Coat of arms of Lithuania
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The coat of arms of Lithuania features an armoured knight on horseback, wielding a sword and carrying a shield with a Jagiellonian cross. This emblem is known as Vytis ({{#invoke:IPA|main}}).<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Since the early 15th century, it has served as the official coat of arms of Lithuania and stands among the oldest heraldic symbols in Europe.<ref name="vle">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name="PiniguMuziejus" /><ref name="VytisGalkus13">Template:Cite book</ref> It is also referred to by different names across languages—for instance, Waykimas or Pagaunė<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name="Galkus">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> in Lithuanian, and Pogonia, Pogoń, or Пагоня (Pahonia) in Polish and Belarusian, all roughly translating to "the Chase."<ref name="vle" /><ref name="Palionis174">Template:Cite journal</ref><ref name="PetrauskasVytis">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The term Vytis itself can be interpreted as "Chaser," "Pursuer," "Knight," or "Horseman," bearing similarities to the Slavic vityaz, meaning a brave or valiant warrior.<ref name="lietuviuzodynas">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Historically, it has also been described as raitas senovės karžygys (a mounted hero of ancient times) or in heraldic terms, raitas valdovas (a mounted sovereign).<ref name="lietuviuzodynas" /><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
The Lithuanian state was established by the pagan Lithuanians in response to the growing pressure from the Teutonic Order and the Swordbrothers, who had conquered present-day Estonia and Latvia and imposed Christianity by force.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name="GDLBritannica">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The Lithuanians stand out as the only Baltic people to have founded a state prior to the modern era.<ref name="LithuaniaHistoryBr">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> This external pressure propelled them to expand eastward, conquering vast areas that are now parts of Belarus, Ukraine, and Russia.<ref name="GDLBritannica" /> This period of territorial expansion is symbolically captured by the image of the galloping knight in the Lithuanian coat of arms.<ref name="Toynbee">Template:Cite book</ref><ref name="lndm">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Its use became even more widespread following the adoption of the Third Statute of Lithuania in 1588, which mandated that each county include the emblem on its official seal..<ref name="ThirdStatute" />
The horseback knight first appeared as a dynastic symbol of the Gediminid dynasty, representing the ruling family. In the early 15th century, Grand Duke Vytautas the Great formalized the image—a mounted knight against a red field—as the official coat of arms of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. It was embraced also by noble families affiliated with the ruling lineage.<ref name="vle" /><ref name="PetrauskasVytis" /> The knight's shield was often adorned with the Columns of Gediminas or the Jagiellonian Double Cross, both symbols of dynastic heritage.<ref name="ColumnsSeimas" /><ref name="DoubleCrossSeimas">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Today, Article 15 of the Constitution of the Republic of Lithuania, approved by national referendum in 1992, states: The Coat of Arms of the State shall be a white Vytis on a red field.<ref name="Constitution" />
BlazoningEdit
The heraldic shield features the field gules (red) with an armoured knight on a horse salient argent (silver). The knight is holding in his dexter hand a sword argent above his head. A shield azure hangs on the sinister shoulder of the knight with a double cross/two-barred cross or (gold) on it. The horse saddle, straps, and belts are azure. The hilt of the sword and the fastening of the sheath, the stirrups, the curb bits of the bridle, the horseshoes, as well as the decoration of the harness, are or (gold).
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Names of the coat of armsEdit
In early heraldry, a knight on horseback is usually depicted as ready to defend himself and is not yet called {{#invoke:Lang|lang}}.<ref name="vle"/> It is unknown for certain what Lithuania's coat of arms was initially called.Template:Sfn<ref>Rimša, Edmundas (2005), p.121</ref>
Lithuanian languageEdit
The origins of the Lithuanian proper noun Vytis remain unclear. At the dawn of the Lithuanian National Revival, Simonas Daukantas was the first to use the term vytis—not in reference to the Lithuanian coat of arms, but specifically to the knight—in his historical work Budą Senowęs Lietuwiû kalneniu ir Żemaitiû, published in 1846.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref><ref name="VytisLIMIS" /> It is believed either to be a direct translation of the Polish Pogoń, a noun formed from the Lithuanian verb vyti ("to chase"), or, less likely, a borrowing from the East Slavic vityaz. In the western South Slavic languages as well as Hungarian, vitez refers to the lowest rank of the feudal nobility.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation
|CitationClass=web }}</ref> Vitez ultimately derives from the Old High German word Witing.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
The first theory, proposed by linguist Pranas Skardžius in 1937, was challenged by Leszek Bednarczuk, as pogoń does not have a recorded meaning of a "chasing knight."Template:Sfn<ref name="BaltNexus">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Lithuanian language features personal names with the root -vyt-, such as Vytenis, and the noun vytis follows a morphological pattern typical for verbs-derived nouns<ref>Jonas Palionis. Kieno sukurtas Lietuvos herbas (Vytis). Literatūra ir menas, 2002</ref> According to Bednarczuk, Old Lithuanian had a word vỹtis (genitive vỹčio), meaning "run, chase, pursuit, or general levy," which, at the time the coat of arms was adopted by the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, was translated into Polish and Ruthenian. Daukantas accurately reconstructed the word’s form from the verb výti, but misinterpreted its meaning, an error followed by later authors.<ref name="BaltNexus" />Template:Sfn
In the 17th century, in his Polish–Latin–Lithuanian dictionary, Konstantinas Sirvydas translated the Polish word Pogonia—in the sense of a person doing the chasing—into Lithuanian as Waykitoias, and in the sense of the act of chasing as Waykimas. In modern Lithuanian orthography, Waykimas is rendered as Vaikymas, and today it is considered the earliest known Lithuanian-language name for the coat of arms of Lithuania.<ref name="vle" /><ref>Template:Cite book</ref><ref name=":1">Template:Cite book</ref><ref>Template:Cite book</ref> In the multilingual poetry collection Universitas lingvarum magno Palaemonii orbis et urbis hospiti, published by Vilnius University in 1729, the Lithuanian coat of arms is referred to in Lithuanian as the "Horse of Palemon" (Zyrge Palemona).<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation
|CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>Template:Cite book</ref> {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} was also used into the 19th century,<ref name=":1" /> together with another Lithuanian name – {{#invoke:Lang|lang}}.Template:Citation needed
In 1884, Mikalojus Akelaitis referred to the coat of arms of Lithuania itself as {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} in the Aušra newspaper.<ref name="SeimasCoA">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name="rimsa3">Šiandien visiem gerai žinomą vyčio terminą XIXa. viduryje, tiesa, ne herbui, bet raiteliui (riteriui) apibūdinti pirmasis panaudojo Simonas Daukantas, o herbui – 1884m. "Aušroje" jį pabandė pritaikyti Mikalojus Akelaitis</ref> The name quickly gained popularity and was eventually adopted as the official term in the independent Republic of Lithuania. Originally used in the first person singular dative case as Vytimi, by the 1930s the form Vyčiu had become standard in the same grammatical case.<ref name="SeimasCoA" />
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Slavic languagesEdit
The words pogoń and pogonia have been attested in Polish since the 14th century, originally meaning "pursuit"Template:Sfn or the legal obligation to chase a fleeing opponent.<ref>Słownik Staropolski, Wrocław 1970–1973, p. 295.</ref> It was not until the 16th century that the term began to be used to describe an armed horseman.Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn
The word entered heraldic usage in 1434, when King Władysław II granted a coat of arms bearing the name Pogonya to Mikołaj, the mayor of Lelów. The design depicted a hand wielding a sword emerging from a cloud. Given its resemblance to the Lithuanian royal coat of arms, it is possible that this was an abatement—a simplified or modified version—of the ruler's own arms.Template:Sfn
The term pogonia to refer specifically to the Lithuanian coat of arms first appeared in Marcin Bielski’s chronicle, published in 1551. However, Bielski made an error: while describing the Lithuanian arms, he actually referred to a Polish noble coat of arms, writing, "From this custom the Lithuanian principality uses Pogonia as its coat of arms, that is, an armed hand bearing a bare sword."Template:Sfn<ref>"Z tego obyczaju litewskie księstwo za herb Pogoniey używa, to jest ręka zbroyna goły miecz podawa". Template:Cite book</ref> The term gradually became established with the spread of the Polish language and culture.<ref name="vle" /><ref name="PetrauskasVytis" /><ref name="VytisLIMIS">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>Template:Sfn {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} is also found in Prince Roman Sanguszko's documents from 1558 and 1564.Template:Sfn
The emblem was described a century earlier. In a document issued by Supreme Duke Władysław III, confirming the rights of the Czartoryski family, descendants of Karijotas, to use their ducal seal (Template:Langx; Template:Langx<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>). Similar descriptions are found in Jan Długosz's Template:Interlanguage link or the early 16th-century Bychowiec Chronicle.Template:Sfn<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> Another popular Polish term was {{#invoke:Lang|lang}}.<ref name="SeimasCoA" />
The name {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} was first recorded legally in the Third Statute of Lithuania in 1588.<ref name="statute">Template:Cite book</ref><ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
Possible early beginningsEdit
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The leader of neo-pagan movement Romuva, Lithuanian ethnologist and folklorist Jonas Trinkūnas suggested that the Lithuanian horseman depicts Perkūnas, considered as the god of the Lithuanian soldiers, thunder, lightning, storms, and rain in Lithuanian mythology.<ref name="Seimas2012">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name="Trinkunas">Template:Cite book</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> It is believed that the {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} may represent Perkūnas as supreme god or Kovas who was also a war god and has been depicted as a horseman since ancient times. Very early on, Perkūnas was imagined as a horseman and archeological findings testify that Lithuanians had amulets with horsemen already in the 10th–11th centuries, moreover, Lithuanians were previously buried with their horses who were sacrificed during pagan rituals, and prior to that it is likely that these horses carried the deceased to the burial sites.<ref name="Seimas2012" /><ref name="Trinkunas" /><ref>Template:Cite book</ref> One of the pendants made from brass and symbolizing a horseman was found in tumulus in the Plungė District Municipality, dating to the 11th–12th centuries.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Lithuanian mythologists believe that the bright rider on the white horse symbolizes the ghost of the ancestral warrior, reminiscent of core values and goals, giving strength and courage.<ref name="lrytasVytis">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Gintaras Beresnevičius also points out that a white horse had a sacral meaning to Balts.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> These interpretations coincide with one of the interpretations of the German coat of arms, that suggests an adler being the bird of Odin, a god of war, which is commonly depicted as a horserider.
