Official Elites of Podlasie from 14th till 18th century

The article refers to the joint publication entitled ‘The Officials of Podlasie from 14th till 18th century. Registers.’ released in 1994. The direct reason for this presentation is findings of some excerpts from księgi ziemskie and księgi grodzkie (both are the types of registers used by court in the First Commonwealth) from territory of Podlasie. They have recently been retrived in the National Archives of Ukraine in Lviv and they significantly enrich and rectify our knowledge of the issue. Moreover, they complete the gaps in historical sources, which the authors of the mentioned publication encountered before. The aim of the present publication is not only to enable the completion of missing data but also to add new information which will help in detailed research on the career of separate officials or families belonging to the local elite. Beyond doubt, such essential data about the life of the local society are marriages, the off-spring’ s careers, strategies of matchmaking, lineage and coats of arms. The article also postulates that in case a new compendium on official elites of Podlasie is published it should be extended by information on officials of lower ranks, such as ‘podstarości,’ ‘podwojewoda’, or ‘burgrabia’. The conclusion presents the source material being the confirmation of nobility of Jerzy Kostro. It corrects the information on the coat of arms of the officials sharing this family name