The Imago

Initially the rulers in Lithuania were represented  on their seal with their imago, that is is portrait of the ruler in full official dress. This consisted of a dalmatica, a crown, a scptre and an orb for a king who was also seated on a throne. For a warrior it consisted of a rider in full armoury armed with a spear or sword which was the usual way a grand duke, duke or count was represented. In other cases the ruler was represented standing, in case of a warrior in armoury with sword or spear and in case of a woman in dress of the court.

Kingdom

17.07.1251-1263

Mindaugas

*1203-†1263

1251-1263

Historically, the Kingdom of Lithuania is rooted in the 13th Century when Mindaugas was crowned by Pope Innocent IV as King of Lithuania. Over the next five hundred years the storms of war and politics rendered its toll. Expansion and alliances with Poland and other nations, were not strong enough to keep the transformed Grand Duchy of Lithuania independent. In 1795 it was all but consumed by Russia.

Mindaugas styled himself on his seal like other european kings. Like them he was represented sitting on a throne and  with regalia in his hands.

The Seal of King Mindaugas (1251-’63)

affixed to the October 1255 act by Mindaugas, granting Selonia to the Teutonic Knights.

The king seated, crowned with a grand-ducal hat in his dexter a sceptre with a fleur de lis and in his sinister a globe.

The grand-ducal hat consists of a pointed cap, the brim decorated with notched clothes.

After the murder of Mindaugas in 1263 it lasted some time before we hear again about a seal of a Lithuanian ruler.

Grand Duchy

1263-1795

Treniota (newphew of Mindaugas

1263–1265

Vaišvilkas (son of Mindaugas)

1265–1268

Švarnas

1268–1269

Traidenis

1270–1282

Daumantas

1282-1285

The predecessors of Jogaila

Butigeidis

1285-1291

Liutauras/Butvydas (brother of Butigeidis)

1292-1295

The Rider

Vytenis

Son of Butvydas

1295-1316

The Ipatian Chronicle says that Vytenis was the first to use a seal depicting a rider: “In 1278 Vytenis became the ruler of Lithuania and he invented a seal for himself and for the entire duchy of Lithuania an armed rider mounted on horseback that is called Vytis at present”. [1] The Lithuanian Chronicle - the Bykhovets Chronicle - states that: 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. [2]

Gediminas

Brother of Vytenis

1316-1341

The Sons of Gediminas

The sons of Gediminas were Algirdas (*1296), Kęstutis (*1297) and Jaunutis (*1300)

Jaunutis

Son of Gediminas

*1300ca-†1366+

 Ruler of Lithuania 1341-1345

Algirdas

Son of Gediminas

*1296ca-†1377

Vilnius 1345-1377

The Sons of Algirdas

However, the first Lithuanian seals known showing a rider are from the sons of Algirdas ruling in Vilnius from 1345 until 1377. He had seven sons by his second wife Uliana of Tver who all received important fiefs in the rapidly expanding realm of Algirdas. On their seals they were represented on horseback armed with a spear, two of them with a sword and one bearing a shield with a lion in the usual western way. They were:

1. Jogaila / Wladislaw

*1351ca-†1434

Grand duke of Lithuania 1377-1392

King of Poland 1386-1434

¥ 1386 Jadwiga/Hedwig, Queen of Poland 1386

Equestrian seal, 1382 - 1386.

Figure: Rider with sword. L.: IAGAL DEY GRACIA REX IN LETTOV. (Seyler Taf 5.8. Gum. 125, Czartoryski Bibl. Krakau).

A shield with a double cross was introduced by Jogaila after his conversion to to Catholicism and his marriage with Hedwig of Anjou

Coins of Jogaila with rider and shield on the reverse

As we have seen, Jogaila, having been conversed to Catholicism and crowned King of Poland, added a personal emblem to the rider on his seal, consisting of a shield Azure, a double-cross Or. His innovation and of his brother Vygantas consisted of making the rider, initially filling the circular field of their seals, the charge of a coat of arms.