Emblems of Lithuania's rulers (before 1400)Edit
The old Lithuanian heraldry of the Lithuanian nobles was characterized by various lines, arrows, framed in shields, colored and passed down from generation to generation.Template:Sfn They were mostly used until the Union of Horodło (1413) when 47 Lithuanian families were granted various Polish coat of arms,<ref name="Horodlo">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> yet some Samogitian nobles retained old Lithuanian heraldry up to the mid-16th century.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
The second redaction of the Lithuanian Chronicles, compiled in the 1520s at the court of Albertas Goštautas mentions that semi-legendary Grand Duke Narimantas (late 13th century) was the first Grand Duke to adopt knight on horseback as his and the Grand Duchy's coat of arms. It describes it as an armed man on a white horse, on the red field, with a naked sword over his head as if he was chasing someone, as the author explains that is why it is called "погоня" (pohonia).<ref name="lndm"/><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }} "Той Наримунт мЂл герб, або клейнот, рицерства своего таковый, и тым печатовался, Великому князству Литовскому зоставил его, a то такий: в гербЂ муж збройный, на коню бЂлом, в полю червоном, мечъ голый, яко бы кого гонячи держал над головою, и есть оттоля названый «погоня»."</ref> A slightly later edition of the chronicle, so-called Bychowiec Chronicle, tells a similar story, without mentioning coat of arms name: "when Narimantas took the throne of the Grand Duke of Lithuania, he handed his Centaur coat of arms to his brothers and made a coat of arms of a rider with a sword for himself. This coat of arms indicates a mature ruler capable of defending his homeland with a sword".<ref name="VytisGalkus13" /><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }} "Narymont, koli seł na Welikom kniastwie Litowskom, herb swoy Kitawra zostawił bratij swoiej, a sobi wdełał herb czełowika na koni z meczem, a to znamenuiuczy czerez tot herb pana dorosłoho, chto by meł boronit meczem oyczyzny swoiej, a pre to oberyte sobie hospodara dorosłoho, chto by meł boronity toho państwa, Welikoho kniażstwa Litowskogo."</ref>
The legend of the adoption of the Lithuanian coat of arms at the time of Narimantas in the version of Bychowiec Chronicle is repeated by later authors: Augustinus Rotundus, Maciej Stryjkowski, Bartosz Paprocki and later historians and heraldists of the 17th and 18th centuries.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>
Symbols of MindaugasEdit
The symbols used by the earliest rulers of Lithuania remain unknown. One of the few relics that have survived to our times is the seal of Mindaugas. Mindaugas succeeded in uniting several Lithuanian tribes, and in 1251 he embraced Roman Catholicism. Two years later, in 1253, he was crowned King of Lithuania by a papal legate, and his domain was officially elevated to the status of a kingdom.<ref name="BalticStatesPrehistory">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name="LithuaniaHistoryBr" /> However the authenticity of a partially survived seal, attached to the act of 1255, according to which Selonia was transferred to the Livonian Order, is disputed.<ref name="RimsaMindaugas">Template:Cite journal</ref><ref>Template:Cite book</ref> A 1393 description of the seal, made when the inscription was still legible, records the legend as: {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} (Template:Langx).<ref name="RimsaMindaugas"/>
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In 1263, following the assassination of King Mindaugas and his family members by Daumantas and Treniota, Lithuania plunged into a period of internal turmoil. Over the next seven years, three of Mindaugas’ successors—Treniota, his son-in-law Švarnas, and his son Vaišvilkas—were all assassinated. Stability was eventually restored under the reign of Traidenis, who was appointed Grand Duke around 1270.Template:Sfn Around the same time, the ancient Lithuanian capital of Kernavė was first mentioned in historical sources. In 1279, the Livonian Rhymed Chronicle recorded that an army of the Livonian Order devastated areas within Traidenis’ realm (part of early military clashes prior to the Lithuanian Crusade).<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> The coat of arms, seals, or personal symbols of Traidenis have not survived, if they ever existed.<ref name=":0" /> However, archaeological excavations at the 13th–14th century necropolis in Kernavė have revealed a striking variety of decorative symbols and ornaments. Among the most prominent are motifs of plants, herbs, palmettes, and suns (swastikas) engraved on headbands and rings. These designs are characteristic of the pagan period, prior to Lithuania's Christianization.<ref name=":0">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Symbols of GediminasEdit
Grand Duke Gediminas's authentic symbols did not survive to this day. On 18 July 1323 in Lübeck imperial scribe John of Bremen made a copy of three letters sent by Gediminas on 26 May to the recipients in Saxony.Template:Sfn According to the notary's transcript, the oval seal of Gediminas had a twelve corners edging, at the middle of the edging was an image of a man with long hairs, who sat on a throne and held a crown (or a wreath) in his right hand and a sceptre in his left hand, moreover, a cross was engraved around the man along with a Gediminas' title in Latin.<ref name="Sajauskas81">Template:Cite book</ref>Template:Sfn<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Symbols on coins of Vytautas and JogailaEdit
The unique symbol of a spearhead with a cross appeared on Pečat'-type coin minted in the late 14th century. These coins are usually attributed to Jogaila and Vytautas.
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Several very rare Lithuanian coins were found with a lion or leopards and the Columns of Gediminas, dated to the reign of Vytautas the Great and Jogaila in the 14th century (one of them was found in Kernavė).<ref name="Remecas50-57">Template:Cite journal</ref><ref name="Paszkicwicz">Template:Cite journal</ref> There is still disagreement where these coins were minted, with the most likely location being Smolensk, other proposed are Polotsk, Vyazma, Bryansk, Ryazan or Vilnius.<ref name="Remecas50-57" /><ref name="Sajauskas65-66">Template:Cite book</ref><ref name="Paszkicwicz" /> Such coins symbolized the Ruthenian vassalship.<ref name="Sajauskas65-66" /> The leopards were depicted with lily-shaped tails, which symbolized a sovereign ruler, therefore such coins must have been minted after the Pact of Vilnius and Radom in 1401 when Vytautas became fully in charge of the Lithuanian affairs.<ref name="Remecas50-57" /><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation
|CitationClass=web }}</ref> Vytautas minted such coins with leopards in the Principality of Smolensk before its Uprising of 1401 and after 1404 when it became a permanent part of Lithuania.<ref name="Remecas50-57" /> Another type of coins with lion and node symbol are found in eastern Lithuania and Vilnius, researchers associate them with Skirgaila or Jogaila, however such associations lack genuine evidence as the seal of Jogaila attached to the Union of Krewo and the 1382 seal of Skirgaila were not preserved.<ref name="Remecas76-79">Template:Cite book</ref> Despite that, it is possible that the Ruthenian lion also was one of the early coat of arms of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania as Jogaila in the Union of Krewo styled himself as: {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} (Template:Langx).<ref name="Remecas76-79" /> Historian Template:Interlanguage link suggested that the lion was abolished as the Lithuanian coat of arms after the Union of Krewo because in medieval heraldry it was equivalent to the Polish Eagle (lion is the king of animals, while eagle is the king of birds) and Lithuania at the time became a vassal state of the Kingdom of Poland, thus with a lower status.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
The Lithuanian dukes and nobles declined Uliana of Tver's, Jogaila's mother, suggestion to baptise the Lithuanians as Orthodox before the Union of Krewo and sought Catholicism instead.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Grand Duke Jogaila also rejected the Grand Prince of Moscow Dmitry Donskoy's offer to marry his daughter Sofia, convert Lithuania into an Orthodox state and to recognize himself as a vassal of Dmitry Donskoy, instead he chose Catholicism and married Queen Jadwiga of Poland, while also continuing to title himself as ruler of all the Rus' people, therefore minting coins with his portrait (as a horseman) on the obverse and a lion with a braid above him on the reverse, other Jogaila's coins features the Polish Eagle instead of his portrait on one side and a lion on the other side.<ref name="RemecasLp">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> In 2021, a treasure was discovered in Raišiai, with 40 Jogaila's coins (Denars), some of which are with lions while others are with horsemen wielding swords or spears, most of these coins were minted in 1377–1386 (prior to crowning of Jogaila as the Polish King).<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
The Treasure of Verkiai, discovered in 1941, has 1983 coins of Vytautas the Great which resembles the Pečat-type coins, however, they likely have a crossbow bolt (instead of an arrowhead or a spearhead) and a cross on one side and the Columns of Gediminas on the other side, thus they presumably have been minted later than the Pečat-type coins.<ref name="Sajauskas2008">Template:Cite journal</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Quite a lot of such coins of Vytautas the Great were also found in other places of Lithuania (mostly in the southeastern and central part, but also in Samogitia), Ukraine (especially in Volhynia), and Belarus.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> In comparison, coins attributed to Jogaila, which have a similar appearance to the Pečat'-type coins, has a spearhead and a cross on one side and the Double Cross of the Jagiellonians (Template:Langx) in a shield on the other side.<ref name="Sajauskas2008" />
Following the Christianization of Lithuania, in circa 1388, Grand Duke Jogaila minted new coins: with a fish rolled into a ring (Christian sign of the fish) and inscription КНѦЗЬ ЮГА (Duke Jogaila) on the obverse and with a Double Cross of the Jagiellonians in a shield on the reverse.<ref name="RemecasLp" /> It is believed that such coins were minted to commemorate the Christianization of Lithuania and the Christian sign of the fish could have been chosen when Pope Urban VI officially recognized Lithuania as a Catholic state (such recognition occurred on 17 April 1388).<ref name="RemecasLp" /> Nevertheless, a fish–blossom symbol, depicted on the coins, can also be associated with an earlier date of 11 March 1388 when Pope Urban VI recognized the Roman Catholic Diocese of Vilnius, which was established by Grand Duke Jogaila.<ref name="RemecasLp" /> In any case, the main purpose of this symbol was to showcase the Grand Duchy of Lithuania as a Catholic state, recognized and under the auspices of the Pope.<ref name="RemecasLp" /> Lithuania was the last state in Europe to be Christianized.Template:Sfn
Knight on horsebackEdit
The coat of arms of Lithuania originate from rulers depictions on seals.<ref name="vle" /><ref name="SeimasCoA" /> Originally the riding horseman symbolized the ruler of the Duchy of Lithuania (Duchy of Vilnius), which was the most important land of the state.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Algirdas was probably the first ruler to use a seal with a depiction of himself on horseback. The seal, which was attached to Polish-Lithuanian treaty of 1366, wasn't preserved,<ref name="SeimasCoA" /><ref name="lrytasVytis" /> and we know its appearance only thanks to historian Tadeusz Czacki who claimed to have seen the seal.<ref name="VytisGalkus13" />Template:Sfn The oldest preserved such seal is Jogaila's seal that he was using in years 1377–1380, when he became Grand Duke of Lithuania.Template:Sfn Duke of Kernavė Vygantas' seal of 1388 is the oldest preserved seal with a riding knight depicted on the shield, giving it a status of a coat of arms.Template:Sfn<ref name="SeimasCoA" /> Jogaila and other Algirdas sons: Skirgaila, Lengvenis, Kaributas, Vygantas, and Švitrigaila all were using seals with a horseman-type images.<ref name="PetrauskasVytis" /><ref name="SeimasCoA" /> The horseman was chosen due to at the time flourishing culture of knighthood in Europe.<ref name="lrytasVytis" /> At first, the charging knight was depicted riding to left or right, and holding a lance instead of the sword: two seals of Lengvenis of 1385 and of 1388 exhibit this change.<ref name="Sajauskas88">Template:Cite book</ref> Initially Kęstutis and his son Vytautas were depicted on their seals as standing warriors. Only later Vytautas adopted, like other Lithuanian dukes, the image of a riding knight.Template:Sfn
