Kariery urzędnicze i pozycja społeczno-majątkowa podkomorzych ziemskich w Małopolsce w XVI–XVII wieku na tle porównawczym
Clerical careers and the social-financial position of Chamberlains of the Land in Lesser Poland in the 16th and 17th centuries from a comparative perspective

Summary/Abstract: The article is devoted to Chamberlains of the Land in Lesser Poland (the provinces of Krakow, Sandomierz and Lublin) in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. The main focus is on their clerical and financial careers in comparison with the other lands of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. The author emphasizes that the Chamberlain of the Land was the highest of the Offices of the Land and was highly respected among the nobility; therefore, those who held that office were often elected Members of Parliament and Speakers of sejmiki (provincial-level assemblies). The article presents the factors which determined the election for the office of Chamberlain of the Land and the issue of advancement of Chamberlains to the Senate. It shows the social position and financial status of Chamberlains as well as their affiliation with a particular group of the privileged. Also, attention was drawn to the significant differences between the two studied centuries regarding the course of clerical and financial careers of those who held the office of Chamberlain of the Land.

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