![Polish magnates 1697-1795](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/21/Polish_magnates_1697-1795.PNG)
The magnates of Poland and Lithuania () were an
aristocracy
Aristocracy (, ) is a form of government that places strength in the hands of a small, privileged ruling class, the aristocracy (class), aristocrats. The term derives from the el, αριστοκρατία (), meaning 'rule of the best'.
At t ...
of
Polish-Lithuanian nobility
Nobility is a social class found in many societies that have an aristocracy (class), aristocracy. It is normally ranked immediately below Royal family, royalty. Nobility has often been an Estates of the realm, estate of the realm with many e ...
(''
szlachta
The ''szlachta'' (Polish: endonym, Lithuanian: šlėkta) were the noble estate of the realm in the Kingdom of Poland, the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, and the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth who, as a class, had the dominating position in the ...
'') that existed in the
Crown of the Kingdom of Poland
The Crown of the Kingdom of Poland ( pl, Korona Królestwa Polskiego; Latin: ''Corona Regni Poloniae''), known also as the Polish Crown, is the common name for the historic Late Middle Ages territorial possessions of the King of Poland, includ ...
, in the
Grand Duchy of Lithuania
The Grand Duchy of Lithuania was a European state that existed from the 13th century to 1795, when the territory was partitioned among the Russian Empire, the Kingdom of Prussia, and the Habsburg Empire of Austria. The state was founded by Li ...
and, from the 1569
Union of Lublin
The Union of Lublin ( pl, Unia lubelska; lt, Liublino unija) was signed on 1 July 1569 in Lublin, Poland, and created a single state, the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, one of the largest countries in Europe at the time. It replaced the pe ...
, in the
Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth
The Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, formally known as the Kingdom of Poland and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, and, after 1791, as the Commonwealth of Poland, was a bi-confederal state, sometimes called a federation, of Crown of the Kingdom of ...
, until the
Third Partition of Poland in 1795.
The
magnate
The magnate term, from the late Latin ''magnas'', a great man, itself from Latin ''magnus'', "great", means a man from the higher nobility, a man who belongs to the high office-holders, or a man in a high social position, by birth, wealth or ot ...
social class arose around the 16th century and, over time, gained more and more control over Commonwealth politics. The most powerful magnates were known as "little kings" due to the extent of their power and independence. Their influence diminished with the
Third Partition of Poland (1795), which ended the Commonwealth's independent existence, and came to an end with the
Second World War
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
and the
communist
Communism (from Latin la, communis, lit=common, universal, label=none) is a far-left sociopolitical, philosophical, and economic ideology and current within the socialist movement whose goal is the establishment of a communist society, a s ...
-ruled
People's Republic of Poland
The Polish People's Republic ( pl, Polska Rzeczpospolita Ludowa, PRL) was a country in Central Europe that existed from 1947 to 1989 as the predecessor of the modern Republic of Poland. With a population of approximately 37.9 million nea ...
.
Famous magnate families in the territories of the
Crown of Poland included the
Czartoryski,
Kalinowski
Kalinowski (other spellings listed below) is a surname which is most frequent in north-eastern Poland. It comes from place names such as Kalinowa (disambiguation), Kalinowa, Kalinowo (disambiguation), Kalinowo, and Kalinów (disambiguation), Kali ...
,
Koniecpolski
The House of Koniecpolski (plural: Koniecpolscy) is the name of the Polish noble family.
History
The Koniecpolski was a magnate family. The family appears in the historical annals beginning in the 15th century. The family originated from the v ...
,
Ostrogski
The House of Ostrogski ( pl, Ostrogscy, lt, Ostrogiškiai, ua, Острозькі - ''Ostroz'ki'') was one of the more prominent families in the Kingdom of Poland, the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and in the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth. The fa ...
,
Potocki
The House of Potocki (; plural: Potoccy, male: Potocki, feminine: Potocka) was a prominent Polish noble family in the Kingdom of Poland and magnates of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth. The Potocki family is one of the wealthiest and ...
