The article examines the impact of social, economic and political changes of the second half of 18thcentury and the beginning of 19th century on the functioning of rural society of Lesser Poland pro-vince. The study considers the situation of peasants, nobles and the clerg y. The first part of the article presents the state of research on the problem and the available sources. The second part is devoted to the presentation of selected examples of social relations observed in contemporary Lesser Poland rural society. Conflicts between landowners and lease owners over abused peasant labour, debates over tithes, abuses of state officials and peasant resistance (i.e. peasant desertions, court cases) are discuss
