Związki szlachty śląskiej z Polską
The relationships of the Silesian nobility with Poland

Summary/Abstract: Contrary to the views sometimes expressed (for instance, by Jan Stanislaw Bystron), the relationships of Silesia and the Kingdom of Poland were greatly intense, mainly because of the trade of oxen driven from Poland to Brzeg. The wealth of the Polish nobility impressed Silesians, which resulted in the popularity of Polish customs and fashion as well as language. First of all, however, it manifested itself in fabricating snobbishly the real and alleged lineage from the Polish (“Sarmatian”) ancestors by the Silesian nobility. The Polish origin proved “better” nobility since it was older than that which could be held by the descendants of German immigrants who arrived later. On the other hand, the ambitious Polish plebs easily pretended in Silesia to have been “noble-born” representatives of the Polish nobility. These usurpations were difficult to detect due to the lack of the heraldic office in the Kingdom of Poland. The adverse process is also noticeable: Silesian plebs, provided they were affluent, easily became a part of the Polish nobility.

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