Deciphering Paprzyca

More insights from Nieciecki

In his reference book Herbarz Polski, Kasper Niesiecki gives insights on the Paprzyca coat-of-arms. To date, this text remains the most comprehensive.  The texts below are a translation from Niesiecki with paragraphes for a better reading. We put Latin parts are in italics and some important words in bold.


  • Niesiecki begins with a description of the Paprzyca blason:


"Herb paprika. This coat of arms will be called Kuszaba differently, we can guess that the same coat of arms in the Statute of Łaski is called Ruchab, indeed, and Bychawa, when Monstold family accepted it at the Hrodel Sejm on himself and on his successors, photo 127., gray in color, with a stone in the center, as for a grinding wheel, in a white field, eight puppies on a helmet. This is how Paprocki describe him in the Gniezno fol. 1059. About the coat of arms. fol. 502. Approx. Vol. 1. fol. 511. Jewels fol. 62. Biel. fol. 719."


- In 1506, Chancellor Łaski published the Statuty Łaskiego to codify all the laws of the Kingdom of Poland.

- The Hrodel Sejm (assembly) refers to the Union of Horodło signed between Polish King Władysław II Jagiełło and Vytautas, Grand Duke of Lithuania. A serie of treaties confirm and arrange the organization of the Polish-Lithuania  Commonwealth.

- This texte refers to Bartosz Paprocki, the author of Gniezno and Herby Rycerstwa Polskiego. Niesiecki refers to the Paprzyca description in Gniezno (page 1055). 






  • Then, Niesiecki tells the story of the Paprzyca Knights:


"This coat of arms was brought to Poland from Bohemia to be named after Bolesław the Chaste, and was to be purchased on this occasion. A certain lady in the Czech Republic was informed that she had given her three sons together, not only that she had given her a surrender for adultery on this occasion: (understanding that there could not be so many children with one husband) she had accused and punished more severely. It came through the Divine, who forbid the innocent that the Lady herself gave birth to nine sons in a short time. Whether, then, being ashamed, or fearing a bad deal with her husband, the woman had eight sons in the nearby river, leaving only one of them for upbringing, had she drowned. The lady's husband was not at the house at that time, but with God's arrangement, he had just arrived, when the woman was carrying the children to their loss. Then he asks her, what are you carrying? He replies, the puppies are ready to drown in the water, the Lord will look out of curiosity, whether there are righteous hunting among them, when he saw the children and learned about everything that was going on; he secretly ordered the miller to raise them all. When adults, inviting guests and neighbors and having a party, raise the question of what would this mother deserve, who would have lost her own children, all would judge her worthy of death; only the father will say: let my puppies stand here: eight boys of the same color were brought [p. 249] of liveliness and complexity, almost all equal. He tells them before all who are invited what happened to them, and turning to his wife for this sin, it would be worthy of a greater punishment, but God Himself guarded you through me; for this give thanks to his holy providence. Whether it was the sons in remembrance of this revolution, or the miller who raised them as a reward, gave the coat of arms this shape, the authors disagree."


  • Niesiecki refers to other authors (Henneberger, de Escobar) who mention the Querfurt story:


"Hartknoch in animadv. ad Dusbr. Chron. Pruss. p. 3. cap. 227. of Henneberger, he also writes with the story itself, about Jutta Menekon, or Meinhard de Querfurt, the Teutonic master in 1286. to his mother, that of the nine sons, leaving him only, she ordered to drown him, but when his husband saw it, he fought to destroy them, Jutta and having begged her husband, she went to the convent to penance. This is the coat of arms of the family named Frances in the Nawarczyk family, which can be seen from the dedication to the Commentaria in Evangelia Sanctorum by Antoni de Escobar. Soc. Jesu, vol. 2. edit. Lugdun. 1642. Richard, a native of Saxony, bishop Kaminski, who died in 1170 for boasting of this coat of arms, testifies Nakiel. in Miechov. fol. 97. as having his monastery a peculiar benefactor."


  • From this reference, Niesiecki develops about the life of Saint Bruno:


To this house of the Counts de Querfurt St. Bruno the bishop and martyr. MS. Praetor. O. G. lib. 2. cap. 4. §. 7. and Szczygiel. in Aquila Polon. Benedict. f. 86. Trithemius, born in Italy, writes it, and the diocese's breviary for Warmia calls it German, but MS. Lives of St. Boniface, the Martyr, wants him to be a Slovak, and because the river called Sala was born not far away, about which Dithmar clearly writes. lib. 6. Chronic. Sala Soraborum et Slavorum fluvius, and Eginardus in Carolo, Nuntiatum est (inquit) Regi Carolo, quod Slavi Sorabi, qui inter Albim et Salam fluvios, interiacentes campos incolunt, ingressi fines Saxonum Toringorum; and for the fact that he was sent to the Ruthenian countries, he came to our King Bolesław the Brave, from whom he was regalized to the state, as Dithmarus recalls; Bolesław then fought the Germans, as the name of Trith. in 1008, from where he is called Dithmarus host Teutonum, how then would Saint Bruno dare to go to Bolesław, the enemy of the German nation, being himself a German? as if he were Rusnaks, Bruno was telling the gospel; if he did not know the Slavic language? After all, Szczygiel. loc. cit. de Querfurt not only writes it, but also wants Gebhard of the Saxon prince and Dithmar as a brother. he is proud of the fact that he was his discipline in Saint Petersburg in schools, which later our Bolesław [p. 250] Chrobry overturned him, pressing them down with war: even the lessons of the Roman breviary would mark his land as his homeland for him. Whatever, as regards the birth of St. Bruno, it is certain, however, that at that time still pagans from the Prussians, from the hatred of the Christian faith, deprived of his life: because all the authors agree to this: first of all, a Martyrology. Romanum 15. 8br. this is what he says about him: In Prussia S. Brunonis Episcopi Ruthenorum et Martyris, qui Evangelium in ea regione praedicans, ab impiis tentus, manibus pedibusque. praesectis, capite truncatus est: liking Editio Veneta 1578. a Petro Galesinio, there is nothing about him under this day: then Breviarium Romanum and Varmiense: therefore, even if he was not our countryman, because he had shed martyrdom in Prussia, it would have been enough for Poles to worship their martyr, and I am talking about him here. His father was Bruno, mother Ida, who raised him in all piety; later given under the institution of Giddon the Philosopher, he did a strange thing in his teachings, but even more in virtues, so much so that he seemed to breathe holiness itself: it was obvious because he was known to him, because when his other peers, different for themselves, invented games, Bruno was entertained by the service himself, and he was more peculiar, or even when he was young, the orderliness of manners, the senses and language were tame more peculiarly, a great rush to divine things. At this time of his life from Otto with this name of the third Roman Emperor to the court, he was admired by everyone; soon, however, having become obsessed with courtly life, the religious habit of St. He took Benedict on himself, to which profession and his father, or already advanced in years, he attracted by his example, that of holy persuasion. In this law, more and more, from virtue to virtue, progressive); until he was eagerly removed from the salvation of human souls, he prayed to the Apostolic See that he might be able to preach the Gospel among the nations of God who did not know them; by the papal order, consecrated to the Russkie bishopric, in the year 1005 according to the Roman Breviary, or rather according to the Warmian Breviary, and Szczygielsk. to the archbishopric, which Trithem himself confirms. libro de script. Eccles. with these words: Bruno Archiepiscopus Ruthenorum, assumptus ex Ordine S. Benedicti. and Joanne XIX. Pontifice accepit pallium consecratus jubente Henrico Bavaro Imperatore, a Tagmone Archiepiscopo Magdeburgensi: and Dytmarus Chron. lib. 6. and the more certain the author, because he knew him very well, as mentioned above, says of him that he used Pallius, which is the only property of the archbishops; so then [p. 251] elevated to pastoral dignity, at the urging of St. Henry the Emperor, he took his way to Ruthenia for the apostolic harvest; He joined Bolesław the Brave, the King of Poland at that time, from whom he was kindly welcomed, he took the Lord's gifts from him, but the man of God gave it all to the poor. He went from Poland to Kiev with his eighteenth companions, which, according to Dithmar, who was brought by the author of the life of MS. NS. Boniface, he has already found four hundred churches; there, when Vladimir, the prince of Kiev, by the Wagrów or the Waragów and Obotritów, begins his work in the best circle of human souls, he besieged Kiev and forced himself to surrender, where, among other benefits, S. Bruno, with all his companions, was taken captive; from which the Warags did not release him sooner, as far as Prussia, that way back. Seeing Prussia in idolatry, St. Bruno, he began to proclaim to them the faith of Christ, and to ridicule idols; what the enraged Prussians threatened him with death if he did not stop telling the Gospel: for which, when Bruno neglected nothing but looked at God, the more he wanted to lead them away from unbelief, he sharpened their anger on himself so much that he cut off his hands and feet , in the end, both the head and all his companions were murdered. Their bodies lay for a long time without burial; until, upon learning of their glorious death for Christ, Bolesław the Brave King of Poland, redeemed them from the Prussians, according to Dithm. lib. 6. Chronic. where, however, they are composed of that monarch, neither of the authors writes. They suffered in 1008. It's Breviar. Roman. Baron. Marianus Scotus Uspergen. 16. Kalendas Martii, in the year 1009. Sigebertus in Chron. in 1010. Tritemius in Chron. Szczygielski adds that the first Pope was counted from Juliusz with the name of the first Pope in the register of the saints of the Lord. Krom of the authors expressed here, Joannes Leo writes about him in the history of Prussian fol. 46. ​​and Acta Sanctorum Bollandi ad diem 14. Februar. Who would want a more complete one, about the Counts de Querfurt, and this St. Bruno's family, news, let him look at John, Subners of the genealogical table, sub num. 334, 335, 336 and there, further, where, among other things, he shows that the St. Bruno was the great uncle of Lotarius of the Roman Emperor, who died 1137.


  • Niesiecki ends with a list of families belonging to the Paprzyca Clan:



Bielicki, Bokum, Ciecholewski, Dąbrowski, Ganowski, Grochowski, Grodziński, Iwicki, Lubowiecki, Łochowski, Nieprzecki, Oczosalski, [p. 252] Pieczewski, Potrykowski, Prześmiński, Strusieński, Sieklucki, Swiżawski, Warszewicki, Wygonowski, and Żupek.

Later heraldists add the following families as using this coat of arms:

Paparzyński, - Paprzycki, - Warszawicki."




Kasper Niesiecki - Herbarz Polski - wyd. J.N. Bobrowicz, Lipsk 1839-1845 - Tom 7 p. 248-252.


Related analyses:

Wielka Genealogia Minakowskiego