V A nobiliary primer - history and terms explained 1) The rise and fall of the nobility The English nouns "nobles" and "nobility" derive from the Latin - "nobilis" meant both "well-known" and "well-born". As I have said above, by "nobility" I refer to that class in society which once had political, financial and social benefits as prescribed by law, and in most cases those benefits became hereditary. The circumstances surrounding the birth and rise of the nobility were of course different in different countries. In St. Jerome's Vulgate Bible there can be found 18 occurrences of "nobilis" and related words in the Old Testament and 7 in the New Testament. But it was during the Middle Ages that "nobility" became what we generally understand it to be. Medieval and early modern European nobility meant a combination of land-owning and military service and the rank of nobility was often conferred in recognition of military service. The ancient nobility, the patricians, are often recorded as being local or regional leaders in very early records. Later the duty to render military service, as well as the accompanying privileges, was formalised. In times when it was very expensive to arm and maintain a force of cavalry and the state couldn't finance it, wealthy individuals offered to do this instead. In return they were given noble rank. During the Middle Ages the ideals of chivalry flourished within the nobility and bravery, loyalty and fidelity were seen as personal ideals. During the 16th and 17th centuries the nobility became a separate class in the early phases of modern nations. Some noble families became closely linked to the reigning Monarch, while others continued to safeguard their local or regional positions. The growing need for public officials was often meet by recruitment from the nobility and in many cases nobility was conferred in recognition of exceptional public service. During the 18th century and the "Enlightenment" the nobility suffered from the new radical ideas. Many of those ideas had originated in France, where nobility was also for the first time abolished after the Revolution in 1789. In other countries as well the nobility gradually lost its privileges. The liberal ideas of the 19th century and the breakthrough of democracy in the 20th century brought about fundamental changes for the nobility, to the point of where today very few privileges remain (and they are almost entirely concerned with the use of titles etc). 2) Nobiliary terms explained (You may download the rest of this FREE chapter, containing valuable and hard to find information about genealogical and nobiliary isses, by clicking the OK button below). Order Now! Free Articles Legal Information Disclaimer |Terms Of Service | Savings Disclaimer | Privacy Notice von Wowern's Find Your Noble Ancestors! Hogbergsgatan 27 116 20 Stockholm Sweden Phone and fax: +4686400650 E-mail: contact@findyournobleancestors.com © Jan-Olov von Wowern 2004 All Rights Reserved |
