The Complex Arms of Schwarzenberg

In our last post, we saw the less complex arms of the Schwarzenberg lords of Český Krumlov, Czechia, consisting as they did of simple quartered arms. Today, we're going to look at the later, more complex Schwarzenberg arms, with four different quarters plus an inescutcheon divided per pale.

But first, who were these people? The Český Krumlov website informs us:

The House of Schwarzenberg is a prominent Bohemian and Franconian noble family whose influence has spanned Central Europe since the Middle Ages. The family became notable for its military service to the Habsburgs, extensive estates in Bohemia and Austria, and ongoing prominence in Czech and European history.

Origins and Rise

The Schwarzenbergs trace their lineage to Seinsheim in Franconia, first recorded in the 12th century. They rose to prominence in imperial service, acquiring the Schwarzenberg lands in the 15th century. Their Bohemian branch began after extensive estates were purchased and developed in southern Bohemia, particularly around Český Krumlov, following the defeat of the Ottomans and the consolidation of Habsburg power.

Political and Military Influence

Members of the family held significant military and diplomatic roles within the Habsburg monarchy. Karl Philipp, Prince of Schwarzenberg, gained fame as commander of the Allied forces that defeated Napoleon at Leipzig in 1813. Other family members served as governors, diplomats, and politicians in the Austro-Hungarian Empire and later in Czechoslovakia.

Cultural and Economic Legacy

The Schwarzenbergs became major landowners and patrons of art, architecture, and science in Central Europe. They oversaw the construction and preservation of notable residences such as Hluboká Castle and Orlík Castle, centers of cultural patronage. Their estates were nationalized under communist rule after 1948, though some properties have since been returned

With all that as background, let's take a look at their later coat of arms. (As always, I recommend clicking on the images below to go to the full-size photographs to be able to see the details more clearly.)

Returning to the city's website: The German noble family of Schwarzenbergs was originally called the Lords of Seinsheim and their proper emblem was a shield with silver and blue stripes. After the conquest of Raab, the Turkish fortress, the emblem was enlarged in 1599 by Adolf zu Schwarzenberg with head of a Turk, his eyes being pecked out by a raven. In 1688, there was another modification of the coat-of-arms which was improved by the symbols of other dominions. Three red spikes on a field symbolise the Schultz dominion which was annexed to the dominion by Ferdinand zu Schwarzenberg after the marriage with Marie Anna von Schultz. A burning twig (or "firebrand", making this quarter canting arms) symbolises the Brandis dominion. In the heart shield of the coat-of-arms there are emblems of the Schwarzenberg dominions - a tower on a black hill and Kleggau - three golden sheaves. The prince's crown above the coat-of-arms symbolises the prince's title.

Here's a color version of these arms that I found on the internet that will give you a better idea of what they looked like:

Quarterly: 1, Paly of eight argent and azure; 2, Per fess indented argent and gules; 3, Argent a firebrand bendwise sable flammant proper; and 4, Or a Turk's head [here, bendwise] couped being pecked by a raven proper; overall an inescutcheon Per pale Gules a tower argent atop a trimount issuant from base sable, and Azure three garbs of wheat or.

The motto Nil nisi rectum means Nothing but right.

You may note that in the second picture above, the third quarter has the Turk's head palewise.

In the second picture, and in the drawing of the arms immediately above, they are encircled by the collar of the Order of the Golden Fleece.

So, based on the earlier quartered arms, but with two additional coats in the quarters, plus an inescutcheon. Well, I did say that these would be a lot more complex!

A More Complex Eggenberg Coat of Arms, and a Less Complex Schwarzenberg One

Last time, I told you that we would be seeing a more complex coat of arms of the Eggenberg lords of Český Krumlov, Czechia. That one, last time's, was simply Quarterly; this time's is Quarterly of six!

And next to it, on two different buildings in the city, is a simpler (Quarterly: 1 and 2; 3 and 4) version of the coat of arms of the Schwarzenberg lords of Český Krumlov. Next time, we'll see the more complex version (Quarterly: 1, 2, 3 and 4, and an inescutcheon) of those arms.

Now, on to today's armorial displays. (Be sure to click on the images to see the full-size versions with much greater detail.)

Here, on the right side of the building, we have, from left to right, the Eggenberg arms and the Schwarzenberg arms.