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The establishment of the sword in the heraldry of the Lithuanian rulers is related to the ideological changes of the ruling Gediminids dynasty.<ref name="Sajauskas88" /> The lance was more often exhibited on the seals of Skirgaila and Kaributas.<ref name="vle" /> In 1386, after Jogaila was crowned as King of Poland, a new heraldic seal was made for him, with four coat of arms: white eagle, representing Kingdom of Poland, knight on a horse, with lance in hand and a Double Cross on his shield, representing the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and coat of arms Kalisz land and Kuyavia.Template:Sfn It was the first time that a double cross was depicted on the Lithuanian horseman's shield.<ref name="Kryzius" /> The Double Cross was adopted by Jogaila after his baptism as Władysław and marriage with a queen Jadwiga of Poland in 1386, daughter of Louis I of Hungary, therefore the Double Cross was most likely taken over from the Kingdom of Hungary where it spread in the 12th century from the Byzantine Empire.<ref name="Kryzius">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> It is also possible that the new coat of arms was made in imitation of the Holy Cross relics from the sanctuary of Łysa Góra, and with this gesture the newly crowned king emphasised his sincere faith.Template:Sfn The symbolism of the Double Cross was connected with this event's significance for both Jogaila and the entire land.<ref name="DoubleCrossSeimas" /> A similar cross in Western heraldry is called the patriarchal Cross of Lorraine, and it is used by archbishops while the cross itself symbolizes baptism.<ref name="DoubleCrossSeimas" />
- Seal of duke Lengvenis Algirdaitis with Vytis (Waykimas), 1379.jpg
Seal of duke Lengvenis, 1379
- Lithuanian Denar of Jogaila with Lithuanian Vytis (Waykimas), minted in 1388–1392.jpg
Lithuanian Denar of Jogaila with horseman, minted in the 14th century
- Seal of Jogaila with the Polish Eagle and Lithuanian Vytis (Waykimas), 1386.png
Seal of Jogaila, 1386
- Seal of Kaributas with Lithuanian Vytis (Waykimas), 1386.jpg
Seal of Kaributas, 1386
- Seal of Skirgaila with Vytis (Waykimas), 1387.jpg
Seal of Skirgaila, 1387
- Vitaŭt Vialiki, Pahonia. Вітаўт Вялікі, Пагоня (1385).jpg
Seal of Vytautas the Great, 1385
- Vitaŭt Vialiki, Pahonia. Вітаўт Вялікі, Пагоня (K. Kielisiński, 1390, 1842).jpg
Seal of Vytautas the Great, 1390 (1842)
- Coat of arms of Lithuania Vytis (Waykimas), depicted on Tenebrat Bell (which was possibly funded by Jogaila and Jadwiga in circa 1388) of St. Mary's Basilica in Kraków, Poland.jpg
CitationClass=web }}</ref>
- Lithuanian Groschen of Jogaila with the Double Cross of the Jagiellonians and Lithuanian Vytis (Waykimas).jpg
lang}}, minted between 1392 and 1434
- Trinity Chapel in Lublin - North wall choir - The equestrian image of King Władysław Jagiełło.jpg
The equestrian image of Jogaila in the Chapel of the Holy Trinity, Lublin Castle, painted in ~1407
Columns of GediminasEdit
The Columns of Gediminas are one of the earliest surviving national symbols of Lithuania and its historical coats of arms.<ref name="ColumnsVle" /> Historian Edmundas Rimša, who analyzed the ancient coins, suggested that the Columns of Gediminas symbolize the Trakai Peninsula Castle Gates.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> There is no data that they were used by Grand Duke Gediminas himself, and it is believed that their name originated when Gediminas was considered the founder of the Gediminids dynasty.<ref name="ColumnsVle">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Since 1397, the Columns of the Gediminids were undoubtedly used on Vytautas the Great coat of arms, and it is believed that a similar symbol may have been used by his father Kęstutis, who was Duke of Trakai and Grand Duke of Lithuania, titles which Vytautas inherited.<ref name="ColumnsSeimas">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name="ColumnsVle" /><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> After Vytautas' death, the symbol was taken over by his brother Grand Duke Sigismund Kęstutaitis.<ref name="ColumnsSeimas" /> At first, the Columns used to represent the family of Kęstutis, and since the 16th century, when Grand Duke Jogaila's successors started using them in Lithuania as well, the Columns became the symbol of all Gediminids.<ref name="ColumnsSeimas" /> It was Grand Duke Casimir IV Jagiellon who made the Columns of the Gediminids as the coat of arms of his dynasty after becoming the Grand Duke of Lithuania in 1440.<ref name="ColumnsVle" />
.jpg){kind=link}
In heraldry, the Columns of Gediminas were usually pictured in gold or yellow on a red field, while they were occasionally portrayed in silver or white since the second half of the 16th century.<ref name="ColumnsSeimas" /> There is no doubt that the Columns of the Gediminids are of local origin as similar symbols can be found on the insignias of the Lithuanian nobility.<ref name="ColumnsSeimas" /> It is believed that the Columns of the Gediminids were derived from signs used to mark property.<ref name="ColumnsSeimas" />
Compared to the Double Cross of the Jagiellonian dynasty, the Columns of the Gediminids had been used more predominantly in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania.<ref name="ColumnsSeimas" /> The Columns of the Gediminids were featured on the Lithuanian coins of the 14th and subsequent centuries; the banners of the regiments led by Grand Duke Vytautas at the Battle of Grunwald; the 15th- and 16th-century church paraphernalia given to Vilnius Cathedral; the 15th-century seals of the Lithuanian Franciscans and major state seals in 1581–1795; book graphics; and the pieces of work by Vilnius' goldsmiths.<ref name="ColumnsSeimas" /><ref name="Batura">Template:Cite book</ref><ref name="Reborn2018">Template:Cite book</ref> Combined with the knight on horseback, the Columns of Gediminas were also embedded on the Lithuanian cannon barrels in the 16th and 17th centuries.<ref name="ColumnsSeimas" /> The symbol also decorated horse bridles and landmarks of the dominions of the Grand Dukes of Lithuania.<ref name="ColumnsSeimas" /> In 1572, after the death of the last male Gediminid descendant, Grand Duke Sigismund II Augustus, the Columns of Gedimimas remained in the insignias of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania as the secondary (alongside the knight on horseback) coat of arms of the state.<ref name="ColumnsVle" /> In later years, the Columns of Gediminas were called simply as the Columns (it is known from the early 16th century sources).<ref name="ColumnsVle" />
Official coat of arms of the Grand Duchy of LithuaniaEdit
15th centuryEdit
- Coats of arms of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania at the time of Kęstutaičiai rule
- Seal of Vytautas the Great.jpg
Seal of Vytautas the Great with the Lithuanian coat of arms, featuring horseman, in his left hand, circa 14th–15th centuries
- AGAD Pieczec konna Witolda, wielkiego ksiecia litewskiego.png
lang}}, which features the Columns of Gediminas on the shield, 1404
- Vitaŭt Vialiki, Pahonia. Вітаўт Вялікі, Пагоня (K. Kielisiński, 1404, 1842).jpg
Seal of Vytautas the Great with Vytis and coats of arms of his ruled lands, 1404 (1841)
- Flag of Vytautas the Great with a standing knight of Kęstutaičiai and Lithuanian Vytis (Waikymas), used during the Council of Constance in 1416.jpg
CitationClass=web }}</ref>
- Coat of arms of Vytautas the Great with a standing knight of Kęstutaičiai and Lithuanian Vytis (Waykimas), used during the Council of Constance from 1414 to 1418 (cropped).jpg
lang}}, used during the Council of Constance. Painted by Ulrich of Richenthal, 15th century.
- Žygimont Karybutavič - Жыгімонт Карыбутавіч, Pahonia - Пагоня.jpg
Duke Sigismund Korybut and his troops flying the Lithuanian banner in Prague, 15th century
- Seal of Sigismund Kestutis.PNG
lang}} in his left hand, 15th century
- Lietuvos herbas Vytis.Lithuanian CoA Vytis of 15th c.jpg
lang}} with Columns of Gediminas from the 15th-century Codex Bergshammar. Attributed to Grand Duke Sigismund Kęstutaitis.
The meaning of the Lithuanian ruler's coat of arms and the coat of arms of the Lithuanian state was given to the horseman not by Jogaila, but by his cousin, the Grand Duke Vytautas the Great.<ref name="vle" /> Firstly, around 1382, he changed the infantry on his coat of arms, inherited from his father Grand Duke Kęstutis, to a horseman, then made the portrait heraldic – in Vytautas' majestic seal (early 15th century), he is surrounded by the coat of arms of lands belonging to him, in one hand he holds a sword, which represents the power of the Grand Duke of Lithuania, in the other hand – a raised shield (on which a horseman is depicted), which, like an apple of royal power, symbolizes the Lithuanian state ruled by him.<ref name="vle" /><ref name="lrytasVytis" /> Furthermore, Vytautas the Great minted coins with the horseman on one side and the Columns of Gediminas on the other side.<ref name="Remecas50-57" />
In the 15th century, Jan Długosz claimed that Vytautas brought forty regiments to the victorious Battle of Grunwald in 1410 and that everyone used red flags of which thirty regiments flags had an embroidered armored horseman with a raised sword riding on a white, sometimes black, bay or dappled horse, while the rest of ten regiments flags had embroidered Columns of Gediminas with which Vytautas marked his elite troops with horses.<ref name="HistoricalFlagLRP">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name="Batura" /><ref name="Reborn2018" /> According to Długosz, those flags were named after lands or dukes: Vilnius, Kaunas, Trakai, Medininkai, Sigismund Korybut, Lengvenis, and other.<ref name="HistoricalFlagLRP" /> It is believed that the regiments with the Columns of Gediminas were brought from Vytautas' homeland (the Duchy of Trakai), and with a horseman – from other areas of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania.<ref name="HistoricalFlagLRP" /> Sigismund Korybut during his visit to Prague at the invitation of the Czech Hussites in 1422 as a delegate of Grand Duke Vytautas the Great, was depicted in a drawing wherein he carries his armorial banner decorated with a white charging knight on a red field; at its top, there is a narrow streamer, which the Germans, in particular, were fond of depicting in the 15th century.<ref name="HistoricalFlagLRP" />
The history between the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, the Lithuanian Jagiellonian dynasty and the Kingdom of Hungary and Kingdom of Croatia is closely related as Władysław III Jagiellon, the eldest son of Władysław II Jagiełło and his Lithuanian wife Sophia of Halshany,<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> was crowned as the King of Hungary and King of Croatia on 15 May 1440 in Visegrád, moreover, following his father's death, he also inherited the title of the Supreme Duke ({{#invoke:Lang|lang}}) of Grand Duchy of Lithuania, held it in 1434–1444 and presented himself with it, as such share of powers was agreed in the Union of Horodło of 1413 between his father and Grand Duke Vytautas the Great.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name="Horodlo" /> The Royal Seal of Władysław III Jagiellon includes a Lithuanian {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} ({{#invoke:Lang|lang}}) with wings laid out above the coat of arms of Hungary and alongside the Polish Eagle.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
At the end of the 14th century, the knight on horseback appeared on the first Lithuanian coins, however, this figure had not yet fully formed, therefore in some coins, the knight is depicted as riding to the left, in others – to the right.<ref name="PiniguMuziejus">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> In some he holds a spear while others depict a sword; the horse can either be standing in place or galloping.<ref name="PiniguMuziejus" /> The Double Cross was used in isolation on the Lithuanian coins of the late 14th century and on the banner of the royal court referred to in the Lithuanian language as {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} (Template:Langx).<ref name="DoubleCrossSeimas" />
_belonging_to_Aleksandras_Jogailaitis,_featuring_the_Coat_of_arms_of_Lithuania_Vytis_(Waykimas).jpg){kind=link}
During Grand Duke Alexander Jagiellon's reign in Lithuania from 1492 to 1506, the depiction of the knight's direction was established – the horse was always galloping to the left (in the heraldic sense – to the right).<ref name="PiniguMuziejus" /> Also, the knight was for the first time depicted with a scabbard, while the horse – with a horse harness, however, the knight does not yet have on his shoulder a shield with the double-cross of the Jagiellonian dynasty.<ref name="PiniguMuziejus" /> Moreover, Alexander's coins also depict an eagle as the symbol of the Grand Dukes of Lithuania's dynastic claim to the Polish throne.<ref name="PiniguMuziejus" /> During the reign of Grand Duke Sigismund I the Old, who ruled Lithuania from 1506 to 1544, the image of the horseman was moved to the other side of the coins – the reverse, thus marking that it was the coin of Grand Duchy of Lithuania.<ref name="PiniguMuziejus" /> The knight was also for the first time depicted with a shield with the Double-Cross of the Jagiellonian dynasty.<ref name="PiniguMuziejus" /> In heraldry, such an image of the horseman is only associated with the Lithuanian state.<ref name="PiniguMuziejus" /> In the 15th century, the Double Cross of the Jagiellonians became an integral part of the Lithuanian coat of arms and was started to be depicted on the horseman's shield.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