The innovation of Jogaila and Vygantas was imitated by other members of the House of Gediminas: their cousins (their father’s brother’s sons) and the son and grandson of Jogaila.

A second innovation of Jogaila was to make the rider bearing a shield with his personal emblem,  making the arms with the rider his personal arms.

At the same time his imago as a king of Poland became the usual representation of a king on his throne with crown, sceptre and orb. This duality in the imago’s of the ruler was maintained throughout the existence of the personal union of Poland and Lithuania at least until about the middle of the 17th century. The imago of the ruler as a Grand Duke of Lithuania becoming known as Vytis in Lithuania and as Pogon in the Russian speaking parts of Lithuania.

Å Jogaila, King of Poland. As on his great seal, 1388.

2. Skirgaila baptized Ivan; *1354 ca – †11 January 1397 in Kiev

Duke of Trakai (1382-1395), Kiev (1395–1397), regent of Lithuania

Seal of Skirgaila, 1382

Arms: Lion.

3. Dymitr Korybut *after 1350 – †after 1404

Prince of Novgorod-Seversky 1386-1392/93

Seal of Duke Korybut

4. Lengvenis, baptised Simon † after 19 June 1431,

Prince of Mstislavl, regent of Great Novgorod

The seal of Duke Lengvenis, 1379

5. Karigaila baptized Cassimir; *after 1350– †1390

Prince of Mstislavl

Kęstutis

Son of Gediminas

*1297ca-†1382

Troki 1345-1382

Capture of Kiev 1365-’70 (lost 1665)

Seal of Kęstutis

.

Seal: Knight with pointed helmet, sword and shield. L.: X S KEISTUTIS.  [3]

Seal of Kęstutis, 1379

Seal: Knight with pointed helmet, sword and pavese. L.: S KYNSTVTTE  DVX X DE  X TRACKEN

Coin of Kęstutis

Vytautas

Son of Kęstutis

*1350-†1430

Vice-regent 1392-1401

Duke 1401-1430

After Jogaila, Vytautas, a son of his uncle Kęstutis, who had received Troki  in 1345, succeeded.

Jogaila's cousin, Vytautas, revolted against him in 1390, and two years later Jogaila recognized him as vice regent in Lithuania. Vytautas made the grand duchy into a prestigious state, and in 1401 Jogaila created him a duke. Together, the reconciled cousins decisively defeated the Teutonic Knights in 1410 at Tannenberg and Novgorod.

Seal 1379

Knight with helmet, sword and shield L.: X S DVCIS VITAVTE. (Archives of Kaliningrad /Königsbergen). (MLTE p. 78 fig 3, Gum. 323)

Equestrian seal of Vytautas

Equestrian seal. Fig.: Rider to the sinister with pointed helmet and sword L.: SIGILLVM WITWT DVCIS TROCKENA. (Gum. 324)

Coin of Vytautas

With his personal emblem

Four riders from the seals of  Vytautas: 1385, 1404, 1413, 1423.

Equestrian Seal of Vytautas/Witold/Alexander 1397-1411

Seal: Rider with sword and shield: [Gules] the Kalumny [Or]

Legend: S ALLEZANDRI ALI WYTOWDY DE GRA MAGNI DUCIS LITUAN

Svitrigaila

Brother of Jogaila

1430-1432

Svitrigaila was a brother of Jogaila from the House of Lithuania-Vilnius. He however had not the double-cross for emblem like his brother.

Sigismund

Brother of Vytautas

1432-1440

Sigismund was a brother of  Vytautas and belonged to the House of Lithuania-Troki

On his coins are armed riders on the reverse his personal emblem

Coins of Sigismund with rider and his personal emblem on the reverse

Kasimir

*1427-†1492

G.D. of Lithuania 1440-1492

King of Poland 1446-1492

Coronation of Kasimir as a King of Poland, 1446

Fresco in the Chapel of the Holy Trinity, Lublin.

