Szlachta ziemi bielskiej wobec bezkrólewi w XVI-XVII wieku

Interregnum było szczególnym okresem, kiedy staropolska samorządność miała największe pole do popisu. Przebadanie zachowań Bielszczan w kolejnych bezkrólewiach w XVI-XVII w., ze względu na ich powtarzalność i „niepowtarzalność” zarazem, przyniosło interesujące wyniki. Tym użyteczniejsze, że wciąż nie posiadamy monografii sejmiku brańskiego. Szlachta bielska, choć była to grupa dalece niejednorodna, w swych elitach, w gronie przywódców miała przede wszystkim średniozamożnych urzędników, rzymskich katolików etnicznie polskiego pochodzenia. Choć należeli oni często do klienteli możnych rodów, ich znaczenie wśród braci szlacheckiej w „terenie” nie zależało wyłącznie od patrona, lecz od własnych zasług i budowanej latami pozycji. Bielszczanie znali swoje miejsce w szeregu, ustępowali „starszym”, „górnym” województwom, zazwyczaj dążąc w sprawach tyczących się całego państwa do konsensusu i nie próbując usilnie forsować swoich pomysłów.

The interregnum was a special period when the old Polish nobility self-government had the greatest scope for manoeuvre. The study of Bielsk land attitude in the subsequent interregnum in the 16th-17th centuries, due to their repetitiveness and „uniqueness” at the same time, brought interesting results. The more useful, as we still do not have a monograph of the Brańsk sejmik. The nobility of Bielsk land knew their place in the line, gave way to the „upper” voivodships, usually striving for consensus in the whole country and not trying to force their ideas. With great determination, however, they sought the interests of the local community and defended their rights, especially - in their opinion constantly violated – „privilege of incorporation of Podlasie” from 1569. Very rarely during the interregnum they spoke about foreign policy. More often, however, they were interested in the person of the king, in the shape of the court, in his maintenance. Much space was devoted to defence and the army, as well as to the matters of treasury. In spite of the numerical superiority of the small, poor noble families, the tone to political action was given by the wealthier - to use the words of voivode of Podlasie Mikołaj Kiszka – „more accurate”. The Bielsk land nobility, although it was a very heterogeneous group, among the leaders had, above all, middle-class officials, Roman Catholics of ethnically Polish origin. Although they often belonged to the clientele of wealthy families, their importance among the noblemen of the Bielsk land did not depend solely on the patron, but on their own merits. They did not forget about the needs of their „voters” and took care of providing them with the opportunity to participate in the election of the king, at least by representatives. While establishing an extraordinary judiciary during the interregnum, it was sought that court fees were not harmful to „poor people”. The efficiency of the local leadership elite in dealing with taking over responsibility for the community grew with each subsequent interregnum. One can see the gradual „ingrown” of Podlasie into the political system of the Polish Crown and the development of political culture among the local nobility. However, the decline of Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth political system, starting from the second half of the 17th century, of course, affected also the Bielsk land and its nobility, including dependence on the magnates and conflicts between factions, that even caused the breaking up of the local sejmik.