At the beginning of the 15th century, the colors and composition of the seal became uniform: on a red field a white (silver) charging knight with a sword raised above his head, with a blue shield with a Double Golden Cross to his left shoulder (during the reign of Kęstutaičiai dynasty – red shield with the golden Columns of Gediminas<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>); horse bridles, leather belts and a short girdle – colored in blue.<ref name="vle" /><ref name="SeimasCoA" /><ref>Template:Cite book</ref> Metals (gold and silver) and the two most important colors of medieval coats of arms were used for the Lithuanian coat of arms – Gules (red) then meant material, or earthly (life, courage, blood), Azure (blue) – spiritual, or heavenly (heaven, divine wisdom, mind) values.<ref name="vle" /><ref name="SeimasCoA" />
- Lithuanian coats of arms during the rest of the 15th century
- Majestic Seal of Jogaila (King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania), featuring Polish Eagle, Lithuanian Vytis (Waykimas) and other coats of arms, 1411.jpg
lang}}, 1411
- Flag of Jogaila with the Polish Eagle and Lithuanian Vytis (Waykimas), used during the Council of Constance from 1414 to 1418.jpg
lang}}, used during the Council of Constance in 1416
- Pogon nagrobek Jagielly.jpg
lang}} on the tomb monument of Jogaila in the Wawel Cathedral
- AGAD Pieczec Zofii Holszanskiej, krolowej polskiej.png
Seal of Sophia of Halshany, 1435
- Vytis (Pogonia) from the Bavarian State Library (1475).jpg
Lithuanian coat of arms, dating to 1475, which, judging from its archaic look, was likely redrawn from an even earlier painting<ref name="Violeta" />
- Vytis from Cosmographia universalis.jpg
lang}} in the atlas Cosmographia universalis by Sebastian Münster, 1544
- Lithuanian Denar of Kazimieras Jogailaitis with the Columns of Gediminas and Lithuanian Vytis (Waykimas) 2.jpg
Lithuanian Denar of Grand Duke Casimir IV Jagiellon with horseman and the Columns of Gediminas, 15th century
- Columns of Gediminas (Gedimino stulpai) from the Codex Bergshammar, 1440.jpg
Columns of Gediminas from the 15th-century Codex Bergshammar
- Half-Groschen of Aleksandras Jogailaitis with Vytis (Waykimas), minted in 1495–1506.jpg
lang}} from the late 15th century or early 16th century
16th centuryEdit
Only in the 16th century a distinction between the ruler (Grand Duke) and state emerged (it was the same entity previously), from which time one also finds mention of a state flag.<ref name="HistoricalFlagLRP" /> In 1578, Alexander Guagnini was the first to describe such a state flag, according to him the state flag of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania was made of red silk and had four tails, its principal side, to the right of the flag staff, was charged with a white mounted knight underneath the ducal crown; the other side bore an image of the Blessed Virgin Mary.<ref name="HistoricalFlagLRP" /> The highly revered Blessed Virgin Mary was considered the patron saint of the state of Lithuania, and even the most prominent state dignitaries favoured her image on their flags, thus the saying: "Lithuania – land of Mary".<ref name="HistoricalFlagLRP" /> Later only the knight is mentioned embroidered on both sides of the state flag.<ref name="HistoricalFlagLRP" />
After the Union of Lublin, which was signed on 1 July 1569 in Lublin, Poland, the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth was established, thus a joint coat of arms of the new country was adopted.<ref name="SeimasCoA"/> Nevertheless, the Grand Duchy of Lithuania remained a separate state within the Commonwealth and had a separate army which continued using the coats of arms of Lithuania on its uniforms.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> Its four quarterly fields portrayed, in diagonal, the eagle and the riding knight as the symbols of the two constituent states.<ref name="SeimasCoA"/> Hence, the old colors of the coat of arms of Lithuania, probably influenced by the colors of the coat of arms of Poland (red, white, and yellow), began to change: sometimes the horse blanket was depicted in red or purple, the leather belts in yellow; however the horseman's shield with the golden Double Cross changed less.<ref name="vle"/> In 1588 the third Statute of Lithuania was adopted and in the 12th article of the fourth chapter of the Statute it is stated that each county is given seals with the coat of arms of Lithuania for approval of decisions, and the name of the county must be written on these seals.<ref name="ThirdStatute">Template:Cite book</ref>
In 1572, following the death of Grand Duke Sigismund II Augustus, the last male descendant of the Jagiellonian dynasty as he did not leave any male heir to the throne, the Double Cross remained as a symbol in the national coat of arms and was started to be referred to as simply the Cross of {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} after losing the connection with the dynasty.<ref name="DoubleCrossSeimas"/>
- 16th-century depictions of the Lithuanian coats of arms
- Coat of arms of Lithuania Vytis (Waykimas), depicted in the Coat of arms of Aleksandras Jogailaitis, 1501.jpg
Coat of arms of Lithuania Vytis (Waykimas), depicted in the Coat of arms of Grand Duke Aleksandras Jogailaitis, 1501.
- Aleksandras Jogailaitis (Alexander Jagiellon) in 1506 (cropped from an authentic painting).jpg
A 1506 depiction of Grand Duke Alexander Jagiellon in the Polish Senate, surrounded by Lithuanian and Polish coat of arms, one of them are the golden Columns of Gediminas
- AGAD Pieczęć większa litewska Zygmunta I, króla polskiego, wielkiego księcia litewskiego.jpg
lang}} in the centre, belonging to Sigismund I the Old, 1529
- Statut Vialikaha Kniastva Litoŭskaha, Pahonia. Статут Вялікага Княства Літоўскага, Пагоня (1531).jpg
lang}} is drawn on a damasked shield.
- Heraldic tapestry of Žygimantas Augustas with Lithuanian coat of arms Vytis, Polish eagle and coats of arms of Volhynia, Smolensk, Kyiv voivodeships, circa 1548.jpg
Tapestry with the coat of arms of Grand Duke Sigismund II Augustus and Gediminas' Cap, circa 1548
- Lithuanian coin of Sigismund II Augustus with Lithuanian Vytis (Waykimas) and the Columns of Gediminas, minted in 1568.jpg
A 1568 Lithuanian coin of Grand Duke Sigismund II Augustus with Gediminas' Cap, horseman and Columns of Gediminas
- Green room of the Palace of the Grand Dukes of Lithuania in Vilnius, decorated with Jagiellonian tapestries of Žygimantas Augustas with Polish Eagles and Lithuanian Vytis (Waykimas), manufactured in Brussels, Flanders, circa 1560 (3).jpg
One of the halls in the Palace of the Grand Dukes of Lithuania, decorated with tapestries commissioned by Sigismund II Augustus and manufactured in circa 1560
- Coat of arms of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth with Vytis (Waykimas), Columns of Gediminas, Polish Eagle and family symbol of Steponas Batoras.jpg
lang}}, decorated with the Columns of Gediminas, used during the reign of Grand Duke Stephen Báthory
- Krakow Wawel 20070804 0930.jpg
lang}}) on the Sigismund III Vasa Tower (1595) of the Wawel Castle in Kraków, alongside the Polish Eagle and the Double Cross of the Jagiellonians
17th century to 1795Edit
- 17th-century coats of arms of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania
- Vytis on Dawn Gate 2007 05 29.jpg
lang}} depicted on the Gate of Dawn, which survived annexations
- Coat of arms of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth with the Polish Eagle and Vytis (Waykimas), 1550-1609.jpg
Coat of arms of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth during the reign of the Vasa dynasty
- Tablica erekcyjna Saint Casimir chapel.JPG
lang}} depicted on the outer wall of the Chapel of Saint Casimir
- 15 ducats of Sigismund III Vasa from 1617.png
lang}}, 1617
- Vytis in great seal of Lithuania.png
lang}} and Columns of Gediminas, belonging to Władysław IV Vasa
- Golden Lithuanian half-Ducat of Jonas Kazimieras Vaza with Vytis (Waykimas), 1665.jpg
lang}}, 1665
- Seal of John II Casimir Vasa with the Polish Eagle, Lithuanian Vytis (Waykimas) and coat of arms of the House of Vasa, 17th century.png
lang}} and Polish Eagles
- Ort koronny 1684 Bydgoszcz.jpg
lang}} and the Polish Eagle, 1684
- Muzeum Pałacu Króla Jana III w Wilanowie - panoramio.jpg
lang}}) on the façade of the Wilanów Palace in Warsaw, 1696
The Renaissance introduced minor stylistic changes and variations: long feathers waving from the tip of the knight's helm, a long saddle-cloth, the horsetail turned upwards and shaped as nosegay. With these changes, the red flag with its white knight survived until the end of the 18th century and Grand Duke Stanislaus II Augustus was the last Grand Duke of Lithuania to employ it.<ref name="HistoricalFlagLRP"/> His flag was colored in crimson, had two tails, and was decorated with the knight on one side and the ruler's monogram – SAR (Stanislaus Augustus Rex) on the other side.<ref name="HistoricalFlagLRP"/> SAR monogram was also inscribed on the flagpole finial.<ref name="HistoricalFlagLRP"/> In 1795, after the Third Partition of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, Grand Duchy of Lithuania was annexed to the Russian Empire, with a smaller part going to the Kingdom of Prussia, and traditional coat of arms of Lithuania, which represented the state for more than four centuries, was abolished and the Russification of Lithuania was imposed.<ref name="vle"/>
- 18th-century Lithuanian coats of arms
- Talar koronny 1702.jpg
lang}}, 1702
- 10 dukatów 1756.jpg
lang}}, 1756
- Seal of the Treasury of Lithuania with Vytis (Waykimas), 18th century.jpg
Seal of the Treasury of Lithuania, 18th century
- Vilnia, Pahonia. Вільня, Пагоня (1707).jpg
Coat of arms of the Vilnius University, 1707
- Dresden Hofkirche 2012 Wappen.jpg
Coats of arms on the Dresden Cathedral in Dresden, 18th century
- Cartouche of the Church of the Holy Spirit in Vilnius with the Polish Eagle and Lithuanian Vytis (Waikymas).jpg
Authentic Coat of arms of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth on the Dominican Church of the Holy Spirit in Vilnius
- Гродна. Новы замак (03).jpg
Wall fragment with the Polish–Lithuanian coat of arms in the New Grodno Castle, built in the early 18th century
- Grand Seal of the 1st Cavalry Brigade of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania "Husarska" (XVIII century).PNG
The 1st Lithuanian National Cavalry Brigade's Grand Seal (late 18th century)
- Coat of Arms of Stanisław August Poniatowski with colland of Order of White Eagle.PNG
Coat of arms in the Warsaw Royal Castle, 18th century
- Handle of the Ceremonial sword of Stanisław Augustus Poniatowski.PNG
Handle of the ceremonial sword of Stanislaus II August Poniatowski, 18th century
- The Great Seal of Lithuania (with Vytis) from the reign of Stanisław August Poniatowski, circa 1764.png
lang}} in the centre, belonging to Stanislaus II Augustus, 1764
- Coat of arms of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth with the Polish Eagle and Vytis (Waykimas), 1764-1795.jpg
Coat of arms of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, used during the reign of Stanislaus II Augustus, 1764–1795
- Pahonia. Пагоня (F. Reilly, 1793).jpg
Lithuanian coat of arms with the Jagiellonian Double Cross, depicted by Franz Johann Joseph von Reilly in 1793
1795–1918Edit
At first, the charging knight was interpreted as the country's ruler. As time passed, he became a knight who is chasing intruders out of his native country. Such an interpretation was especially popular in the 19th century, and the first half of the 20th century, when Lithuania was part of the Russian Empire and sought its independence.<ref name="vle" /> During the Lithuanian National Revival in the 19th century, Lithuanian intellectuals Teodor Narbutt and Simonas Daukantas claimed that the reviving Lithuanian nation is the inheritor of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania heritage, including the Lithuanian coat of arms {{#invoke:Lang|lang}}, which was widely used in their organized events.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
19th-century anti-Russian uprisingsEdit
Uprisings to restore the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth like the 1830–31 November Uprising and 1863–64 January Uprising saw {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} being used as a symbol of rebellion against the Russian Empire.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The Lithuanian Vytis was widely used alongside the Polish White Eagle throughout the uprisings on flags, banners, coins, banknotes, seals, medals, etc.Template:Sfn After the dethronement of Emperor Nicholas I Romanov (Emperor of Russia since 1825, King of Poland 1825–1831) by the Sejm during its proceedings in Warsaw on 25 January 1831, the coats of arms of the Russian Emperors were removed from the mint dies and Polish złotys with Eagle and Vytis were introduced into circulation, which were manufactured at the Warsaw's Banknote Factory and minted at the Warsaw Mint, as on 9 December 1830 the Provisional Government appointed the Bank Polski to manage the Warsaw Mint.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
- Lithuanian coats of arms during the Uprisings of 1830–1831 and 1863–1864
- Relics of the uprising of 1831 (in Vilnius).jpg
Relics of the Uprising of 1831, exhibited in the National Museum of Lithuania in Vilnius
- Coat of arms of the November Uprising with the Polish Eagle and Vytis (Waykimas), 1830-1831.jpg
Coat of arms of the November Uprising, 1830–31
- Banner with emblem of November Uprising.PNG
Banner with emblem of the November Uprising, 1830—31
- 2 złote 1831 powstanie - 1 z daszkami.jpg
lang}}) and Eagle on the coins and banknotes during the 1830–31 November Uprising
- Unia w Krewie.JPG
Painting commemorating Polish–Lithuanian union; ca. 1861. The motto reads "Eternal union".
