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Coat of arms of Lithuania

January 11, 2023

"Pahonia" redirects here. For other uses, see Pahonia (disambiguation).

The coat of arms of Lithuania consists of a mounted armoured knight holding a sword and shield, known as Vytis (pronounced ['vîːtɪs]).[1] Since the early 15th century, it has been Lithuania's official coat of arms and is one of the oldest European coats of arms.[2][3][4] It is also known by other names in various languages, such as Waikymas, Pagaunė[5][6] in the Lithuanian language or as Pogonia, Pogoń, Пагоня (romanized: Pahonia) in the Polish, and Belarusian languages.[2][7][8] Vytis is translatable as Chase, Pursuer, Knight or Horseman, similar to the Slavic vityaz (Old East Slavic for brave, valiant warrior).[9] Historically – raitas senovės karžygys (mounted epic hero of old) or in heraldry – raitas valdovas (mounted sovereign).[9][10][11]

Coat of arms of Lithuania
Lietuvos herbas
Vytis (Pogonia, Pahonia)
ArmigerGrand Duchy of Lithuania, Republic of Lithuania
AdoptedFirst documented in 1366.
Current version official since 1991.
BlazonGules, an armoured knight armed cap-à-pie mounted on a horse salient holding in his dexter hand a sword Argent above his head. A shield Azure hangs on the sinister shoulder charged with a double cross (Cross of Lorraine) Or. The horse saddles, straps, and belts 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, all Or.
Earlier version(s)see below

The once powerful and vast Lithuanian state,[12] first as Duchy, then Kingdom, and finally Grand Duchy was created by the initially pagan Lithuanians, in reaction to pressures from the Teutonic Order and Swordbrothers which conquered modern-day Estonia and Latvia, forcibly converting them to Christianity.[13][14][15] The Lithuanians are the only Balts that created a state before the modern era.[16] Moreover, the pressure stimulated Lithuanians to expand their lands eastward into territory of Ruthenian Orthodox in the Dnieper's upper basin and that of the Eurasian nomads in the Eurasian Steppe between lower Dnieper and Dniester, conquering present-day Belarusian, Ukrainian, and Russian lands in the process.[14][17][18][19][20] This expansive Lithuania was conveyed in the coat of arms of Lithuania, the galloping horseman.[17][21]

The ruling Gediminid dynasty first adopted the horseback knight as a dynastical symbol which depicted them. Later, in the early 15th century, Grand Duke Vytautas the Great made the mounted knight on a red field the coat of arms of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. Ever since, the Lithuanian rulers and nobles related to the ruling dynasty used the coat of arms.[2][8] The knight's shield was designed for decoration with the Columns of Gediminas or the Jagiellonian Double Cross.[22][23] Article 15 of the Constitution of Lithuania, approved by national referendum in 1992, stipulates, "The Coat of Arms of the State shall be a white Vytis on a red field".[24]

Blazoning

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).

Names of the coat of arms

In early heraldry, a knight on horseback is usually depicted as ready to defend himself and is not yet called Vytis.[2] It is unknown for certain what Lithuania's coat of arms was initially called.[25][26]

Lithuanian language

The origins of the Lithuanian proper noun Vytis are also unclear. At the dawn of the Lithuanian National Revival, Simonas Daukantas employed the term vytis, referring not to the Lithuanian coat of arms, but to the knight, for the first time in his historical piece Budą Senowęs Lietuwiû kalneniu ir Żemaitiû, published in 1846.[27][28] The etymology of this particular word is not universally accepted; it is either a direct translation of the Polish Pogoń, a common noun constructed from the Lithuanian verb vyti ("to chase"), or, less likely, a derivative from the East Slavic vityaz. In western South Slavic languages (Slovenian, Croatian/Serbian/Montenegrin and Macedonian) and Hungarian, vitez denotes the lowest feudal rank, a knight.[29] According to the Brockhaus and Efron Encyclopedic Dictionary, vitez is derived from the Old High German word Witing.[30]

The first presumption, raised by the linguist Pranas Skardžius in 1937, is challenged by some, as Pogoń does not mean "chasing (knight)".[31] In support of the second proposal, the Lithuanian language has words with the stem -vyt in personal names like Vytenis; furthermore, vytis has a structure common to words derived from verbs.[32] According to professor Leszek Bednarczuk, there existed a derivative word vỹtis, vỹčio in the Old Lithuanian language, which translates to English as pursuit (from persekiojimas), chase (from vijimasis).[31]

 
One of the oldest colorful Vytis (Waikymas) depiction, 14th century

For the 13th century the Old Prussian word vitingas is attested, meaning "knight" or "nobleman".[33] In today's Lithuania, it can be found in place names, personal names and action verbs.[33] So it is possible that in the Old Lithuanian language there was a similar word describing act of chasing an enemy or an armed horseman chasing an enemy.[33] Another possibility is that Grand Duke Vytenis name is derived from the Old Prussian word vitingas.[6] Therefore, Vytenis' reign (1295-1316) is also associated with the word Vytis as the Ruthenian Hypatian Codex[34] mentions that after beginning to rule the Grand Duchy of Lithuania in the 13th century, he came up with a seal with an armored horseman and a sword raised above his head (in the Codex's original Old Church Slavonic it is written that Vytenis named it Pogonia[6]).[35][36][37][38][4]

Several historical sources mention place names which names are probably derived from the Vytis word.[6] A Teutonic source, probably dating from the late 14th century[39] or early 15th century,[40] mentions a place referred to as Wythes Hof.[6][39][41] This is translatable to Vytenis' Court in German.[42] It was located close to the Lithuanian Bisenė fortress, the base for Vytenis' attack on the Teutonic Christmemel fortress in 1315.[42][43] In 1629 Konstantinas Sirvydas used a toponym Vutec Kalnsь (English: Vytis'/Vyties' Mountain) on the basis of a document from Kęsčiai [lt], Karšuva County [lt] and associated it with personal names Vygailas, Vytenis, Vytautas.[7] This version is also supported by the fact that the Grand Dukes of Lithuania themselves were depicted on early Lithuanian seals,[2] therefore it is likely that the horseman on the seal of Vytenis was named after him.[6]

 
Name Waikymas in a dictionary by Konstantinas Sirvydas, 1677 edition

In 17th century in his Polish-Latin-Lithuanian dictionary Konstantinas Sirvydas translated the Polish word Pogonia in the sense of the person doing the chasing into Lithuanian as Waykitoias, and in the sense of the act of chasing as Waykimas. Today Waykimas (Vaikymas in the modern Lithuanian orthography) is considered to be the earliest known Lithuanian language name for the coat of arms of Lithuania.[2][44][45][46] Waikymas was also used into the 19th century,[45] together with another Lithuanian name – Pagaunia.[citation needed]

In 1884, Mikalojus Akelaitis referred to the coat of arms of Lithuania per se as Vytis in the Aušra newspaper.[47][48] This name became popular and was eventually became official in the independent Republic of Lithuania. Originally called Vytimi in 1st person Sg. Dat., by the 1930s Vytis came to be called Vyčiu in 1st person Sg. Dat.[47]

 
The Third Statute of Lithuania of 1588, featuring Vytis

Slavic languages

The words pogoń and pogonia have been known in Polish since the 14th century in the sense of "pursuit"[49] or the legal obligation to chase fleeing opponent.[50] It was not until the 16th century that the use of the word appeared to describe an armed horseman.[51][52]

The word came into heraldic use in 1434, when King Władysław II granted a coat of arms with this name (Pogonya) to Mikołaj, the mayor of Lelów. The coat of arms depicted a hand wielding a sword emerging from a cloud. The resemblance to the Lithuanian coat of arms of the king is obvious, so it is possible that it was an abatement of the ruler's coat of arms.[49] The word pogonia to describe the Lithuanian coat of arms in the Polish language for the first time appears in Marcin Bielski's chronicle, published in 1551. However, Bielski makes a mistake, and speaking about the Lithuanian coat of arms he describes Polish noble coat of arms: "From this custom Lithuanian principality uses Pogonia as its coat of arms, that is an armed hand passes a bare sword".[53][54] The term gradually became established with the spread of the Polish language and culture.[2][8][28][52] Pogonia is also found in Prince Roman Sanguszko's documents from 1558 and 1564.[52]

The emblem was described a century earlier, in a document of Supreme Duke Władysław III Jagiellon from 1442 in which he confirmed the rights of the Czartoryski, descendents of Karijotas, to use the armed horseman (Latin: sigillo eorum ducali frui, quo ex avo et patre ipsorum uti consueverunt, scilicet equo, cui subsidet vir armatus, gladium evaginatum in manu tenens; English: to enjoy their duke's seal, which they were accustomed to use from their grandfather and father, namely, a horse on which sits an armed man, holding a drawn sword in his hand[55]), as well as in Jan Długosz's Annales seu cronicae incliti Regni Poloniae [pl] or the early 16th-century Bychowiec Chronicle.[52][56] Another popular Polish term was pogończyk.[47] The symbol's meaning and appearance also changed: the old defender of the land became more and more like a rider chasing an enemy.[2] The name Pogonia was first recorded legally in the Third Statute of Lithuania of 1588.[57][58] The Lithuanian Statutes were used not only in Lithuania, but also in White Ruthenia and Little Russia following the Partitions in 1795, into the 19th-century.[59]

Possible early beginnings

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.[36][60][61] It is believed that the Vytis 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.[36][60][62] 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.[63]

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.[64] Gintaras Beresnevičius also points out that a white horse had a sacral meaning to Balts.[65] 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)

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.[66] They were mostly used until the Union of Horodło (1413) when 47 Lithuanian families were granted various Polish coat of arms,[67] yet some Samogitian nobles retained old Lithuanian heraldry up to mid-16th century.[68]

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).[21][69] 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".[4][70]

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.[71]

Symbols of Mindaugas

 
Pagan Lithuanian 13th–14th century ring with a solar symbol, found in Kernavė, the ancient capital of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania

We do not know the symbols used by the first rulers of Lithuania. One of the few relics that have survived to our times is the seal of Mindaugas. In 1236 Mindaugas united several Lithuanian tribes and accepted Roman Catholicism in 1251. In 1253 he was crowned by the papal legate as King of Lithuania and his realm was elevated to the rank of a kingdom.[72][16] 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.[73][74] According to the 1393 description, when the legend was still intact, the seal of Mindaugas had an inscription: + MYNDOUWE DEI GRA REX LITOWIE (English: Mindaugas, by the grace of God, King of Lithuania).[73]

In 1263, following the assassination of King Mindaugas and his family members by Daumantas and Treniota, Lithuania suffered internal disorder as three of his successors: Treniota, his son-in-law Švarnas, and his son Vaišvilkas were assassinated during the next seven years. Stability returned with Traidenis' reign, designated Grand Duke c. 1270.[75] At a similar time, the ancient Lithuanian capital Kernavė was first mentioned in 1279 in the Livonian Rhymed Chronicle by noting that the Livonian Order's army devastated an area in King Traidenis' lands, which was their main objective (part of early military clashes prior to the Lithuanian Crusade).[76] The coat of arms, seals or symbols of Traidenis are unknown.[77] However, archaeological findings in the 13th and 14th century necropolis in Kernavė offer an astounding variety of symbols and ornaments, of which plants, herbs, palmettes motifs, and suns (swastikas) are one of the most distinct symbols, depicted on the discovered headbands and rings, dating to the pagan period before the Christianization of Lithuania.[77]

Symbols of Gediminas

Grand Duke Gediminas's authentic symbols did not survive to this day. In 1323 Gediminas have sent seven letters to various recipients in western Europe. Their contents are known only from later copies, some of which contain a description of the Gediminas' seal.[78] 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,[79] his transcripts contain also a detailed description of the oval waxy seal which was attached to the letter.[80][78] 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 Latin inscription: S DEI GRACIA GEDEMINNI LETHWINOR ET RUTKENOR REG (English: Gediminas', by the grace of God, the King of the Lithuanians and the Rus' people, seal).[78][80][81] The cross' usage in a pagan ruler's seal is explained as a diplomatic action because Gediminas did not accept baptism in his life and kept Lithuania pagan, despite several negotiations.[78][82][83] In addition, Gediminas strictly distinguished Lithuania and Lithuanians from the region of Rus' (Ruthenia) and Rus' people (Ruthenians) in legal documents (e.g. in a 1338 Peace and Trade Agreement, concluded in Vilnius, between the Grand Duke Gediminas and his sons and the Master of the Livonian Order Everhard von Monheim).[84]

