Нобілітація священицьких родів греко-католицького віровизнання у Галичині (кінець XVIII – ХІХ ст.)

Research Objective – To analyze the process of nobility confirmation for descendants of priestly families and their integration into the noble estate of Galicia in the Austrian Empire. Explore the social aspects of this phenomenon. The research methodology is based on the principles of historicism, objectivity, and comprehensiveness and involves various methods such as analysis and synthesis, historical-comparative, historical-typological, and problem-chronological approaches. The scientific novelty lies in the study of one of the aspects of inter-establishment relations, in particular, the ennoblement of the Greek Catholic clergy during the Austrian rule. Conclusions: Noble status was a guarantee for entry into the upper echelons of society in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. Consequently, individuals from various social groups occupying an intermediate position between peasantry and nobility sought to acquire this status. The clergy, despite being a separate estate, also viewed nobility as a path to social success. During Austrian rule, these perceptions and social stereotypes continued to exist. This is evidenced by the history of two dozen families of clerical origin who successfully underwent ennoblement. As proof, they submitted 18th-century documents where their ancestors occasionally used the predicate "noble" or presented royal charters for parishes in royal estates. Seeking ennoblement, they could resort to outright falsification of evidence. Most of these families were from the Subcarpathian region, where the minor nobility lived, and the clergy had close family and property contacts with them.