- Coat of arms of the January Uprising.svg
Emblem of the January Uprising, 1863–64
- Cartouche with the coat of arms of the 1863–64 Uprising, featuring Polish Eagle, Lithuanian Vytis (Waykimas) and Ruthenian Angel, 19th century.jpg
Cartouche with the coat of arms of the January Uprising, 19th century
The 1863–64 January Uprising spread especially wide in the ethnic Lithuanian lands, whereas many rebels demanded for a completely independent, sovereign Lithuanian state, however at the time the majority of the Lithuanians decided to support the Polish–Lithuanian union in order to fight the Russian oppression more effectively.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> In the Soviet times, the 1863–64 January Uprising was interpreted as a class struggle between peasantry and landed aristocracy, while since 1990, it came to be seen in Lithuania as a strife for liberation from the Russian rule.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> On 22 November 2019, upon the rediscovery of their remains on the Gediminas' Hill, the 1863–64 January Uprising commanders Konstanty Kalinowski and Zygmunt Sierakowski were buried at the Rasos Cemetery in Vilnius, while the flags covering their coffins were presented to the President of Lithuania Gitanas Nausėda and the President of Poland Andrzej Duda.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
In the Russian Empire (1795–1915)Edit
Following the partition of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, most of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania was absorbed by the Russian Empire and Vytis was incorporated into the Greater Coat of arms of the Russian Empire.<ref name="Michalovskis">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Vytis was the coat of arms of the Vilna Governorate following the incorporation of Vilnius and surrounding lands into the Russian Empire.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Statues of Vytis placed on the White Columns of Vilnius greeted visitors at the entrances to Vilnius from 1818 until 1840, when the statues were replaced with the double-headed eagles – the state symbol of the Russian Empire.<ref name="bstulpai">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> In 2019, the Mayor of Vilnius Remigijus Šimašius suggested that the White Columns of Vilnius in the city's eldership of Naujamiestis should be restored.<ref name="bstulpai" /> A notable example of the coat of arms of Lithuania usage during the Tsarist period is on the bridge railings above the Vilnelė River in Vilnius.<ref name="Michalovskis" /> Several authentic coat of arms of Lithuania survived the occupations and annexations. For example, on the side wall of the Vilnius Cathedral, on the main portal of the Dominican Church of the Holy Spirit and on the Gate of Dawn.<ref name="Michalovskis" /><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
- Use of the Lithuanian coats of arms in the Russian Empire
- Герб Княжества и области белорусские и литовские 1882.svg
Coats of arms with Vytis, which incorporated (near the top) into the Greater Coat of Arms of the Russian Empire, 19th century
- Vilnia, Antokal, Pahonia. Вільня, Антокаль, Пагоня (K. Bachmatovič, 1837).jpg
The White Columns of Vilnius (1818–1840) with Vytis (Pogonia), which were later replaced with the double-headed eagles
- Insignia of the Lithuanian Regiment of the Imperial Guard of the Russian Empire with Vytis (Waykimas), 1910.jpg
Insignia of the Template:Interlanguage link
- Pahonia, Spas na Kryvi.JPG
Mosaics featuring the coats of arms with Vytis on the Church of the Savior on Blood in Saint Petersburg, completed in 1907
- Seals of the Vilnius University with Lithuanian Vytis (Waykimas), middle of the 19th century.jpg
Seals of the Vilnius University, mid-19th century
- Castle bridge in Vilnius (2007-09-23)4.jpg
lang}} on the Pilies (Castle) Bridge in Vilnius
- Troki, Kalona, Pahonia. Трокі, Калёна, Пагоня (1910) (2).jpg
lang}} in Trakai, 1910
However, in 1845 Tsar Nicholas I confirmed a coat of arms for the Vilna Governorate that closely resembled the historical one.<ref name="vle" /> A notable change was the replacement of the Double-Cross of the Jagiellonians with the Patriarchal cross on the knight's shield.<ref name="vle" /><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
- Coats of arms of Imperial Russian Governorates and cities, which were based on the Lithuanian coats of arms
- Čerykaŭ, Pahonia. Чэрыкаў, Пагоня (1843).jpg
Coat of arms of Cherikov from 1781
- Coat of arms of Gorodok 1781.svg
Coat of arms of Gorodok from 1781
- Coat of arms of Lucin 1781.svg
Coat of arms of Lutsin from 1781
- Coat of arms of Mogilev 1781.svg
Coat of arms of Mogilev from 1781
- Coat of arms of Rezhitsa 1781.svg
Coat of arms of Rezhitsa from 1781
- Coat of arms of Surazh 1781.svg
Coat of arms of Surazh from 1781
- Coat of arms of Drissa 1781.svg
Coat of arms of Drissa from 1781
- Viciebsk, Pahonia. Віцебск, Пагоня (1781).jpg
Coat of arms of Vitebsk from 1781
- Horadnia, Pahonia. Горадня, Пагоня (1843).jpg
Coat of arms of Grodno Governorate, 1802
- RUS obwód białostocki COA.png
Coat of arms of Belostok Oblast, 1809
- Dynaburg, Pahonia. Дынабург, Пагоня (1843).jpg
Coat of arms of Dünaburg, 1843
- Vilnius COA 1845.png
Coat of arms of Vilna Governorate, 1845
- Lida COA (Vilno Governorate) (1845).png
Coat of arms of Lida, 1845
- Troki, Pahonia. Трокі, Пагоня (1846).jpg
Coat of arms of Trakai, 1846
- Coat of arms of Vitebsk Governorate 1856.svg
Coat of arms of Vitebsk Governorate, 1856
- Coat of arms of Vilna 1859.svg
lang}}) and Orthodox cross, 1859
- Coat of arms of Vilna Governorate 1878.svg
Coat of arms of Vilna Governorate, 1878
_by_Mikalojus_Konstantinas_%C4%8Ciurlionis,_1909.jpg){kind=link}
In 1905, the Great Seimas of Vilnius took place in Vilnius during which the decision to demand wide political autonomy of Lithuania within the Russian Empire was made.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> It was proposed by the Chairman of the Great Seimas of Vilnius Jonas Basanavičius to recognize the flag of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania (a white horse rider on a red bottom) as the flag of Lithuania, but this proposal was rejected due to the negative associations of red color with the 1905 Russian Revolution.<ref name="HistoricalFlagLRP" /><ref name="VeliavaSeimas">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web
}}</ref>
_and_Lithuanian_flag_by_Jonas_Vanagaitis.jpg){kind=link}
1915–1918Edit
The discussions on the national flag resumed during World War I. Following the German Empire occupation of Lithuania in September 1915, the Lithuanians gathered into committees and organizations of various currents, which united their representatives.<ref name="VeliavaSeimas" /> According to the signatory of the Act of Independence of Lithuania of 16 February 1918 Petras Klimas, they considered the main problems of the reestablishment of Lithuania's statehood, among which one of the main questions were the national colors and the national flag.<ref name="VeliavaSeimas" /> Although, serious discussions about the Lithuanian state flag and coat of arms resumed only in 1917 when the real prospect of restoring the Lithuanian state emerged.<ref name="VeliavaSeimas" />
For the first time, according to Petras Klimas, a specific question of the national flag and national colors was raised at the Lithuanian intelligentsia Consortium Meeting of 6 June 1917 in the premises of the Lithuanian Scientific Society (the so-called Consortium Meeting united Lithuanian intellectuals in Vilnius, such as, Jonas Basanavičius, Povilas Dogelis, Petras Klimas, Jurgis Šaulys, Antanas Smetona, Mykolas Biržiška, Augustinas Janulaitis, Steponas Kairys, Aleksandras Stulginskis, Antanas Žmuidzinavičius).<ref name="VeliavaSeimas" /> During this Consortium Meeting, Jonas Basanavičius read a report in which he proved that in the past the color of the Lithuanian flag was red and that on the red bottom was depicted a rider with a raised sword on a dapple-grey horse.<ref name="VeliavaSeimas" /> Jonas Basanavičius suggested continuing this tradition and choosing this option as the flag of the reborn Lithuanian state.<ref name="VeliavaSeimas" /> There was nobody who opposed it, however considerations began that such variant of the national flag does not solve the issue of the national colors, especially because a red flag without Vytis (Pogonia) could not be used.<ref name="VeliavaSeimas" />
As a result, new colors had to be chosen that could form a simple, everyday, easily sewn flag, which would be used alongside the historical flag of {{#invoke:Lang|lang}}.<ref name="VeliavaSeimas" /> The members of this meeting established the principle according to which national colors had to be chosen: everyone agreed that it is necessary to choose such colors that are most often found in folk wares, ribbons, aprons, etc.<ref name="VeliavaSeimas" /> Everyone agreed that such colors are green and red, therefore the task of harmonizing these colors in the flag was assigned to the artist Antanas Žmuidzinavičius, however the searching for a color combination took a long time.<ref name="VeliavaSeimas" /> Artist and archeologist Tadas Daugirdas', who was invited as a consultant, combinations of the national flag colors varied from those proposed by Antanas Žmuidzinavičius.<ref name="VeliavaSeimas" /> In general, a question of the number of colors arose as some demanded a green-red flag (such proposal was also supported by the Lithuanian Americans), while the others demanded a tricolor combination.<ref name="VeliavaSeimas" /> Finding the third color was the most difficult task, even an exhibition of flag projects was held, however, the question was not solved until the Vilnius Conference of 1917, therefore a question of the national colors was included into the agenda of the Vilnius Conference.<ref name="VeliavaSeimas" />
During the preparation of the Vilnius Conference, which met in Vilnius and set out the guidelines for the restoration of Lithuania's independence and elected the members of the Council of Lithuania, Antanas Žmuidzinavičius prepared a green-red Lithuanian flag project with whom the Vilnius City Theater Hall (present-day Old Theatre of Vilnius) was decorated.<ref name="VeliavaSeimas" /> However, the flag proposed by Antanas Žmuidzinavičius seemed gloomy to the Vilnius Conference participants.<ref name="VeliavaSeimas" /> Consequently, Tadas Daugirdas proposed the flag consisting of green at the top, white in the middle and red at the bottom, but he himself was not fond of such proposal as he preferred the green and red combination because these colors dominated in the Lithuanian cloths.<ref name="VeliavaSeimas" /> Finally, Tadas Daugirdas proposed to include a narrow yellow line between the other two colors of green and red with the yellow color symbolizing dawn (the first national Lithuanian newspaper was also named Aušra) and rebirth (Lithuanian National Revival).<ref name="VeliavaSeimas" /> Despite that, Antanas Žmuidzinavičius categorically defended the green and red flag as these colors symbolized love and hope, while the others demanded for a green (at the bottom; symbolizing green fields and meadows), yellow (at the middle; symbolizing yellow blossoms), and red (at the top; symbolizing the rising sun).<ref name="VeliavaSeimas" /> As a result, the participants of the conference did not decide on the colors of the flag, therefore assigned this question to a commission formed by the Council of Lithuania that consisted of Jonas Basanavičius, Antanas Žmuidzinavičius, and Tadas Daugirdas.<ref name="VeliavaSeimas" />
_by_Tadas_Daugirdas,_1918.jpg){kind=link}
