Characteristics of Dębno, Gryf and Leliwa Noble Families in the Insignia Seu Clenodia Regis et Regni Poloniae by Jan Długosz

The article analyses three of the characteristics of Polish noble families contained in the Insignia seu clenodia Regis et Regni Poloniae. Clenodia, attributed to Jan Długosz, are one of the least known and at the same time the most interesting sources concerning late medieval Poland. Containing, apart from the description of the appearance of several dozen Polish coats of arms, also the characteristics of the family communities that used them, they constitute an extremely valuable field for research on the perception of the Polish nobility by Jan Długosz, his mentality and the semantics of his works. The similarity between the family characteristics present in Clenodia and the biographies of their representatives, present in the Annales seu Cronicae Incliti Regni Poloniae, demonstrated in the course of the analysis, seems to speak in favour of Długoszʼs authorship of both sources. The flattering characterization of the Dębno family was reflected in the long-standing acquaintance of Jan Długosz and Zbigniew Oleśnicki, portrayed by the chronicler as an ideal bishop. The assessment of the Leliwa family, and especially of the Kraków voivode Jan Tarnowski, concerns mainly their political activity, while the generosity attributed to the Gryf family was considered by Długosz as the main advantage of the family, revealing Christian generosity (largitia).