,
Tarnowski
Tarnowski (feminine: Tarnowska; plural: Tarnowscy) is a Polish-language toponymic surname derived from the city of Tarnów.
Related surnames
People
* Tarnowski family, a Polish noble family
* Adam Tarnowski (senior) (1866–1946), Polish and Aus ...
,
Wiśniowiecki,
Zasławski
The House of Zasławski (plural ''Zasławscy'') was the name of a Polish– Ruthenian noble family and a cadet branch of the Ostrogski family. The Zasławski family had its power base in Volhynia, Crown of the Kingdom of Poland (today in Ukra ...
and
Zamoyski families; and in the
Grand Duchy of Lithuania
The Grand Duchy of Lithuania was a European state that existed from the 13th century to 1795, when the territory was partitioned among the Russian Empire, the Kingdom of Prussia, and the Habsburg Empire of Austria. The state was founded by Li ...
, the
Kieżgajłow,
Olelkowicz,
Radziwiłł,
Pac Pac or PAC may refer to:
Military
* Rapid Deployment Force (Malaysia), an armed forces unit
* Patriot Advanced Capability, of the MIM-104 Patriot missile
* Civil Defense Patrols (''Patrullas de Autodefensa Civil''), Guatemalan militia and paramili ...
and
Sapieha families.
History and characteristics
The magnates arose as the wealthiest and most politically powerful
social class
A social class is a grouping of people into a set of Dominance hierarchy, hierarchical social categories, the most common being the Upper class, upper, Middle class, middle and Working class, lower classes. Membership in a social class can for ...
, part of the nobility (''
szlachta
The ''szlachta'' (Polish: endonym, Lithuanian: šlėkta) were the noble estate of the realm in the Kingdom of Poland, the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, and the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth who, as a class, had the dominating position in the ...
''), of the
Kingdom of Poland and
Grand Duchy of Lithuania
The Grand Duchy of Lithuania was a European state that existed from the 13th century to 1795, when the territory was partitioned among the Russian Empire, the Kingdom of Prussia, and the Habsburg Empire of Austria. The state was founded by Li ...
, around 16th century.
[ Their powers waned after the Commonwealth loss of independence following its final partition in 1795, but they would remain a significant power in the culture, politics and economy of the Polish territories until ]World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
.[
Magnates (or higher nobility) vied for political power with the lesser and middle nobility ('']Ruch egzekucyjny
The Executionist movement was a 16th-century political movement in the Kingdom of Poland and, later, the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth. It was popular among lesser, middle and even some higher nobility, and it also enjoyed the support of the Pol ...
'' in the late 16th century, and the reform movement of the Great Sejm in the late 18th century) and the King
King is the title given to a male monarch in a variety of contexts. The female equivalent is queen, which title is also given to the consort of a king.
*In the context of prehistory, antiquity and contemporary indigenous peoples, the tit ...
.[ To be counted among the magnates, one should have a large estate, and political influence at least on the scale of a ]province
A province is almost always an administrative division within a country or sovereign state, state. The term derives from the ancient Roman ''Roman province, provincia'', which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire ...
, if not national.[ Regional differences abounded, with the estates being much larger in the east, where the wealthier magnates were also much more likely to have their own ]private armies
Private or privates may refer to:
Music
* " In Private", by Dusty Springfield from the 1990 album ''Reputation''
* Private (band), a Denmark-based band
* "Private" (Ryōko Hirosue song), from the 1999 album ''Private'', written and also recorde ...
. The eastern territories were more independent from the central power, and the large estates there, known as latifundia, with private cities and armies of the magnates, gave rise there to the term ''królewięta'' ("little kings") used for the wealthiest of them - the developing aristocracy
Aristocracy (, ) is a form of government that places strength in the hands of a small, privileged ruling class, the aristocracy (class), aristocrats. The term derives from the el, αριστοκρατία (), meaning 'rule of the best'.
At t ...
. The magnates in the Royal Prussia had their fortunes build not around their own lands, but the royal grants (''królewszczyzny
Crown land (sometimes spelled crownland), also known as royal domain, is a territorial area belonging to the monarch, who personifies the Crown. It is the equivalent of an Fee tail, entailed Estate (land), estate and passes with the monarchy, be ...
