Dołęga (pronunciation: ) is a
Polish coat of arms. It was used by several
szlachta
The ''szlachta'' (; ; ) were the nobility, noble estate of the realm in the Kingdom of Poland, the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, and the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth. Depending on the definition, they were either a warrior "caste" or a social ...
families in the times of 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 ...
.
Blazon
"''Azure'', a downward opened horse-shoe ''argent'' with a cross former of the same charged on the edge of its arch. Inside the horse-shoe an ''argent'' arrow whose downward point protrudes. Helmet with mantling ''azure'', lined ''argent''. Crowned. Crest: a vulture's wing with an ''argent'' arrow shot through."
[ Blazon ]
There are four varieties of the coat of arms of which one is shown on RHS of top of the page.
History
This coat-of-arms appears in 1345, as the seal of Mysliborz, a Judge of Dobrzyn (
Dobrzyń nad Wisłą
Dobrzyń nad Wisłą (; ) is a town in the Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship, Poland. It lies on the Vistula River in the vicinity of Włocławek. As of December 2021, the town has a population of 2,025.
History Foundations
The settlement of Dobrzy ...
).
In a 1373 manuscript of Jan, the Bishop of
Płock
Płock (pronounced ), officially the Ducal Capital City of Płock, is a city in central Poland, on the Vistula river, in the Masovian Voivodeship. According to the data provided by Central Statistical Office (Poland), GUS on 31 December 2021, the ...
, the village of Łeg is first mentioned as a Dołęga Clan possession.
It is surrounded by villages once owned by Dołęga
Clan
A clan is a group of people united by actual or perceived kinship
and descent. Even if lineage details are unknown, a clan may claim descent from a founding member or apical ancestor who serves as a symbol of the clan's unity. Many societie ...
families. These are: Dabrowa, Dziedzice, Grabow, Gzino, Koskowo, Luzniewo, Mlice, Osiek, Ossowa, Zakrzewo, Zalesie, and others, owned respectively by the Dabrowski, Dziedzicki, Grabowski, Gzinski, Koskowski, Luzniewski, Mlicki, Osiecki, Ossowski, Zakrzewski, and Zaleski families etc. These villages and Płock are in the
Masovian region of east Poland.
In 1413 the Act of
Horodlo Union the Dołęga crest was transferred to Lithuania. Many of the clan families emigrating at the beginning of the seventeenth century migrated to Lithuania. Some settled in the parish areas of Vilnius, given land and properties from Russians who were either killed or exiled.
A court record of 1373 describes the war cry as "Do Langa". In records after 1400 the two words merge as "Dolanga," then more recently as Dołęga. "Do łęga" means "To Łeg!" and perhaps served as a rallying point in times of conflict, or for the local clan celebrations.
Others say Dołęga means "To Bows" a cry to arms as the enemy approached. Another source says the word Dołęga in old Polish, meant
potent - having great physical strength, forcefulness.
The coat was born in Poland in King
Boleslaw Krzywousty's (1102–1139) war against the Prussians. While defending a castle under siege, Polish knights ambushed the Prussian army. A knight named Dołęga shot the hoof of the Prussian army commander's horse with his crossbow so well that the Prussian commander was thrown from it. The Polish knights captured and executed him during the ambush. This inspired the Polish people to rise up and attack, and the Prussians were driven back by Polish sabers. Dołęga took an arrow in the appendix, but the battle was won. As a reward for his amazing shot, the King granted him a coat of arms after his name, Dołęga. The coat of arms he received depicts a raven wing, the heraldic symbol of loyalty and faith, and a horseshoe representing the horse hoof he shot.
There is a village named Prusy which ostensibly for purposes of inheritance, was divided up among Dołęga Clan members. The name of this village may have given rise to the 'myth', that at one time, Dołęga clansmen might have defeated and captured Prussian (Baltic-speaking) enemies, and reduced them to serfs on their various properties.