In 1337, a Lithuanian banner is mentioned for the first time in Wigand of Marburg's chronicles, who wrote that during the battle at Bayernburg Castle (near Veliuona, Lithuania) Tilman Zumpach, head of the Teutonic riflemen, burned the Lithuanian banner with a flaming lance and then mortally wounded the King of Trakai, however, he didn't describe its appearance.[85]

Pečat coins

 
Early Lithuanian coin with a joint symbol of a spearhead and a cross that was minted by Jogaila, Vytautas, and possibly Algirdas or Skirgaila

The most mysterious heraldic symbol of Lithuania is a spearhead with a cross, found on the early Lithuanian coins (also known as PEČAT' or ПЕЧАТЬ coins) minted by Jogaila, Vytautas the Great, and possibly Algirdas or Skirgaila.[86][87][88] The mystery concerns the fact that it was used simultaneously by both Jogaila and Vytautas, who fought against each other in the Lithuanian Civil War (1381–1384), therefore it is impossible that Jogaila used his rival's symbol, however it is also not a dynastic symbol like the Columns of Gediminas.[86][88] A particularly important argument for determining the time of minting the Pečat-type coins is the Borshchiv treasure where a Pečat-type coin was found along with the Novgorod Republic's hryvnia, Grand Prince of Kyiv Vladimir Olgerdovich's coins, and Golden Horde's Khans' dirhams (the latest coins of them are of Khan Tokhtamysh, minted in the early 1380s).[86][88] Vladimir Olgerdovich, son and vassal knyaz of Algirdas, minted coins at the Principality of Kyiv since the 1360s, therefore it is highly unlikely that his father Algirdas did not mint his own coins at the late period of his reign.[87][89]

Hence, Pečat-type coins are attributed to Grand Duke Algirdas' reign as well and the use of a cross on a pagan ruler's coins is yet another diplomatic action of the Gediminids (like in his father's Gediminas' seal) because while being a talented diplomat, Algirdas was not baptized in his life and remained pagan as he tortured and executed Anthony, John, and Eustathius (Russian Orthodox Muscovite missionaries) in Vilnius in 1347 for their religion, despite his marriages with Orthodox Princesses Maria of Vitebsk in 1318 and Uliana of Tver in 1349.[78][90][91][92] Regardless, the spearhead with a cross on the anonymous coins could have been created to showcase Algirdas' marriages with Orthodox princesses, especially Uliana of Tver, who was known for her political involvement (e.g. following Algirdas' death in 1377, she advised their son Jogaila to sign the Treaty of Dovydiškės in 1380, which resulted in the murdering of Algirdas's brother Grand Duke Kęstutis,[93] who for his unquestionable support was previously Lithuania's coruler with Algirdas and also a staunch pagan,[94][95] in 1382).[89][88] Moreover, Algirdas unified all modern-day Belarusian and most of the Ukrainian lands under the Lithuanian state and he earned Ukrainian loyalty for respecting Ukrainian culture and their Church.[96] The alleged Seal of Algirdas with arrows and name Olger was proven to be forged by Marian Gumowski [pl], who modified the 1388 Seal of David of Gorodets (David Dmitrovich), husband of Jogaila's sister Maria, which was published by Franciszek Piekosiński [pl], notwithstanding Algirdas in fact had a similar ducal seal, but the original was not visually preserved.[86][88][97] After becoming the ruler of Lithuania, Algirdas was titled the King of Lithuania (Latin: rex Letwinorum) in the Livonian Chronicles instead of the Ruthenian terms knyaz (English: prince, duke) or velikiy knyaz (grand prince).[98][99]

Symbols on coins of Vytautas and Jogaila

 
Principality of Smolensk coin with lions or leopards and the Columns of Gediminas, showing it as a vassal of Vytautas the Great, circa 1399–1401

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).[100][101] 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.[100][102][101] Such coins symbolized the Ruthenian vassalship.[102] 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.[100][103] 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.[100] 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.[104] 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: Nos Jagalo virtute Dei dux magnus Litwanorum Rusieque dominus et heres naturalis (English: With God's will of the Grand Duke of Lithuania and the natural lord and heir of Rus).[104] Historian Eugenijus Ivanauskas [lt] 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.[105][106][107]

 
Lithuanian Denar of Jogaila with a lion, minted in 1386–1387, discovered in Kernavė, the ancient capital of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania

Notably, 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.[108] 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.[109] 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).[110][111]

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.[88] 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.[112] 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 in a shield on the other side.[88]

Following the Christianization of Lithuania, in ~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.[109] 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).[109] 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.[109] 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.[109] Lithuania was the last state in Europe to be Christianized.[113]

Knight on horseback

 
Authentic Seal of Duke Kęstutis with Latin words
 
Lithuanian Denar of Jogaila with horseman, minted in the 14th century
 
Jogaila's seal from 1377 to 1380 with an inscription: iagal dey gracia rex in lettov

The coat of arms of Lithuania originate from rulers depictions on seals.[2][47] Originally the riding horseman symbolized the ruler of the Duchy of Lithuania (Duchy of Vilnius), which was the most important land of the state.[114] 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,[47][64] and we know its appearance only thanks to historian Tadeusz Czacki who claimed to have seen the seal.[4][35] The oldest preserved such seal is Jogaila's seal that he was using in years 1377–1380, when he became Grand Duke of Lithuania.[115] 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.[116][47] Jogaila and other Algirdas sons: Skirgaila, Lengvenis, Kaributas, Vygantas, and Švitrigaila all were using seals with a horseman-type images.[8][47] The horseman was chosen due to at the time flourishing culture of knighthood in Europe.[64] 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.[117] 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.[118]

 
Seal of Duke Vygantas

The establishment of the sword in the heraldry of the Lithuanian rulers is related to the ideological changes of the ruling Gediminids dynasty.[117] The lance was more often exhibited on the seals of Skirgaila and Kaributas.[2] 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.[119] 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.[120] 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.[121] The symbolism of the Double Cross was connected with this event's significance for both Jogaila and the entire land.[23] 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.[23]

Columns of Gediminas

 
Columns of Gediminas, one of the coats of arms of Lithuania, painted in 1416

The Columns of Gediminas are one of the earliest surviving national symbols of Lithuania and its historical coats of arms.[122] Historian Edmundas Rimša, who analyzed the ancient coins, suggested that the Columns of Gediminas symbolize the Trakai Peninsula Castle Gates.[123] 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.[122] 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.[22][122][124] After Vytautas' death, the symbol was taken over by his brother Grand Duke Sigismund Kęstutaitis.[22] 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.[22] 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.[122] 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.[22] 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.[22] It is believed that the Columns of the Gediminids were derived from signs used to mark property.[22]

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.[22] 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.[22][125][126] Combined with the knight on horseback, the Columns of Gediminas were also embedded on the Lithuanian cannon barrels in the 16th and 17th centuries.[22] The symbol also decorated horse bridles and landmarks of the dominions of the Grand Dukes of Lithuania.[22] 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.[122] In later years, the Columns of Gediminas were called simply as the Columns (it is known from the early 16th century sources).[122]

Official coat of arms of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania

15th century

  • Coat of arms of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania at the time of Vytautas the Great
  •  

    Seal of Vytautas the Great with the Lithuanian coat of arms, featuring horseman, in his left hand, circa 14th–15th centuries

  •  

    Seal of Vytautas the Great with Vytis (Waikymas), which features the Columns of Gediminas on the shield, 1404

  •  

    One of the earliest surviving depictions of Vytis (Waikymas) in a flag of Vytautas the Great. Painted in 1416 by a Portuguese herald, who attended the Council of Constance.[127]

  •  

    Coat of arms of Vytautas the Great, which features the standing knight of Kęstutaičiai and Vytis (Waikymas), used during the Council of Constance. Painted by Ulrich of Richenthal, 15th century.

  •  

    Seal of Sigismund Kęstutaitis with Vytis in his left hand, 15th century.

  •  

    Duke Sigismund Korybut and his troops flying the Lithuanian coat of arms in Prague, 15th century

 
Vytautas the Great regiments flying a flag with the Columns of Gediminas during the Battle of Grunwald in 1410

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.[2] 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.[2][64] Furthermore, Vytautas the Great minted coins with the horseman on one side and the Columns of Gediminas on the other side.[100]

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.[85][125][126] According to Długosz, those flags were named after lands or dukes: Vilnius, Kaunas, Trakai, Medininkai, Sigismund Korybut, Lengvenis, and other.[85] 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.[85] 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.[85]

 
The Royal Seal of Supreme Duke Władysław III Jagiellon, which includes a winged Lithuanian Coat of Arms, 1438

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,[128] 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 (Supremus Dux) 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.[129][130][67] The Royal Seal of Władysław III Jagiellon includes a Lithuanian Vytis (Pogonia) with wings laid out above the coat of arms of Hungary and alongside the Polish Eagle.[131]

 
Authentic 15th century Double Cross of the Jagiellonian dynasty when it became an integral part of the Lithuanian coat of arms

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.[3] In some he holds a spear while others depict a sword; the horse can either be standing in place or galloping.[3] 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 Gončia (English: The Chaser).[23] 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).[3] 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.[3] Moreover, Alexander's coins also depict an eagle as the symbol of the Grand Dukes of Lithuania's dynastic claim to the Polish throne.[3] 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.[3] The knight was also for the first time depicted with a shield with the Double-Cross of the Jagiellonian dynasty.[3] In heraldry, such an image of the horseman is only associated with the Lithuanian state.[3] 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.[132]

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[133]); horse bridles, leather belts and a short girdle – colored in blue.[2][47][134] 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.[2][47]

  • Lithuanian Coat of arms during the rest of the 15th century
  •  

    Vytis with Columns of Gediminas from the 15th-century Codex Bergshammar. Attributed to Grand Duke Žygimantas Kęstutaitis.

  •  

    Royal Seal of Jogaila which features Vytis (Waikymas)

  •  

    Flag of Jogaila with the Polish Eagle and Vytis (Waikymas), used during the Council of Constance in 1416

  •  

    Lithuanian coat of arms, dating to 1475, which, judging from its archaic look, was likely redrawn from an even earlier painting[127]

  •  

    Lithuanian Denar of Grand Duke Casimir IV Jagiellon with horseman and the Columns of Gediminas, 15th century

  •  

    Columns of Gediminas from the 15th-century Codex Bergshammar

  •  

    Half-Groschen of Grand Duke Alexander Jagiellon with Vytis (Waikymas) from the late 15th century or early 16th century

16th century

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.[85] 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.[85] 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".[85] Later only the knight is mentioned embroidered on both sides of the state flag.[85]

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.[47] Its four quarterly fields portrayed, in diagonal, the eagle and the riding knight as the symbols of the two constituent states.[47] 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.[2] 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 Vytis (Waikymas) after losing the connection with the dynasty.[23]

  • 16th-century depictions of the Lithuanian Coat of arms
  •  

    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

  •  

    The first page of the Latin copy of Laurentius (1531) of the First Statute of Lithuania. Vytis (Waikymas) is drawn on a damasked shield.

  •  

    Authentic coat of arms of Lithuania with historical colors (gules, argent, or, and azure), circa 1555

  •  

    A 1568 Lithuanian coin of Grand Duke Sigismund II Augustus with horseman and the Columns of Gediminas

  •  

    Tapestry with the coat of arms of Grand Duke Sigismund II Augustus

  •  

    Thaler of Grand Duke Stephen Báthory with Vytis (Waikymas) and the Polish Eagle, 1579

  •  

    Coat of arms of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth with Vytis (Waikymas), decorated with the Columns of Gediminas, used during the reign of Grand Duke Stephen Báthory

17th century to 1795

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.[85] 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.[85] SAR monogram was also inscribed on the flagpole finial.[85] 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.[2]

1795–1918

 
The Lithuanian coat of arms on an uhlan's hat of the Grande Armée 17th Lithuanian Uhlan Regiment

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.[2] 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 Vytis (Waikymas), which was widely used in their organized events.[135]

19th-century anti-Russian uprisings

Uprisings to restore the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth like the 1830–31 November Uprising and 1863–64 January Uprising saw Vytis (Waikymas) being used as a symbol of rebellion against the Russian Empire.[136][137][138] The Lithuanian Vytis was widely used alongside the Polish White Eagle throughout the uprisings on flags, banners, coins, banknotes, seals, medals, etc.[139] 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 of Poland to manage the Warsaw Mint.[140]

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.[141] 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.[142] 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.[143]

In the Russian Empire (1795–1915)

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.[144] Vytis was the coat of arms of the Vilna Governorate following the incorporation of Vilnius and surrounding lands into the Russian Empire.[145][146][147] 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.[148] 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.[148] 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.[144] 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.[144][149]

  • Use of the Lithuanian coat of arms by the Russian Empire
  •  

    The White Columns of Vilnius (1818–1840) with Vytis (Pogonia), which were later replaced with the double-headed eagles

  •  

    Seal of the Duma of the City of Vilnius, 19th century

  •  

    Seals of the Vilnius University, mid-19th century

However, in 1845 Tsar Nicholas I confirmed a coat of arms for the Vilna Governorate that closely resembled the historical one.[2] A notable change was the replacement of the Double-Cross of the Jagiellonians with the Patriarchal cross on the knight's shield.[2][150]

 
Prelude of Vytis by Mikalojus Konstantinas Čiurlionis, 1909

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.[151] 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.[85][152]

 
Flags of Lithuania with Vytis, designed in the late 1910s. Lithuanian musical instrument kanklės is depicted in between the flags.