The Eggenberg arms are blazoned: Quarterly: 1, Argent five roses gules seeded or (Český Krumlov); 2, Per fess or and azure a cross moline issuant from a crescent (Gradiška); 3, Gules an eagle displayed argent armed and beaked or (Aquilea); 4, Per pale azure and gules an eagle displayed argent (Postojna); 5, Azure an anchor or (Ptuj); and 6, Or a wheel argent (Radgona/Radkersburg); overall an inescutcheon Argent in pall three crows or ravens displayed heads to center sable holding in their beaks a crown or (Eggenberg).

The Schwarzenberg arms (not the oldest, those being simply the first quarter of the arms here, as lords of Seinsheim), are blazoned: Quarterly: 1 and 4, Paly of eight argent and azure (Seinsheim); 2 and 3, Or the head of a Turk couped, his eyes being pecked out by a raven all proper (Raab). (The head of the Turk is found in different orientations in different depictions of the Schwarzenberg arms: fesswise, bendwise, and palewise. Because of that, I have elected not to blazon its orientation.)

These same two coats of arms are also found on the façade of the museum here, flanking the arms of Bohemia, which itself is centered above the arms of the city. (Again, click on the image below to see the full-size photograph):

Two families, commemorating a transition from one family to another as lords of Český Krumlov, Czechia. And, also, marking a transition from the more complex arms of the older family to the simpler arms of the newer one. But, of course, even those simpler arms will become more complex, as we will see next time!

Heraldic Evidence of an Eggenberg Marital Alliance

Moving on chronologically from the Rosenberg lords of Český Krumlov, Czechia, we come to the Eggenberg rulers.

First up, a return to the armorial display over this gate, and the marriage of Johann Anton I von Eggenberg and Anna Maria Brandenburg-Bayreuth.

The couple were married according to the Roman Catholic rite (notwithsttanding the bride's strong Protestant faith) on 23 October 1639 in Regensburg. Prince Johann Anton I von Eggenberg (1610-1649) was Duke of Krumau, and subsequently received the opportunity to acquire the shire of Gorizia and Gradisca along the Adriatic coast two years later from his boyhood friend, Emperor Ferdinand III.

Anna Maria (1609-1680) was the daughter of Margrave Christian von Brandenburg-Bayreuth and Marie of Prussia, daughter of Albert Frederick, Duke of Prussia.

The marriage ceremony had been negotiated by Christian Wilhelm von Brandenburg and prince Johann Anton I, who thereby secured for himself Brandenburg's support for his claim to a seat in the Imperial Diet.

The arms on the keystone in this picture are, as we have seen before, the ancient arms of Rosenberg.

Of the other two shields, that on the left is the arms of Johann Anton I von Eggenberg. As is often the case, most of the arms on the shield are those of various lordships: Quarterly: 1, Argent five roses gules seeded or (Český Krumlov); 2, Per pale azure and gules an eagle displayed argent (Postojna); 3, Azure an anchor or (Ptuj); and 4, Or a wheel argent (Radgona/Radkersburg); overall an inescutcheon Argent in pall three crows or ravens displayed heads to center sable holding in their beaks a crown or (Eggenberg). (This is not the most complex version of these arms; we will see the more widespread Quarterly of six version in our next post.)

And, of course, the shield on the left is that of Anna Maria Brandenburg-Bayreuth. The shield is divided Quarterly of twelve, but as noted on the Český Krumlov website, the "appearance of the emblem is not faithful as it doesn't have all the features of the coat-of-arms of Brandenburg Margraves from the half of the 17th century."

To save me the trouble of typing out the full blazon (and to save you the trouble of having to read it!), here is a color drawing of her arms. (I do not know the name of the artist, or I would have attributed it to him or her here.)

I always do find it interesting to see displays of the heraldry of marital alliances. With just a little bit of research, you can find out so much about the individuals and the families memorialized there.

Heraldic Evidence of a Rosenberg Marital Alliance

The website discussing the history, personalities, and heraldry of Český Krumlov, Czechia (https://encyklopedie.ckrumlov.cz/cz/mesto_histor_himeck/#gsc.tab=0) informs us: "The town lived through the greatest cultural and economic bloom during the Renaissance, under the rule of Wilhelm von Rosenberg and thus there are mostly allied emblems of Wilhelm and his wives - Katherine of Brunschwig, Mary Ann of Baden, or Polyxena of Pernštejn."

