View source for Nobility

[[File:Queen Anne in the House of Lords.jpg|thumb|286x286px|The [[House of Lords]] is the upper legislature of the [[Parliament of the United Kingdom]] and is filled with members that are selected from the aristocracy (both [[Hereditary peer|hereditary titleholders]] and those [[Life peer|ennobled only for their individual lives]]).]]
'''Nobility''' is a social class found in many societies that have an [[aristocracy (class)|aristocracy]]. It is normally appointed by and ranked immediately below [[Royal family|royalty]]. Nobility has often been an [[Estates of the realm|estate of the realm]] with many exclusive functions and characteristics. The characteristics associated with nobility may constitute substantial advantages over or relative to non-nobles or simply formal functions (e.g., [[Order of precedence|precedence]]), and vary by country and by era. Membership in the nobility, including rights and responsibilities, is typically [[Hereditary title|hereditary]] and [[Patrilinearity|patrilineal]].

Membership in the nobility has historically been granted by a monarch or government, and acquisition of sufficient power, wealth, ownerships, or royal favour has occasionally enabled commoners to ascend into the nobility.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.vogue.com/article/royals-who-married-commoners-kate-middleton-prince-william |title=Move Over, Kate Middleton: These Commoners All Married Royals, Too |work=Vogue |access-date=2018-10-24 |language=en |archive-date=2018-10-25 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181025031321/https://www.vogue.com/article/royals-who-married-commoners-kate-middleton-prince-william |url-status=live }}</ref>

There are often a variety of ranks within the noble class. Legal recognition of nobility has been much more common in monarchies, but nobility also existed in such regimes as the [[Dutch Republic]] (1581–1795), the [[Republic of Genoa]] (1005–1815), the [[Republic of Venice]] (697–1797), and the [[Old Swiss Confederacy]] (1300–1798), and remains part of the legal social structure of some small non-hereditary regimes, e.g., [[San Marino]], and the [[Vatican City]] in Europe. In [[Classical Antiquity]], the ''{{Lang|la|nobiles}}'' (nobles) of the [[Roman Republic]] were families descended from persons who had achieved the [[Roman consul|consulship]]. Those who belonged to the hereditary [[Patrician (ancient Rome)|patrician families]] were nobles, but [[plebeians]] whose ancestors were consuls were also considered ''{{Lang|la|nobiles}}''. In the [[Roman Empire]], the nobility were descendants of this Republican aristocracy. While ancestry of contemporary noble families from ancient Roman nobility might technically be possible, no well-researched, historically documented generation-by-generation genealogical descents from ancient Roman times are known to exist in Europe.{{citation needed|date=March 2022}}

[[Hereditary title]]s and [[Style (manner of address)|styles]] added to names (such as "Prince", "Lord", or "Lady"), as well as [[honorific]]s, often distinguish nobles from non-nobles in conversation and written speech. In many nations, most of the nobility have been untitled, and some hereditary titles do not indicate nobility (e.g., [[vidame]]). Some countries have had non-hereditary nobility, such as the [[Brazilian nobility|Empire of Brazil]] or [[life peer]]s in the United Kingdom.

==History==
[[File:Crusader cavalry.jpg|thumb|left|Nobility offered protection in exchange for service.]]
[[File:Le bal paré.jpg|thumb|left|French aristocrats, {{Circa|1774}}.]]

The term derives from Latin ''{{Lang|la|nobilitas}}'', the [[abstract noun]] of the adjective ''{{Lang|la|nobilis}}'' ("noble but also secondarily well-known, famous, notable").<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Oliver |first=Revilo P. |author-link=Revilo P. Oliver |year=1978 |title=Tacitean "Nobilitas" |url=https://www.ideals.illinois.edu/bitstream/handle/2142/11694/illinoisclassica31978OLIVER.pdf?sequence=2&isAllowed=y |format=PDF |journal=Illinois Classical Studies |publisher=[[University of Illinois Press]] |volume=3 |pages=238–261 |jstor=23062619 |access-date=15 September 2018 |hdl=2142/11694 |archive-date=15 September 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180915005240/https://www.ideals.illinois.edu/bitstream/handle/2142/11694/illinoisclassica31978OLIVER.pdf?sequence=2&isAllowed=y |url-status=live }}</ref> In [[Social class in ancient Rome|ancient Roman society]], {{Lang|la|[[nobiles]]}} originated as an informal designation for the political governing class who had allied interests, including both [[Patrician (ancient Rome)|patricians]] and [[Plebs|plebeian families]] ''(''{{Lang|la|[[Gens|gentes]]}}'')'' with an ancestor who had risen to the [[Roman consul|consulship]] through his own merit (see {{Lang|la|[[novus homo]]}}, "new man").