Alexander

*1461-†1506

G.D. of Lithuania 1492-1506

King of Poland 1501-1506

Coin of Alexander, 1492

Alexander was born as son of the King Casimir IV Jagiellon of Poland and Elisabeth Habsburg of Hungary, daughter of the King Albert of Hungary. 

Personal Union with Poland

1506-1569

Sigismund I, the Elder

1506-1548

Coins of Sigismund I, 1535, 1540

Sigismund II Augustus

1548-1572

Coins of Sigismund Augustus 1555, 1559, 1567

Polish-Lituanian Commonwealth

1569-1795

With the creation of the Polish Lithuanian Commonwealth the use of the Vytis was discontinued only to be reintroduced for a short time by Johan II Casimir Wasa.

Henry of Valois

1573-1575

Stefan Bathory

1575-1586

Sigismund III Wasa

1587-1632

Wladyslaw IV Wasa

1632-1648

Johan II Casimir Wasa

1648-1668

Gold coin of John II Casimir Vasa, 1664-‘65

This coin dates from the years that John II Casimir had invaded Left Bank Ukraina in the Russo-Polish War (1654-’67) and the peace negotiations had started (1664-’67), ending with the surrender of  Smolensk, Sewersk and Kiev. Probably it was minted as fundraising in Lithuania or to celebrate his victories.

Michael Wisniowiecki

1669-1673

Johan III Sobieski

1674-1696

August II, the Strong of Saxony

1697-1704

Stanislas Leszczynski

1704-1709

August II, the Strong of Saxony

1709-1733

Stanislas Leszczynski

1733-1736

August III of Saxony

1733-1763

Stanislas II Augustus

1764-1795

Russian Rule

1795-1918

A revival of the Vytis took place at the beginning of the 20th century when the hope of Lithuanian natonalists grew for restoring the Grand Duchy.

Lietuvos Respublika

02.11.1918-1940

The Vytis of  Antanas Žmuidzinavičius, 1918

Vytis on coins, 1925

Juozas Zikaras's design

Grand Ducal Emblem

Algirdas

Vilnius 1345-1377

Coin of Algirdas

Seal of Algirdas

Fig.: Double arrow with stroke.

Legend: ПЕЧАТЬ КN(иязи)А ВЕ(ликог)О + ОЛГЕР  [4]

Kęstutis

Troki 1345-1382

Coin of Kęstutis

Reconstruction

Jogaila/ Wladislaw

*1351ca-†1434

Grand duke of Lithuania 1377-1392

King of Poland 1386-1434

¥ 1386 Jadwiga/Hedwig, Queen of Poland 1386

A shield with a double cross was introduced by Jogaila after his conversion to Catholicism and his marriage with Hedwig of Anjou.

The circumstances of the conversion and marriage were as follows (Wikipedia)

In 1386 Jogaila's Russian mother Uliana of Tver urged him to marry Sofia, daughter of Prince Dmitri of Moscow, who required him first to convert to Orthodoxy. That option, however, was unlikely to halt the crusades against Lithuania by the Teutonic Knights, who regarded Orthodox Christians as schismatics and little better than heathens. Jogaila chose therefore to accept a Polish proposal to become a Catholic and marry the eleven-year-old Queen Jadwiga of Poland. The nobles of Malopolska made this offer to Jogaila for many reasons. They wanted to neutralize the dangers posed by Lithuania itself and to secure the fertile territories of Galicia-Volhynia. The Polish nobles saw the offer as an opportunity for increasing their privileges and avoiding Austrian influence, brought by Jadwiga's previous fiancé William, Duke of Austria.

On 14 August 1385 in Kreva Castle, Jogaila confirmed his prenuptial promises in the Union of Krewo. The promises included the adoption of Christianity, repatriation of lands “stolen” from Poland by its neighbours, and terras suas Lithuaniae et Russiae Coronae Regni Poloniae perpetuo applicare, a clause interpreted by historians to mean anything from a personal union between Lithuania and Poland to a complete incorporation of Lithuania into Poland. The agreement at Kreva has been described both as far-sighted and as a desperate gamble.