1915–1918

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.[152] 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.[152] 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.[152]

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).[152] 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.[152] Jonas Basanavičius suggested continuing this tradition and choosing this option as the flag of the reborn Lithuanian state.[152] 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.[152]

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 Vytis (Waikymas).[152] 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.[152] 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.[152] Artist and archeologist Tadas Daugirdas', who was invited as a consultant, combinations of the national flag colors varied from those proposed by Antanas Žmuidzinavičius.[152] 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.[152] 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.[152]

 
Vilnius Conference in 1917 with flags of Vytis

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.[152] However, the flag proposed by Antanas Žmuidzinavičius seemed gloomy to the Vilnius Conference participants.[152] 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.[152] 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).[152] 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).[152] 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.[152]

 
Vytis, designed in 1918 by Tadas Daugirdas

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.[47][153] 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.[152] On 25 April 1918, the Council of Lithuania unanimously approved this flag project as the Flag of the State of Lithuania.[152] 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.[152]

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).[152][153]

Republic of Lithuania in the interwar period

"What is the ideal of our nation? It is inscribed on the symbol of our state, inherited from the ancient times. Other nations have lions, Ares, or other symbols of power in their flags. It is beautiful, it is majestic! We have Vytis, an armored horseman on a horse with a sword in his hand, rushing with gallops. It is beautiful, it is noble! He, as published in the ancient writings, was chanted by the Vaidilas [ a clergymen in the Baltic religion ], sung by the singers. That symbol is the pride of our nation: a symbol of chivalrous justice. Let us never forget him, either in our relations with our minorities or with other states. Until we are faithful to him, no one will defeat us. The knight is righteous, but he is equipped with armors and has a sword in his hand. When necessary, he pulls out the sword and stands up for justice against those who despise it. To depict justice in this way is to feel and act not only statesmanlike, but also nationally."

— Antanas Smetona, the first and last President of interbellum Lithuania (1919–1920, 1926–1940) about the coat of arms of Lithuania.[154][155]

 
Presidential Seal of the Republic of Lithuania with Vytis, used in 1919–1940

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.[2] 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.[2] 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.[47] Mstislav Dobuzhinsky was the chief artist.[47] The commission worked for 5 years, but its version was never officially confirmed.[47] Meanwhile, a design by Juozas Zikaras was introduced for official use on Lithuanian coins.[2]

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.[22][23] These symbols, as a distinctive sign, were adopted by the Lithuanian Land Forces, Lithuanian Air Force, and other public authorities.[22][23] It was used to decorate Lithuanian coins, banknotes orders, medals, and insignias and became an attribute of numerous public societies and organizations.[22][23] 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.[22] 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.[156]

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).[23][157] 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.[23] 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).[158]

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.[22] 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.[22][159] In 1988, Lithuania's Soviet authorities legalized the public display of Vytis (Waikymas).[160]

Republic of Lithuania in the post-Cold War era

 
The Lithuanian coat of arms at the entrance of Seimas Palace

On March 11, 1990, Lithuania declared its independence and restored all of its pre-war national symbols, including its historic coat of arms Vytis.[47] 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.[47] The design was based on Juozas Zikaras' version.[47] This was to demonstrate that Lithuania was resuming the traditions of the state that existed between 1918–1940. On September 4, 1991, a new design by Arvydas Každailis was approved based on the recommendations of a special Lithuanian Heraldry Commission.[47] 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.[2][47] The revival of historical colors and the historical coat of arms Vytis 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.[2] 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.[24] Despite the newly adopted Každailis' variant of Vytis, the Lithuanian litas coins featured Zikaras' design until they were replaced by the euro in 2015.[161][162]

On 10 April 1990, 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.[163] 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.[163]

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.[85][164] It is depicted on a rectangular red fabric, recalling the old battle flags of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania.[85] 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).[85]

It is currently proposed that a larger version of the coat of arms be adopted. It would feature a line from "Tautiška giesmė", the national anthem of Lithuania, "Vienybė težydi" ("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 shield and supporters only.

Lithuania joined the Eurozone by adopting the euro on 1 January 2015.[165] 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.[162] The design was announced on 11 November 2004 following a public opinion poll conducted by the Bank of Lithuania.[166] The horse is again leaping forward, as in more traditional versions.[162]

Gintautas Genys released a three-tomes historical adventure novel book Pagaunės medžioklė (English: The Hunt for Pagaunė), 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),[167] 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,[168] 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.[169]

Similar coats of arms

Lithuania

See also: National symbols of Lithuania

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.[170] 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.[171]

Poland

Main article: Coat of arms of Poland
See also: National symbols of Poland and Polish heraldry

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.[139]

Belarus

Main article: National emblem of Belarus
See also: National symbols of Belarus and Belarusian heraldry
 
The official white–red–white Flag of Belarus, used in 1918, 1990–1995, adopting colours from the Lithuanian coat of arms[172]

Based on the data of archaeology, ethnography, anthropology, and linguistics, professor Leszek Bednarczuk makes an assumption that the Belarusian ethnos and language were formed due to the dependence on the Grand Duchy of Lithuania,[173][7] and during this epoch of Lithuanian domination, the Belarusian language and nationality began to take shape.[20] Despite the fact that the Belarusians share a distinct ethnic identity and language, they never previously had a political sovereignty prior to 1991, except during a brief period in 1918.[174] Belarusian nationalists claimed that the Grand Duchy of Lithuania was a Belarusian state, which is why they adopted its symbol.[175][176]

Unique Belarusian national symbols only appeared in the 20th century, as Belarusians created their first state entity in 1918 and adopted a plain white flag, which referred to their name as White Ruthenians.[172] Subsequently, this flag was modified by adding a red horizontal stripe to it, and these colours of a white–red–white flag were derived from the Lithuanian coat of arms, which was used in Belarus during Lithuanian rule.[172]

Belarusian People's Republic

On 25 March 1918 declaration of the formation of a Belarusian People's Republic was issued.[177] Although, less than a year later, the Soviets claimed the same territory for a Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic.[177] In 1921, the Peace of Riga was signed, which officially divided the Belarusian lands between Poland (Western Belorussia) and the Soviet Union (Eastern Belorussia).[177] The Polish government engaged in a Polonization policy in Western Belorussia, therefore a sporadic partisan warfare against Polish authorities occurred until the mid-1920s, which was also supported by Lithuania,[177] because it fought the Polish–Lithuanian War (part of the Lithuanian Wars of Independence).[178]

In the Lithuanian Army
 
Grodno Military Command, which was loyal to Lithuania, decorated with three flags of Lithuania, Belarus, and with Vytis (Pahonia), January 1919

A Belarusian unit named 1st Belarusian Regiment, commanded by Alaksandar Ružancoŭ (Lithuanian: Aleksandras Ružancovas), was formed mainly from Grodno's inhabitants in 1919 within the Lithuanian Armed Forces, which also participated in supporting the Independence of Lithuania during the Lithuanian Wars of Independence, therefore many members of this unit were awarded with the highest state award of Lithuania – Order of the Cross of Vytis.[179][180] Moreover, a Lithuanian Ministry for Belarusian Affairs was established within the Government of Lithuania, which functioned in 1918–1924, and was led by the ethnic Belarusian ministers such as Jazep Varonka, Dominik Semashko.[179] The ethnic Belarusians were also included into the Council of Lithuania,[181] and the Belarusian political leaders initially requested for a political autonomy of the Belarusian lands with the Belarusian language as the official language in them within the restored Lithuania before losing all control over the Belarusian territories to the Poles and Soviets.[182] According to the Lithuanian President Antanas Smetona, following a successful recapture of the Lithuanian capital Vilnius, which was previously annexed by Poland, the Lithuanians planned to expand further into the Belarusian territories (the former lands of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania) and considered granting an autonomy to the Belarusian territories, as requested by the Belarusian side, therefore had kept the Lithuanian Ministry for Belarusian Affairs in force, moreover, in 1924 Smetona noted that there were a lot of pro-Lithuanian sympathies among the Belarusians.[183][184]

The 1st Belarusian Regiment was disbanded by the Poles following Grodno's occupation by the Polish Armed Forces, while the unit's soldiers were disarmed, looted, and publicly humiliated by the Polish soldiers, who even ripped off the Belarusian officers' insignias from their uniforms and trampled these symbols with their feet in public, because this unit refused to carry out the Polish orders and remained loyal to Lithuania.[185] The Lithuanian yellow–green–red, Belarusian white–red–white flags, and signs with the Lithuanian coat of arms were torn off, with the Polish gendarmes dragging them on the dusty streets for ridicule; instead of them, Polish signs and flags were raised in their place everywhere in the city.[185][186] The Belarusian regiment's soldiers and Catholic officers were offered to join the Polish Army, with those refusing being arrested and put into the concentration camps or deported from their native land by the Poles.[185][187] A part of the Belarusian regiment's soldiers and officers escaped to Kaunas to continue serving Lithuania.[185]

 
Officers and soldiers from the Belarusian Battalion of the Lithuanian Armed Forces in Kaunas, 1921

After the collapse of USSR

The white–red–white flag and Pahonia were yet again adopted upon proclaiming of Belarus' independence in 1991.[188] Soon after the 1994 Belarusian presidential election, in a 1995 referendum, the Belarusians voted for the introduction of a modified version of the Soviet flag and emblem, the introduction of Russian as the second official language, and the government's course on close economic integration with Russia (see: Union State).[189][190] It was told the referendum was held because many Belarusians had expressed their dissatisfaction with the newly adopted symbolism of Belarus.[191] During the referendum 75.1% of Belarusians agreed to change the state symbols and according to Mikhail Pastukhov, the former judge of the Constitutional Court of Belarus, there are no grounds to treat the referendum as invalid as there were no serious violations in the course of the vote, however he also noted that the results of the referendum on giving the Russian language the equal status with the Belarusian language are invalid from the legal point of view and should be abolished.[192] According to Galina Miazhevich, such decision was made as the Belarusians were “one of the most wholehearted bearers of Soviet identity”,[193] because before communism Belarus was one of the poorest countries in Europe with the lack of statehood and delayed national movement.[189][190] Following the referendum, President Alexander Lukashenko cheerfully announced that "we have returned to you the flag of the country for which you fought. We have returned to you both memory and sense of human pride".[194] However, he still signed decrees to incorporate similar symbol 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.[195] The white–red–white flag is banned by the Belarusian authorities.[196] During the Russo-Ukrainian War Belarusian volunteers fighting alongside Ukraine also use the Pahonia symbol.[197] The International Legion of Territorial Defense of Ukraine includes the Pahonia Regiment.[198]

The Belarusian Pahonia is very similar to Lithuanian Vytis but differs slightly. In particular, the patriarchal cross with arms of uneven length is displayed on the shield, the saddle blanket is of the Renaissance style, the horse's tail points down instead of up, and Azure is absent from it altogether.[199]

Ukraine

Main article: Coat of arms of Ukraine
See also: National symbols of Ukraine

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.

