As some szlachta were poorer than some non-noble gentry, some particularly impoverished szlachta were forced <answer>to become tenants of the wealthier gentry.</answer> In doing so, however, these szlachta retained all their constitutional prerogatives, as it was not wealth or lifestyle (obtainable by the gentry), but hereditary juridical status, that determined nobility.
What were some impoverished szlachta forced to do?
to become tenants of the wealthier gentry.