Lviv, 1904 File:Pomnik Henryka Sienkiewicza Łazienki 08.jpg,

Henryk Sienkiewicz Henryk Adam Aleksander Pius Sienkiewicz ( , ; 5 May 1846 – 15 November 1916), also known by the pseudonym Litwos (), was a Polish writer, novelist, journalist and Nobel Prize laureate. He is best remembered for his historical novels, especi ...

Monument, Łazienki Park, Warsaw, 20th century File:02013-01 Wawels coat of arms.JPG, Wawel, Kraków File:Vilnius Valdovu rumai Innen Thron 5.jpg, Palace of the Grand Dukes of Lithuania, Vilnius, restored in late 2010s

Notes

References