Noble families

Pogoń Litewska
Alternative name(s)Pogoń Litewska Książęca
Families
57 names

Aczkiewicz, Algiminowicz, Algminowicz, Alkimowicz, Biciutek, Byciutek, Boremlski, Boremski, Chowanski, Czartoryski, Dowmont, Dulski, Hurko, Gediminids, Izasławski, Izopolski, Klajowski, Kobryński, Konierewicz, Kopylski, Korecki, Korjatowicz, Koryatowicz, Koszerski, Koszyrski, Kowelski, Kurakin, Krzywicki, Krzywiecki, Krzywięcki, Lingwieniewicz, Litwinowicz, Łukomlski, Mackiewicz, Morski, Możarowski - Możajski, Mścisławski, Niedzielski, Nowosielski, Olelkowicz, Olgierd, Plusko, Pluszkow, Pokłoński, Postawka, Radzikiewicz, Rybicki, Sakalauskas, Sanguszko, Słucki, Sudwoj, Świderski, Trubecki, Wandza, Worotyniec, Zasławski

CitiesPuławy
DivisionsPuławy County

The Lithuanian coat of arms with some modifications was adopted by several Gediminid Lithuanian, Polish and Russian noble families, namely Czartoryski,[201] Sanguszko,[202] Chowanski,[203] Trubetskoy[204] and Golitsyn.[205] In Polish heraldry, those coat of arms are called Pogoń Litewska.[206]

Other locations

Austria

France

Latvia

Germany

See also

 
Wikimedia Commons has media related to National coats of arms of Lithuania.