Today, we're going to see the heraldic evidences to be seen in the town of the second of those marriages, between Wilhelm von Rosenberg (1535-1592) (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_of_Rosenberg) and Anna Maria von Baden (1562-1583. Just 21 when she died!) (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anna_Maria_of_Baden) (mistranslated by Google as "Mary Ann of Baden" above).

Here (above) on the side of this building we see, on the left, the Rosenberg ("Rosenberg modern") arms that were discussed in my last post, and on the right, the arms of Anna Maria von Baden.

And here they are again (below), at the top of the façade of this building (though with the bendy portion of the Rosenberg shield mirrored to become bendy sinister):

Here's a closer image of those arms:

Anna's arms are blazoned: Quarterly: 1 and 4, Or, a bend Gules; 2 and 3, Checky Gules and Argent. these are the arms of the House of Baden, Lords of Rodemachern, Gräfenstein and Alt-Eberstein, Counts of Sponheim, Margraves of Baden and Baden-Baden. This is the version of their arms adopted after 1437.

Anna’s parents were Margrave Philibert of Baden (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philibert,_Margrave_of_Baden-Baden) and Mechthild of Bavaria (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mechthild_of_Bavaria)

What great displays of heraldry, all from what must have been a very short marriage, Anna being only 21 when she died!

An Heraldic Conundrum

I'm having a bit of a quandry now, trying to figure out the best way to go through these other photographs of heraldry in Český Krumlov, Czechia, that my friend Katie took for me.

There were over the years three different families who were lords of Český Krumlov. In chronological order, they are: the Rosenbergs; the Essenbergs; and the Schwarzenbergs.

The quandry comes when we realize that: (1) each family changed their coat of arms over the years (not entirely unlike the arms of France being changed from France ancient (Azure semy-de-lys Or) to France modern (Azure three fleurs-de-lys Or); (2) some displays of their arms also have the arms of one of their wives; and finally, (3) several displays of heraldry have the arms of more than one family, e.g., Rosenberg displayed along with Eggenberg, and Eggenberg displayed along with Schwarzenberg, and in one case, Rosenberg displayed along with Schwarzenberg. As you can see, it's complicated.

So anyway, I have decided to try to do them in basically chronological order, but you will be seeing some photographs more than once, as I talk about each family separately.

So to begin: the Rosenberg lords of Český Krumlov. The lords of Rosenberg were one of the family branches of the Vítkovci family, and became known, as so many other ruling families, by the name of their lordship, hence, the Rosenbergs.

We saw the arms that I suppose we could term Rosenberg ancient in our last post, those arms consisting of Argent a rose Gules seeded Proper.

And then we come to what we could call Rosenberg modern, Per fess Argent and bendy of six Gules and Argent, on a fess Or a serpent glissant Sable in chief a rose Gules seeded Proper, though it is often seen without the snake, and sometimes the "bendy" in base is painted as "bendy sinister".

In any event, here is one example on the keystone of an arch:

The website for the city informs us that in 1556, Wilhelm von Rosenberg augmented the family coat of arms by adding a golden fess with a black snake and alternating red and silver diagonal stripes in the lower part of the coat of arms. This was a symbol of a royal Italian family, the Orsinis, a family to which the Rosenbergs were allegedly kindred.

The family of the Rosenbergs had their residence in Český Krumlov for three centuries (1302-1602) which is why their arms can be found in a number of places around the city.

Here is another example, on the keystone of another arch.

(Pay no attenion to the two coats of arms on the wall above the doorway; we will be getting to those in a later post, trust me.)

Next time, colored depictions of the arms of Wilhelm von Rosenberg and one of his wives.

Ancient Arms on Český Krumlov Castle

On the wall of Český Krumlov castle in Český Krumlov, Czechia, are three carved ancient coats of arms. (Click on the image below to go to the full-size photograph, enabling you to see the detail of these shields more clearly.)

On the left, we have the arms of the Lords of Kravaře.