In modern usage, "nobility" is applied to the highest social class in [[pre-industrial society|pre-modern societies]].<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Bengtsson |first1=Erik |last2=Missiaia |first2=Anna |last3=Olsson |first3=Mats |last4=Svensson |first4=Patrick |date=12 June 2018 |title=The Wealth of the Richest: Inequality and the Nobility in Sweden, 1750–1900 |url=http://lup.lub.lu.se/search/ws/files/26235457/LUP_161.pdf |publisher=[[Taylor & Francis]] |pages=1–28 |doi=10.1080/03468755.2018.1480538 |s2cid=149906044 |access-date=15 September 2018 |via=[[Lund University Libraries]] |doi-access=free |journal=Scandinavian Journal of History |archive-date=15 September 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180915042440/http://lup.lub.lu.se/search/ws/files/26235457/LUP_161.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref> In the [[Feudalism|feudal system]] (in Europe and elsewhere), the nobility were generally those who held a [[fief]], often land or office, under [[vassalage]], i.e., in exchange for [[allegiance]] and various, mainly military, services to a [[suzerain]], who might be a higher-ranking nobleman or a monarch. It rapidly became a hereditary [[caste]], sometimes associated with a right to bear a hereditary title and, for example in pre-revolutionary France, enjoying fiscal and other privileges.

While noble status formerly conferred significant privileges in most jurisdictions, by the 21st century it had become a largely honorary dignity in most societies,<ref>{{Cite book |last=Lukowski |first=Jerzy |url=https://zodml.org/sites/default/files/%5BJerzy_Lukowski%5D_The_European_Nobility_in_the_Eigh.pdf |title=The European Nobility in the Eighteenth Century |publisher=[[Palgrave Macmillan]] |year=2003 |isbn=0-333-74440-3 |editor-last=Hall |editor-first=Lesley |pages=243 |author-link=Jerzy Lukowski |editor-last2=Lilley |editor-first2=Keith D. |editor-last3=MacMaster |editor-first3=Neil |editor-last4=Spellman |editor-first4=W. M. |editor-last5=Waite |editor-first5=Gary K. |editor-last6=Webb |editor-first6=Diana |via=Zaccheus Onumba Dibiaezue Memorial Libraries |access-date=2018-09-15 |archive-date=2018-09-15 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180915084639/https://zodml.org/sites/default/files/%5BJerzy_Lukowski%5D_The_European_Nobility_in_the_Eigh.pdf |url-status=dead }}</ref> although a few, residual privileges may still be preserved legally (e.g. Spain, UK) and some Asian, Pacific and African cultures continue to attach considerable significance to formal hereditary rank or titles. (Compare the entrenched position and [[leadership]] expectations of the nobility of the Kingdom of [[Tonga]].) More than a third of [[English land law|British land]] is in the hands of aristocrats and traditional [[landed gentry]].<ref>[[Country Life (magazine)|Country Life]], [http://www.countrylife.co.uk/articles/who-really-owns-britain-20219#Yd4CfOEkPZrOr2C0.99 Who really owns Britain?] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211104023512/https://www.countrylife.co.uk/articles/who-really-owns-britain-20219#Yd4CfOEkPZrOr2C0.99 |date=2021-11-04 }}, 16. October 2010.</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Half of England is owned by less than 1% of the population |url=https://www.theguardian.com/money/2019/apr/17/who-owns-england-thousand-secret-landowners-author |work=The Guardian |date=17 April 2019 |access-date=30 October 2021 |archive-date=30 October 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211030075218/https://www.theguardian.com/money/2019/apr/17/who-owns-england-thousand-secret-landowners-author |url-status=live }}</ref>

Nobility is a historical, social, and often legal notion, differing from high [[social status|socio-economic status]] in that the latter is mainly based on pedigree, income, possessions, or lifestyle. Being wealthy or influential cannot {{Lang|la|[[ipso facto]]}} make one noble, nor are all nobles wealthy or influential (aristocratic families have lost their fortunes in various ways, and the concept of the 'poor nobleman' is almost as old as nobility itself).

