Polish clans

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This article is part of the Polish Heraldry series History of Poland

Polish clans differ from most others in being a collection of families bearing the same coat of arms, as opposed to actually claiming a common descent. This is discussed under the topic of Polish Heraldry.

Polish nobility, the Szlachta, has its origins in Middle Ages warrior clans who provided military support to the King, the Dukes or the Overlords.

Exceptions apart, all Polish families belonging to the same noble clan used/use the same coat of arms. Polish original word Herb makes reference to the clan as well to the coat of arms at the same time.

The Polish clan does not mean consanguinity nor territoriality, as do Scottish clan, but to the fact to belong to a same warrior group (or Knight´s Brotherhood). For that reason, there are hundreds of different families in the same clan and all of them were/are entitled to use the same coat of arms. Perhaps they may be considered closer to the Scandinavian clan.

Polish coat of arms have an own name, becoming usually from it old War cry or it own drawing. The German word Wappengemeinschaft (Crest-Fraternity), as difficult as it seems to be, may be the best simple description of the concept of Polish Herb and the Polish institution of the clan / coat of arms.