Szczerbiec
| Szczerbiec | |
|---|---|
Stanislaus Augustus of Poland | |
| Type | Ceremonial weapon |
| Place of origin | Poland or Germany (possibly Rhineland)[1] |
| Service history | |
| In service | 13th century as a sword of justice, 1320–1764 as a coronation sword |
| Used by | Poland[2] |
| Production history | |
| Produced | Late 12th or 13th century[3] |
| Specifications | |
| Mass | 1.26 kg (2.8 lb)[4] |
| Length | 98.4 cm (3.23 ft)[4] |
| Blade length | 82 cm (2.69 ft)[4] |
| Width | 20 cm (7.9 in)[4] |
| Blade type | Straight double-edged (Oakeshott type XII)[5][6] |
| Hilt type | Flat with an arched crossguard (Oakeshott type 6) and a flat round pommel (Oakeshott type I)[5][6] |
Szczerbiec (Polish pronunciation: [ˈʂt͡ʂɛr.bʲɛt͡s]) is the ceremonial sword used in the coronations of most Polish monarchs from 1320 to 1764. It now is displayed in the treasure vault of the royal Wawel Castle in Kraków, as the only preserved part of the medieval Polish crown jewels. The sword is noted for its hilt, decorated with magical formulae,[7] Christian symbols, and floral patterns, as well as for the narrow slit in the blade which holds a small shield with the coat of arms of Poland. The name of the sword, derived from the Polish word szczerba ("gap", "notch", or "chip") and wrongly its meaning is perceived as "the Notched Sword" or "the Jagged Sword" (which is included in the sword's legend), though the edges of its blade are straight and smooth. Proper meaning and rendering into English would be "the Notching/Jagging Sword" — as "a sword that is meant to notch/jag other weapons".
The legend links Szczerbiec with King
Description
Szczerbiec is a 98 cm-long (39 in) ceremonial sword bearing rich Gothic ornamentation, dated to the mid-13th century.[8][9] It is classified as a type XII sword with a type I pommel and a type 6 crossguard according to the Oakeshott typology,[6] although the blade may have changed its shape due to centuries of corrosion and intensive cleaning before every coronation.[5]
Hilt
The hilt consists of a round pommel, a flat grip and an arched crossguard.[2] The grip is 10.1 cm (4.0 in) long, 1.2 cm (0.5 in) thick, and from 2 to 3 cm (0.8 to 1.2 in) wide. It is rectangular in cross-section and its hard edges make it difficult to handle and impractical for fighting, which is indicative of the sword's purely ceremonial usage. The pommel is 4.5 cm (1.8 in) in diameter and 2.6 cm (1.0 in) thick, with a chamfered outer ring that is 1.3 cm (0.5 in) wide. The crossguard forms an arch that is 1.8 cm (0.7 in) wide in the middle and widens up to 3.4 cm (1.3 in) at both ends. It is 1 cm (0.4 in) thick near the grip and measures 20 cm (8 in) in length along its upper edge.[4]
The pommel and the crossguard are made of silver.[10] The core of the grip is a brass chest encasing the tang of the blade. It was probably made in the 19th century to replace an original organic core, which had decomposed. At the same time the tang was riveted to the top of the pommel.[10] The head of the rivet, which is 0.5 cm (0.2 in) in diameter, rests atop a rectangular washer measuring 1.1 cm × 1.4 cm (0.43 in × 0.55 in).[4]
All parts of the hilt are covered with golden plates, which are engraved with sharp or rounded
On the
The reverse side of the pommel is decorated with a vine bush surrounded by a wreath of vine leaves. On the reverse of the grip, there are the eagle of
The circumference of the pommel is decorated with a rhombic pattern, while the upper side of the crossguard – with a similar triangular pattern.