Although many societies have a privileged upper class with substantial wealth and power, the status is not necessarily hereditary and does not entail a distinct [[legal status]], nor differentiated [[style (manner of address)|forms of address]]. Various republics, including European countries such as Greece, Turkey, and Austria, and former [[Iron Curtain]] countries and places in the Americas such as [[Mexican nobility|Mexico]] and the [[Titles of Nobility Clause|United States]], have expressly abolished the conferral and use of titles of nobility for their citizens. This is distinct from countries that have not abolished the right to inherit titles, but which do not grant legal recognition or protection to them, such as Germany and Italy, although Germany recognizes their use as part of the legal surname. Still, other countries and authorities allow their use, but forbid attachment of any privilege thereto, e.g., Finland, Norway, and the European Union,{{citation needed|date=September 2019}} while French law also protects lawful titles against [[usurpation]].

==Noble privileges==
[[File:Troisordres.jpg|thumb|A French political cartoon of the three orders of [[Social class|feudal society]] (1789). The rural third estate carries the clergy and the nobility.]]

Not all of the benefits of nobility derived from noble status {{Lang|la|per se}}. Usually privileges were granted or recognized by the monarch in association with possession of a specific title, office or estate. Most nobles' wealth derived from one or more [[Estate (land)|estates]], large or small, that might include fields, pasture, orchards, timberland, hunting grounds, streams, etc. It also included infrastructure such as a castle, well and mill to which local peasants were allowed some access, although often at a price. Nobles were expected to live "nobly", that is, from the proceeds of these possessions. Work involving [[Manual labour|manual labor]] or subordination to those of lower rank (with specific exceptions, such as in military or ecclesiastic service) was either forbidden (as derogation from noble status) or frowned upon socially. On the other hand, membership in the nobility was usually a prerequisite for holding offices of trust in the realm and for career promotion, especially in the military, at court and often the higher functions in the government, judiciary and church.

Prior to the [[French Revolution]], European nobles typically commanded tribute in the form of entitlement to cash rents or usage taxes, labor or a portion of the annual crop yield from [[commoner]]s or nobles of lower rank who lived or worked on the noble's [[Manorialism|manor]] or within his ''[[feudalism|seigneurial]]'' domain. In some countries, the local lord could impose restrictions on such a commoner's movements, religion or legal undertakings. Nobles exclusively enjoyed the privilege of hunting. In France, nobles were exempt from paying the ''[[taille]]'', the major direct tax. Peasants were not only bound to the nobility by dues and services, but the exercise of their rights was often also subject to the [[jurisdiction]] of courts and police from whose authority the actions of nobles were entirely or partially exempt. In some parts of Europe the right of [[private war]] long remained the privilege of every noble.<ref>{{Cite EB1911|wstitle=Nobility |volume=19 |page=728}}</ref>

During the early Renaissance, [[duel]]ling established the status of a respectable [[gentry|gentleman]] and was an accepted manner of resolving disputes.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Jonathan |first=Dewald |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-fct5tlRFwEC&pg=PA117 |title=The European nobility, 1400–1800 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |year=1996 |isbn=0-521-42528-X |page=117 |access-date=2015-10-23 |archive-date=2022-04-07 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220407150531/https://books.google.com/books?id=-fct5tlRFwEC&pg=PA117 |url-status=live }}</ref>

Since the end of World War I the hereditary nobility entitled to [[special rights]] has largely been abolished in the Western World as intrinsically [[discrimination|discriminatory]], and discredited as inferior in efficiency to individual [[meritocracy]] in the allocation of societal resources.<ref name="pine">{{Cite book |last=Pine |first=L.G. |url=https://archive.org/details/titleshowkingbec0000pine/page/77 |title=Titles: How the King became His Highness |publisher=Barnes & Noble Books |year=1992 |isbn=978-1-56619-085-5 |location=New York |pages=[https://archive.org/details/titleshowkingbec0000pine/page/77 77] |author-link=L.G. Pine}}</ref> Nobility came to be associated with social rather than legal privilege, expressed in a general expectation of deference from those of lower rank. By the 21st century even that deference had become increasingly minimized. In general, the present nobility present in the European monarchies has no more privileges than the citizens [[State decoration|decorated]] in republics.