'').[ The magnates tried to avoid splitting up of their lands, and some of the wealthiest families were able to protect their lands from division through the '']ordynacja
In English common law, fee tail or entail is a form of trust established by deed or settlement which restricts the sale or inheritance of an estate in real property and prevents the property from being sold, devised by will, or otherwise aliena ...
'' system.[ Magnate residences often became cultural and economic centers for a given region.][
]Social mobility
Social mobility is the movement of individuals, families, households or other categories of people within or between social strata in a society. It is a change in social status relative to one's current social location within a given society ...
was present, in a limited fashion, as while the magnates preferred to marry within their own ranks, particularly wealthy of famous lesser nobles were able to join their ranks over time; this was the case with the Koniecpolski family
The House of Koniecpolski (plural: Koniecpolscy) is the name of the Polish noble family.
History
The Koniecpolski was a magnate family. The family appears in the historical annals beginning in the 15th century. The family originated from the v ...
, Ossoliński family and the Zamoyski family.[
From the late 16th century the influence of the magnates on Commonwealth politics rose sharply, through their participation in the administrative system (see offices of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth) and their control over the lesser nobility, which allowed them to influence the parliaments (local '' sejmiks'' and the national '' sejm walny'') of the country.][ From the second half of the 17th century, the magnates emerged as the victors in the struggle for power in the ]Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth
The Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, formally known as the Kingdom of Poland and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, and, after 1791, as the Commonwealth of Poland, was a bi-confederal state, sometimes called a federation, of Crown of the Kingdom of ...
, leading some scholar to refer to this period as a time of the magnate oligarchy
Oligarchy (; ) is a conceptual form of power structure in which power rests with a small number of people. These people may or may not be distinguished by one or several characteristics, such as nobility, fame, wealth, education, or corporate, r ...
.[ As ]Norman Davies
Ivor Norman Richard Davies (born 8 June 1939) is a Welsh-Polish historian, known for his publications on the history of Europe, Poland and the United Kingdom. He has a special interest in Central and Eastern Europe and is UNESCO Professor at ...
noted, at that time "political life f Poland
F, or f, is the sixth letter in the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. Its name in English is ''ef'' (pronounced ), and the plural is ''efs''.
Hist ...
was reduced to the feuds, fortunes, and the follies of a few families". Faced with the weakness of the king and parliament, the magnates were even able on occasion to start border wars ( Magnate Moldavian Wars, the Dimitriads) or civil wars (Radziwiłł's rebellion during The Deluge
The Genesis flood narrative (chapters 6–9 of the Book of Genesis) is the Hebrew version of the universal flood myth. It tells of God's decision to return the universe to its pre- creation state of watery chaos and remake it through the microc ...
, and the Sapieha's-centered Lithuanian Civil War of 1700).[ Some magnates were also elected as kings of the Commonwealth; namely Michał Korybut Wiśniowiecki and ]Stanisław August Poniatowski
Stanisław II August (born Stanisław Antoni Poniatowski; 17 January 1732 – 12 February 1798), known also by his regnal Latin name Stanislaus II Augustus, was King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania from 1764 to 1795, and the last monarch ...
(a relative of the Czartoryski family).
All members of the szlachta were equal under the law, therefore "magnate
The magnate term, from the late Latin ''magnas'', a great man, itself from Latin ''magnus'', "great", means a man from the higher nobility, a man who belongs to the high office-holders, or a man in a high social position, by birth, wealth or ot ...
" ( pl, magnat) was not an official title but rather a position of social class
A social class is a grouping of people into a set of Dominance hierarchy, hierarchical social categories, the most common being the Upper class, upper, Middle class, middle and Working class, lower classes. Membership in a social class can for ...
, based on wealth
Wealth is the abundance of Value (economics), valuable financial assets or property, physical possessions which can be converted into a form that can be used for financial transaction, transactions. This includes the core meaning as held in the ...
