Szlachta

Szlachta (pronounced: ) was the noble class in Poland and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, which together formed the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. The szlachta were formed in the late Middle Ages and existed through the 18th century and into the 19th century. Traditionally, the szlachta were owners of landed property, often in the form of folwarks. The szlachta enjoyed substantial and almost unrivalled political privileges until the Partitions of Poland in the late 18th century. The nobility was officially abolished during the Second Polish Republic by the March 1921 Constitution, though membership in its ranks remains widely claimed in various strata of Polish society at home and abroad.

See also

• History of Poland
• List of szlachta
• Legitimization of szlachta in Congress Poland (legitymacja szlachectwa)
• Warsaw Confederation