| Obverse | Narrow side | Reverse | Narrow side | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pommel |  |
Rhombic pattern |  |
Rhombic pattern | ||
| Chamfered outer ring: Inscription: + REC. FIGVRA. TALET. AD AMOREM. REGVM. ET. PRINCIPVM. IRAS IUDICV. M |
Chamfered outer ring: Vine leaves | |||||
| Grip |  |
Top: Winged lion of Saint Mark, inscription: MARCVS |
Inscription: LIST E. EST. GLAUD… h.BOLEZLAI ‘DVC… (now lost and replaced with a rhombic pattern) |
 |
Top: Eagle of Saint John, inscription: IhOANNES |
Inscription: CVM. QVO. EI DNS. OS. AVXIL ETVR. ADUS. PARTES. AMEN (now lost and replaced with wax filling) |
| Middle: Winged ox of Saint Luke, inscription: LVCAS |
Middle: Angel of Saint Matthew, inscription: MMThCVS | |||||
| Bottom: Lamb of God | Bottom: Lamb of God | |||||
| Crossguard | 
|
Left end: Winged lion of Saint Mark | Triangular pattern | 
|
Left end: Angel of Saint Matthew | Triangular pattern |
 QVICVMQVE hEC + NOMI[N]A DEII SECVM TVLERI[T] NVLLVM PERICVL[VM] CN EI OMNINO NOC[E]BIT |
 CON. CITOMON.. EEVE SEDALAI. EBREbEL above an ornament of vine leaves | |||||
|
Right end: Winged ox of Saint Luke | 
|
Right end: Eagle of Saint John | |||
Use-wear analysis indicates that the plates on the pommel and the crossguard were made by the same artist, while the plates on the grip were added later. The latter – obverse and reverse – were probably decorated in the same workshop and using the same tools, but by two different craftsmen.[20] Moreover, a side plate with a rhombic pattern was added in the 19th century to replace one of the lost inscribed side plates.[21]
Preserved images of Szczerbiec from various points in time indicate that the decorative plates were several times dismounted and placed again on the hilt in variable configurations. The current composition, with the symbols of the Evangelists duplicated on each side of the hilt, matches that known from the earliest preserved depiction drafted by Johann Christoph Werner in 1794. It is possible, though, that the original placement of the golden plates was different, with the symbols of Saints John and Matthew on the obverse of the grip, so that each side of the hilt displayed the symbols of all four of the Evangelists.[22][18]
Blade
The blade is 82 cm (32 in) long, up to 5 cm (2 in) wide (about 5 cm from the crossguard) and 3 mm (0.1 in) thick. The
Just below the hilt, there are three perforations in the fuller of the blade. The largest is a rectangular slot that is 64 mm (2.5 in) long and 8.5 mm (0.33 in) wide. This opening, known in Polish as szczyrba or szczerba, was originally caused by rust and, in the 19th century, polished into a regular shape.[2][25] A small heraldic shield colored with oil paint[26] is fastened to the slot.[18][2] It is roughly triangular in shape, with the sides measuring from 4 to 4.5 cm (1.6 to 1.8 in).[4] The shield, bearing the White Eagle of Poland, was originally attached to the scabbard, or sheath. The Gothic scabbard, with a golden or silver locket and chape, was probably created in 1320 and lost between 1819 and 1874. The shield is the only preserved element of the sheath. It was tilted to the left – from the onlooker's point of view – while it was fastened to the scabbard's locket, but today it is aligned with the blade. The eagle on the red field of the shield is white, with a golden crown, bands across the wings, ring on the tail, and talons.[27] The two other perforations are round holes, 24 mm (0.94 in) apart. The upper one, just below the slot, is 28 mm (1.1 in) in diameter, while the other measures only 1.4 mm (0.055 in). They were probably punched in the 19th century to fasten the heraldic shield to the blade.[25]
Location
Szczerbiec is owned by the Wawel Royal Castle National Art Collection (inventory number 137)[28] in Kraków, the former capital city of Poland. As the only preserved of Polish medieval coronation insignia, it is a prominent part of the museum's Treasury and Armory permanent exhibition. The sword is suspended horizontally inside a glass case in the middle of the Jagiełło and Hedwig Vault located on the ground floor in the northeastern corner of the Wawel Castle.[29]
History
