Magnates of Poland and Lithuania
The magnates of Poland and Lithuania were an important group of people in the politics of the Polish-Litihuanian Commonwealth. They became an aristocracy around the 16th century and gained more and more power over first the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and the Kingdom of Poland, and later, the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. By the end of the Commonwealth, in the late 18th century, magnates were one of the most important roles in the politics of the Commonwealth. The most powerful of magnates were known as "little kings" because of their rank and influence over the Commonwealth.