. Several magnates held high feudal titles or peerage ranks such as prince
A prince is a male ruler (ranked below a king, grand prince, and grand duke) or a male member of a monarch's or former monarch's family. ''Prince'' is also a title of nobility (often highest), often hereditary, in some European states. Th ...
or count
Count (feminine: countess) is a historical title of nobility in certain European countries, varying in relative status, generally of middling rank in the hierarchy of nobility. Pine, L. G. ''Titles: How the King Became His Majesty''. New York: ...
. With few exceptions, mostly dating from the Union of Lublin
The Union of Lublin ( pl, Unia lubelska; lt, Liublino unija) was signed on 1 July 1569 in Lublin, Poland, and created a single state, the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, one of the largest countries in Europe at the time. It replaced the pe ...
, and special privileges permitting some Lithuanian magnates to use them, such titles were forbidden by law. Titles from the offices in Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth however were very popular.
The wealthiest of magnates would wear crimson
Crimson is a rich, deep red color, inclining to purple.
It originally meant the color of the kermes dye produced from a scale insect, ''Kermes vermilio'', but the name is now sometimes also used as a generic term for slightly bluish-red colo ...
and scarlet items of clothing, leading to a nickname for that elite group, ''karmazyni'' (the "crimson ones").
Families
Famous magnate families from the Crown of Poland territories included the Czartoryski family, Kalinowski family
Kalinowski was a notable Polish noble family that belonged to a limited and small circle of Magnates of Poland and Lithuania.
History
Like many other Szlachta houses of the Kingdom of Poland, the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, and the Duchy of Rut ...
, Koniecpolski family
The House of Koniecpolski (plural: Koniecpolscy) is the name of the Polish noble family.
History
The Koniecpolski was a magnate family. The family appears in the historical annals beginning in the 15th century. The family originated from the v ...
, Mielżyński family, Ostrogski family, Potocki family
The House of Potocki (; plural: Potoccy, male: Potocki, feminine: Potocka) was a prominent Polish noble family in the Kingdom of Poland and magnates of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth. The Potocki family is one of the wealthiest and ...
, Wiśniowiecki family, Zasławski family and the Zamoyski family, and from the Grand Duchy, the Branicki (Korczak) family, Kieżgajłow family, Olelkowicze family, Radziwiłł family
The House of Radziwiłł (; lt, Radvila; be, Радзівіл, Radzivił; german: link=no, Radziwill) is a powerful magnate family originating from the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and later also prominent in the Crown of the Kingdom of Poland.
...
, Sapieha family and the Tyszkiewicz (family).[
]
Residences
Major magnate residences, usually in the form of '' dwórs'' or outright palace
A palace is a grand residence, especially a royal residence, or the home of a head of state or some other high-ranking dignitary, such as a bishop or archbishop. The word is derived from the Latin name palātium, for Palatine Hill in Rome which ...
s were found in: Pawłowice, Iwno, Birże (Biržai), Kiejdany (Kėdainiai), Nieśwież
Nesvizh, Niasviž ( be, Нясві́ж ; lt, Nesvyžius; pl, Nieśwież; russian: Не́свиж; yi, ניעסוויז; la, Nesvisium) is a city in Belarus. It is the administrative centre of the Nyasvizh District (''rajon'') of Minsk Region ...
(Nesvizh), Słuck (Slutsk), Kleck
Kletsk ( be, Клецк, Klieck, originally known as ''Klechesk'', russian: Клецк, pl, Kleck, ) is a city in the Minsk Region of Belarus, located on the Lan River. In 2015 it had 11,237 inhabitants.
History
The town was founded in the 11 ...
(Kletsk), Słonim
Slonim ( be, Сло́нім, russian: Сло́ним, lt, Slanimas, lv, Sloņima, pl, Słonim, yi, סלאָנים, ''Slonim'') is a city in Grodno Region, Belarus, capital of the Slonimski rajon. It is located at the junction of the Ščar ...
(Slonim), Białystok
Białystok is the largest city in northeastern Poland and the capital of the Podlaskie Voivodeship. It is the tenth-largest city in Poland, second in terms of population density, and thirteenth in area.