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January 11, 2023
coat, arms, lithuania, pahonia, redirects, here, other, uses, pahonia, disambiguation, coat, arms, lithuania, consists, mounted, armoured, knight, holding, sword, shield, known, vytis, pronounced, vîːtɪs, since, early, 15th, century, been, lithuania, official,. Pahonia redirects here For other uses see Pahonia disambiguation The coat of arms of Lithuania consists of a mounted armoured knight holding a sword and shield known as Vytis pronounced viːtɪs 1 Since the early 15th century it has been Lithuania s official coat of arms and is one of the oldest European coats of arms 2 3 4 It is also known by other names in various languages such as Waikymas Pagaune 5 6 in the Lithuanian language or as Pogonia Pogon Pagonya romanized Pahonia in the Polish and Belarusian languages 2 7 8 Vytis is translatable as Chase Pursuer Knight or Horseman similar to the Slavic vityaz Old East Slavic for brave valiant warrior 9 Historically raitas senoves karzygys mounted epic hero of old or in heraldry raitas valdovas mounted sovereign 9 10 11 Coat of arms of Lithuania Lietuvos herbas Vytis Pogonia Pahonia ArmigerGrand Duchy of Lithuania Republic of LithuaniaAdoptedFirst documented in 1366 Current version official since 1991 BlazonGules an armoured knight armed cap a pie mounted on a horse salient holding in his dexter hand a sword Argent above his head A shield Azure hangs on the sinister shoulder charged with a double cross Cross of Lorraine Or The horse saddles straps and belts 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 all Or Earlier version s see belowThe once powerful and vast Lithuanian state 12 first as Duchy then Kingdom and finally Grand Duchy was created by the initially pagan Lithuanians in reaction to pressures from the Teutonic Order and Swordbrothers which conquered modern day Estonia and Latvia forcibly converting them to Christianity 13 14 15 The Lithuanians are the only Balts that created a state before the modern era 16 Moreover the pressure stimulated Lithuanians to expand their lands eastward into territory of Ruthenian Orthodox in the Dnieper s upper basin and that of the Eurasian nomads in the Eurasian Steppe between lower Dnieper and Dniester conquering present day Belarusian Ukrainian and Russian lands in the process 14 17 18 19 20 This expansive Lithuania was conveyed in the coat of arms of Lithuania the galloping horseman 17 21 The ruling Gediminid dynasty first adopted the horseback knight as a dynastical symbol which depicted them Later in the early 15th century Grand Duke Vytautas the Great made the mounted knight on a red field the coat of arms of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania Ever since the Lithuanian rulers and nobles related to the ruling dynasty used the coat of arms 2 8 The knight s shield was designed for decoration with the Columns of Gediminas or the Jagiellonian Double Cross 22 23 Article 15 of the Constitution of Lithuania approved by national referendum in 1992 stipulates The Coat of Arms of the State shall be a white Vytis on a red field 24 Contents 1 Blazoning 2 Names of the coat of arms 2 1 Lithuanian language 2 2 Slavic languages 3 Possible early beginnings 4 Emblems of Lithuania s rulers before 1400 4 1 Symbols of Mindaugas 4 2 Symbols of Gediminas 4 3 Pecat coins 4 4 Symbols on coins of Vytautas and Jogaila 4 5 Knight on horseback 4 6 Columns of Gediminas 5 Official coat of arms of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania 5 1 15th century 5 2 16th century 5 3 17th century to 1795 6 1795 1918 6 1 19th century anti Russian uprisings 6 2 In the Russian Empire 1795 1915 6 3 1915 1918 7 Republic of Lithuania in the interwar period 8 Republic of Lithuania in the post Cold War era 9 Similar coats of arms 9 1 Lithuania 9 2 Poland 9 3 Belarus 9 3 1 Belarusian People s Republic 9 3 1 1 In the Lithuanian Army 9 3 2 After the collapse of USSR 9 4 Ukraine 9 5 Noble families 9 6 Other locations 9 6 1 Austria 9 6 2 France 9 6 3 Latvia 9 6 4 Germany 10 See also 11 References 12 Sources 12 1 Articles 12 2 BooksBlazoningThe 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 Variants employed by institutions President Seimas Ministry of Agriculture Ministry of the Interior Police Ministry of National DefenceNames of the coat of armsIn early heraldry a knight on horseback is usually depicted as ready to defend himself and is not yet called Vytis 2 It is unknown for certain what Lithuania s coat of arms was initially called 25 26 Lithuanian language The origins of the Lithuanian proper noun Vytis are also unclear At the dawn of the Lithuanian National Revival Simonas Daukantas employed the term vytis referring not to the Lithuanian coat of arms but to the knight for the first time in his historical piece Buda Senowes Lietuwiu kalneniu ir Zemaitiu published in 1846 27 28 The etymology of this particular word is not universally accepted it is either a direct translation of the Polish Pogon a common noun constructed from the Lithuanian verb vyti to chase or less likely a derivative from the East Slavic vityaz In western South Slavic languages Slovenian Croatian Serbian Montenegrin and Macedonian and Hungarian vitez denotes the lowest feudal rank a knight 29 According to the Brockhaus and Efron Encyclopedic Dictionary vitez is derived from the Old High German word Witing 30 The first presumption raised by the linguist Pranas Skardzius in 1937 is challenged by some as Pogon does not mean chasing knight 31 In support of the second proposal the Lithuanian language has words with the stem vyt in personal names like Vytenis furthermore vytis has a structure common to words derived from verbs 32 According to professor Leszek Bednarczuk there existed a derivative word vỹtis vỹcio in the Old Lithuanian language which translates to English as pursuit from persekiojimas chase from vijimasis 31 One of the oldest colorful Vytis Waikymas depiction 14th century For the 13th century the Old Prussian word vitingas is attested meaning knight or nobleman 33 In today s Lithuania it can be found in place names personal names and action verbs 33 So it is possible that in the Old Lithuanian language there was a similar word describing act of chasing an enemy or an armed horseman chasing an enemy 33 Another possibility is that Grand Duke Vytenis name is derived from the Old Prussian word vitingas 6 Therefore Vytenis reign 1295 1316 is also associated with the word Vytis as the Ruthenian Hypatian Codex 34 mentions that after beginning to rule the Grand Duchy of Lithuania in the 13th century he came up with a seal with an armored horseman and a sword raised above his head in the Codex s original Old Church Slavonic it is written that Vytenis named it Pogonia 6 35 36 37 38 4 Several historical sources mention place names which names are probably derived from the Vytis word 6 A Teutonic source probably dating from the late 14th century 39 or early 15th century 40 mentions a place referred to as Wythes Hof 6 39 41 This is translatable to Vytenis Court in German 42 It was located close to the Lithuanian Bisene fortress the base for Vytenis attack on the Teutonic Christmemel fortress in 1315 42 43 In 1629 Konstantinas Sirvydas used a toponym Vutec Kalns English Vytis Vyties Mountain on the basis of a document from Kesciai lt Karsuva County lt and associated it with personal names Vygailas Vytenis Vytautas 7 This version is also supported by the fact that the Grand Dukes of Lithuania themselves were depicted on early Lithuanian seals 2 therefore it is likely that the horseman on the seal of Vytenis was named after him 6 Name Waikymas in a dictionary by Konstantinas Sirvydas 1677 edition In 17th century in his Polish Latin Lithuanian dictionary Konstantinas Sirvydas translated the Polish word Pogonia in the sense of the person doing the chasing into Lithuanian as Waykitoias and in the sense of the act of chasing as Waykimas Today Waykimas Vaikymas in the modern Lithuanian orthography is considered to be the earliest known Lithuanian language name for the coat of arms of Lithuania 2 44 45 46 Waikymas was also used into the 19th century 45 together with another Lithuanian name Pagaunia citation needed In 1884 Mikalojus Akelaitis referred to the coat of arms of Lithuania per se as Vytis in the Ausra newspaper 47 48 This name became popular and was eventually became official in the independent Republic of Lithuania Originally called Vytimi in 1st person Sg Dat by the 1930s Vytis came to be called Vyciu in 1st person Sg Dat 47 The Third Statute of Lithuania of 1588 featuring Vytis Slavic languages The words pogon and pogonia have been known in Polish since the 14th century in the sense of pursuit 49 or the legal obligation to chase fleeing opponent 50 It was not until the 16th century that the use of the word appeared to describe an armed horseman 51 52 The word came into heraldic use in 1434 when King Wladyslaw II granted a coat of arms with this name Pogonya to Mikolaj the mayor of Lelow The coat of arms depicted a hand wielding a sword emerging from a cloud The resemblance to the Lithuanian coat of arms of the king is obvious so it is possible that it was an abatement of the ruler s coat of arms 49 The word pogonia to describe the Lithuanian coat of arms in the Polish language for the first time appears in Marcin Bielski s chronicle published in 1551 However Bielski makes a mistake and speaking about the Lithuanian coat of arms he describes Polish noble coat of arms From this custom Lithuanian principality uses Pogonia as its coat of arms that is an armed hand passes a bare sword 53 54 The term gradually became established with the spread of the Polish language and culture 2 8 28 52 Pogonia is also found in Prince Roman Sanguszko s documents from 1558 and 1564 52 The emblem was described a century earlier in a document of Supreme Duke Wladyslaw III Jagiellon from 1442 in which he confirmed the rights of the Czartoryski descendents of Karijotas to use the armed horseman Latin sigillo eorum ducali frui quo ex avo et patre ipsorum uti consueverunt scilicet equo cui subsidet vir armatus gladium evaginatum in manu tenens English to enjoy their duke s seal which they were accustomed to use from their grandfather and father namely a horse on which sits an armed man holding a drawn sword in his hand 55 as well as in Jan Dlugosz s Annales seu cronicae incliti Regni Poloniae pl or the early 16th century Bychowiec Chronicle 52 56 Another popular Polish term was pogonczyk 47 The symbol s meaning and appearance also changed the old defender of the land became more and more like a rider chasing an enemy 2 The name Pogonia was first recorded legally in the Third Statute of Lithuania of 1588 57 58 The Lithuanian Statutes were used not only in Lithuania but also in White Ruthenia and Little Russia following the Partitions in 1795 into the 19th century 59 Possible early beginnings Baltic mythology pagan Gods Peckols Perkunas Potrimpo The leader of neo pagan movement Romuva Lithuanian ethnologist and folklorist Jonas Trinkunas suggested that the Lithuanian horseman depicts Perkunas considered as the god of the Lithuanian soldiers thunder lightning storms and rain in Lithuanian mythology 36 60 61 It is believed that the Vytis may represent Perkunas as supreme god or Kovas who was also a war god and has been depicted as a horseman since ancient times Very early on Perkunas 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 36 60 62 One of the pendants made from brass and symbolizing a horseman was found in tumulus in the Plunge District Municipality dating to the 11th 12th centuries 63 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 64 Gintaras Beresnevicius also points out that a white horse had a sacral meaning to Balts 65 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 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 66 They were mostly used until the Union of Horodlo 1413 when 47 Lithuanian families were granted various Polish coat of arms 67 yet some Samogitian nobles retained old Lithuanian heraldry up to mid 16th century 68 The second redaction of the Lithuanian Chronicles compiled in the 1520s at the court of Albertas Gostautas 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 pogonya pohonia 21 69 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 4 70 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 71 Symbols of Mindaugas Pagan Lithuanian 13th 14th century ring with a solar symbol found in Kernave the ancient capital of the Grand Duchy of LithuaniaWe do not know the symbols used by the first rulers of Lithuania One of the few relics that have survived to our times is the seal of Mindaugas In 1236 Mindaugas united several Lithuanian tribes and accepted Roman Catholicism in 1251 In 1253 he was crowned by the papal legate as King of Lithuania and his realm was elevated to the rank of a kingdom 72 16 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 73 74 According to the 1393 description when the legend was still intact the seal of Mindaugas had an inscription MYNDOUWE DEI GRA REX LITOWIE English Mindaugas by the grace of God King of Lithuania 73 In 1263 following the assassination of King Mindaugas and his family members by Daumantas and Treniota Lithuania suffered internal disorder as three of his successors Treniota his son in law Svarnas and his son Vaisvilkas were assassinated during the next seven years Stability returned with Traidenis reign designated Grand Duke c 1270 75 At a similar time the ancient Lithuanian capital Kernave was first mentioned in 1279 in the Livonian Rhymed Chronicle by noting that the Livonian Order s army devastated an area in King Traidenis lands which was their main objective part of early military clashes prior to the Lithuanian Crusade 76 The coat of arms seals or symbols of Traidenis are unknown 77 However archaeological findings in the 13th and 14th century necropolis in Kernave offer an astounding variety of symbols and ornaments of which plants herbs palmettes motifs and suns swastikas are one of the most distinct symbols depicted on the discovered headbands and rings dating to the pagan period before the Christianization of Lithuania 77 Symbols of Gediminas Grand Duke Gediminas s authentic symbols did not survive to this day In 1323 Gediminas have sent seven letters to various recipients in western Europe Their contents are known only from later copies some of which contain a description of the Gediminas seal 78 On 18 July 1323 in Lubeck imperial scribe John of Bremen made a copy of three letters sent by Gediminas on 26 May to the recipients in Saxony 79 his transcripts contain also a detailed description of the oval waxy seal which was attached to the letter 80 78 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 Latin inscription S DEI GRACIA GEDEMINNI LETHWINOR ET RUTKENOR REG English Gediminas by the grace of God the King of the Lithuanians and the Rus people seal 78 80 81 The cross usage in a pagan ruler s seal is explained as a diplomatic action because Gediminas did not accept baptism in his life and kept Lithuania pagan despite several negotiations 78 82 83 In addition Gediminas strictly distinguished Lithuania and Lithuanians from the region of Rus Ruthenia and Rus people Ruthenians in legal documents e g in a 1338 Peace and Trade Agreement concluded in Vilnius between the Grand Duke Gediminas and his sons and the Master of the Livonian Order Everhard von Monheim 84 In 1337 a Lithuanian banner is mentioned for the first time in Wigand of Marburg s chronicles who wrote that during the battle at Bayernburg Castle near Veliuona Lithuania Tilman Zumpach head of the Teutonic riflemen burned the Lithuanian banner with a flaming lance and then mortally wounded the King of Trakai however he didn t describe its appearance 85 Pecat coins Early Lithuanian coin with a joint symbol of a spearhead and a cross that was minted by Jogaila Vytautas and possibly Algirdas or Skirgaila The most mysterious heraldic symbol of Lithuania is a spearhead with a cross found on the early Lithuanian coins also known as PECAT or PEChAT coins minted by Jogaila Vytautas the Great and possibly Algirdas or Skirgaila 86 87 88 The mystery concerns the fact that it was used simultaneously by both Jogaila and Vytautas who fought against each other in the Lithuanian Civil War 1381 1384 therefore it is impossible that Jogaila used his rival s symbol however it is also not a dynastic symbol like the Columns of Gediminas 86 88 A particularly important argument for determining the time of minting the Pecat type coins is the Borshchiv treasure where a Pecat type coin was found along with the Novgorod Republic s hryvnia Grand Prince of Kyiv Vladimir Olgerdovich s coins and Golden Horde s Khans dirhams the latest coins of them are of Khan Tokhtamysh minted in the early 1380s 86 88 Vladimir Olgerdovich son and vassal knyaz of Algirdas minted coins at the Principality of Kyiv since the 1360s therefore it is highly unlikely that his father Algirdas