Also there is a village called Dołęga in
Małopolskie
Lesser Poland Voivodeship ( ) is a voivodeship in southern Poland. It has an area of , and a population of 3,404,863 (2019). Its capital and largest city is Kraków.
The province's name recalls the traditional name of a historic Polish region, L ...
district of southern
Poland
Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...
which has a well-preserved nineteenth-century
szlachta
The ''szlachta'' (; ; ) were the nobility, noble estate of the realm in the Kingdom of Poland, the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, and the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth. Depending on the definition, they were either a warrior "caste" or a social ...
noble manor house (now a
museum
A museum is an institution dedicated to displaying or Preservation (library and archive), preserving culturally or scientifically significant objects. Many museums have exhibitions of these objects on public display, and some have private colle ...
) surrounded by a natural forest park, in which there is a small
chapel
A chapel (from , a diminutive of ''cappa'', meaning "little cape") is a Christianity, Christian place of prayer and worship that is usually relatively small. The term has several meanings. First, smaller spaces inside a church that have their o ...
built by the nobleman owner. It was quite common for the nobleman to provide money/men to build the village church or chapel depending on size and riches of the family.
In December 1990, the Ulanów City Council, Nisko County, Subcarpathian Voivodeship, Southern Poland adopted Resolution No. X/54/90 on granting the Statute of the Municipality and the City Lancers in which it was given municipality and city coat of arms "Dołęga" in the image and shape of which used the city founder Stanislaw
de Ulin Magna Uliński. The image of the coat of arms was placed on the building of the municipality and town in the national emblem as well as the seals and the Board of Municipal and Town.
Notable bearers
Notable bearers of this coat of arms include:
*
Maria Skłodowska-Curie - Physicist and Chemist (c. 1900)
*
Aleksander Kakowski - Cardinal Archbishop of Warsaw (c. 1920)
*
Tadeusz Dołęga-Mostowicz - Polish Journalist and Author
*
Dołęga-Ossowski - Family (c. 1400-c. 1900)
*
Dołęga-Mycielski - Family
*
Wacław Michał Zaleski - Poet, Politician (1799–1849)
*
Tadeusz Mazowiecki
Tadeusz Mazowiecki (; 18 April 1927 – 28 October 2013) was a Polish author, journalist, philanthropist and politician, formerly one of the leaders of the Solidarity movement, and the first non-communist Polish prime minister since 1946, hav ...
- Polish Journalist, Author, Politician (1927–2013)
*
Paweł Włodkowic
*
Jan Dołęga-Zakrzewski - Politician (1866–1936)
*
Roch Dołęga-Kossowski - Politician and Treasurer of the Crown (c. 1760)
*
Aleksander Kadow - Living in U.S. Possesses Notarized Nobility documents dating back 1400s. Title of Count.
See also
*
Polish heraldry
Polish heraldry is the study of the coats of arms that have historically been used in Poland and the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth. It treats of specifically Polish heraldic traits and of the Polish heraldic system, contrasted with heraldic sys ...
*
Heraldry
Heraldry is a discipline relating to the design, display and study of armorial bearings (known as armory), as well as related disciplines, such as vexillology, together with the study of ceremony, Imperial, royal and noble ranks, rank and genealo ...
*
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 ...
*
Coat of arms of Dąbrowski I - variation of Dołęga
References
* ''Herbarz Polski'' by Stupnicki, Hipolit. Figaro Press, (London 1963).
* ''Z dziejow Nosarzewskich herbu Dołęga z Ziemi Zawkrzanskiej'' by Lech Jablonski (Warsaw 2001)
* ''Herbarz Polski by Adam Boniecki (1st Edt), Marek Jerzy Minakowski (2nd Edt 2004)
* ''Herby Rodów Polskich'' and ''Rycerstwo Polskie Wieków Srednich'' by Franciszek Piekosinski
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dolega coat of arms
Polish coats of arms