==Ennoblement==
{{Main|Ennoblement}}
[[File:Országgyűlés megnyitása 1865.jpg|thumb|Opening of the Hungarian Diet ([[Országgyűlés]]) with the members of [[hungarian nobility]] in the Royal Palace, 1865.]]

In France, a {{Lang|fr|seigneurie}} (lordship) might include one or more manors surrounded by land and villages subject to a noble's prerogatives and disposition. {{Lang|fr|Seigneuries}} could be bought, sold or mortgaged. If erected by the crown into, e.g., a barony or countship, it became legally entailed for a specific family, which could use it as their title. Yet most French nobles were untitled ("seigneur of Montagne" simply meant ownership of that lordship but not, if one was not otherwise noble, the right to use a title of nobility, as commoners often purchased lordships). Only a member of the nobility who owned a countship was allowed, {{Lang|fr|ipso facto}}, to style himself as its {{Lang|fr|comte}}, although this restriction came to be increasingly ignored as the {{Lang|fr|[[ancien régime]]}} drew to its close.

In other parts of Europe, sovereign rulers arrogated to themselves the exclusive prerogative to act as {{Lang|la|[[fons honorum]]}} within their realms. For example, in the United Kingdom royal [[letters patent]] are necessary to obtain a title of the [[peerage]], which also carries nobility and formerly a seat in the [[House of Lords]], but never came with automatic [[entail]] of land nor rights to the local peasants' output.

==Rank within the nobility==
{{Main|Royal and noble ranks}}
[[File:Polish magnates 1576-1586.PNG|thumb|left|[[Polish magnates]] 1576–1586.]]
[[File:Polish magnates 1697-1795.PNG|thumb|left|[[Polish magnates]] 1697–1795.]]

Nobility might be either inherited or conferred by a ''[[Fount of honour|fons honorum]]''. It is usually an acknowledged preeminence that is hereditary, i.e. the status descends exclusively to some or all of the [[Legitimacy (family law)|legitimate]], and usually [[Patrilineality|male-line]], descendants of a nobleman. In this respect, the nobility as a class has always been much more extensive than the [[primogeniture]]-based titled nobility, which included [[Peerage of France|peerages in France]] and [[Peerage of the United Kingdom|in the United Kingdom]], ''[[Grandee|grandezas]]'' in Portugal and Spain, and some noble titles in Belgium, Italy, the Netherlands, Prussia, and Scandinavia. In Russia, Scandinavia and non-Prussian Germany, titles usually descended to all male-line descendants of the original titleholder, including females. In Spain, noble titles are now equally heritable by females and males alike. Noble estates, on the other hand, gradually came to descend by [[primogeniture]] in much of western Europe aside from Germany. In Eastern Europe, by contrast, with the exception of a few Hungarian estates, they usually descended to all sons or even all children.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.palgrave.com/PDFs/140393374X.Pdf |title=The consolidation of Noble Power in Europe, c. 1600–1800 |access-date=2013-04-16 |archive-date=2013-12-13 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131213182006/http://www.palgrave.com/PDFs/140393374X.Pdf |url-status=live }}</ref>

