heraldika_AN 23.2.2007 6:55 Str. 8 Late Gothic coat-of-arms of the Kingdom of Bohemia from the bedroom of King Vladislav in Prague Castle Traditions “A person must devote the closest attention to the signals the beings and things that surround him, by their very presence, are beaming to Czech Heraldry him. This is still a continual necessi- ty, though seemingly weakened by civilization.” Luc Benoist French philosopher through the Centuries (1893-1980) For thousands of years humans have Drawing of the seal of Vítek of Prčice, Lords of Šternberk or the crenela- communicated by way of various 1220, by August Sedláček tions of the Lords of Cimburk. Escut- systems of pictorial symbols. One of cheons composed of several fields the most venerable systems of this appeared for the first time in the six- kind is European heraldry, which teenth century. The Valdštejns, for arose in the western part of Europe example, divided their emblem into in the twelfth century as part of the quarters, and into each quarter they culture of chivalry. Various geometric placed their original symbol of a lion. shapes and depictions of animals be- In the sixteenth century, with increas- gan to be painted on the broad area ing numbers of people raised by the of knights’ shields, thus identifying sovereign to noble estate, heraldic the bearers or their lords, conveying symbolism expanded to include ever- information and sending a message, more-exotic animals, or various objects whether at a tournament or in the field. meant to symbolize the original pro- Throughout Western Europe heraldry fession of those whose ambitions had became all the fashion. been achieved. Over time the fashion persisted At that time the aristocracy was and became institutionalized. Those divided into the lower nobility – the early days were the period in knights – and the higher which a hereditary nobility nobility, the lords. The lords’ cheon of the Lords of Liechtenstein, The awarding of orders of merit or was taking shape. The em- estate consisted of just a few originally composed of a simple gold the completion of a certain number blems became the symbols dozen families and remained and red divided shield, was updated of years in the military was auto- of the aristocracy; family em- a closed group rarely joined in the seventeenth century when the matically linked with being raised to blems passed down through by outsiders. In the seven- Liechtensteins held the principalities the nobility. Newly-titled families im- the generations. Only later teenth century, the Emperor of Opava (Troppau) and Krnov in mediately received complicated coats- were coats-of-arms adopted Ferdinand II took advantage Silesia and boasted family relations or-arms depicting services rendered by countries, towns, universi- of the uprising and subse- with the lords of Kuenring and of to the ruling Habsburg dynasty. For ties, religious orders, guilds quent defeat of the Czech East Frisia. Today this coat-of-arms example that of the famous painter and other institutions. estates to end the traditional is also used as the great arms of the Václav Brožík, awarded a title in 1897, practice in the Czech lands. Principality of Liechtenstein. comprised a star as the symbol of fame He replaced the ancient and a trio of shields, the centuries-old In the Kingdom of Bohe- Czech aristocratic system symbol of the painters’ guild. mia the first forerunners of with the hierarchical system The most important nobles of that aristocratic heraldry appear- as it existed in the German era included the Lobkowicz family, ed at the end of the twelfth lands. The rights of the no- the Eggenbergs and their heirs the Over the centuries the real ad- century. The seal of the feudal ruler A Wild Man fighting with a heraldic lion, from the bility were curtailed, while the pro- Schwarzenbergs, the Slavata family An example of Renaissance heraldry: vantages of belonging to the nobility Hroznata, who was later beatified, Wenceslas IV Bible (also known as the Vienna Bible, perty of many aristocrats was con- and their heirs the Černíns, the Collo- the coat-of-arms of Michal Rytršic of Rytrsfeld, 1626 gradually faded, until in 1848 they dates from 1197. His symbol (three the Royal and the German Bible), around 1390 fiscated and then sold or distributed redo-Mansfelds, the Kinskýs, the Die- were limited to the mere existence of sets of antlers) continued to be used to families not part of the old Czech trichsteins and others. Most of these The number of new noble titles grew a noble title and a coat-of-arms, both by his line, the Counts of Vrtba, until nobility. families enjoyed the title of prince; over the