did not mint his own coins at the late period of his reign 87 89 Hence Pecat type coins are attributed to Grand Duke Algirdas reign as well and the use of a cross on a pagan ruler s coins is yet another diplomatic action of the Gediminids like in his father s Gediminas seal because while being a talented diplomat Algirdas was not baptized in his life and remained pagan as he tortured and executed Anthony John and Eustathius Russian Orthodox Muscovite missionaries in Vilnius in 1347 for their religion despite his marriages with Orthodox Princesses Maria of Vitebsk in 1318 and Uliana of Tver in 1349 78 90 91 92 Regardless the spearhead with a cross on the anonymous coins could have been created to showcase Algirdas marriages with Orthodox princesses especially Uliana of Tver who was known for her political involvement e g following Algirdas death in 1377 she advised their son Jogaila to sign the Treaty of Dovydiskes in 1380 which resulted in the murdering of Algirdas s brother Grand Duke Kestutis 93 who for his unquestionable support was previously Lithuania s coruler with Algirdas and also a staunch pagan 94 95 in 1382 89 88 Moreover Algirdas unified all modern day Belarusian and most of the Ukrainian lands under the Lithuanian state and he earned Ukrainian loyalty for respecting Ukrainian culture and their Church 96 The alleged Seal of Algirdas with arrows and name Olger was proven to be forged by Marian Gumowski pl who modified the 1388 Seal of David of Gorodets David Dmitrovich husband of Jogaila s sister Maria which was published by Franciszek Piekosinski pl notwithstanding Algirdas in fact had a similar ducal seal but the original was not visually preserved 86 88 97 After becoming the ruler of Lithuania Algirdas was titled the King of Lithuania Latin rex Letwinorum in the Livonian Chronicles instead of the Ruthenian terms knyaz English prince duke or velikiy knyaz grand prince 98 99 Symbols on coins of Vytautas and Jogaila Principality of Smolensk coin with lions or leopards and the Columns of Gediminas showing it as a vassal of Vytautas the Great circa 1399 1401Several 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 Kernave 100 101 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 100 102 101 Such coins symbolized the Ruthenian vassalship 102 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 100 103 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 100 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 104 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 Nos Jagalo virtute Dei dux magnus Litwanorum Rusieque dominus et heres naturalis English With God s will of the Grand Duke of Lithuania and the natural lord and heir of Rus 104 Historian Eugenijus Ivanauskas lt 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 105 106 107 Lithuanian Denar of Jogaila with a lion minted in 1386 1387 discovered in Kernave the ancient capital of the Grand Duchy of LithuaniaNotably 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 108 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 109 In 2021 a treasure was discovered in Raisiai 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 110 111 The Treasure of Verkiai discovered in 1941 has 1983 coins of Vytautas the Great which resembles the Pecat 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 Pecat type coins 88 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 112 In comparison coins attributed to Jogaila which have a similar appearance to the Pecat type coins has a spearhead and a cross on one side and the Double Cross of the Jagiellonians in a shield on the other side 88 Following the Christianization of Lithuania in 1388 Grand Duke Jogaila minted new coins with a fish rolled into a ring Christian sign of the fish and inscription KNѦZ YuGA Duke Jogaila on the obverse and with a Double Cross of the Jagiellonians in a shield on the reverse 109 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 109 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 109 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 109 Lithuania was the last state in Europe to be Christianized 113 Knight on horseback Authentic Seal of Duke Kestutis with Latin words Lithuanian Denar of Jogaila with horseman minted in the 14th century Jogaila s seal from 1377 to 1380 with an inscription iagal dey gracia rex in lettovThe coat of arms of Lithuania originate from rulers depictions on seals 2 47 Originally the riding horseman symbolized the ruler of the Duchy of Lithuania Duchy of Vilnius which was the most important land of the state 114 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 47 64 and we know its appearance only thanks to historian Tadeusz Czacki who claimed to have seen the seal 4 35 The oldest preserved such seal is Jogaila s seal that he was using in years 1377 1380 when he became Grand Duke of Lithuania 115 Duke of Kernave 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 116 47 Jogaila and other Algirdas sons Skirgaila Lengvenis Kaributas Vygantas and Svitrigaila all were using seals with a horseman type images 8 47 The horseman was chosen due to at the time flourishing culture of knighthood in Europe 64 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 117 Initially Kestutis 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 118 Seal of Duke Vygantas The establishment of the sword in the heraldry of the Lithuanian rulers is related to the ideological changes of the ruling Gediminids dynasty 117 The lance was more often exhibited on the seals of Skirgaila and Kaributas 2 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 119 The Double Cross was adopted by Jogaila after his baptism as Wladyslaw 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 120 It is also possible that the new coat of arms was made in imitation of the Holy Cross relics from the sanctuary of Lysa Gora and with this gesture the newly crowned king emphasised his sincere faith 121 The symbolism of the Double Cross was connected with this event s significance for both Jogaila and the entire land 23 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 23 Columns of Gediminas Columns of Gediminas one of the coats of arms of Lithuania painted in 1416 The Columns of Gediminas are one of the earliest surviving national symbols of Lithuania and its historical coats of arms 122 Historian Edmundas Rimsa who analyzed the ancient coins suggested that the Columns of Gediminas symbolize the Trakai Peninsula Castle Gates 123 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 122 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 Kestutis who was Duke of Trakai and Grand Duke of Lithuania titles which Vytautas inherited 22 122 124 After Vytautas death the symbol was taken over by his brother Grand Duke Sigismund Kestutaitis 22 At first the Columns used to represent the family of Kestutis 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 22 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 122 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 22 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 22 It is believed that the Columns of the Gediminids were derived from signs used to mark property 22 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 22 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 22 125 126 Combined with the knight on horseback the Columns of Gediminas were also embedded on the Lithuanian cannon barrels in the 16th and 17th centuries 22 The symbol also decorated horse bridles and landmarks of the dominions of the Grand Dukes of Lithuania 22 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 122 In later years the Columns of Gediminas were called simply as the Columns it is known from the early 16th century sources 122 Official coat of arms of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania15th century Coat of arms of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania at the time of Vytautas the Great Seal of Vytautas the Great with the Lithuanian coat of arms featuring horseman in his left hand circa 14th 15th centuries Seal of Vytautas the Great with Vytis Waikymas which features the Columns of Gediminas on the shield 1404 One of the earliest surviving depictions of Vytis Waikymas in a flag of Vytautas the Great Painted in 1416 by a Portuguese herald who attended the Council of Constance 127 Coat of arms of Vytautas the Great which features the standing knight of Kestutaiciai and Vytis Waikymas used during the Council of Constance Painted by Ulrich of Richenthal 15th century Seal of Sigismund Kestutaitis with Vytis in his left hand 15th century Duke Sigismund Korybut and his troops flying the Lithuanian coat of arms in Prague 15th century Vytautas the Great regiments flying a flag with the Columns of Gediminas during the Battle of Grunwald in 1410 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 2 Firstly around 1382 he changed the infantry on his coat of arms inherited from his father Grand Duke Kestutis 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 2 64 Furthermore Vytautas the Great minted coins with the horseman on one side and the Columns of Gediminas on the other side 100 In the 15th century Jan Dlugosz 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 85 125 126 According to Dlugosz those flags were named after lands or dukes Vilnius Kaunas Trakai Medininkai Sigismund Korybut Lengvenis and other 85 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 85 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 85 The Royal Seal of Supreme Duke Wladyslaw III Jagiellon which includes a winged Lithuanian Coat of Arms 1438 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 Wladyslaw III Jagiellon the eldest son of Wladyslaw II Jagiello and his Lithuanian wife Sophia of Halshany 128 was crowned as the King of Hungary and King of Croatia on 15 May 1440 in Visegrad moreover following his father s death he also inherited the title of the Supreme Duke Supremus Dux 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 Horodlo of 1413 between his father and Grand Duke Vytautas the Great 129 130 67 The Royal Seal of Wladyslaw III Jagiellon includes a Lithuanian Vytis Pogonia with wings laid out above the coat of arms of Hungary and alongside the Polish Eagle 131 Authentic 15th century Double Cross of the Jagiellonian dynasty when it became an integral part of the Lithuanian coat of arms 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 3 In some he holds a spear while others depict a sword the horse can either be standing in place or galloping 3 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 Goncia English The Chaser 23 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 3 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 3 Moreover Alexander s coins also depict an eagle as the symbol of the Grand Dukes of Lithuania s dynastic claim to the Polish throne 3 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 3 The knight was also for the first time depicted with a shield with the Double Cross of the Jagiellonian dynasty 3 In heraldry such an image of the horseman is only associated with the Lithuanian state 3 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 132 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 Kestutaiciai dynasty red shield with the golden Columns of Gediminas 133 horse bridles leather belts and a short girdle colored in blue 2 47 134 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 2 47 Lithuanian Coat of arms during the rest of the 15th century Vytis with Columns of Gediminas from the 15th century Codex Bergshammar Attributed to Grand Duke Zygimantas Kestutaitis Royal Seal of Jogaila which features Vytis Waikymas Flag of Jogaila with the Polish Eagle and Vytis Waikymas used during the Council of Constance in 1416 Lithuanian coat of arms dating to 1475 which judging from its archaic look was likely redrawn from an even earlier painting 127 Lithuanian Denar of Grand Duke Casimir IV Jagiellon with horseman and the Columns of Gediminas 15th century Columns of Gediminas from the 15th century Codex Bergshammar Half Groschen of Grand Duke Alexander Jagiellon with Vytis Waikymas from the late 15th century or early 16th century16th century 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 85 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 85 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 85 Later only the knight is mentioned embroidered on both sides of the state flag 85 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 47 Its four quarterly fields portrayed in diagonal the eagle and the riding knight as the symbols of the two constituent states 47 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 2 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 Vytis Waikymas after losing the connection with the dynasty 23 16th century depictions of the Lithuanian Coat of arms 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 The first page of the Latin copy of Laurentius 1531 of the First Statute of Lithuania Vytis Waikymas is drawn on a damasked shield Authentic coat of arms of Lithuania with historical colors gules argent or and azure circa 1555 A 1568 Lithuanian coin of Grand Duke Sigismund II Augustus with horseman and the Columns of Gediminas Tapestry with the coat of arms of Grand Duke Sigismund II Augustus Thaler of Grand Duke Stephen Bathory with Vytis Waikymas and the Polish Eagle 1579 Coat of arms of the Polish Lithuanian Commonwealth with Vytis Waikymas decorated with the Columns of Gediminas used during the reign of Grand Duke Stephen Bathory17th century to 1795 17th century Coat of arms of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania Authentic Vytis Waikymas depicted on the Gate of Dawn which survived annexations Coat of arms of the Polish Lithuanian Commonwealth during the reign of the Vasa dynasty Authentic Vytis Waikymas depicted on the outer wall of the Chapel of Saint Casimir Coin of 15 golden Ducats of Grand Duke Sigismund III Vasa with Vytis Waikymas 1617 The Great Seal of Lithuania with Vytis Waikymas and Columns of Gediminas belonging to Wladyslaw IV Vasa Golden Lithuanian Ducat of Grand Duke John II Casimir Vasa with Vytis Waikymas 1665 Coin of Grand Duke John III Sobieski with Vytis Waikymas and the Polish Eagle 1684 Wall fragment of the Polish Lithuanian coat of arms in the New Grodno CastleThe 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 85 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 85 SAR monogram was also inscribed on the flagpole finial 85 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 2 18th century Lithuanian Coat of arms Thaler of Grand Duke Augustus II the Strong with Vytis Waikymas 1702 Coin of 10 golden Ducats of Grand Duke Augustus III with Vytis Waikymas 1756 Seal of the Treasury of Lithuania 18th century The 1st Lithuanian National Cavalry Brigade s Grand Seal late 18th century Authentic Coat of arms of the Polish Lithuanian Commonwealth on the Dominican Church of the Holy Spirit in Vilnius Coat of arms of the Polish Lithuanian Commonwealth used during the reign of Stanislaus II Augustus 1764 1795 Lithuanian coat of arms with the Jagiellonian Double Cross depicted by Franz Johann Joseph von Reilly in 17931795 1918 The Lithuanian coat of arms on an uhlan s hat of the Grande Armee 17th Lithuanian Uhlan Regiment 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 2 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 Vytis Waikymas which was widely used in their organized events 135 19th century anti Russian uprisings Uprisings to restore the Polish Lithuanian Commonwealth like the 1830 31 November Uprising and 1863 64 January Uprising saw Vytis Waikymas being used as a symbol of rebellion against the Russian Empire 136 137 138 The Lithuanian Vytis was widely used alongside the Polish White Eagle throughout the uprisings on flags banners coins banknotes seals medals etc 139 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 zlotys 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 of Poland to manage the Warsaw Mint 140 Coat of arms of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania in the Uprisings of 1830 1831 and 1863 1864 Relics of the Uprising of 1831 exhibited in the National Museum of Lithuania in Vilnius Coat of arms of the November Uprising 1830 31 Banner with emblem of the November Uprising 1830 31 The Provisional Government in Warsaw reintroduced Vytis Pogonia and Eagle on the coins and banknotes during the 1830 31 November Uprising Painting commemorating Polish Lithuanian union ca 1861 The motto reads Eternal union Emblem of the January Uprising 1863 64The 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 141 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 142 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 Nauseda and the President of Poland Andrzej Duda 143 In the Russian Empire 1795 1915 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 144 Vytis was the coat of arms of the Vilna Governorate following the incorporation of Vilnius and surrounding lands into the