On 16 February 1918, the Council of Lithuania declared the Independence of Lithuania and adopted Vytis as its coat of arms with the first drafts of the coat of arms being designed by Tadas Daugirdas and Antanas Žmuidzinavičius.<ref name="SeimasCoA"/><ref name="FlagBrit">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> On 19 April 1918, the commission accepted a Lithuanian flag project which consisted of three equal width horizontal lines of yellow, green, and red colors.<ref name="VeliavaSeimas"/> On 25 April 1918, the Council of Lithuania unanimously approved this flag project as the Flag of the State of Lithuania.<ref name="VeliavaSeimas"/> At the meeting of the same day, it was proposed to raise the tricolor flag of the Lithuanian state above the Tower of the Gediminas' Castle, which was done in the middle of 1918 after difficult negotiations with the German authorities.<ref name="VeliavaSeimas"/>
Following the occupation of Vilnius by Soviet Russia, the Lithuanian institutions were evacuated to the temporary capital Kaunas in the first days of January 1919. In the temporary capital Kaunas, the historical flag of Lithuania was raised above the Presidential Palace, Palace of Seimas, and on top of the Tower of the Vytautas the Great War Museum (this historical flag was previously adopted by the Council of Lithuania and had a white horseman on a red bottom on one side and the Columns of Gediminas on the other side).<ref name="VeliavaSeimas"/><ref name="FlagBrit"/>
Republic of Lithuania in the interwar periodEdit
,_used_in_1919-1940.jpg){kind=link}
When Lithuania restored its independence in 1918–1920, several artists produced updated versions of the coat of arms. Almost all included a scabbard, which is not found in its earliest historical versions. A romanticized version by Antanas Žemaitis became the most popular.<ref name="vle"/> The horse appeared to be flying through the air (courant). The gear was very ornate. For example, the saddle blanket was very long and divided into three parts.<ref name="vle"/> There was no uniform or official version of the coat of arms. To address popular complaints, in 1929 a special commission was set up to analyze the best 16th-century specimens of Vytis to design an official state emblem.<ref name="SeimasCoA"/> Mstislav Dobuzhinsky was the chief artist.<ref name="SeimasCoA"/> The commission worked for 5 years, but its version was never officially confirmed.<ref name="SeimasCoA"/> Meanwhile, a design by Juozas Zikaras was introduced for official use on Lithuanian coins.<ref name="vle"/>
The Columns of the Gediminids and the Double Cross of the Jagiellonians were particularly widely used in the first half of the 20th century following the restoration of the independent state of Lithuania on 16 February 1918.<ref name="ColumnsSeimas"/><ref name="DoubleCrossSeimas"/> These symbols, as a distinctive sign, were adopted by the Lithuanian Land Forces, Lithuanian Air Force, and other public authorities.<ref name="ColumnsSeimas"/><ref name="DoubleCrossSeimas"/> It was used to decorate Lithuanian coins, banknotes orders, medals, and insignias and became an attribute of numerous public societies and organizations.<ref name="ColumnsSeimas"/><ref name="DoubleCrossSeimas"/> To commemorate the 500th anniversary of the death of Grand Duke Vytautas the Great, flags decorated with the Columns of the Gediminids were hoisted in Lithuanian cities and towns in 1930.<ref name="ColumnsSeimas"/> Moreover, in his honor, a Lithuanian state award was instituted in the same year – Order of Vytautas the Great, which was awarded for distinguished services to the State of Lithuania and since 1991 is still conferred nowadays.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
In 1919, the Double Cross of the Jagiellonians was named the Cross for Homeland and was featured on one of the highest-ranking Lithuanian state decorations – Order of the Cross of Vytis, which was awarded for acts of bravery performed in defending the freedom and independence of Lithuania (the order was abolished following the occupations of Lithuania, but was re-established in 1991).<ref name="DoubleCrossSeimas"/><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> According to a presidential decree of 3 February 1920, issued by the President of Lithuania Antanas Smetona, the Cross for Homeland was renamed to the Cross of Vytis.<ref name="DoubleCrossSeimas"/> In 1928, the Order of the Lithuanian Grand Duke Gediminas was instituted and was awarded to the citizens of Lithuania for outstanding performance in civil and public offices (it was also abolished following the occupations of Lithuania, but was re-established in 1991).<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Vytis was the state emblem of the Republic of Lithuania until 1940 when the Republic was occupied by the Soviet Union and national symbols were suppressed, those who still displayed them received severe punishments.<ref name="ColumnsSeimas"/> With the dissolution of the Soviet Union, the Vytis, together with the Columns of Gediminas and the national flag, became symbols of the independence movement in Lithuania.<ref name="ColumnsSeimas"/><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> In 1988, Lithuania's Soviet authorities legalized the public display of {{#invoke:Lang|lang}}.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
- Coats of arms of the Republic of Lithuania in the interwar period
- LithuanianRepublicGreaterCOA.jpg
An unknown version of the First Lithuanian Republic coat-of-arms, probably its greater coat of arms
- Vytis (Waykimas), coat of arms of Lithuania, designed by Antanas Žmuidzinavičius.jpg
lang}} by Antanas Žmuidzinavičius; popular in interwar independent Lithuania
- Swiss postcard with Vytis (Waykimas) and presumed territory of Lithuania, 1920.jpg
Swiss postcard with Vytis (Waykimas) and presumed territory of Lithuania, 1920.
- Coat of arms of the Republic of Lithuania. 1921.jpg
Coat of arms of the Republic of Lithuania in 1921
- Older version of Lithuania COA.png
Juozas Zikaras' design (1925), widely used on the interwar independent Lithuania coins
- LTU 10 Litu 1927 obv.jpg
lang}} and the Columns of the Gediminids (1927)
- LTU 5 Litai 1929 obv.jpg
lang}}, 1929
- LR-uzsienio-pasas-iki-1940.jpg
lang}}, used until the 1940 annexation
- Sitting-room of Vytautas the Great KGOC 3.jpg
A fireplace of a sitting-room of Vytautas the Great at the Kaunas Garrison Officers' Club Building
- Transitional prize with Vytis (Waykimas) of the commander of the Lithuanian Riflemen's Union team for shooting from automatic pistols.jpg
Transitional prize with Vytis (Waykimas) of the commander of the Lithuanian Riflemen's Union team for shooting from automatic pistols.
- Queen Louise Bridge decorated with Vytis (Waykimas) in Panemunė, Lithuania, 1937.jpg
lang}} in 1937
- Ministry of Finance of Lithuania with Vytis (Waykimas) and the Columns of Gediminas in Kaunas, 1930.jpg
lang}} and the Columns of Gediminas, 1930
- Stasys Rastikis with flag in 1939.jpg
lang}} on obverse side, while a Lithuanian soldier swears his loyalty by kneeling in front of it
- Anbo8.jpg
A Lithuanian bomber-reconnaissance monoplane ANBO VIII with the Double Cross of the Jagiellonians, constructed by the Lithuanian aeronautical engineer Antanas Gustaitis, in 1939
- Lithuanian tanks heading to Lithuanian capital Vilnius in 1939.jpg
Lithuanian Vickers Light Tanks M1936 with the Columns of the Gediminids, heading to the Lithuanian capital Vilnius in 1939
- Session of the Provisional Government of Lithuania.jpg
Session of the Provisional Government of Lithuania, which attempted to restore the statehood of the interwar Republic during the June Uprising in Lithuania, in 1941
- Members of the Lithuanian partisans (Zalgiris Territorial Defense Force) in 1946.jpg
The Lithuanian partisans fought with the occupants in 1944–1953, wearing the interwar Lithuanian uniforms and insignia
Republic of Lithuania in the post-Cold War eraEdit
On March 11, 1990, Lithuania declared its independence and restored all of its pre-war national symbols, including its historic coat of arms Vytis.<ref name="SeimasCoA"/> On March 20, 1990, the Supreme Council of Lithuania approved the description of the State's coat of arms and determined the principal regulations for its use.<ref name="SeimasCoA"/> The design was based on Juozas Zikaras' version.<ref name="SeimasCoA"/> This was to demonstrate that Lithuania was resuming the traditions of the state that existed between 1918–1940. Later on 10 April, the Supreme Council – Reconstituent Seimas adopted the Law on the National Coat of Arms, Emblems, and Other Insignias of the Republic of Lithuania, which regulates the usage of the Lithuanian national coat of arms Vytis and the historical national symbols of Lithuania.<ref name="CoASymbolsLaw">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> According to the 6th article of this Law, the historical national symbols of Lithuania are the Double Cross of the Jagiellonians and Columns of Gediminas.<ref name="CoASymbolsLaw"/>
On September 4, 1991, a new design by Arvydas Každailis was approved based on the recommendations of a special Lithuanian Heraldry Commission.<ref name="SeimasCoA"/> It abandoned romantic interwar interpretations, harkening back to the times of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. Nevertheless, it re-established the original colors and metals (red, blue, silver, and gold), dating to the reign of Grand Duke Vytautas the Great, but placed the horse and rider in an ostensibly more "defensive" posture, airs above the ground, rather than leaping forward and sword simply elevated rather than poised to strike.<ref name="vle"/><ref name="SeimasCoA"/> The revival of historical colors and the historical coat of arms {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} meant that the Republic of Lithuania is not only the heir and follower of the traditions of statehood of independent Lithuania of 1918–40, but also of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania.<ref name="vle"/> The Constitution of the Republic of Lithuania, adopted by citizens of the Republic of Lithuania in the Constitutional Referendum of 25 October 1992, states that the Coat of Arms of the State shall be a white Vytis on a red field.<ref name="Constitution">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Despite the newly adopted Každailis' variant of {{#invoke:Lang|lang}}, the Lithuanian litas coins featured Zikaras' design until they were replaced by the euro in 2015.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name="EuroCoinsLB"/>
The coats of arms of Lithuania are widely used by the Lithuanian Armed Forces on uniforms, badges, and flags.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
.svg){kind=link}
In 2004, Lithuania's Seimas confirmed a new variant of the Vytis on the historical flag of Lithuania, the final design was approved on 17 June 2010.<ref name="HistoricalFlagLRP"/><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> It is depicted on a rectangular red fabric, recalling the old battle flags of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania.<ref name="HistoricalFlagLRP"/> The flag does not replace the yellow-green-red tri-color national flag of Lithuania and it is used on special occasions, anniversaries, and buildings of historical significance (e.g. Palace of the Grand Dukes of Lithuania, Trakai Island Castle, Medininkai Castle).<ref name="HistoricalFlagLRP"/>
It is currently proposed that a greater version of the coat of arms be adopted. It would feature a line from "Tautiška giesmė", the national anthem of Lithuania, "{{#invoke:Lang|lang}}" ("May unity blossom"). The Seimas already uses a larger version of the coat of arms with this phrase as its motto, along with two supporters: the dexter one a griffin argent beaked and membered or, langued gules, and the sinister one a unicorn argent, armed and unguled or, langued gules, and the ducal hat on top of the shield.
