It should also be mentioned that in the final years of the period of the second and third representatives of the tribunal, each land should have its own representative.
') Ib. No. 224 art. 48. ') No. 224 art. art. 9. 3) Ib. art. 122. *) No. 226 art. 4. «) No. 216 The king did not want to take over the Russian voivodeship, as he himself says. ob. No. 224 art. 4 and 227 art. •_' «) Ib. 228 art. 2. ') Ib. No. 243. s) No. 269 art. 9.
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tribunal!) testify to the increased importance of the sejmik, as well as to the decentralization aspirations of individual lands in the voivodeship. As is known, it was not until 1690 that the Sejm agreed to this request of the Ruthenian Voivodeship.
One of the means of adding splendor to the crown was ennoblement. Granting nobility was a privilege of the crown and remained on the throne under the Jagiellon dynasty, and one could say that it lasted until the last years of the Polish Empire, but to a much smaller extent than it was under the Jagiellon dynasty. They considered ennoblement as an exclusive privilege of their monarchical power and awarded the jewel of nobility according to their will. After the Jagiellonian dynasty, kings also granted nobility, but at the request of hetmans and regional councils, and at the sejm.
It was during the times of the growing council that the nobility realized that nobility could be used to increase their power and decided to take away the power to ennoble kings. A resolution of the Sejm in 1578 specified that nobility was to be awarded only at the Sejm or in the army. In 1601, ennoblement was tightened even further, stating that no one could be ennobled without the permission of the nobility and specifying that ennoblement should take place upon the order of the senate, land envoys or the hetman. In this way, the sejmik becomes the instance that recommends people to the sejm for ennoblement, and the sejm becomes the authority that grants nobility. At the above-mentioned sejm, it was also determined that the nobility process would take place at the deputation sejmik, from which the party was to bring an attestation to the Lublin tribunal and swear there with his relatives of nobility origin. In this way, the sejmik became an instance checking the evidence of noble origin and recommending distinguished people of other classes for nobility.
From the very beginning of the first period, the Wisze sejmik has been working towards making ennoblement dependent on the nobility. How extreme this matter was understood is evidenced by the instruction given to the members of the Sejm in 1593 to try to create nobility only upon the request of the district assemblies9). We also see how the sejmik recommended Kąkolski to be ennobled in 1615, then Wołos/yn Stroicz, Batory; we see how Miron Bernawski himself stands in Wiśnia and asks the sejmik to support the indigenate at the sejm 3) - how Piotr Mohyła, grandson of the hospodar of Wallachia Hieremi, even exposes himself to the dangers accompanying sejmiks and obtains the support of the nobility for the indigenate in Wiśnia4)
Of course, the support of the regional council was not ineffective and was also done in the interest of the local government. Typical reservations were made, such as those of the Voloshins, who were ordered to the indigenation not to buy goods in the land before obtaining it, or, as in the case of Croie's indigenation, to move from France to Poland, as no one can serve two masters. Tradition was also taken into account, according to
•) No. 282 art. 1 and No. 208 art. 36. ") Lauda I. No. 56 Art. 28. ») Ibid. No. 100 Art. 38. No. 161 Art. 19 No. 163 Art. 29. «) Ob. No. 147 Art. 23 and Note 2 and No. 149 Art. 35. Ib. No. 211 article 64
the newly ennobled was not yet fully entitled to nobility. Therefore, when in 1636 the sejmik agreed to ennoble plebeians who had distinguished themselves near Smolensk, it made a reservation that the descendants of the newly ennobled up to the third generation should be incapaces bonorum et clignitahim, although it was agreed to provide them with care in the Smolensk region or in the Siewierszczyzna i). In the same way, indigenation was agreed for Miron Kosten and Wilam, provided that they were not given any goods, except for the mayorship 2). Other ennoblements which would not take place at the sejmiks - reads the instructions - and which the imanimiter had not agreed not to allow3).