years, until by the nineteenth protected by law. In the new Czecho- the family died out in 1830. The This led to the appearance of Spanish, below them stood the counts, followed century a title was little more than slovak Republic after the fall of the second-oldest noble emblem appear- Irish and French elements in Czech by the free lords (barons) and knights. a decoration bestowed by the state. monarchy in 1918, the official use ed in 1220 on the seal of Vítek of heraldry. Complex compositions pro- Prčice. It consists of a shield with a liferated, as original family symbols rose – the same symbol that would were joined by those of other families be used by his descendants, the Lords linked by marriage, of estates newly of Rožmberk, one of the most im- acquired or of great deeds performed. portant Czech noble families, who died out in 1611. A few of the oldest Czech noble families traceable to the For example, the famous general twelfth century continue to this day, Albrecht of Wallenstein began to com- for example the Šternberks and the bine his family shield with those of Wallensteins (Valdštejns). his estates in Mecklenburg, Frýdlant, Gothic heraldry valued simple and Sagan, Wenden, Schwerin, Rostock striking subjects, like the star of the and Stargard. In Moravia, the escut- 8 The coat-of-arms of Karel of Liechtenstein, Duke of Opava, 1618 Coats-of-arms of medieval Czech nobles drawings by Petr Tybitancl 9 heraldika_AN 23.2.2007 6:55 Str. 10 A depiction of the legend about Ješek of Pardubice explaining the origin of the symbol of the town of Pardubice. In 1158 Ješek of Pardubice took part in the battle of Milan; on his return his horse was sliced in two by the portcullis of the city gate. For his heroism in battle, he was granted the right to include the front half of his horse in his coat-of-arms, which is now that of the town. Relief by Bohumil Vlček after a design by Mikoláš Aleš. of aristocratic titles and coats-of-arms with the coat-of- Chamber of Depu- was abolished. arms of the region’s ties) will, upon re- major town. quest, issue to a self- Coats-of-arms of the governing munici- Czech lands Coats-of-arms pality a coat-of-arms, of towns and which in most cases Around 1175, the princes of the villages is rooted in its an- Přemyslid family, who ruled the cient symbolism and Czech lands until 1306, began mint- Besides regional corresponds fully ing coins bearing the figure of a lion. coats-of-arms, there with the rules of When heraldry was invented this lion is also a living tra- heraldry. wound up on the shield and became dition of municipal the device of Bohemia. The lion is coats-of-arms, which caught on later one of the two most popular symbols than that of the nobility. Coats-of- Today in the larger towns, the in European heraldry, the other being arms were awarded to towns by the old municipal coats-of-arms are the eagle, which the Přemyslids also nobility or the monarch. In many gradually being replaced in public adopted as a family device at a later municipal coats-of-arms we find ele- use by logos. Modern logos lack his- date. Sometime during the mid-thir- ments of territorial and aristocratic torical roots and symbolic sub-texts; teenth century the Czech lion gained motifs. The most frequent heraldic for that reason, however, they are a second tail, just as the eagle in symbols are castle walls, which sym- probably better suited to the needs the coat-of-arms of the Holy Roman bolize the right of the town to fortify of today. Empire was given a second head. itself. Smaller communities did not A silver (or white) two-tailed lion enjoy the right to their own coat- Jiří J. K. Nebeský Photos: author, taken from Michal Fiala, wearing a crown on a red field be- of-arms; even so they made use of Coats-of-arms Documents in the Archives came the emblem of Bohemia; it was symbols similar to those of existing of the National Museum, Jiří Lapáček and combined with the emblems of Mo- heraldry. After 1990 the informal Břetislav Passinger, The Bečva River ravia, Silesia and Lusatia, the other practice of town and village coats- District down the Years, Václav Bednář, Bohumír Indra and Jiří Lapáček, Chroniclers lands of the Kingdom of Bohemia of-arms was given an institutional of the Town of Hranice, at the time. The symbol of Moravia framework. The Czech Parliament’s CzechTourism dates to around 1260, and consists of commission on heraldry (officially a silver- and red-chequered crowned the Sub-Committee for Heraldry and eagle on a blue field. Vexillology [the study of flags] of the It is interesting to note that the dical alteration of the rules of herald- conflict between Czech and German ry.