Russian Empire 145 146 147 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 148 In 2019 the Mayor of Vilnius Remigijus Simasius suggested that the White Columns of Vilnius in the city s eldership of Naujamiestis should be restored 148 A notable example of the coat of arms of Lithuania usage during the Tsarist period is on the bridge railings above the Vilnele River in Vilnius 144 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 144 149 Use of the Lithuanian coat of arms by the Russian Empire The White Columns of Vilnius 1818 1840 with Vytis Pogonia which were later replaced with the double headed eagles Seal of the Duma of the City of Vilnius 19th century Seals of the Vilnius University mid 19th centuryHowever in 1845 Tsar Nicholas I confirmed a coat of arms for the Vilna Governorate that closely resembled the historical one 2 A notable change was the replacement of the Double Cross of the Jagiellonians with the Patriarchal cross on the knight s shield 2 150 Coat of arms of Imperial Russian Governorates which were based on the Lithuanian coat of arms Coat of arms of Vitebsk from 1781 Coat of arms of Grodno Governorate 1802 Coat of arms of Vilna Governorate 1845 Coat of arms of Vitebsk Governorate 1856 Coat of arms of Vilna with Vytis Pogonia and Orthodox cross 1859 Coat of arms of the Vilna Governorate 1878 Prelude of Vytis by Mikalojus Konstantinas Ciurlionis 1909In 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 151 It was proposed by the Chairman of the Great Seimas of Vilnius Jonas Basanavicius 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 85 152 Flags of Lithuania with Vytis designed in the late 1910s Lithuanian musical instrument kankles is depicted in between the flags 1915 1918 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 152 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 152 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 152 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 Basanavicius Povilas Dogelis Petras Klimas Jurgis Saulys Antanas Smetona Mykolas Birziska Augustinas Janulaitis Steponas Kairys Aleksandras Stulginskis Antanas Zmuidzinavicius 152 During this Consortium Meeting Jonas Basanavicius 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 152 Jonas Basanavicius suggested continuing this tradition and choosing this option as the flag of the reborn Lithuanian state 152 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 152 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 Vytis Waikymas 152 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 152 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 Zmuidzinavicius however the searching for a color combination took a long time 152 Artist and archeologist Tadas Daugirdas who was invited as a consultant combinations of the national flag colors varied from those proposed by Antanas Zmuidzinavicius 152 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 152 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 152 Vilnius Conference in 1917 with flags of VytisDuring 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 Zmuidzinavicius prepared a green red Lithuanian flag project with whom the Vilnius City Theater Hall present day Old Theatre of Vilnius was decorated 152 However the flag proposed by Antanas Zmuidzinavicius seemed gloomy to the Vilnius Conference participants 152 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 152 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 Ausra and rebirth Lithuanian National Revival 152 Despite that Antanas Zmuidzinavicius 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 152 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 Basanavicius Antanas Zmuidzinavicius and Tadas Daugirdas 152 Vytis designed in 1918 by Tadas Daugirdas 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 Zmuidzinavicius 47 153 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 152 On 25 April 1918 the Council of Lithuania unanimously approved this flag project as the Flag of the State of Lithuania 152 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 152 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 152 153 Republic of Lithuania in the interwar period What is the ideal of our nation It is inscribed on the symbol of our state inherited from the ancient times Other nations have lions Ares or other symbols of power in their flags It is beautiful it is majestic We have Vytis an armored horseman on a horse with a sword in his hand rushing with gallops It is beautiful it is noble He as published in the ancient writings was chanted by the Vaidilas a clergymen in the Baltic religion sung by the singers That symbol is the pride of our nation a symbol of chivalrous justice Let us never forget him either in our relations with our minorities or with other states Until we are faithful to him no one will defeat us The knight is righteous but he is equipped with armors and has a sword in his hand When necessary he pulls out the sword and stands up for justice against those who despise it To depict justice in this way is to feel and act not only statesmanlike but also nationally Antanas Smetona the first and last President of interbellum Lithuania 1919 1920 1926 1940 about the coat of arms of Lithuania 154 155 Presidential Seal of the Republic of Lithuania with Vytis used in 1919 1940 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 Zemaitis became the most popular 2 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 2 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 47 Mstislav Dobuzhinsky was the chief artist 47 The commission worked for 5 years but its version was never officially confirmed 47 Meanwhile a design by Juozas Zikaras was introduced for official use on Lithuanian coins 2 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 22 23 These symbols as a distinctive sign were adopted by the Lithuanian Land Forces Lithuanian Air Force and other public authorities 22 23 It was used to decorate Lithuanian coins banknotes orders medals and insignias and became an attribute of numerous public societies and organizations 22 23 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 22 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 156 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 23 157 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 23 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 158 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 22 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 22 159 In 1988 Lithuania s Soviet authorities legalized the public display of Vytis Waikymas 160 Coat of arms of the Republic of Lithuania in the interwar An unknown version of the First Lithuanian Republic coat of arms probably its greater coat of arms A design of Vytis by Antanas Zmuidzinavicius popular in interwar independent Lithuania Juozas Zikaras design 1925 widely used on the interwar independent Lithuania coins A banknote of 10 Lithuanian litas with Vytis and the Columns of the Gediminids 1927 A banknote of 5 Lithuanian litas with Vytautas the Great and Vytis 1929 A foreign passport of the Republic of Lithuania with Vytis used until the 1940 annexation A fireplace of a sitting room of Vytautas the Great at the Kaunas Garrison Officers Club Building Queen Louise Bridge which at the time connected the Lithuanian town Panemune and Prussian city Tilsit decorated with Vytis in 1937 Ministry of Finance of Lithuania Building in Kaunas decorated with portraits of Antanas Smetona Vytautas the Great Vytis and the Columns of Gediminas 1930 Commander of the Lithuanian Army Stasys Rastikis holds the Lithuanian Army flag with Vytis on obverse side while a Lithuanian soldier swears his loyalty by kneeling in front of it 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 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 which attempted to restore the statehood of the interwar Republic during the June Uprising in Lithuania in 1941 The Lithuanian partisans fought with the occupants in 1944 1953 wearing the interwar Lithuanian uniforms and symbolsRepublic of Lithuania in the post Cold War era The Lithuanian coat of arms at the entrance of Seimas Palace On March 11 1990 Lithuania declared its independence and restored all of its pre war national symbols including its historic coat of arms Vytis 47 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 47 The design was based on Juozas Zikaras version 47 This was to demonstrate that Lithuania was resuming the traditions of the state that existed between 1918 1940 On September 4 1991 a new design by Arvydas Kazdailis was approved based on the recommendations of a special Lithuanian Heraldry Commission 47 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 2 47 The revival of historical colors and the historical coat of arms Vytis 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 2 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 24 Despite the newly adopted Kazdailis variant of Vytis the Lithuanian litas coins featured Zikaras design until they were replaced by the euro in 2015 161 162 On 10 April 1990 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 163 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 163 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 85 164 It is depicted on a rectangular red fabric recalling the old battle flags of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania 85 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 85 It is currently proposed that a larger version of the coat of arms be adopted It would feature a line from Tautiska giesme the national anthem of Lithuania Vienybe tezydi 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 shield and supporters only Lithuania joined the Eurozone by adopting the euro on 1 January 2015 165 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 162 The design was announced on 11 November 2004 following a public opinion poll conducted by the Bank of Lithuania 166 The horse is again leaping forward as in more traditional versions 162 Gintautas Genys released a three tomes historical adventure novel book Pagaunes medziokle English The Hunt for Pagaune 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 167 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 168 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 169 Coat of arms of the Republic of Lithuania in the Post Cold War era An Anti Soviet rally in Vingis Park of about 250 000 people in 1988 The Columns of the Gediminids are hanging above the stage The presidential version of the coat of arms as depicted on the Presidential Palace and the Flag of the President of Lithuania The historical state flag of Lithuania with Vytis Modern Lithuanian state flag flying at Trakai The current passport of the Republic of Lithuania design Litas commemorative coin featuring a historical Vytis A banknote of 500 Lithuanian litas with Vytis 2000 A coin of 1 Lithuanian Euro with Vytis used since 1 January 2015 Flag of the Lithuanian Armed Forces with Vytis The Lithuanian soldiers with the Columns of Gediminas during the Battle of Grunwald reconstruction An armoured fighting vehicle Vilkas Lithuanian variant of Boxer with the Columns of the Gediminids Lithuanian Air Forces aircraft with the Double Cross of the Jagiellonians in 2016 Jotvingis N42 of the Lithuanian Naval Force using the state flag as jack Boundary marker of the Lithuanian RepublicSimilar coats of armsLithuania See also National symbols of Lithuania Recently adopted coats of arms of Vilnius and Panevezys counties use different color schemes and add additional details to the basic image of the knight 170 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 171 Coats of arms of the Lithuanian counties cities and towns which features a horseman Ethnographic region Aukstaitija coat of arms Vilnius University coat of arms Vilnius County coat of arms Liudvinavas coat of arms Panevezys County coat of arms Veivirzenai coat of arms Josvainiai coat of arms Marijampole coat of arms Daugailiai coat of arms Adutiskis coat of armsPoland Main article Coat of arms of Poland See also National symbols of Poland and Polish heraldry 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 139 Usage of Vytis Pogonia in Poland Vytis Pogonia is depicted on one of the Wawel Castle s towers in Krakow alongside the Polish Eagle and the Double Cross of the Jagiellonians John III Sobieski s coat of arms crowning the Royal Chapel in Gdansk with Vytis Pogonia Vytis Pogonia as depicted on the facade of the Collegium Novum of the Jagiellonian University in Krakow Illustration with coat of arms of John I Albert after 1492 Illustration with coat of arms of Stanislaw August Poniatowski 1780 Bialystok Voivodeship 1919 1939 and Podlaskie Voivodeship 1513 1795 coat of arms Podlaskie Voivodeship coat of arms Byalistok coat of arms Bransk coat of arms Pulawy coat of arms Siedlce coat of arms Church of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Piaseczno Malbork Castle Malbork 1590s Wawel Krakow Wawel Krakow Royal Castle Warsaw 17th century Royal Castle Warsaw Warsaw 18th century Post milestone Luban 1725 Royal Castle Warsaw Warsaw 18th century Lazienki Park Warsaw 18th century John III Sobieski Monument Gdansk moved from Lwow 1898 Guardhouse Poznan 1780sBelarus Main article National emblem of Belarus See also National symbols of Belarus and Belarusian heraldry The official white red white Flag of Belarus used in 1918 1990 1995 adopting colours from the Lithuanian coat of arms 172 Based on the data of archaeology ethnography anthropology and linguistics professor Leszek Bednarczuk makes an assumption that the Belarusian ethnos and language were formed due to the dependence on the Grand Duchy of Lithuania 173 7 and during this epoch of Lithuanian domination the Belarusian language and nationality began to take shape 20 Despite the fact that the Belarusians share a distinct ethnic identity and language they never previously had a political sovereignty prior to 1991 except during a brief period in 1918 174 Belarusian nationalists claimed that the Grand Duchy of Lithuania was a Belarusian state which is why they adopted its symbol 175 176 Unique Belarusian national symbols only appeared in the 20th century as Belarusians created their first state entity in 1918 and adopted a plain white flag which referred to their name as White Ruthenians 172 Subsequently this flag was modified by adding a red horizontal stripe to it and these colours of a white red white flag were derived from the Lithuanian coat of arms which was used in Belarus during Lithuanian rule 172 Belarusian People s Republic On 25 March 1918 declaration of the formation of a Belarusian People s Republic was issued 177 Although less than a year later the Soviets claimed the same territory for a Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic 177 In 1921 the Peace of Riga was signed which officially divided the Belarusian lands between Poland Western Belorussia and the Soviet Union Eastern Belorussia 177 The Polish government engaged in a Polonization policy in Western Belorussia therefore a sporadic partisan warfare against Polish authorities occurred until the mid 1920s which was also supported by Lithuania 177 because it fought the Polish Lithuanian War part of the Lithuanian Wars of Independence 178 In the Lithuanian Army Grodno Military Command which was loyal to Lithuania decorated with three flags of Lithuania Belarus and with Vytis Pahonia January 1919 A Belarusian unit named 1st Belarusian Regiment commanded by Alaksandar Ruzancoŭ Lithuanian Aleksandras Ruzancovas was formed mainly from Grodno s inhabitants in 1919 within the Lithuanian Armed Forces which also participated in supporting the Independence of Lithuania during the Lithuanian Wars of Independence therefore many members of this unit were awarded with the highest state award of Lithuania Order of the Cross of Vytis 179 180 Moreover a Lithuanian Ministry for Belarusian Affairs was established within the Government of Lithuania which functioned in 1918 1924 and was led by the ethnic Belarusian ministers such as Jazep Varonka Dominik Semashko 179 The ethnic Belarusians were also included into the Council of Lithuania 181 and the Belarusian political leaders initially requested for a political autonomy of the Belarusian lands with the Belarusian language as the official language in them within the restored Lithuania before losing all control over the Belarusian territories to the Poles and Soviets 182 According to the Lithuanian President Antanas Smetona following a successful recapture of the Lithuanian capital Vilnius which was previously annexed by Poland the Lithuanians planned to expand further into the Belarusian territories the former lands of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and considered granting an autonomy to the Belarusian territories as requested by the Belarusian side therefore had kept the Lithuanian Ministry for Belarusian Affairs in force moreover in 1924 Smetona noted that there were a lot of pro