Stosunek marszałka wielkiego koronnego Franciszka Bielińskiego do dziesięcin. Przyczynek do dziejów sporu o dziesięciny na Mazowszu w latach pięćdziesiątych XVIII w

Franciszek Bieliński’s Attitude towards Tithes. A Contribution to the History of the Dispute over Tithes in Masovia in the 1750’s The present article describes Franciszek Bieliński’s attitude towards tithes. He was the Grand Marshal of the Polish Crown and initiated a conflict about tithes between the Masovian nobility and the Catholic clergy, that began in the early 1750’s. In the article I analyse the manifesto that was published under Bieliński’s auspices, along with his correspondence with other dignitaries of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, as well as their speeches during the Sejm of 1752 in Grodno. It was no secret that Bieliński initiated this conflict mainly for personal reasons. However, his activity perpetuated the evolution of the practice that courts for nobility were competent to examine cases concerning tithes.