Białystok is located in the Białystok Up ...
, Sieraków
Sieraków (; german: Zirke) is a town in western Poland with 8,768 inhabitants (2012). Located by the Warta River, it is situated in the Międzychód County in the Greater Poland Voivodeship. Sieraków is known as a holiday destination with well-d ...
, Leszno
Leszno (german: Lissa, 1800–1918 ''Lissa in Posen'') is a historic city in western Poland, within the Greater Poland Voivodeship. It is the seventh-largest city in the province with an estimated population of 62,200, as of 2021. Previously, it ...
, Rydzyna
Rydzyna (pronounced , german: Reisen) is a historic town in western Poland, located in the southern part of the Greater Poland Voivodeship, 10 km south of Leszno, in the Leszno County, close to the main Poznań - Wrocław highway S5.
The ...
, Gołuchów, Bieżuń, Jabłonna, Siedlce
Siedlce [] ( yi, שעדליץ ) is a city in eastern Poland with 77,354 inhabitants (). Situated in the Masovian Voivodeship (since 1999), previously the city was the capital of a separate Siedlce Voivodeship (1975–1998). The city is situated b ...
, Nieborów
Nieborów is a village in Łowicz County, Łódź Voivodeship, in central Poland. It is the seat of the gmina (administrative district) called Gmina Nieborów. It lies approximately east of Łowicz and north-east of the regional capital Łód ...
, Otwock, Pawłowice, Iwno, Wołczyn
Wołczyn (german: Konstadt) is a town in Kluczbork County, Opole Voivodeship, southern Poland, with 5,907 inhabitants . According to 2011 data, it covers , and is the seat of Gmina Wołczyn. It is located within the historic region of Lower Siles ...
(Voŭčyn), Biała, Kodeń
Kodeń is a village in eastern Poland on the Bug River, which forms the border between Poland and Belarus. Administratively, it belongs to Biała Podlaska County in Lublin Voivodeship. It is the seat of the gmina (administrative district) calle ...
, Puławy, Białaczów
Białaczów is a village (a town in 1456 - 1870) in Opoczno County, Łódź Voivodeship, in central Poland. It is the seat of the gmina (administrative district) called Gmina Białaczów. It lies approximately south of Opoczno and south-east of ...
, Końskie
Końskie ( yi, Kinsk, קינצק / קינסק) is a town in south-central Poland with 20,328 inhabitants (2008), situated in the Świętokrzyskie Voivodeship. Historically, Końskie belongs to the province of Lesser Poland, and since its found ...
, Ujazd
Ujazd (german: Ujest) is a town in Strzelce County in the Opole Voivodeship in southern Poland. Population 1,647.
The town lies on bank of the river Kłodnica. Tourist attractions in the town include the Ujazd Castle (formerly used by bishops of ...
, Opole
Opole (; german: Oppeln ; szl, Ôpole) ;
* Silesian:
** Silesian PLS alphabet: ''Ôpole''
** Steuer's Silesian alphabet: ''Uopole''
* Silesian German: ''Uppeln''
* Czech: ''Opolí''
* Latin: ''Oppelia'', ''Oppolia'', ''Opulia'' is a city loc ...
, Rytwiany, Baranów, Zamość, Krystynopol
Chervonohrad ( uk, Червоноград, ; former Polish name: ''Krystynopol'', uk, Кристинопіль, 'Krystynopil', german: Krisnipolye) is a mining city and the administrative center of Chervonohrad Raion, Lviv Oblast of western Ukr ...
(Chervonohrad), Łańcut
Łańcut (, approximately "wine-suit"; yi, לאַנצוט, Lantzut; uk, Ла́ньцут, Lánʹtsut; german: Landshut) is a town in south-eastern Poland, with 18,004 inhabitants, as of 2 June 2009. Situated in the Subcarpathian Voivodeship (si ...