The Szczerbiec of Boleslaus the Brave
Historical accounts related to the early history of the Polish coronation sword are scant and often mixed with legend. The earliest known use of the name "Szczerbiec" appeared in the
It is plausible, though, that Boleslaus did chip his sword by striking it against an earlier gate in Kiev. His great-grandson,
According to the Chronicle of Greater Poland, the sword was kept in the treasury of the Wawel Cathedral.[32] The ultimate fate of the original Szczerbiec is unknown. It may have been taken to Prague, together with other royal insignia, by King Wenceslaus II of Bohemia after his coronation as king of Poland in Gniezno in 1300. What happened with these insignia thereafter remains a mystery.[33] Although Boleslaus the Brave's notched sword has not been preserved and even its very existence is doubtful, its legend had a great impact on Polish historical memory and the treatment of its successor, the modern Szczerbiec.[8]
From a sword of justice to a coronation sword
The sword currently known as Szczerbiec was forged and decorated in a style characteristic of the late 12th and 13th centuries, so it could not have belonged to any of the three great Boleslauses of the 11th and early 12th centuries. Additionally, it is a purely ceremonial sword which, unlike the original Szczerbiec, was never used in combat. It was originally used as a
As a coronation sword, Szczerbiec was first specifically mentioned by
Szczerbiec, together with other crown jewels, was removed from the
During a typical Polish coronation ceremony in the times of the
Throughout the period from
In foreign hands
In 1794, during the failed
Lobanov-Rostovsky ultimately sold Szczerbiec to Prince
In 1917, as a result of the
Evacuation in World War II
On 3 September 1939, two days after Germany invaded Poland triggering the Second World War, began the evacuation of the most precious national treasures, including Szczerbiec, from the Wawel Castle. The cargo was transported on barges, wagons, buses and trucks to Romania. From there, it was shipped by sea to France and later to Britain.[51] On the way from Bordeaux to Falmouth, the ship carrying Polish national treasures came under fire from the Luftwaffe.[52] Karol Estreicher, who oversaw the evacuation, decided then to remove Szczerbiec from a chest and sandwich it between two wooden planks, and to attach to them an explanatory message in a bottle – so that in the event that the ship was sunk, at least the coronation sword could be salvaged.[53] When the German bombing of Britain began in July 1940, the valuables were transported aboard the Polish ocean liner MS Batory to Canada[51] and finally deposited at the Polish consulate and then other locations in Ottawa.[54] After the war, one of the custodians of the national treasures, who remained loyal to the London-based Polish government-in-exile, was reluctant to return them to Poland, which had fallen under communist rule and Soviet influence.[55] After lengthy negotiations, the first batch of the most important objects, including Szczerbiec, was ultimately returned in 1959; the rest followed in 1961. Since then, the Polish coronation sword has been on permanent display in the treasure vault of the Wawel Castle.[51]
Historical replicas
A treasury inventory of the
There are doubts, however, whether the swords known to have been at Żółkiew in 1738 and at Nieśwież two years later, were in fact the same sword. The Radziwiłłs' castle was plundered by the Russian army in 1812 and the subsequent fate of their replica of Szczerbiec is unknown. This fact cast doubts over the authenticity of Szczerbiec held in the Hermitage. Some experts suspected that the sword possessed by the Russian imperial museum was in fact the Nieśwież replica, not part of the original royal insignia.[56]
Another historically notable replica of Szczerbiec was produced probably in
Modern symbolism
In the interwar period, a simplified image of Szczerbiec wrapped three times in a white-and-red ribbon was adopted as a symbol of Polish nationalist organizations led by
In 2005, the