Jogaila was duly baptised at the Wawel Cathedral in Kraków on 15 February 1386 and from then on formally used the name Władysław or Latin versions of it. The marriage took place three days later, and on 4 March 1386 Jogaila was crowned King Władysław by archbishop Bodzanta. He was also to be legally adopted by Jadwiga's mother, Elizabeth of Bosnia, so retaining the throne in the event of Jadwiga's death. The royal baptism triggered the conversion of most of Jogaila's court and noblemen, as well as mass baptisms in Lithuanian rivers, a beginning of the final Christianization of Lithuania. Though the ethnic Lithuanian nobility were the main converts to Catholicism -both paganism and the Orthodox rite remained strong among the peasants - the king's conversion and its political implications created lasting repercussions for the history of both Lithuania and Poland.

After 1386 the shield with the double cross is on the left arm of the rider on one of the shields on the seal of Queen Hedwig:

Heraldic seal of Queen Hedwig 1387

Arms: Poland (eagle), Bosnia/Kotromanic (angel supporting crown), Lithuania (rider to the dexter).

L.: S HEDWIGIS D G REGINA POLONIE PRINCEPS LITHUANIE BOSNIA

It is also on one of the shields surrounding the image of the King- Grand duke on his seal, dated 1388:

The shield itself with a double cross also appeared on coins of Jogaila.

Coins of Jogaila with the arms of a double-cross

í The double cross on the shield of Wladislaw/Jogaila is the socalled ‘Cross of Anjou’, later called the ‘Cross of Lorraine’. It is an assembly of the relics of the True Cross of blackened wood. These relics were at the beginning of the 13th century in the possession of Manuel Comnenus of Byzantium. They came into the possession of Germanus, latin patriarch of Constantinople (†1219) and then passed to Thomas, bishop of Hierapetra in Crete. He sold the relics to the knight Jean d’Alluye who sold them in 1244 for 550 pound tournois to la Boissière abbey in Anjou. They were then called the True Cross. During the 100 years War they were brought in safety to the Jacobins of Angers. They were then called The Cross of Anjou. The relics were venerated by the dukes of Anjou, in particular since Louis I of Naples (*1339-†1384) who had his banner embroidered with it. In the time of René of Anjou, who was a duke of Lorraine, they got the name of Cross of Lorraine. Since 1790 the relics are preserved in the Chapel of the Incurables of Baugé Hospital, founded by Anne de La Girouardière

Apocalypse Tapestry, Angers 1373-1383

Priest with lectern below a ciborium. On the cupola two angels holding the banners of Anjou and the Cross of Anjou: Azure, a double cross Or.

Detail with banner

The Cross of Anjou came to Lithuania by way of Hedwig who was a great granddaughter of Charles II of Anjou and a distant relative of Louis I of Naples. Her father was Louis the Great of Anjou, king of Hungary who had showed a preference for the double-cross, it being in the arms of the Kingdom of Hungary. On the frames of three icons presented by him to Aachen cathedral in 1380, there are several arms with a double cross: 1. Gules a double cross Argent; 2 Gules, a double cross Argent on

three hills Vert; 3. Gules, a double cross Argent on three hills Azure. 4. Vert, a double cross Argent. These icons represent Louis the Great, his wife Elizabeth Kotromanic and two of his daughters at an early age.

Vytautas the Great 

*1350-†1430

1392-1430

After Jogaila, Vytautas, a son of his uncle Kęstutis,  who had received Troki  in 1345, succeeded.

Jogaila's cousin, Vytautas, revolted against him in 1390, and two years later Jogaila recognized him as vice regent in Lithuania. Vytautas made the grand duchy into a prestigious state, and in 1401 Jogaila created him a duke. Together, the reconciled cousins decisively defeated the Teutonic Knights in 1410 at Tannenberg and Novgorod.

