The hetman's sign ({{langx, pl, znak hetmański) was the only native military symbol 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 ...
. It was invented by
hetman
''Hetman'' is a political title from Central and Eastern Europe, historically assigned to military commanders (comparable to a field marshal or imperial marshal in the Holy Roman Empire). First used by the Czechs in Bohemia in the 15th century, ...
Jan Tarnowski
Jan Amor Tarnowski (Latin: Joannes Tarnovius; 1488 – 16 May 1561) was a Polish nobleman, knight, military commander, military theoretician, and statesman of the Crown of the Kingdom of Poland. He was Grand Crown Hetman from 1527, and wa ...
, who also popularized it on the territory of
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 ...
in the second half of the sixteenth century. In
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 ...
the hetman's sign was accepted in the following century. It became the most popular under reign of king
Jan III Sobieski
John III Sobieski ( (); (); () 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, Sobieski was educated at the Jagiellonian University and toured Eur ...
. Although he received the crown, he didn't reject his former attribute of authority. However, from the mid of the eighteenth century hetman's sign was replaced by
horse-tail ensign.
The hetman's sign was a composition of various objects. These compositions underwent various changes. However, there was always a spear with a ball or a spear-head on its end. Sometimes there were feathers attached to the spear. If there were, they usually were fastened together in a shape of a wing with a buckle. Sometimes there were also colourful ribbons or a
horse-tail ensign attached to the top of the spearshaft and during the battle so called "hetman's cap" was joined to it.
This symbol was attributed only to a hetman. When a hetman was riding a horse, the hetman's sign was carried by a horseman behind him. This sign was to emphasize the dominating role of
hetman
''Hetman'' is a political title from Central and Eastern Europe, historically assigned to military commanders (comparable to a field marshal or imperial marshal in the Holy Roman Empire). First used by the Czechs in Bohemia in the 15th century, ...
as a commander-in-chief of an army and to manifest the features of an ideal hetman. It fulfilled the important utilitarian role at a battlefield. It informed the soldiers where the hetman was and assured them of his constant presence at the battlefield.
References
* Karol Łopatecki, Znak hetmański: geneza, funkcje, symbolika, „Studia i Materiały do Historii Wojskowości” 42 (2006).
* Zdzisław Żygulski jun., Broń w dawnej Polsce na tle uzbrojenia Europy i Bliskiego Wschodu, Warszawa 1975.
See also
*
Buława
The buława (') is a type of ceremonial mace used in the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth as a symbol of high military authority, primarily by hetmans but also by kings, who were the supreme commanders of the armed forces. The buława was the ...
*
Hetman
''Hetman'' is a political title from Central and Eastern Europe, historically assigned to military commanders (comparable to a field marshal or imperial marshal in the Holy Roman Empire). First used by the Czechs in Bohemia in the 15th century, ...
*
Offices in Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth
An office is a space where the employees of an organization perform administrative work in order to support and realize the various goals of the organization. The word "office" may also denote a position within an organization with specific dut ...
Lithuanian titles
Military history of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth
Ceremonial weapons