The President of Lithuania uses the circular seal and document forms with the coat of arms of Lithuania, the seal has a text "{{#invoke:Lang|lang}}".<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Lithuania joined the Eurozone by adopting the euro on 1 January 2015.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The designs of Lithuanian euro coins share a similar national side for all denominations, featuring the Vytis and the country's name in Lithuanian – Lietuva.<ref name="EuroCoinsLB">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The design was announced on 11 November 2004 following a public opinion poll conducted by the Bank of Lithuania.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The horse is again leaping forward, as in more traditional versions.<ref name="EuroCoinsLB"/>
The Kaunas Castle unveiled the Freedom Warrior monument on 14 July 2018, which features a graphical representation of Vytis. It was created by Lithuanian artist Arūnas Sakalauskas and Ukrainian artists Boris Krylov and Olesius Sidoruk in Kyiv, Ukraine.
Gintautas Genys released a three-tomes historical adventure novel book {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} (Template:Langx), which analyzes different periods of the history of Lithuania: the first tome, released in 2012, is about the last decade of the 18th century (close to the Third Partition of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth),<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> the second tome, released in 2014, presents the vision of the restoration of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania in the sticky web of intrigues and conflicts of the monarchs of France, Russia, and Prussia,<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> while the third tome, released in 2019, presents the course of the history of Russia, Poland, and Lithuania from the 1810s to 1860s, consistently and vividly reveals the terrible drama of mutual relations between them.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
In 2023, Lithuanian vehicle registration plates design was modified to include Vytis.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
- Coats of arms of the Republic of Lithuania in the Post-Cold War era
- Protest 1988 in Vilnius (2).jpg
An anti-nuclear rally in Cathedral Square in 1988. A banner with Vytis was presented.
- KlpUniversitetasVlns90-10-5.jpg
Vytautas Landsbergis near the primary doors of the Seimas Palace with the recently added Vytis above them, in 1990.
- 2009 m. Respublikos Prezidento inauguracija.jpg
The presidential version of the coat of arms, as depicted on the Presidential Palace, and the flag of the president of Lithuania
- Großfürstliches Schloss (Vilnius) Eingangsportal 20220630.jpg
Main gates of the Palace of the Grand Dukes of Lithuania with the front portal featuring Vytis in Vilnius
- Lithuanian coats of arms flag (Trakai, Lithuania, 2016).jpg
Modern Lithuanian state flag flying at Trakai
- Rittermonument Kaunas.jpg
- Pasas2008.gif
The current passport of the Republic of Lithuania design
- LT-2008-50litų-Šv. Kazimieras-a.png
Litas commemorative coin featuring a historical Vytis
- 500 litai (2000).jpg
A banknote of 500 Lithuanian litas with Vytis, 2000
- N22978 1 eur Lietuva 2015.jpg
A coin of 1 Lithuanian Euro with Vytis, used since 1 January 2015
- Lithuanian Armed Forces Battle flag (obverse).png
Flag of the Lithuanian Armed Forces with Vytis
- Battle of Grunwald 2010 (06).jpg
The Lithuanian soldiers with Vytis and the Columns of Gediminas banners during the Battle of Grunwald reconstruction
- IFV Vilkas.jpg
An armoured fighting vehicle Vilkas (Lithuanian variant of Boxer) with the Columns of the Gediminids
- Eurocopter AS365 + LET L-410.jpg
Lithuanian Air Forces aircraft with the Double Cross of the Jagiellonians in 2016
- N42 Jotvingis NOCO2014 07 bow flag.JPG
Jotvingis (N42) of the Lithuanian Naval Force flying the state flag at jackstaff
- Boundary marker of Lithuania.svg
Boundary marker of the Lithuanian Republic
- LT judge pendant by Augustas Didzgalvis.jpg
Lithuanian judges pendants with the Columns of Gediminas and Vytis
- YPT and ARAS exercise 2024 01.jpg
Soldier of the Lithuanian Special Operations Forces with insignia featuring the Columns of Gediminas
Related and similar coats of armsEdit
LithuaniaEdit
Template:See also Recently adopted coats of arms of Vilnius and Panevėžys counties use different color schemes and add additional details to the basic image of the knight.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Several towns in Lithuania use motifs similar to Vytis. For example, the coat of arms of Liudvinavas is parted per pale. One half depicts the Vytis and the other, Lady Justice.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
- Coats of arms of the Lithuanian counties, cities, and towns and other which features a horseman
- Coat of arms of Aukštaitija.svg
Ethnographic region Aukštaitija coat of arms
- Vilnius University Coat of arms.JPG
Vilnius University coat of arms
- LTU Vilniaus apskritis COA.svg
Vilnius County coat of arms
- Liudvinavas.gif
Liudvinavas coat of arms
- LTU Panevėžio apskritis COA.svg
Panevėžys County coat of arms
- VeivirzenaiCOA.gif
Veiviržėnai coat of arms
- Josvainiai COA.png
Josvainiai coat of arms
- Marijampole COA.svg
Marijampolė coat of arms
- Coat of arms of Daugailiai.svg
Daugailiai coat of arms
- AdutiskisCOA.png
Adutiškis coat of arms
PolandEdit
{{#invoke:Labelled list hatnote|labelledList|Main article|Main articles|Main page|Main pages}} Template:See also Template:For-text As Lithuania and Poland were closely related for centuries, especially during the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth period, the Lithuanian coat of arms was also depicted in Poland.Template:Sfn
- Usage of {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} ({{#invoke:Lang|lang}}) in Poland
- Malbork zamek 26.jpg
Malbork Castle, Malbork, 1590s
- Sobieski Crown.PNG
lang}})
- CollegiumNovum-HerbWielkiegoKsięstwaLitewskiego(Pogoń)-POL, Kraków.jpg
lang}}) as depicted on the façade of the Collegium Novum of the Jagiellonian University in Kraków
- Jan olbracht (1492–1501).jpg
Illustration with coat of arms of John I Albert (after 1492)
- Wawel Arras - Above-door Hanging - Arms of Lithuania with Hyena and Monkey.jpg
Above-door tapestry with the coat of arms of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania on the background of a landscape with a hyena and a monkey, circa 1560, Wawel Castle
- Choir balcony with arms of Sigismund III Vasa, featuring Polish Eagle and Lithuanian Vytis (Waykimas), in the St. John's Archcathedral in Warsaw.jpg
Choir balcony with arms of Sigismund III Vasa in the St. John's Archcathedral in Warsaw
- Herb Rzeczypospolitej za Stanisława Augusta RB1.jpg
Guardhouse, Poznań, 1780s
- Piaseczno, church (Pomerania) (12).JPG
- POL województwo podlaskie COA.svg
Podlaskie Voivodeship coat of arms
- POL Brańsk COA.svg
Brańsk coat of arms
- POL powiat bialski COA.svg
Biała County (Lublin Voivodeship) coat of arms
- POL powiat siemiatycki COA.svg
Siemiatycze County coat of arms
- POL powiat puławski COA 1.svg
Puławy County coat of arms
- POL Białystok formal COA.svg
Byalistok coat of arms
- Herb Siedlce.svg
Siedlce coat of arms (also see: MKP Pogoń Siedlce logo)
BelarusEdit
The Belarusian lands had been part of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania since the Middle Ages, so the Lithuanian coat of arms grew into the local heraldic tradition and was used in the coats of arms of Belarusian towns and administrative districts, even during Russian rule.Template:Sfn Thus, Belarusian nationalists who claimed that the Grand Duchy of Lithuania was part of a Belarusian statehood tradition adopted Lithuania's coat of arms as the Belarusian national emblem during the period of national revival in 1918.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref><ref>Template:Cite book</ref> Pahonia (Пагоня, ultimately from Pogonia) is the Belarusian version of the coat of arms of Lithuania, also depicting an armed white horseman on a red background.Template:Sfn However, in the Belarusian version, the two-barred cross depicted on the horseman's shild has uneven bars, the saddle blanket is in the Renaissance style, the horse's tail points down instead of up, and azure is absent from it altogether.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Pahonia was chosen by the founders of the short-lived Belarusian People's Republic as the state emblem.Template:Sfn During 1918 to 1923, it was used by the military units of the Belarusian People's Republic, as well as those formed within the Lithuanian and Polish armies. Subsequently, it was used in this role by Belarusians residing in Poland, Lithuania, Latvia and other countries in the interwar period.