Coin of Vytautas

With his personal emblem

Coins of Vytautas, Kalumny and spearhead and cross

Coins of Vytautas, Kalumny

Equestrian Seal of Vytautas/Witold/Alexander 1397-1411

Seal: Rider with sword and shield: [Gules] the Kalumny [Or]

Legend: S ALLEZANDRI ALI WYTOWDY DE GRA MAGNI DUCIS LITUAN

Four riders from the seals of  Vytautas: 1385, 1404, 1413, 1423.

Švitrigaila

1430-1432

Svitrigaila was a brother of Jogaila from the House of Lithuania-Vilnius. He however had not the double-cross for emblem like his brother.

Arms of Svitrigaila

In Bergshammer Vapenboken, fol. 10v° (1440 ca)

Arms: Gules, outline of a square on a bigger square Or.

Arms: Gules. a rider armed with a sword Argent bearing a shield Gules, the outline of a square on a bigger square Or.

Crest: A pair of wings Gules charged with the figure of the shield Or.

Sigismund

1432-1440

Sigismund was a brother of  Vytautas and belonged to the House of Lithuania-Troki

In de wapenrol Bergshammer op de fols 57 v°  en 58 r° verder de wapens van de Litouwse gebieden en heersers. Voor het eerst komt hierop het dubbelkruis in kleur voor (voor de Jagellonen, in dit geval Kasimir, de zoon van Jogaila). Verder:……….., Ruthenië/Lemberg, Kujava, Vilna, Dobrzyn, Kestutis, Wolhynie en op de volgende bladzij­de: Troki, Samogetië, Galicië of Walachije, Lublin, Sandomir etc.    

Hierdoor kan het wapen op het zegel van Vytautas als volgt ingekleurd worden:

1. ¼: Rood, een wit kruis (Pruisen); 2. Rood, een witte met een zwaard bewapende naar links rijdende ruiter (Lithuania); 3. Rood, een witte krijgsman met speer en schild (waarop vermoedelijk: a. gedeeld of  b. Kestutis) (Troki); 3. Rood, een witte beer (Samogeti)

Op een en ander is het schema gebaseerd.

Kasimir

*1427-†1492

G.D. of Lithuania 1440-1492

King of Poland 1446-1492

Personal arms of Kasimir

In Armorial Equestre du Toison d’Or

In Bergshammer Vapenboken, fol 57v

Grand Dukes of Lithuania

The Patriarchal Cross and the Piles of Gedymin

THE HOUSE OF LIUTAURAS

Kings of Poland, Grand Dukes of Lithuania

Alexander, by his father a member of the House of Jagellon nevertheless reckoned himself to the more prestigious  House of Austria  to which he belonged through his mother Elisabeth of Austria. He and his son and grandson consequently bore the arms of Austria. His successors, neither belonging to the House of Jagiello nor to the House of Austria, bore the arms of their own Houses.

Sigismund I, the Elder 1506-1548

Sigismund II Augustus 1548-1572

Henry of Valois 1573-1575

Stefan Bathory 1575-1586

Sigismund III Wasa 1587-1632

Wladyslaw IV Wasa 1632-1648

Johan II Casimir Wasa 1648-1668

Michael Wisniowiecki 1669-1673

Johan III Sobieski 1674-1696

August II, the Strong of Saxony

1697-1704 /1709-1733

1697-1704 / 1709-1733

August III of Saxony 1733-1763

Stanislas Leszczynski

1733-1736 /1704-1709

Stanislas II Augustus Poniatowski

1764-1795

Grand Ducal Arms

Grand ducal arms were introduced during the reign of King and Grand duke Jogaila and were used with some small changes and interruptions until the dissolution of the Grand duchy in 1795. Afterwards the arms were used by Lithuanian nationalists hoping for the restoration of their state. When its restoration had become a fact the former grand-ducal arms were reintroduced and made the presidential arms of the Republic.

