Skartabellat

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Skartabellat (lat. scartabellat) was a specific form of nobilitation in Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. Introduced by pacta conventa of 1669, ennoblement into a sort of lower nobility. Skartabels could not hold public offices or be members of the Sejm. After 3 generations in noble ranks these families would "mature" to peerage. Most scartabellats came from burghers; the institution was abolished in 1817.