During the Second World War, under German occupation Belarusians displayed Pahonia, it was used by collaborationist organisation, such as Belarusian People's Self-Help (BNS). They were also used by the Belarusian Central Council.Template:Sfn During the Soviet period, the Pahonia coat of arms was banned and its possession was punishable by imprisonment. Soviet propaganda defamed Belarusian national symbols as being used by "Nazi collaborators". However, the coat of arms was used freely by Belarusian organisations in the West.Template:Sfn
The white–red–white flag and Pahonia were yet again adopted upon proclaiming of Belarus' independence in 1991.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Soon after the 1994 Belarusian presidential election, the Belarusians voted for the introduction of a modified version of the Soviet flag and emblem in a 1995 referendum, initiated by President Alexander Lukashenko, and abolished Pahonia as an official symbol.<ref name="Yakouchyk">Template:Cite book</ref><ref name="EmergingNation">Template:Cite journal</ref> However, Lukashenko still signed decrees to incorporate similar symbols into several reginal flags and coats of arms as in Gomel Region and Vitsebsk Region, and the previous national symbols continued to be used by the Belarusian opposition and gained exceptional popularity among the Belarusians during the 2020–2021 Belarusian protests.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
- Usage of {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} ({{#invoke:Lang|lang}}) in Belarus
- Герб БНР 1918.svg
The Pahonia as used in the Belarusian People's Republic in 1918
- Pahonia, BNR. Пагоня, БНР (1918-20).jpg
Passport of the Belarusian People's Republic, 1918–1919
- Seal of Belarusian Central Council.svg
Seal of the Byelorussian Central Council in 1943–1944 (during the period of the Nazi occupation)
- BKA-Weapons general h.svg
Marshal's insignia of the Byelorussian Home Defence, 1944–1945
- Coat of arms of Belarus (1991–1995).svg
Coat of arms of Belarus from 1991 to 1995
- Coat of Arms of Vitsebsk Voblasts.svg
Coat of arms of Vitsebsk Region
- Coat of Arms of Lepiel, Belarus.svg
Coat of arms of Lyepyel
- Coat of Arms of Vierchniadzvinsk, Belarus.svg
Coat of arms of Vierchniadzvinsk
- Coat of Arms of Rečyca, Belarus.svg
Coat of arms of Rechytsa
- Coat of Arms of Mahiloŭ (faded).svg
Coat of arms of Mahilyow
- BIA Lipniszki COA.png
Coat of arms of Template:Interlanguage link
- Demonstration against Alexander Lukashenko in front of the Belarus Embassy in Moscow. (2020-08-23) 18.jpg
Belarusian opposition supporters holding flags with Pahonia during the 2020–2021 Belarusian protests
- Быдгашч. Акцыя салідарнасці з Украінай (2022-03-05) 1.jpg
Belarusian opposition supporters holding Pahonia signs during the protests against the Russian invasion of Ukraine
UkraineEdit
{{#invoke:Labelled list hatnote|labelledList|Main article|Main articles|Main page|Main pages}} Template:See also The horseman was featured on the coat of arms of the Kingdom of Galicia–Volhynia, on the Seal of King Yuri II Boleslav with the Ruthenian lion on the coat of arms, on the Mykhailo Hrushevsky's proposal of the coat of arms of the Ukrainian People's Republic, and other Ukrainian coats of arms.
- Coats of arms in Ukraine which features a horseman
- Герб Волинсько Галицької землі 1313.jpg
Coats of arms of the Kingdom of Galicia–Volhynia, 1313
- Alex K Yuri Boleslav seal 2.png
Seal of King Yuri II Boleslav denoting a horseman with lion on the coat of arms (14th century)
- Coins of Boleslaw-Yuri II of Galicia.png
King Yuri II Boleslav's coin of the Kingdom of Galicia–Volhynia (14th century)
- Pahonia. Пагоня (1440).jpg
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- Coat of arms of Iziaslav.png
Coat of arms of Iziaslav, Ukraine, since 1754<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
- Вежа Вітовта з висоти 2.jpg
Watch tower of Vytautas the Great in Kherson Oblast with the historical state flag of Lithuania
- Czernelyca kosciol DSC 9576 26-216-0053.JPG
The coat of arms of Dukes Czartoryski with Vytis above the portal of the former Dominican Church in Chernelytsia
- Adam Mickiewicz Monument in Lviv (1).jpg
- UNR coa projects Hrushevskyy.svg
Mykhailo Hrushevskyi's proposal for the coat of arms of the Ukrainian People's Republic
- POL Kołki COA.png
Coat of arms of Kolky under Polish rule
- Coat of Arms of Zhytomyr Oblast.svg
Coat of arms of Zhytomyr Oblast
- Coat of Arms of Staryi Chortoryisk.gif
Coat of arms of Staryi Chortoryisk
- Coat of arms of Nemenka (Vinnytsia Raion).svg
Coat of arms of Template:Interlanguage link
- Lytovezh gerb.png
Coat of arms of Lytovezh
- COA of Lubar.png
Coat of arms of Liubar
- Gorodnytska otg gerb.png
Coat of arms of Horodnytsia
- Coat of Arms of Starokostiantynivskiy Raion in Khmelnytsky Oblast.png
Coat of arms of Starokostiantyniv Raion in 2004–2020
- Coat of Arms of Vitovka raion.png
Coat of arms of Vitovka Raion in 2017–2020
- Volodymyr Zelensky 2019 presidential inauguration 11 (cropped).jpg
lang}} (Template:Transliteration)
RussiaEdit
Due to historical connections with the Grand Duchy of Lithuania (and later Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth), some Russian regions adopted Lithuanian coat of arms from the Russian Empire period. After the dissolution of the USSR, such coats of arms were restored.
- Usage of {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} (Template:Transliteration) in Russia
- Coat of Arms of Sebezh.png
Coat of arms of Sebezh
- Coat of Arms of Nevel (Pskov oblast).png
Coat of arms of Nevel
- Coat of arms of Velizh 1781.svg
Coat of arms of Velizh
- Smolensk Historical Museum - 0296.jpg
The Lithuanian coat of arms on display at the Smolensk Historical museum
Noble familiesEdit
Template:Infobox coat of armsThe Lithuanian coat of arms with some modifications was adopted by several Gediminid Lithuanian, Polish and Russian noble families, namely Czartoryski,<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Sanguszko,<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Chowanski,<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Trubetskoy<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> and Golitsyn.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> In Polish heraldry, those coat of arms are called Pogoń Litewska.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
- POL COA Sanguszko.svg
Sanguszko coat of arms
- RU COA Sangushko.png
Sangushko coat of arms, 1906
- Čartaryjski, Pahonia. Чартарыйскі, Пагоня (1785).jpg
Czartoryski coat of arms, 1785
- Sapieha, Pahonia. Сапега, Пагоня (1786).jpg
Coat of arms of the House of Sapieha, 1786
- Pavał Halšanski, Pahonia. Павал Гальшанскі, Пагоня (1555) (2).jpg
Coat of arms of Paweł Holszański circa 1555
- Golitsyn, Pahonia. Галіцын, Пагоня (1872-89).jpg
Coat of arms of the House of Golitsyn, 19th century
- POL COA Pogoń Litewska.svg
Simple version
- POL COA Beyzym.svg
Beyzym, a variation
Other locationsEdit
AustriaEdit
{{#invoke:Hatnote|hatnote}}
- Vytis in Austria
- Wien Augustinerkirche Kenotaph Maria Christina 6.jpg
Coat of arms on the Cenotaph of Maria Christina in Vienna
FranceEdit
{{#invoke:Hatnote|hatnote}}
- Vytis in France
- Coat of arms of Lithuania Vytis (Waykimas) with the Double Cross of the Jagiellonian dynasty, 1601-1700.jpg
Vytis from Armorial universel, avec blasons peints, 17th century
- Bonsecours Nancy.JPG
Catholic church, Nancy, 18th century
- Fronton hôtel de ville Nancy.JPG
Pediment of the Nancy Town Hall
- Paris Conciergerie 775.jpg
Vytis on top of Palais de la Cité's Tour de l'Horloge clock, Paris, since 1585
- Lunéville, Église Saint-Jacques PM 49744.jpg
Vytis in the Saint Jacques Church in Lunéville (coat of arms of Stanisław Leszczyński)
- Musée lorrain MB chenet aux armes du roi Stanislas.jpg
Vytis in the Lorraine Museum coat of arms of Stanisław Leszczyński)
- Collège Stanislas blason 1905.jpg
Coat of arms of the Collège Stanislas de Paris with Vytis (1905 version; a similar coat of arm is still in use)
- Dragons de la Reine 06062.jpg
Guidon of the Reine Dragons Regiment with Vytis
- TakenplatteRoscheiderhof HE48 FrankreichLothringenH1a.jpg
Wedding coat of arms of Louis XV and Marie Leszczyńska in Zinswiller, first half of the 18th century
- GrabMaria Leszczynska.jpg
Grave of Marie Leszczyńska in Saint-Denis
LatviaEdit
- Vytis in Latvia
- Lithuanian-Livonian double-Denar with monogram of Steponas Batoras, coat of arms of Gotthard Kettler and Lithuanian Vytis (Waykimas), 1578.jpg
lang}}, 1578
- Coin of the Duchy of Courland and Semigallia with portrait of Ernst Johann von Biron, Vytis (Waykimas) and the Polish Eagle, 1764.jpg
lang}}, and the Polish Eagle, 1764
SwedenEdit
- Vytis in Sweden
- Sigismund III's banner (1601-1605, Army myseum, Stockholm) 01 by shakko.jpg
Banner of Sigismund III Vasa in the Swedish Army Museum, Stockholm
GermanyEdit
{{#invoke:Hatnote|hatnote}}
- Vytis in Germany
- Freiberg katedra mpazdziora.JPG
Freiberg Cathedral in Freiberg, Saxony, 18th century
- Coat of arms Moritzburg Castle.jpg
Coat of arms on the Moritzburg Castle in Moritzburg, Saxony
- UebigauHerkules.jpg
Coat of arms on the Palace Übigau with Hercules, Dresden
- Kartouwe with the Coat of arms of August II, Polish Eagle, and Lithuanian Vytis (Waikymas) in the Königstein Fortress.jpg
Coat of arms on a cannon in Königstein Fortress, Dresden
- 20050116190DR Wilsdruff Rathaus Wappen.jpg
Town hall, Wilsdruff, 18th century
- Theatinerkirche, München, Deutschland09.jpg
Coats of arms on the Theatine Church in Munich, 18th century
- Grimma, Leipziger Straße, Postmeilensäule-001.jpg
Coats of arms on the Saxon milepost in Grimma, Saxony state
- 20090501100DR Wurzen Kursächsische Posthalterei Wappen.jpg
Portal of a post office in Wurzen, Leipzig district, 1734
- Allianzwappen am Georgstor.jpg
Vytis in Bavaria
- Wappen-Fürstenzug29.jpg
Vytis on the Fürstenzug in Dresden
- Standarte Sachsen Kadetten-Korps 1747-1865.JPG
Banner of the Royal Saxon Army, 1747–1865
United StatesEdit
- Vytis in the United States
- Waterbury Lithuanian school.jpg
Saint Joseph's School, Waterbury, Connecticut
- Our Lady of Šiluva chapel in Washington mosaic.jpg
- Badge of the Convention of the Lithuanian Americans (SLA), 1914.jpg
Badge of the Convention of the Lithuanian Americans (SLA), 1914.
- Lithuanian Hall in Baltimore 16.jpg
Lithuanian Hall on Hollins Street in Hollins Market, Baltimore.
- Opening festivities of the Consulate of Lithuania in Chicago, 1924.jpg
Opening festivities of the Consulate of Lithuania in Chicago in 1924. The Coat of arms of Lithuania Vytis (Waykimas) is seen in the background.
- Opening festivities of the Consulate General of Lithuania in New York City, 1930.jpg
Opening festivities of the Consulate General of Lithuania in New York City, 1930. The Coat of arms of Lithuania Vytis (Waykimas) is hanging on a wall.
- Lithuanian Hall, South Side, Pittsburgh, entrance decoration, 2021-08-19.jpg
The former Lithuanian Hall in Pittsburgh
See alsoEdit
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ReferencesEdit
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BibliographyEdit
- The Coat of Arms of Lithuania, Seimas
- Gimtoji istorija, Nuo 7 iki 12 klasės (Lietuvos istorijos vadovėlis), CD, 2002, Template:ISBN
- Simas Sužiedėlis and Antanas Vasaitis (ed.), Encyclopedia Lithuanica, Boston: 1978, Vol. VI, pages 223–225.
- Gintaras Beresnevičius, Lietuvių religija ir mitologija, Tyto alba, Vilnius: 2004. Pages 66–69. Template:ISBN
ArticlesEdit
- Template:Cite journal
- Template:Cite journal
- Template:Cite journal
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