Jogaila/ Wladislaw

*1351ca-†1434

Grand duke of Lithuania 1377-1392

King of Poland 1386-1434

¥ 1386 Jadwiga/Hedwig, Queen of Poland 1386

Grand ducal arms appeared for the first time on the seal of Jogaila It is one of the shields surrounding the image of the King- Grand duke on his seal, dated 1388:

Shield with rider on the seal of king Jogaila, 1388

Seal of king Ladislaus II Jogaila (1386-1434) Size:  Æ 122 mm

Arms: [Gules] a rider swinging a sword, with a shield Azure, a double-cross Or, his horse trampling a dragon.

The arms of Lithuania are the first of another six arms (clockwise): Sandomir, Dobrzyn, Rus, Kujava, Kalisz and Poland.

Legend: * S • WLADISLAVS • DEI • GRA • REX • POLONIE • NNO • TRARV • CRACOVIE • SADOMIE • SYRADIE • LACIE • CUYAVIE • LITWANIE • PNCEPS • SUPMS • POMERANIE • RUSSIEQ` . DNS • T • HRS • TC •

edition: Gumowski M., Pieczęcie królów polskich, Kraków 1919, Nr 13, s. 13, 14.

AGAD, Collection of parchment records 36

Fragment fryzu heraldycznego przedstawiającego herb Wielkiego Księstwa Litewskiego namalowany w XIV wieku w północnej części prezbiterium katedry w Sandomierzu. Jest to najstarsze barwne przedstawienie herbu Litwy.

Vytautas the Great

*1350-†1430

1392-1430

Svitrigaila

1430-1432

Svitrigaila was a brother of Jogaila from the House of Lithuania-Vilnius. He however had not the double-cross for emblem like his brother.

Arms of Svitrigaila

In Bergshammer Vapenboken, fol. 10v° (1440 ca)

Sigismund

1432-1440

Arms of Sigismund

In Bergshammer Vapenboken fol 57v 

1440 ca W.: Rood, een witte met een zwaard bewapende ruiter met aan zijn arm en rood schild waarop een gouden figuur in de vorm van een hoefijzer waarop een omgekeerde stemvork. H.: Een rode vlucht met daarop de figuur uit het schild van de ruiter. (Bergshammer fol 57v  de toeschrijving op grond van het folionr.)

Kasimir

*1427-†1492

1440-1492

King of Poland 1446-1492

From 1447, under Kasimir IV, the son of Jogaila, Lithuania and Poland were permanently allied.

Arms of Kasimir at about 1440

In Bergshammer Vapenboken Fol. 57 v°

1488 Heraldic seal. W.: ¼ 1. Poland; 2. Lithuania; 3……….; 4. Kujava. Op een schildje bovenop het hoofdschild: Jogaila. L.: S KAZIMIRUS DEI GRACIA REX POLONIE MAGNUS DUX LITHVANIE ET HERES RUSSIAE ETCETRA (Gum. 4. Krakau.)

Heraldic seal. W.: ¼ of  Poland and Lithuania. L.:S KAZIMIRUS DEI GRATIA REX POLONIE MAGNUS DUX LITHUANIE ETC. (Gum. 140)

Alexander

*1461-†1506

GD of Lithuania 1492-1506

King of Poland 1501-1506

From 1501, with the accession of Kasimir's son, Alexander I, Lithuania and Poland had one ruler, and in 1569 they agreed to have a common legislature and an elective king.

Sigismund I, the Elder

1506-1548

Arms of Lithuania On the shield a ducal hat.

Paris, Bibl. de l’Arsenal.

