Klejnot hełmowy książąt piastowskich do początku XIV wieku. Znak władzy, element heraldyczny czy indywidualna ozdoba?
Helmet Crest of the Piast Dukes to the Early 14th Century. Sign of Power, Heraldic Element or Individual Decoration?

Summary/Abstract: This article deals with the Piast helmet crests used by rulers in the second half of the 13th century (up to and including 1301). The subject of attention and consideration is the question of the significance of this element placed on the helmets of rulers. On the basis of an analysis of the surviving source material (seal images), certain regularities in their use can be discerned; helmet crests had not yet undergone heraldry at that time (so they were not an element of the ‘full coat of arms’), but they were not simple decorations of duke and royal helmets either. They should be considered as chieftain marks belonging to the set of insignia used by the rulers of the time.

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