Turk head (heraldry) explained

In European heraldry, the severed Turk head (hu|Törökfej, pl|Turecka głowa, Czech and sk|Turecká hlava, Turska glava|Турска глава, uk|Турецька голова|Turetska holova), most often as pierced by a sword, signifies the many wars fought by European Christian states against the invading Muslim, Turkish-led Ottoman Empire. Other depictions include the head held up by a victor or picked by a raven. It is used in modern town, municipality and village coat of arms in Hungary, Serbia and Croatia.

List

Cities and towns

• Hungary: Bezeréd, Derecske, Komádi, Gáborján, Hajdúdorog, Hajdúnánás, Szécsény, Tépe
• Serbia: Kikinda, Vršac
• Croatia: Đelekovec

Families

It was adopted by some Austro-Hungarian nobility, such as:

• The Balogh of Nemčice (in Slovakia), Mezőcsávás (in Romania), Csegö (?), Szász-Czegö (?)
• The Schwarzenberg of Český Krumlov (in Bohemia)^[1]
• The Baky
• The Benkeö of Kezdi-Sarfalva
• The Branovacki
• The Csernovics
• The Csernoevicz
• The Csokits
• The Dunca of Sajo
• The Eperjessy of Gyulafehérvár (in Romania)
• The Gaines
• The Kajdachy
• The Karácson
• The Kovács
• The Kruchió
• The Latinovics
• The Nagy
• The Okolicsányi
• The Pótsa

See also

• Heads in heraldry
• Moor's head (heraldry)
• Ottoman wars in Europe

Further reading

• Book: Palmira Brummett. Mapping the Ottomans. 19 May 2015. Cambridge University Press. 978-1-107-09077-4. 209–.

Notes and References

1. Book: Charles Stickney. World Enough: Travel Memoirs. May 2001. iUniverse. 978-0-595-18474-3. 23.