The Lords of Kravaře were a prominent Moravian noble family (13th–15th centuries), members of the Benešovice lineage, who used the coat of arms of a silver curled arrow (odřivous) on a red field. They were holders of extensive estates, especially in Moravia (e.g. Helfštýn, Fulnek, Bílovec, Strážnice), and held high provincial offices, with many members supporting the Hussite reforms. The family dates back to the 13th century, when the Lords of Benešov acquired Kravaře. Lacek of Kravaře (Latchic of Helstein) was a prominent Moravian nobleman at the turn of the 14th and 15th centuries, provincial governor, ally of Jošt of Luxembourg and supporter of the reform ideas of Jan Hus. At the time of their greatest prosperity (late 14th – early 15th century) they were one of the richest families in Moravia. The family became extinct by the sword during the 15th century.

In the middle, we have the ancient arms of Rosenberg.

The coat-of arms of the Rosenberg Lords of Krumlov was a green five-petalled rose with a golden center in a silver field. The Lords of Krumlov were one of the family branches of a Czech family, the Vítkovci. The five-petalled rose symbolises, according to an old emblem legend of splitting of the Vítkovci family, the five sons, among whom Vítek z Prčice divided the family dominions. The symbol of a green five-petalled rose was also used by the most significant member of the family of Lords of Krumlov - Záviš of Falkenštejn.

The Witigonen (Vítkovci) belonged to one of the most significant and oldest Czech families which settled the region of South Bohemia. The founder and the forefather of the family was Vítek of Prčice. His descendants founded a number of other significant Czech noble families, as the Lords of Krumlov, the Rosenbergs, Lords of Hradec, Landštejn and Třeboň, Stráž, Sezimovo Ústí or Úpice all originated from the family of Vítkovci. The Vítkovci founded the Rosenberg castle in the Český Krumlov region around the year 1250, around the year 1253 they founded the Český Krumlov castle and in 1259 the monastery in Vyšší Brod. All branches of the family bore a single rose on the shield, with different tinctures of both shield and rose marking the different family lines.

A later Rosenberg Lord of Český Krumlov modified his arms, and we will see these arms in a subsequent post.   

And finally, on the right we have the arms of the Lords of Pernstein.

The coat of arms of the Pernstein (Pernštejn) family is one of the most distinctive Czech heraldic symbols, featuring a black bison (aurochs) head with a golden ring in its nostrils on a gold field. Often portrayed in medieval 13th-16th century, the emblem is associated with a myth about a forefather capturing a wild beast, and it remained used by the family until their line went extinct in 1631.

 

The Coat of Arms of Český Krumlov, Czechia

The next stop in Katie's river cruise was the town of Český Krumlov in the Czech Republic.

The town has a lot of heraldry in it, with lots of examples of the arms of three different ruling families over the years: the Rosenbergs; the Eggenbergs; and the Schwarzenbergs.

But first, for the arms of the city itself:

My blazon for the arms is: Azure a double-towered castle argent roofed and portcullised proper, in chief on an inescutcheon Argent a rose proper between three crows or ravens displayed in pall heads to center sable. (The inescutcheon refers back to the original arms of the Rosenberg (the rose) and Eggenberg (the three crows/ravens) lords of Český Krumlov.)

The arms of the city can also be seen painted on the side of the Tortury Museum, between the windows and immediately below the arms of the state of Bohemia: Gules a lion rampant double queued (sometimes, as here, queue-forchy) Argent crowned and armed Or. The Bohemian arms are now the first and fourth quarters of the arms of the Czechia (the Czech Republic).

Please click on the image below to go to the full-size photograph to see these arms in greater detail.

The other coats of arms flanking Bohemia are those of Eggenberg and Schwarzenberg, which we will be seeing again.

The Arms of Another Abbot

Today, still at Göttweig Abbey in Austria, we get to see another coat of arms of an Abbot, this time impaling the arms of the Abbey.

Here we see the arms of Göttweig Abbey impaled by those of the Abbot Wilhelm Zedinek. We have seen the arms of the Abbey in our most recent two posts. The arms of the Abbot, seen here without tinctures, are A broken sword reversed/inverted (point down, hilt up). The scroll above the arms gives us more specific information: "Wilhelm Felix Zedinek Abt." The lower scroll has the motto Da robur fer auxilium, flanked by the dates 1949 and 1971 (the years that he was Abbot of the monastery).

