Magnates of Poland and Lithuania

The magnates arose as the wealthiest and most politically powerful social class, part of the nobility (szlachta), of the Kingdom of Poland and Grand Duchy of Lithuania, around 16th century.

[1][2] 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.

[1] As Norman Davies noted, at that time "political life [of Poland] was reduced to the feuds, fortunes, and the follies of a few families".

[1] Some magnates were also elected as kings of the Commonwealth; namely Michał Korybut Wiśniowiecki and Stanisław August Poniatowski (a relative of the Czartoryski family).

[4][8] With few exceptions, mostly dating from the Union of Lublin, and special privileges permitting some Lithuanian magnates to use them, such titles were forbidden by law.

[11][1][12] Major magnate residences, usually in the form of dwórs or dvaras and even outright palaces were found in: Pawłowice, Iwno, Biržai, Kėdainiai, Nesvizh, Slutsk, Kletsk, Slonim, Białystok, Sieraków, Leszno, Rydzyna, Gołuchów, Bieżuń, Jabłonna, Siedlce, Nieborów, Otwock, Pawłowice, Iwno, Vowchyn (Voŭčyn), Biała, Kodeń, Puławy, Białaczów, Końskie, Ujazd, Opole, Rytwiany, Baranów, Zamość, Chervonohrad, Łańcut, Ruzhany, Przeworsk, Zhovkva, Wiśnicz, Rzeszów, Dukla, Krasiczyn, Ivano-Frankivsk, Zolochiv, Brody, Pidhirtsi, Vyshnivets, Olyka, Korets, Ostroh, Iziaslav, Buchach, Zbarazh, Bila Tserkva, Sieniawa, Korsun-Shevchenkivskyi and Tulchyn.