Bulawa

For other uses, see Bulawa (disambiguation).

Bulawa of Ukraine's hetman Bohdan Khmelnytsky. XVII.

The bulawa (Latin [Polish] spelling: buława; Ukraine, булава [bulava]) is a ceremonial mace or baton. The word is of Ukrainian language - "the cone" origin.

Historically the buława was an attribute of a hetman, an officer of the highest military rank (a Field or Grand Hetman of Ukraine, or of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth; and the Otaman of Ukraine) or the military head of a Cossack state.

In Ukrainian language, a buława or bulava is a mace or a club, in both the military and ceremonial senses. The bulava was part of the Ukrainian Cossack Kleinody that were awarded by Hetman Bohdan Khmelnytsky to the Zaporizhian Host.

Hetmans typically added an image of a buława to their coats of arms.

Poland

Today the buława appears in the rank insignia of a Marshal of Poland.

Ukraine

Under the Ukrainian People's Republic, the General Staff of the Ukrainian Army was called the General Bulava.

The bulava is also an official symbol of the President of Ukraine, being housed in Ukraine's Vernadsky National Library.

Gallery

Hetman Jan Zamoyski in crimson delia and blue silk żupan. His right hand holds a hetman's buława.

Edward Rydz-Śmigły (right) receiving Marshal's buława from Polish President Ignacy Mościcki, Warsaw, 10 November 1936.

Coat-of-arms of a Polish hetman

Buława of Crown Field Hetman Marcin Kalinowski

See also

• Pernach
• Polish heraldry
• RSM-56 Bulava