Da robur, fer auxilium translates to "Give strength, bring aid" or "Supply strength, bear aid". It is a famous line from the 13th-century Latin Eucharistic hymn O Salutaris Hostia written by St. Thomas Aquinas, serving as a plea for divine support against spiritual struggles.

Abbot Zedinek has his own entry on Wikipedia (in German) where you can learn more about his life:  https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wilhelm_Zedinek

During the Second World War, the monks were expelled from the monastery, which had been confiscated by the Nazi regime, and the house was used as a “Napola” (national political educational institution) and also as a resettlement camp.

At the end of the war, in 1945, 3,000 Russian soldiers were quartered in the monastery building for several weeks before the expelled priests were able to return to Göttweig on August 15. However, the reconstruction work seemed to exceed human strength. When Abbot Hartmann Strohsacker died in 1946, the chances of a new beginning and Göttweig's right to exist were also doubted by the church.

But Abbot Zedinek,  with his predecessor Edmund Vasicek (1947-1949) and successor Benedikt Ramoser (1971-1973), restored the independent economic viability of the severely damaged monastery, and today, in addition to being a working Benedictine monastery, it is a tourist destination.

The Arms of Two Abbots

We have often seen in many countries along with the arms of a church establishment the arms of the man who leads it. For example, the arms of a bishop displayed in his diocesal seat; the arms of an archbishop in his archepiscopal seat. Here, in Göttweig Abbey, a Benedictine monastery near Furth bei Göttwei in Lower Austria, we find the arms of two of its Abbots.

First, we see the carved and painted arms of Abbot Gregor Heller (1648-1669), placed by themselves on an interior wall of the Abbey.

These arms would be blazoned: Quarterly: 1 and 4, Argent a fleur-de-lis vert; 2 and 3, Azure on a pale sable three bezants each charged with a cross couped sable; overall on an inescutcheon Or a fleur-de-lis vert.

I've not found these arms in any of "the usual suspects" (to borrow a line from the movie Casablanca): Rietstap's Armorial Général, Siebmacher's Wappenbuch von 1605, the Heraldry of the World website, and several others.

Next, and placed immediately above the Abbey's large organ, next to those of the Abbey we find the arms of Abbot Berthold Mayr (1689-1713). Abbot Mayr was a prominent leader of Göttweig Abbey, and is best known for commissioning a renowned panorama of the Danube Valley from artist Matthäus Küsel and significantly expanding the abbey's collections.

Here again, I've not found these arms in any of "the usual suspects" listed above.

My attempt at a blazon would be: Quarterly: 1, Gules a dove(?) atop argent atop a mount/hillock vert; 2, Gules a tree proper atop a terrace vert; 3, Gules three mullets(?) or; and 3, Gules on a bend sinister argent a (fleur-de-lis? bird volant?) or.

I'd love to know more about both of these coats of arms. If you know anything of their history or even just a better blazon, I'd love to have you share it with us here.

The Arms of a Historical Abbey in Austria

Near the little town of Furth bei Göttweig, Austria, is Göttweig Abbey (in German, Stift Göttweig). The Abbey is a Benedictine monastery in Lower Austria, founded in 1083 by Altmann, Bishop of Passau. In the Middle Ages the abbey was a seat of learning with a library and a monastic school. You can find out a lot more about its interesting, though somewhat checkered, history and huge library (among other things) on-line at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Göttweig_Abbey

Unsurprisingly, especially given its long history, the Abbey has its own coat of arms, to be found in various places in and on the Abbey. Here is one example in the pediment over a gate leading into the building complex:

And here is another over a doorway inside:

A blazon would be: Gules a cross patty fitched at the foot argent issuant from a trimount issuant from base vert. (Or something very similar.)

If you compare the arms in the two photographs here, you will note some artistic differences between the cross on each one. The one over the gate is more a "classic" cross paty/formy, while the one over the inner doorway is more a Latin cross with the upper arms flared just at the ends.

That the Abbey is important to the town can be demonstrated by the fact that the arms of the Abbey are incorporated as a part of the town's arms, granted in 1984 (image from the website Heraldry of the World):

All in all, it's a very simple coat of arms that refers to the Abbey's long history as a Christian institution and to its physical location in the hills overlooking both the town and nearby Danube River.