Vytis from the title page of the Laurentius Transcript (1531) of the first Statute of Lithuania (1529)

First Lithuanian Statute (1529), Laurin copy 1531

The Lithuanian Statute (Литовський статут; Lytovskyi statut) of 1529

The code of laws of the Lithuanian-Ruthenian state, published in the 16th century in three basic editions. It was one of the most advanced legal codes of its time. Before its appearance Lithuanian-Ruthenian law was based on Ruskaia Pravda and Lithuanian, Ukrainian, and Belarusian customary law. The First or Old Lithuanian Statute, ratified by the diet in Vilnius in 1529, consisted of 243 articles (272 in the Slutsk redaction). Organized under 13 sections, these articles included norms of contract, procedural law, criminal law, and civil law, as well as state statutes. The overriding concern of this code was to protect the interests of the state and nobility, especially the magnates.

After or at the adoption of the First Statutes the arms of Lithuania were modified in that the rider with the sword was equipped with a shield of the arms of Jogaila, being Azure, a double cross Or. Also the shield was crowned with a grand-ducal crown or –hat consisting of a red cap with golden diadem with three hoops. No section of the statutes is known  fixing the changes but the new coat of arms came on the title page

At the same time the Vytis on coins was also equipped with the arms of Jogaila

Coin of  Sigismund I, 1447

Sigismund II Augustus

1548-1572

Arms of Lithuania ca. 1550

Paris, Bibl. de l’Arsenal.

Arms of Lithuania ca. 1555

Wawel castle tapestries

Polish-Lituanian Commonwealth

1569-1795

Henry of Valois

1573-1575

Stefan Bathory

1575-1586

Sigismund III Wasa

*1566-†1632

1587-1632

The Third Lithuanian Statute, consisting of 488 articles in 14 sections, was compiled after the union of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania with Poland in 1569 and was ratified by Sigismund III Vasa in 1588. In this edition many Polish concepts were introduced into the criminal and civil law, which were systematized anew. For the first time, it established a unified code of laws for the entire Lithuanian-Ruthenian state and the entire population; in this respect it differed from the earlier editions, which were collections of local laws. It also entrenched the privileges of the nobility and completed the enserfment of the peasants.

This time the crowned arms with the rider was on the frontispiece of the publication of the statutes

Lesser seal of Sigismund III Vasa 1593

Æ 45 mm LVIA F. 1135 AP. 1, c. 30th

Arms: Lithuania

Crown: a grand-ducal hat

Legend: SIGISMVNDVS III DEI ... etc.

Wladyslaw IV Wasa

1632-1648

Johan II Casimir Wasa

1648-1668

1667  Loss of Smolensk, Sewersk and Kiev

Michael Wisniowiecki

1669-1673

Arms of the Grand duke of Lithuania, 1672

The arms are from the Russian Titularnike, compiled in 1672, five years after the capture of Smolensk, Sewersk and Kiev. The arms may have meant to be the arms of Tsar Alexis as a Grand duke of the captured part of Lithuania. This would explain the absence of the arms of Jogaila.

The legend reads: Gerb Kniajevina Belikogo Litowskogo (Гербь Кнѧжевiна Белиного Литовского

Johan III Sobieski

1674-1696

August II, the Strong of Saxony

1697-1704

Stanislas Leszczynski

1704-1709

August II, the Strong of Saxony

1709-1733

Stanislas Leszczynski

1733-1736

August III of Saxony

1733-1763

Stanislas II Augustus

1764-1795

Russian Rule       

1795-1918

Arms of Lithuania and Vytis

On a postcard by Tadas Daugirdas. Krakow, 1905.

Lietuvos Respublika          

02.11.1918-1940

Presidential seal 1919-1940

Crowned arms of Lithuania, 1922-1940

Lietuvas Taryu Socialistine Respublika

21.07 & 03.08.1940 - 1990 

No seal or arms of the President or Secretary General known

German Occupation        

1941-1944

The Commissioner General resided in Kaunas (Kauen).

In July 1941 Theodor Adrian von Renteln (*1897-†1946?) was appointed Generalkommissar von Litauen. He was captured by the Russians in 1946.

Lietuvos Respublika

11.03.1990 - present

The Presidential Arms and Standard

Presidential Arms

Presidential Standard

Æ To: 3. Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth