ABSTRACT
This chapter explores those unique aspects of Polish society that may have contributed to the tradition of erecting funeral monuments to children. It also addresses the ways in which Polish society differed from elsewhere in Europe. After the constitution of Nihil novi in 1505, legislation remained firmly in the nobility's control and they used it to obtain further advantages over the rest of society. During the Jagiellonian period, the social order consisted of five estates: the clergy, the nobility, the burghers, the Jews, the peasantry. Indeed it was the social and patriotic cohesiveness of the nobility that was instrumental in overcoming religious differences during the Reformation and gave rise to the principle of religious tolerance. The Sarmatian legend added lustre to the nobility, reinforcing the idea that noble birth was the origin of virtue, courage and patriotism. This enabled the szlachta to present a strong and united front against the rest of society, including the king.