Lithuanian sympathies among the Belarusians 183 184 The 1st Belarusian Regiment was disbanded by the Poles following Grodno s occupation by the Polish Armed Forces while the unit s soldiers were disarmed looted and publicly humiliated by the Polish soldiers who even ripped off the Belarusian officers insignias from their uniforms and trampled these symbols with their feet in public because this unit refused to carry out the Polish orders and remained loyal to Lithuania 185 The Lithuanian yellow green red Belarusian white red white flags and signs with the Lithuanian coat of arms were torn off with the Polish gendarmes dragging them on the dusty streets for ridicule instead of them Polish signs and flags were raised in their place everywhere in the city 185 186 The Belarusian regiment s soldiers and Catholic officers were offered to join the Polish Army with those refusing being arrested and put into the concentration camps or deported from their native land by the Poles 185 187 A part of the Belarusian regiment s soldiers and officers escaped to Kaunas to continue serving Lithuania 185 Officers and soldiers from the Belarusian Battalion of the Lithuanian Armed Forces in Kaunas 1921 After the collapse of USSR The white red white flag and Pahonia were yet again adopted upon proclaiming of Belarus independence in 1991 188 Soon after the 1994 Belarusian presidential election in a 1995 referendum the Belarusians voted for the introduction of a modified version of the Soviet flag and emblem the introduction of Russian as the second official language and the government s course on close economic integration with Russia see Union State 189 190 It was told the referendum was held because many Belarusians had expressed their dissatisfaction with the newly adopted symbolism of Belarus 191 During the referendum 75 1 of Belarusians agreed to change the state symbols and according to Mikhail Pastukhov the former judge of the Constitutional Court of Belarus there are no grounds to treat the referendum as invalid as there were no serious violations in the course of the vote however he also noted that the results of the referendum on giving the Russian language the equal status with the Belarusian language are invalid from the legal point of view and should be abolished 192 According to Galina Miazhevich such decision was made as the Belarusians were one of the most wholehearted bearers of Soviet identity 193 because before communism Belarus was one of the poorest countries in Europe with the lack of statehood and delayed national movement 189 190 Following the referendum President Alexander Lukashenko cheerfully announced that we have returned to you the flag of the country for which you fought We have returned to you both memory and sense of human pride 194 However he still signed decrees to incorporate similar symbol 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 195 The white red white flag is banned by the Belarusian authorities 196 During the Russo Ukrainian War Belarusian volunteers fighting alongside Ukraine also use the Pahonia symbol 197 The International Legion of Territorial Defense of Ukraine includes the Pahonia Regiment 198 The Belarusian Pahonia is very similar to Lithuanian Vytis but differs slightly In particular the patriarchal cross with arms of uneven length is displayed on the shield the saddle blanket is of the Renaissance style the horse s tail points down instead of up and Azure is absent from it altogether 199 Usage of Vytis Pahonia in Belarus The Pahonia as used in the Belarusian People s Republic in 1918 Passport of the Belarusian People s Republic 1918 1919 Lithuanian Ministry for Belarusian Affairs Lithuanian Gudu reikalu ministerija which existed between 1918 and 1924 in Lithuania Seal of the Lithuanian Army s Belarusian Battalion 1919 Seal of the Byelorussian Central Council in 1943 1944 during the period of the Nazi occupation Marshal s insignia of the Byelorussian Home Defence 1944 1945 Coat of arms of Belarus from 1991 to 1995 Coat of arms of Vitsebsk Region Coat of arms of Lyepyel Coat of arms of Vierchniadzvinsk Coat of arms of Rechytsa Belarusian opposition supporters holding flags with Pahonia during the 2020 2021 Belarusian protests Chevron of the Tactical group Belarus Emblem of the Pahonia Troop be ru uk Emblem of the Kastus Kalinoŭski BattalionUkraine Main article Coat of arms of Ukraine See also National symbols of Ukraine 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 Coats of arms of the Kingdom of Galicia Volhynia 1313 Seal of King Yuri II Boleslav denoting a horseman with lion on the coat of arms 14th century King Yuri II Boleslav s coin of the Kingdom of Galicia Volhynia 14th century Coat of arms of Iziaslav Ukraine since 1754 200 Watch tower of Vytautas the Great in Kherson Oblast with the historical state flag of Lithuania Variation of Pogon Ruska for the city of Kamianets Podilskyi in 1374 1796 until occupation of Podolia by Russian Empire Adam Mickiewicz Monument Lviv 1904 Mykhailo Hrushevskyi s proposal for the coat of arms of the Ukrainian People s Republic Coat of arms of Zhytomyr Oblast Coat of arms of Staryi Chortoryisk Coat of arms of Starokostiantyniv Raion in 2004 2020 Coat of arms of Vitovka Raion in 2017 2020 Collar of the President of Ukraine one of whose medallions contains the Lithuanian coat of armsNoble families Pogon LitewskaAlternative name s Pogon Litewska KsiazecaFamilies57 namesAczkiewicz Algiminowicz Algminowicz Alkimowicz Biciutek Byciutek Boremlski Boremski Chowanski Czartoryski Dowmont Dulski Hurko Gediminids Izaslawski Izopolski Klajowski Kobrynski Konierewicz Kopylski Korecki Korjatowicz Koryatowicz Koszerski Koszyrski Kowelski Kurakin Krzywicki Krzywiecki Krzywiecki Lingwieniewicz Litwinowicz Lukomlski Mackiewicz Morski Mozarowski Mozajski Mscislawski Niedzielski Nowosielski Olelkowicz Olgierd Plusko Pluszkow Poklonski Postawka Radzikiewicz Rybicki Sakalauskas Sanguszko Slucki Sudwoj Swiderski Trubecki Wandza Worotyniec ZaslawskiCitiesPulawyDivisionsPulawy CountyThe Lithuanian coat of arms with some modifications was adopted by several Gediminid Lithuanian Polish and Russian noble families namely Czartoryski 201 Sanguszko 202 Chowanski 203 Trubetskoy 204 and Golitsyn 205 In Polish heraldry those coat of arms are called Pogon Litewska 206 Sanguszko coat of arms Czartoryski coat of arms Simple version Beyzym a variationOther locations Austria Vytis in Austria Albertina Vienna 18th century Coat of arms on the Cenotaph of Maria Christina in ViennaFrance Vytis in France Catholic church Nancy 18th century Pediment of the Nancy Town Hall Vytis on top of Palais de la Cite s Tour de l Horloge clock Paris since 1585Latvia Vytis in Latvia Double Denar of the Duchy of Courland and Semigallia with monogram of Stephen Bathory coat of arms of Gotthard Kettler and Vytis Waikymas 1578 Coin of the Duchy of Courland and Semigallia with portrait of Ernst Johann von Biron Vytis Waikymas and the Polish Eagle 1764Germany Vytis in Germany Freiberg Cathedral in Freiberg Saxony 18th century Coat of arms on the Moritzburg Castle in Moritzburg Saxony Zwinger Dresden 18th century Dresden Cathedral Dresden 18th century Coat of arms on the Palace Ubigau with Hercules Dresden Coat of arms on a cannon in Konigstein Fortress Dresden Coat of arms on the Lobau Town Hall A postal milestone in Lobau Saxony state Bridge over Mulde Grimma 18th century Town hall Wilsdruff 18th century Coats of arms on the Theatine Church in Munich 18th century Coat of arms on the Walderdorff Palace in Trier 18th century A Saxon milepost in Lengenfeld Saxony state A postal milestone dated 1731 in Bad Gottleuba Saxony state A postal milestone in Grimma Saxony state A postal milestone in Niemegk Brandenburg state A postal milestone in Elsterwerda Brandenburg state A postal milestone in Senftenberg Brandenburg Portal of a post office in Wurzen Leipzig district 1734 Coat of arms of Lithuania from the Johann Siebmacher s book Siebmachers WappenbuchSee also Lithuania portal Heraldry portal Wikimedia Commons has media related to National coats of arms of Lithuania Emblem of the Lithuanian Soviet Socialist Republic Flag of LithuaniaReferences Lietuviu kalbos zodynas Lkz lt Retrieved 2020 05 18 a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x Rimsa Edmundas Lietuvos valstybes herbas Vle lt in Lithuanian Retrieved 19 March 2021 a b c d e f g h i Vytis Knight on the Lithuanian Money Pinigumuziejus lt Bank of Lithuania Money Museum Archived from the original on 3 April 2021 Retrieved 19 March 2021 a b c d Galkus Juozas 2009 Lietuvos Vytis The Vytis of Lithuania in Lithuanian and English Vilnius Academy of Arts Press p 13 ISBN 978 9955 854 44 9 Kulturos uostas Paroda Vytis istorijoje ir daileje kulturosuostas lt in Lithuanian 17 December 2019 Retrieved 10 April 2021 a b c d e f Galkus Juozas 26 May 2020 Apie Vycio pradzia ir varda alkas lt in Lithuanian Retrieved 21 March 2021 a b c Palionis Jonas 2012 Leszek Bednarczuk Jezykowy obraz Wielkiego Ksiestwa Litewskiego Millenium Lithuaniae MIX MMIX PDF Acta Linguistica Lithuanica in Lithuanian Lithuanian Language Institute LXVI 174 Retrieved 21 March 2021 a b c d Petrauskas Rimvydas Vytis the Sign of the Dynasty Orbis Lituaniae LDKistorija lt Vilnius University Retrieved 1 May 2021 a b Vytis reiksme lietuviu kalbos zodynas lietuviuzodynas lt in Lithuanian Retrieved 9 April 2021 Vytis vycio vyties kryzius vlkk lt in Lithuanian Commission of the Lithuanian Language Retrieved 9 April 2021 Butkus Alvydas Kas yra Vytis atsakymas Bogdanui DELFI in Lithuanian Retrieved 9 April 2021 Deak Istvan 2001 01 01 Essays on Hitler s Europe University of Nebraska Press Lincoln and London p 115 ISBN 978 0 8032 6630 8 In the Middle Ages Lithuanians had great leaders such as Mindaugas Gediminas Algirdas Kestutis and Vytautas who transformed Lithuania into a vast and powerful state Balt people Encyclopedia Britannica Archived from the original on 2015 07 16 Retrieved 11 April 2021 a b Grand Duchy of Lithuania Encyclopedia Britannica Retrieved 8 May 2021 Lithuania Historical Development Eurydice Network European Commission 2 January 2019 Retrieved 11 April 2021 a b Lithuania History Encyclopedia Britannica Retrieved 21 May 2021 a b Toynbee Arnold Joseph 1948 A Study Of History Volume II Fourth impression ed Great Britain Oxford University Press p 172 Retrieved 24 May 2021 Rowell 1994 p 82 101 Ukraine Lithuanian and Polish rule Encyclopedia Britannica Retrieved 29 April 2021 a b Belarus Lithuanian and Polish rule Encyclopedia Britannica Retrieved 29 April 2021 a b Laikrodziu muziejaus paroda Vytis istorijoje ir daileje Lithuanian National Museum of Art in Lithuanian Retrieved 19 March 2021 a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q Columns of the Gediminids Seimas Public Relations Unit Communications Department Office of the Seimas Retrieved 3 April 2021 a b c d e f g h i j Double Cross Seimas Retrieved 20 March 2021 a b Constitution of the Republic of Lithuania e seimas lrs lt Seimas Retrieved 8 May 2021 Rimsa 2004 p 61 63 Rimsa Edmundas 2005 p 121 Daukantas Simonas 1846 Budas senoves lietuviu kalnenu ir zemaiciu PDF in Lithuanian p 99 a b Lietuvos herbas Vytis atvirukuose spauduose ir zenkliukuose tim limis lt Retrieved 22 April 2021 Meaning of vitez in Croatian English dictionary Znacenje vitez u engleskom rjecniku hrvatskoga jezika almaany com Retrieved 10 April 2021 Definition of Vityaz by Brockhaus and Efron Encyclopedic Dictionary a b Lietuviu kalbos etimologinio zodyno duomenu baze Vytis etimologija baltnexus lt in Lithuanian Vilnius University Faculty of Philology Retrieved 5 May 2021 Jonas Palionis Kieno sukurtas Lietuvos herbas Vytis Literatura ir menas 2002 a b c Daujotyte 2018 p 18 19 Plokste vaizduojanti Lietuvos Didziosios Kunigaikstystes herba valdovurumai lt in Lithuanian Retrieved 21 March 2021 a b Daujotyte 2018 p 20 a b c Lietuvos valstybes herbas Seimas in Lithuanian 20 November 2012 Retrieved 21 March 2021 Varnauskas Rimantas Likimo valiai paliktas Vytis DELFI in Lithuanian Retrieved 27 March 2021 Luksaite Inge 1990 Del zodzio Vytis Musu praeitis Lietuvos istorijos draugija Lithuanian History Society No 1 120 125 a b Ivinskis Zenonas 1978 Lietuvos istorija iki Vytauto Didziojo mirties PDF Rome Lithuanian Catholic Academy of Sciences p 214 Retrieved 21 March 2021 XIV amz gale randamas Wythes hof Striegler Stefan 2018 Raumwahrnehmung und Orientierung im sudostlichen Ostseeraum vom 10 bis 16 Jahrhundert p 115 Hirsch Theodor Toppen Max Strehlke Ernst 1863 Scriptores rerum Prussicarum die Geschichtsquellen der Preussischen Vorzeit bis zum Untergange der Ordensherrschaft Volume No 2 in German Leipzig S Hirzel p 709 Retrieved 21 March 2021 a b Batura Romas Bisene Vle lt in Lithuanian Retrieved 21 March 2021 Tautavicius Adolfas Christmemel Vle lt in Lithuanian Retrieved 21 March 2021 Balciunas Stanislovas ed 2001 Atgimusi Lietuva 1990 2000 Baltijos pranesimai ISBN 978 9986 9312 7 0 When looking for the Lithuanian equivalent to the Polish Pogonia Konstantinas Sirvydas called the coat of arms of the 17th century the Waykimas a b Rimsa Edmundas Lietuvos Heraldikos komisija prie Respublikos prezidento 1998 The Heraldry of Lithuania Baltos lankos ISBN 978 9986 861 34 8 In the XVIIth C in an attempt to find a Lithuanian equivalent for the Polish Pogonia Konstantinas Sirvydas named the emblem Waikymas which is what it was mostly called throughout the XIXth C Sirvydas Konstantinas 1677 Dictionarium trium linguarum in Latin Lithuanian and Polish Vilnius typis Academicis Societatis Iesu p 221 Retrieved 3 March 2022 a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t History of the national coat of arms of Lithuania Seimas Retrieved 19 March 2021 Siandien visiem gerai zinoma vycio termina XIXa viduryje tiesa ne herbui bet raiteliui riteriui apibudinti pirmasis panaudojo Simonas Daukantas o herbui 1884m Ausroje jį pabande pritaikyti Mikalojus Akelaitis a b Kiersnowski 1988 p 14 Slownik Staropolski Wroclaw 1970 1973 p 295 Piech 2003 p 239 a b c d Rogulski 2017 p 112 Kiersnowski 1988 p 13 Z tego obyczaju litewskie ksiestwo za herb Pogoniey uzywa to jest reka zbroyna goly miecz podawa Bielski Marcin 1564 Kronika wszystkiego swiata in Polish Krakow Jagiellonian Library p 403 Paprocki Bartosz 1858 Herby rycerstwa polskiego przez Bartosza Paprockiego zebrane i wydane r p 1584 wydanie Kazimierza Jozefa Turowskiego in Latin and Polish Krakow Nakladem Wydawnictwa Biblioteki Polskiej pp 828 829 Retrieved 31 October 2021 Dlugosz Jan 1997 Annales seu Cronicae incliti Regni Poloniae Warsaw Polish Scientific Publishers PWN p 89 ISBN 8301123990 Statut Vyalikaga knyastva Litoyskaga 1588 Teksty Davednik Kamentaryi Minsk 1989 1588 Archived from the original on 2007 11 19 Retrieved 2008 03 21 Tezh my g o s po d a r daem pod gerbom togo panstva nashogo velikogo knyazstva litovskogo Pogoneyu pechat do kozhdogo povetu Transliteration Tez my g o sp o d a r daem pod ger bom togo pan stva nasogo velikogo kniazstva litov skogo Pogoneju pecat do koz dogo povetu Translation We the King bring the seal with Pogonia the coat of arms of our state of Grand Duchy of Lithuania for every powiat Vaicaitis Vaidotas 2014 Lietuvos Statutu priemimo priezastys ju santykis su Liublino unija ir LDK parlamentarizmo bruozai PDF in Lithuanian Vilnius Vilnius University Faculty of Law p 80 Retrieved 2 May 2021 Harrison Ernest John 1922 Lithuania past and present New York R M McBride amp company p 59 Retrieved 24 May 2021 a b Trinkunas Jonas 2000 Baltu tikejimas lietuviu pasaulejauta paprociai apeigos zenklai PDF in Lithuanian Diemedis pp 110 111 ISBN 9986230799 Retrieved 22 March 2021 Perkunas Vle lt in Lithuanian Retrieved 22 March 2021 Irsenas Marius Raciunaite Tojana 2015 The Lithuanian Millennium History Art and Culture PDF Vilnius Vilnius Academy of Arts Press pp 28 29 ISBN 978 609 447 097 4 Retrieved 24 May 2021 Artejant Lietuvos gimtadieniui zvilgsnis į istorine Vycio 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herb swoy Kitawra zostawil bratij swoiej a sobi wdelal herb czelowika na koni z meczem a to znamenuiuczy czerez tot herb pana dorosloho chto by mel boronit meczem oyczyzny swoiej a pre to oberyte sobie hospodara dorosloho chto by mel boronity toho panstwa Welikoho kniazstwa Litowskogo Kiersnowski Ryszard 1988 Godla Jagiellonskie Wiadomosci Numizmatyczne 32 1 2 15 Baltic states Prehistory to the 18th century Encyclopedia Britannica Retrieved 29 April 2021 a b Rimsa Edmundas 2005 Ar Mindaugo majestotinis antspaudas Lietuvos dailes muziejaus metrastis in Lithuanian 6 35 44 ISSN 1648 6706 Archived from the original on 29 February 2012 Milan and the Kingdom of Lithuania in the 13th c PDF in Italian Lithuanian and English Palace of the Grand Dukes of Lithuania Retrieved 1 May 2021 Rowell 1994 p 51 52 Gudavicius Edvardas Kernaves zeme ir valscius iki 1564 1566 metu administracines reformos PDF in Lithuanian Vilnius Vilnius University p 1 140 Retrieved 2 May 2021 a b Velius Gintautas Symbols 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