The Sphragistics and heraldry of three representatives of the Radziwiłł family

LTReikšminiai žodžiai: Lietuvos Didžioji Kunigaikštystė (LDK; Grand Duchy of Lithuania; GDL); Lietuvos istorija; Sfragistika; Heraldika; Radvilos (Radziwill; Radvila family); The Lithuanian history; Sphragistics; Heraldry.

ENNoble heraldry and sphragistics are an important sign of the culture of Europe and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania as well as of prevailing social conditions and personal ambition. Noble heraldry is an area of research which has proved valuable in forming a fuller view of the aristocratic stratum of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, the unique ways in which its members thought, their genealogy and the posts they held. The noble heraldry of the Grand Duchy often provides a direct view on the dominant cultural facts and political events of a given age. It has not yet been widely investigated by scholars. It should be noted that researchers have devoted greater attention to the heraldry and sphragistics of members of the ruling dynasty and of cities and towns. This article will attempt to analyse the sphragistics and heraldry of three people (one of them legendary) belonging to the same family with a special focus on the seals of the two containing marshalled coats of arms which have not before been subjected to deeper historiographical analysis. This micro-study is not merely a demonstration of the mentality and social status of certain nobles, but is also a mirror on the cultural, political and social trends of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania during seventeenth and eighteenth century. [Extract, p. 105 ]