, Różana (Ruzhany), Przeworsk, Żółkiew
Zhovkva ( uk, Жовква ; pl, Żółkiew; yi, זאָלקוואַ, translit=Zolkva; russian: Жо́лква, 1951–1992: ''Nesterov'') is a city in Lviv Raion, Lviv Oblast (region) of western Ukraine. Zhovkva hosts the administration of Zho ...
(Zhovkva), Wiśnicz
Wiśnicz is a village in the administrative district of Gmina Małogoszcz, within Jędrzejów County, Świętokrzyskie Voivodeship, in south-central Poland. It lies approximately west of Małogoszcz, north-west of Jędrzejów, and west of the ...
, Rzeszów, Dukla
Dukla is a town and an eponymous municipality in southeastern Poland, in the Subcarpathian Voivodeship. As of December 2021, the town has a population of 2,017. The total area of the commune is . Dukla belongs to Lesser Poland, and until the P ...
, Krasiczyn
Krasiczyn (; uk, Красічин, Krasichyn) is a village in Przemyśl County, Subcarpathian Voivodeship, in south-eastern Poland. It is the seat of the gmina (administrative district) called Gmina Krasiczyn. The village has a population of 440 ...
, Stanisławów (Ivano-Frankivsk), Złoczów (Zolochiv), Brody, Podhorce (Pidhirtsi), Wiśniowiec
Vyshnivets ( uk, Вишнівець, translit. ''Vyshnivets’''; pl, Wiśniowiec) is an urban-type settlement in Kremenets Raion (district) of the Ternopil Oblast (province) of western Ukraine. It hosts the administration of Vyshnivets settleme ...
(Vyshnivets), Ołyka
Olyka ( uk, Оли́ка, pl, Ołyka, yi, אליק ''Olik'') is an urban-type settlement in Lutsk Raion, Volyn Oblast, Ukraine. It is located east of Lutsk on the Putylivka Rriver. Its population is .
History
The village of Olyka was founde ...
(Olyka), Korzec
Korets (, russian: link=no, Корец, , yi, קאריץ ''Koritz'') is a city in Rivne Oblast in Ukraine. The city is located on the Korchyk river, 66 kilometers to the east of Rivne. It is administrative center of Korets Raion. Population:
...
(Korets), Ostróg
Ostroh ( uk, Остро́г; pl, Ostróg) is a historic city located in Rivne Oblast (province) of western Ukraine, on the Horyn River. Ostroh is the administrative center of the Ostroh Raion (district). Administratively, Ostroh is incorporated ...
(Ostroh), Zasław (Iziaslav), Buczacz
Buchach ( uk, Бучач; pl, Buczacz; yi, בעטשאָטש, Betshotsh or (Bitshotsh); he, בוצ'אץ' ''Buch'ach''; german: Butschatsch; tr, Bucaş) is a city located on the Strypa River (a tributary of the Dniester) in Chortkiv Raion of Te ...
(Buchach), Zbaraż (Zbarazh), Biała Cerkiew
Bila Tserkva ( uk, Бі́ла Це́рква ; ) is a city in the center of Ukraine, the largest city in Kyiv Oblast (after Kyiv, which is the administrative center, but not part of the oblast), and part of the Right Bank. It serves as the admi ...
(Bila Tserkva), Sieniawa
Sieniawa (; uk, Сеня́ва, Seniáva), is a town in southeastern Poland. It had a population of 2,127 inhabitants (02.06.2009). Since 1999, Sieniawa has been part of Subcarpathian Voivodeship.
History
Sieniawa's history dates back to the 17 ...
, Korsuń (Korsun-Shevchenkivskyi) and Tulczyn
Tulchyn (, translit. ''Tul’chyn'', old name ''Nesterwar'' (from Hungarian ''Nester'' - Dniester and ''war'' -town), Latin Tulcinum, pl, Tulczyn, yi, טולטשין, ro, Tulcin) is a town in Vinnytsia Oblast (province) of western Ukraine, f ...
(Tulchyn).[Michael Pratt. The Great Country Houses of Poland. New York: Abbeville, 2007. Print.]
