ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Coat of arms of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth

Okay kiddo, let me tell you all about the coat of arms of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth!

You see, back in a long time ago in the 16th century, Poland and Lithuania were two different countries, like how your toy car and your toy train are different toys. But then, they decided to join together and become one big country called the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth! Kind of like how you and your friend might join together to build a big sandcastle at the beach.

When they became one big country, they needed a special symbol to represent them, like how you have a special toy that represents you. This special symbol was called a coat of arms. The coat of arms of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth had a few different parts to it.

First, it had a big eagle in the middle, with its wings spread wide like it's ready to fly. The eagle had two heads, which is pretty special because most eagles only have one head. One head was facing to the west, to represent Poland, and the other head was facing to the east, to represent Lithuania.

Around the eagle were some other special symbols. There were a few different types of crowns, which are special hats that kings and queens wear. The crowns showed that the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth was ruled by kings and queens. There were also some special signs of power, like a scepter and a sword.

So, when people saw the coat of arms of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, they knew that it represented a big country made up of two smaller countries, ruled by kings and queens, with a special eagle in the center that had two heads to represent both countries. Pretty cool, huh?