In [[France]], some wealthy ''[[Bourgeoisie|bourgeois]]'', most particularly the members of the various ''[[parlement]]s'', were ennobled by the king, constituting the ''[[Nobles of the Robe|noblesse de robe]]''. The old nobility of [[Landed gentry|landed]] or [[Chivalry|knightly]] origin, the ''[[Nobles of the Sword|noblesse d'épée]]'', increasingly resented the influence and pretensions of this ''[[parvenu]]'' nobility. In the last years of the ''[[ancien régime]]'' the old nobility pushed for restrictions of certain offices and [[Chivalric order|orders of chivalry]] to noblemen who could demonstrate that their lineage had extended "[[Quartering (heraldry)|quartering]]s", i.e. several generations of noble ancestry, to be eligible for offices and favours at [[Court (royal)|court]] along with nobles of [[Middle Ages|medieval]] descent, although historians such as [[William Doyle (historian)|William Doyle]] have disputed this so-called "Aristocratic Reaction".<ref>W. Doyle, ''Essays on Eighteenth Century France'', London, 1995</ref> Various court and military positions were reserved by tradition for nobles who could "prove" an ancestry of at least ''seize quartiers'' (16 quarterings), indicating exclusively noble descent (as displayed, ideally, in the family's [[coat of arms]]) extending back five generations (all 16 great-great-grandparents).

[[File:Koháry Ferenc József.jpg|thumb|Hungarian prince [[Ferenc József, Prince Koháry de Csábrág et Szitnya|Ferenc József]] in the typical dress of the [[Hungarian nobility]], 18th century.]] 

This illustrates the traditional link in many countries between [[heraldry]] and nobility; in those countries where heraldry is used, nobles have almost always been [[Gentry|armigerous]], and have used heraldry to demonstrate their ancestry and [[family history]]. However, heraldry has never been restricted to the noble classes in most countries, and being armigerous does not necessarily demonstrate nobility. [[Scotland]], however, is an exception.<ref>An opinion of [[Innes of Learney]] differentiates the system in use in Scotland from many other European traditions, in that armorial bearings which are entered in the Public Register of All Arms and Bearings in Scotland by warrant of the [[Lord Lyon]] [[King of Arms]] are legally "Ensigns of Nobility", and although the historical accuracy of that interpretation has been [http://www.heraldica.org/topics/britain/lordlyon.htm challenged] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100109040501/http://www.heraldica.org/topics/britain/lordlyon.htm |date=2010-01-09 }}, Innes of Learney's perspective is accepted in the ''[[Stair Memorial Encyclopaedia]]'' entry, 'Heraldry' (Volume 11), 3, The Law of Arms. 1613. The nature of arms.</ref> In a number of recent cases in Scotland the Lord Lyon King of Arms has controversially ({{Lang|fr|vis-à-vis}} Scotland's Salic law) granted the arms and allocated the chiefships of medieval noble families to female-line descendants of lords, even when they were not of noble lineage in the male line, while persons of legitimate male-line descent may still survive (e.g. the modern [[Chiefs of Clan MacLeod]]).

{{Conservatism in Poland}}
In some nations, [[hereditary title]]s, as distinct from noble rank, were not always recognised in law, e.g., Poland's ''[[Szlachta]]''. European ranks of nobility lower than [[baron]] or its equivalent, are commonly referred to as the [[petty nobility]], although [[baronet]]s of the British Isles are deemed titled [[gentry]]. Most nations traditionally had an untitled lower nobility in addition to titled nobles. An example is the [[landed gentry]] of the [[British Isles]].<ref name="lawrence">{{Cite book |last=Larence |first=Sir James Henry |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=k04RAQAAIAAJ |title=The nobility of the British Gentry or the political ranks and dignities of the British Empire compared with those on the continent |publisher=T.Hookham – Simpkin and Marshall |year=1827 |edition=2nd |location=London |access-date=2013-01-06 |orig-year=first published 1824 |archive-date=2013-05-26 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130526111940/http://books.google.com/books?id=k04RAQAAIAAJ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>Ruling of the Court of the Lord Lyon (26/2/1948, Vol. IV, page 26): "With regard to the words 'untitled nobility' employed in certain recent birthbrieves in relation to the (Minor) Baronage of Scotland, Finds and Declares that the (Minor) Barons of Scotland are, and have been both in this nobiliary Court and in the Court of Session recognised as a 'titled nobility' and that the estait of the Baronage (i.e., ''Barones Minores'') are of the ancient Feudal Nobility of Scotland". This title is not, however, a [[peerages in the United Kingdom|peerage]], thus Scotland's ''noblesse'' ranks in England as gentry.</ref> Unlike England's gentry, the ''[[Junker]]s'' of Germany, the ''[[noblesse de robe]]'' of France, the ''[[hidalgo (Spanish nobility)|hidalgos]]'' of Spain and the ''nobili'' of Italy were explicitly acknowledged by the monarchs of those countries as members of the nobility, although untitled. In Scandinavia, the [[Benelux]] nations and Spain there are still untitled as well as titled families recognised in law as noble.