See also
* List of szlachta
The ''szlachta'' ( pl, szlachta, ) was a privileged social class in the Kingdom of Poland. The term ''szlachta'' was also used for the Lithuanian nobility after the union of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania with Poland as the Polish–Lithuanian Comm ...
(this article lists the families of the magnate class, or higher nobility).
* Golden Liberty
* Polish heraldry
Polish heraldry is the study of the coats of arms that have historically been used in Poland and the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth. It treats of specifically Polish heraldic traits and of the Polish heraldic system, contrasted with heraldic sys ...
* Sarmatism
* Princely Houses of Poland
The princely houses of Poland and Lithuania differed from other princely houses in Europe. Most importantly, Polish nobility (''szlachta'') could not be granted nobility titles by the Polish kings in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. Therefore ...
References
{{reflist, refs=
[Tadeusz Cegielski, Katarzyna Zielińska: Historia. Dzieje nowożytne. Podręcznik dla klasy II liceum ogólnokształcącego. Warszawa: Wydawnictwa Szkole i Pedagogiczne, 1998, p. 191. {{ISBN, 83-02-04757-0.]
[{{cite book, author1=Klub Kostiumologii i Tkaniny Artystycznej (Warsaw, Poland). Sesja, author2=Stowarzyszenie Historyków Sztuki. Oddział Warszawski, title=Ubiory w Polsce, url=https://books.google.com/books?id=A9ISAQAAIAAJ, year=1994, publisher=Kopia, page=183]
[{{cite book, author=Piotr Stefan Wandycz, title=The United States and Poland, url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_XaFaNshCrkC&pg=PA18, year=1980, publisher=Harvard University Press, isbn=978-0-674-92685-1, page=18]
[{{cite book, author=Richard Brzezinski, title=Polish Armies 1569-1696 (1), url=https://books.google.com/books?id=HTBei5ocWosC&pg=PA6, date=23 April 1987, publisher=Osprey Publishing, isbn=978-0-85045-736-0, pages=6–]
[{{cite book, author=Richard Brzezinski, title=Polish Armies 1569-1696 (2), url=https://books.google.com/books?id=6KrUDhbGDVcC&pg=PA12, date=1 June 1988, publisher=Osprey Publishing, isbn=978-0-85045-744-5, pages=12–13]
[{{cite book, author=Norman Davies, title=God's Playground A History of Poland: Volume 1: The Origins to 1795, url=https://books.google.com/books?id=b912JnKpYTkC&pg=PA379, date=24 February 2005, publisher=Oxford University Press, isbn=978-0-19-925339-5, page=379]
[{{cite book, author=Aleksander Gella, title=Development of Class Structure in Eastern Europe: Poland & Her Southern Neighbors, url=https://books.google.com/books?id=8keIXDyF_EoC&pg=PA92, year=1989, publisher=SUNY Press, isbn=978-0-88706-833-1, pages=92–94]
[{{cite book, author=Jeannie Labno, title=Commemorating the Polish Renaissance Child: Funeral Monuments and Their European Context, url=https://books.google.com/books?id=62amW8RD02EC&pg=PA26, date=1 May 2011, publisher=Ashgate Publishing, Ltd., isbn=978-0-7546-6825-1, pages=26–]
[{{cite book, author=Andrejs Plakans, title=A Concise History of the Baltic States, url=https://books.google.com/books?id=w6W2cHgJE2sC&pg=PA120, date=24 February 2011, publisher=Cambridge University Press, isbn=978-0-521-83372-1, page=120]
[{{cite web, url=http://encyklopedia.pwn.pl/haslo.php?id=3936056 , title=Magnaci (Magnates), publisher= Encyklopedia PWN, year=2010 , access-date=2012-12-12]
[{{cite book, author=Daniel Stone, title=The Polish-Lithuanian State: 1386-1795, url=https://books.google.com/books?id=LFgB_l4SdHAC&pg=PA233, year=2001, publisher=University of Washington Press, isbn=978-0-295-98093-5, page=233]
Polish nobility
Lithuanian nobility
Social class in Poland
Social history of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth
Social history of Ukraine