The symbolic use of Szczerbiec became a bone of contention again in 2009. After a monument to the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (Ukrayins'ka Povstans'ka Armiya) on the Chryszczata Mountain in southeastern Poland was vandalized, authorities of the Ukrainian city of Lviv demanded the removal of an image of Szczerbiec from the local Polish military cemetery. The Ukrainians, recalling the legendary use of the original sword in a Polish invasion of Kiev, argued it was a Polish nationalist, militaristic and anti-Ukrainian symbol.[71][72]
References
- ^ a b Czyżewski
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Lileyko (1987), p. 70
- ^ Lileyko (1987), p. 69
- ^ a b c d e f g h Biborski, Stępiński & Żabiński (2011), p. 111
- ^ a b c d e f Lileyko (1987), p. 76
- ^ a b c Biborski, Stępiński & Żabiński (2011), p. 126
- ^ Biborski, Stępiński & Żabiński (2011), p. 118
- ^ a b c Lileyko (1987), pp. 69–70
- ^ Biborski, Stępiński & Żabiński (2011), pp. 137–139
- ^ a b c d e Biborski, Stępiński & Żabiński (2011), p. 107
- ^ Biborski, Stępiński & Żabiński (2011), p. 122
- ^ Biborski, Stępiński & Żabiński (2011), p. 115
- ^ a b c d e f g Biborski, Stępiński & Żabiński (2011), p. 112
- ^ Prinke (1983)
- ^ a b Rożek (1987), p. 135
- ^ a b c d e f Rożek (1987), p. 134
- ^ Biborski, Stępiński & Żabiński (2011), p. 109
- ^ a b c d Biborski, Stępiński & Żabiński (2011), p. 113
- ^ Biborski, Stępiński & Żabiński (2011), pp. 111–113
- ^ Biborski, Stępiński & Żabiński (2011), pp. 109–111
- ^ Biborski, Stępiński & Żabiński (2011), pp. 107–108
- ^ Lileyko (1987), pp. 75–76
- ^ Biborski, Stępiński & Żabiński (2011), pp. 102–105
- ^ Biborski, Stępiński & Żabiński (2011), pp. 105–106
- ^ a b Biborski, Stępiński & Żabiński (2011), p. 106
- ^ Biborski, Stępiński & Żabiński (2011), p. 140
- ^ a b Lileyko (1987), pp. 70–72
- ^ Biborski, Stępiński & Żabiński (2011), p. 94
- ^ Szablowski (1969), p. 25
- ^ a b Lileyko (1987), p. 16
- ^ Lileyko (1987), pp. 16–17
- ^ Biborski, Stępiński & Żabiński (2011), p. 95
- ^ Lileyko (1987), p. 18
- ^ Lileyko (1987), p. 77
- ^ Lileyko (1987), pp. 76–77
- ^ Lileyko (1987), p. 79
- ^ Lileyko (1987), p. 89
- ^ Lileyko (1987), p. 105
- ^ Lileyko (1987), p. 135
- ^ Lileyko (1987), p. 137
- ^ Lileyko (1987), pp. 40–42
- ^ Lileyko (1987), pp. 54–55
- ^ Lileyko (1987), p. 42
- ^ Rożek (1987), p. 136
- ^ Lileyko (1987), pp. 70–72, 138–141
- ^ Lileyko (1987), pp. 72–74
- ^ a b Lileyko (1987), p. 74
- ^ Wójcik (1997)
- ^ Lileyko (1987), p. 75
- ^ Swoger (2004), p. 77
- ^ a b c Rożek (1987), pp. 138–139
- ^ Swoger (2004), p. 53
- ^ Rożek (1987), p. 139
- ^ Swoger (2004), p. 58
- ^ Swoger (2004), p. 76
- ^ Lileyko (1987), pp. 74–75
- ^ Żygulski (2003)
- ^ Rożek (1987), p. 140
- ^ Waltoś (2003)
- ^ a b Dobrowolski
- ^ a b Chruszcz (2007)
- ^ Jaruzelski (2009)
- Wyborcza, August 24, 2019
- ^ Reaktywacja pisma Szczerbiec...
- ^ Uhlig (2007)
- ^ Wykopmy rasizm ze stadionów
- ^ Materiał szkoleniowy...
- ^ Chruszcz: Umieszczenie "szczerbca"...
- ^ Wytyczne dla Delegatów Meczowych PZPN
- ^ Respect Diversity
- ^ Lwów: Polski symbol...
- ^ Mizhnarodnyi skandal...
Sources
- Biborski, Marcin; Stępiński, Janusz; Żabiński, Grzegorz (2011), "Szczerbiec (the Jagged Sword) – the Coronation Sword of the Kings of Poland", Gladius, 31 (XXXI), Madrid Departamento de Publicaciones del CSIC: 93–148, ISSN 0436-029X
- Chruszcz, Sylwester (20 June 2007), Chruszcz broni mieczyka Chrobrego [Chruszcz defends Boleslaus the Brave's sword] (in Polish), Endecja.pl, archived from the original on 9 March 2012
- Chruszcz: Umieszczenie "szczerbca" w wykazie symboli zakazanych niedopuszczalne [Chruszcz: Blacklisting Szczerbiec unacceptable] (in Polish), Serwis internetowy Ligi Polskich Rodzin, archived from the original on 4 March 2012
- Czyżewski, Krzysztof. "Military Objects". Wawel Royal Castle. Państowe Zbiory Sztuki na Wawelu.
- Dobrowolski, Rafał, "Szczerbiec", Leksykon (in Polish), Endecja.pl, archived from the original on 19 February 2012
- Jaruzelski, Wojciech (2 March 2009). "Ja też nosiłem mieczyk Chrobrego – rozmowa z gen. Wojciechem Jaruzelskim" [I also wore Boleslaus the Brave's sword – interview with Gen. Wojciech Jaruzelski]. Bibuła (Interview) (in Polish). Interviewed by Jan Engelgard; Adam Wielomski. Retrieved 15 July 2010.
