adopt her/his noble mother's surname and title with the consent of the mother's father but was often adopted and raised by the natural father's family, thereby acquiring the father's surname and title. Heart-shaped shields were mostly used in representations of the coats of arms of royalty. Following the union between Poland and Lithuania, and the creation of the elective monarchy, it became customary to place the coats of Poland and Lithuania diagonally, with the coat of arms of the specific monarch placed centrally on top. Research continues to find out what a "heart-shaped" shield is. Most likely, the coat of Poland was placed on the left-right diagonal (I & IV) and Lithuania on the right-left diagonal (II & III) as evidenced in the shield at the top of this page. The specific monarch crest then being placed in the "heart" position. Tinctures In addition to these seven basic tinctures, which were standard in western Europe, many more tinctures were used in Poland and (after the union with Poland) Lithuania. See also Heraldry History of Poland List of coats of arms of Polish nobility List of Polish nobility coats of arms images Szlachta Belarusian heraldry Polish name Polish clans Coats of arms of Polish voivodeships References Sources Further reading Traditionally coats of arms were published in various listings of szlachta and in armorials, known in Polish as herbarz. Such publications, akin to Almanach de Gotha or Gelre Armorial and descended from the tradition of rolls of arms, appeared in Poland regularly from the 15th century onwards. The first such armorial was Insignia seu clenodia incliti Regni Poloniae by Jan Długosz. In recent years growing interest in family histories has led to publication of numerous newly compiled listings of coats of arms and families. Some of the most notable among such publications are: (published in 15 volumes, unfinished) External links Polish-Litvan Noble Heraldry Polish coats of arms - a full list of Polish coats of arms Polish Nobility and Its Heraldry Armorial Coats of Arms within the context of the hereditary aristocracy of the historic Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth Kinship and descent