In [[Hungary]] members of the nobility always theoretically enjoyed the same rights. In practice, however, a noble family's financial assets largely defined its significance. Medieval Hungary's concept of nobility originated in the notion that nobles were "free men", eligible to own land.<ref>Ölyvedi Vad Imre. (1930) Nemességi könyv. Koroknay-Nyomda. Szeged, Hungary. 45p.</ref> This basic standard explains why the noble population was relatively large, although the economic status of its members varied widely. Untitled nobles were not infrequently wealthier than titled families, while considerable differences in wealth were also to be found within the titled nobility. The custom of granting titles was introduced to Hungary in the 16th century by the [[House of Habsburg]]. Historically, once nobility was granted, if a nobleman served the monarch well he might obtain the title of baron, and might later be elevated to the rank of count. As in other countries of post-medieval central Europe, hereditary titles were not attached to a particular land or estate but to the noble family itself, so that all patrilineal descendants shared a title of baron or count (cf. [[peerage]]). Neither nobility nor titles could be transmitted through women.<ref>Ölyvedi Vad Imre. (1930) Nemességi könyv. Koroknay-Nyomda. Szeged, Hungary. 85.p</ref>

Some [[con artist]]s sell [[fake titles of nobility]], often with impressive-looking documentation. This may be illegal, depending on local law. They are more often illegal in countries that actually have nobilities, such as European monarchies. In the United States, such commerce may constitute actionable fraud rather than criminal [[usurpation]] of an exclusive right to use of any given title by an established class.{{citation needed|date=January 2019}}

==Other terms==
[[File:Carl Robert Mannerheim.jpg|thumb|[[Graf|Count]] [[Carl Robert Mannerheim]] (1835–1914), a Finnish aristocrat, businessman, and the father of [[Baron]] [[C. G. E. Mannerheim]], the [[Marshal of Finland]].]]

"Aristocrat" and "aristocracy", in modern usage, refer colloquially and broadly to persons who inherit elevated social status, whether due to membership in the (formerly) official nobility or the monied upper class.

''Blue blood'' is an [[wiktionary:Category:English idioms|English idiom]] recorded since 1811 in the Annual Register<ref>{{Cite journal|title=The annual register. v.51 1809.|url=https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=mdp.39015028180845&view=1up&seq=839&q1=valencia|access-date=2020-09-15|website=HathiTrust|page=813|language=en|quote=The nobility of Valencia..are, by themselves, divided into three classes, blue blood, red blood, and yellow blood. Blue blood is confined to families who have been made grandees.|archive-date=2021-09-25|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210925224310/https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=mdp.39015028180845&view=1up&seq=839&q1=valencia|url-status=live}}</ref> and in 1834<ref>{{Cite web|title=Helen |first1=Maria |last1=Edgeworth |date=1857 |url=https://www.gutenberg.org/files/8531/8531-h/8531-h.htm|access-date=2020-09-15|website=Project Gutenberg |quote=One in particular, from Spain, of high rank and birth, of the sangre azul, the blue blood, who have the privilege of the silken cord if they should come to be hanged. |archive-date=2020-02-15|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200215025305/http://www.gutenberg.org/files/8531/8531-h/8531-h.htm|url-status=live}}</ref> for noble birth or descent; it is also known as a translation of the Spanish phrase ''sangre azul'', which described the Spanish [[royal family]] and high nobility who claimed to be of [[Visigoths|Visigothic]] descent,<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=JDwJEZGTpVkC&dq=blue+blood+visigoth&pg=PA206 |title=The politics of aristocratic empires by John Kautsky |date=January 1997 |publisher=Transaction Publishers |isbn=9781412838351 |access-date=2015-10-23 |archive-date=2016-05-27 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160527172402/https://books.google.com/books?id=JDwJEZGTpVkC&pg=PA206&dq=blue+blood+visigoth&as_brr=3 |url-status=live }}</ref> in contrast to the [[Moors]].<ref>{{Cite book|last1=Malte-Brun|first1=Conrad|url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/33328020|title=System of universal geography, founded on the works of Malte-Burn and Balbi; embracing a historical sketch of the progress of geographical discovery, the principles of mathematical and physical geography, and a complete description from the most recent sources, of the political and social condition of the world ...|last2=Balbi|first2=Adriano|date=1842|publisher=Adam and Charles Black; Longman, Brown, Green, & Longmans|location=Edinburgh; London|page=537|language=en|oclc=33328020|quote=The Spanish community is divided into two great castes, those of pure Gothic or blue blood, and those of mixed Gothic and Moorish descent, or black blood.|access-date=2020-09-15|archive-date=2021-09-25|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210925222806/https://www.worldcat.org/title/system-of-universal-geography-founded-on-the-works-of-malte-burn-and-balbi-embracing-a-historical-sketch-of-the-progress-of-geographical-discovery-the-principles-of-mathematical-and-physical-geography-and-a-complete-description-from-the-most-recent-sources-of-the-political-and-social-condition-of-the-world/oclc/33328020|url-status=live}}</ref> The idiom originates from ancient and medieval societies of Europe and distinguishes an upper class (whose [[superficial vein]]s appeared blue through their untanned skin) from a working class of the time. The latter consisted mainly of agricultural peasants who spent most of their time working outdoors and thus had tanned skin, through which superficial veins appear less prominently.