- Lileyko, Jerzy (1987), Regalia polskie [Polish Regalia] (in Polish), Warszawa: Krajowa Agencja Wydawnicza, ISBN 83-03-02021-8
- "Lwów: Polski symbol na Cmentarzu Orląt zostanie usunięty?" [Lviv: Polish symbol at the Eaglets' Cemetery to be removed?], Wiadomości24 (in Polish), 23 June 2009, retrieved 19 December 2009
- Materiał szkoleniowy dotyczący walki z rasizmem, ksenofobią i innymi działaniami mającymi znamiona dyskryminacji – "Wykopmy rasizm ze stadionów" [Training materials for combating racism, xenophobia, and other discriminatory practices – "Let's kick racism out of stadiums"] (doc) (in Polish), Kolegium Sędziów Chrzanów, 19 April 2007, retrieved 19 December 2009
- "Mizhnarodnyi skandal: u Lvovi mozhut demontuvaty polskyi mech-shcherbets" Міжнародний скандал: у Львові можуть демонтувати польський меч-щербець [International scandal: the Polish Szczerbiec sword may be removed in Lviv], Zaxid.net (in Ukrainian), 23 June 2009, retrieved 15 May 2012
- Prinke, Rafal T. (1983), "The Jagged Sword and Polish Rosicrucians", Journal of Rosicrucian Studies, 1: 8–13, retrieved 6 December 2009
- "Reaktywacja pisma Szczerbiec – "Faszyzm wraca na salony"" [Reactivation of the Szczerbiec magazine – "Fascism returns to the salons"], Narodowe Odrodzenie Polski (in Polish), 14 July 2009, retrieved 15 May 2012
- Respect Diversity – Football Unites: The FARE Network's Programme of Activities at Euro 2012 (PDF), FARE Network, retrieved 29 April 2015
- Rożek, Michał (1987), Polskie koronacje i korony [Polish Coronations and Crowns] (in Polish), Kraków: Krajowa Agencja Wydawnicza, ISBN 83-03-01913-9
- Swoger, Gordon (2004), The Strange Odyssey of Poland's National Treasures, 1939–1961: A Polish-Canadian Story, Toronto: Dundurn Press, ISBN 1-55002-515-5
- Szablowski, Jerzy (1969), Zbiory Zamku Królewskiego na Wawelu [Collections of the Royal Wawel Castle] (in Polish), Warszawa: Arkady
- Uhlig, Dominik (26 June 2007), "Czy "mieczyk Chrobrego" wpuszczą na stadiony?" [Will they allow Boleslaus the Brave's sword in stadiums?], Gazeta Wyborcza (in Polish), archived from the original on 16 March 2012
- Waltoś, Stanisław (2003). "Pamiątka sentymentalna" [A sentimental relic]. Alma Mater (Interview) (in Polish). Interviewed by Rita Pagacz-Moczarska. Jagiellonian University. Archived from the original on 27 September 2011.
- Wójcik, Karol (1997), "Rewindykacja zbiorów i zabytków (po Traktacie Ryskim)" [Revindication of collections and monuments after the Treaty of Riga], The Scrolls (in Polish), 4, ISSN 1496-6115
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- Żygulski, Zdzisław, jun. (2003), "Stara kopia Szczerbca" [An old replica of Szczerbiec], Alma Mater (in Polish), Jagiellonian University, archived from the original on 27 September 2011)
{{citation}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link
Further reading
- Budzioch, Dagmara; Tomal, Maciej (2010), "A Hebrew Inscription on the Polish Coronation Sword", Scripta Judaica Cracoviensia, 8, Kraków: Wydawnictwo Uniwersytetu Jagiellońskiego: 39–47, ISSN 1733-5760
- Gloger, Zygmunt, ed. (1900). . Encyklopedja Staropolska [Old Polish Encyclopedia] (in Polish). Vol. IV. Warszawa: P. Laskauer i W. Babicki – via Wikisource.
- Kopera, Feliks (1900). [Crown jewels and insignia]. In Gloger, Zygmunt (ed.). Encyklopedja Staropolska [Old Polish Encyclopedia] (in Polish). Vol. III. Warszawa: P. Laskauer i W. Babicki – via Wikisource.
- Monitoring discriminatory signs and symbols in European football (PDF), FARE Network, retrieved 29 April 2015
- Sadowski, Jan Nepomucen (1892), Miecz koronacyjny polski "Szczerbcem" zwany [Polish coronation sword known as Szczerbiec] (in Polish), Kraków: Akademia Umiejętności, retrieved 31 May 2014 – via Polska Biblioteka Internetowa
- ISSN 0591-2369.
- ISBN 978-83-89424-77-8, retrieved 22 May 2014 – via Universitätsbibliothek Heidelberg)
{{citation}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link
External links
- "Crown Treasury and Armory". Wawel Royal Castle. Państowe Zbiory Sztuki na Wawelu.
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