[[Robert Lacey]] explains the genesis of the blue blood concept:

<blockquote>
It was the Spaniards who gave the world the notion that an aristocrat's blood is not red but blue. The Spanish nobility started taking shape around the ninth century in classic military fashion, occupying land as warriors on horseback. They were to continue the process for more than five hundred years, clawing back sections of the peninsula from its Moorish occupiers, and a nobleman demonstrated his pedigree by holding up his sword arm to display the filigree of blue-blooded veins beneath his pale skin—proof that his birth had not been contaminated by the dark-skinned enemy.<ref>Robert Lacey, ''Aristocrats.'' Little, Brown and Company, 1983, p. 67</ref>
</blockquote>

==Africa==
Africa has a plethora of ancient lineages in its various constituent nations. Some, such as the numerous ''[[sharif]]ian'' families of North Africa, the [[Keita dynasty]] of [[Mali]], the [[Solomonic dynasty]] of [[Ethiopia]], the [[De Souza family]] of [[Benin]], the [[Yeghen family|Yeghen]], [[Abaza family|Abaza]], and [[Zulfikar family|Zulfikar families]] of [[Egypt]] and the [[Sherbro Tuckers|Sherbro Tucker]] clan of [[Sierra Leone]], claim descent from notables from outside of the continent. Most, such as those composed of the [[Zulu royal family|descendants of Shaka]] and [[House of Moshesh|those of Moshoeshoe]] of Southern Africa, belong to peoples that have been resident in the continent for millennia. Generally their royal or noble status is recognized by and derived from the authority of traditional custom. A number of them also enjoy either a constitutional or a statutory recognition of their high social positions.

===Ethiopia===
[[File:Haile Selassie and group.jpg|thumb|Emperor [[Haile Selassie I of Ethiopia]] (center) and members of the imperial court.]]

Ethiopia has a [[Ethiopian aristocratic and court titles|nobility]] that is almost as old as the country itself. Throughout the history of the [[Ethiopian Empire]] most of the titles of nobility have been tribal or military in nature. However the Ethiopian nobility resembled its European counterparts in some respects; until 1855, when [[Tewodros II]] ended the ''[[Zemene Mesafint]]'' its aristocracy was organized similarly to the feudal system in Europe during the Middle Ages. For more than seven centuries, Ethiopia (or [[Ethiopian Empire|Abyssinia]], as it was then known) was made up of many small kingdoms, principalities, emirates and [[imam]]ates, which owed their allegiance to the ''nəgusä nägäst'' (literally "King of Kings"). Despite its being a Christian monarchy, various Muslim states paid tribute to the emperors of Ethiopia for centuries: including the [[Adal Sultanate]], the [[Emirate of Harar]], and the [[Awsa sultanate]].

Ethiopian nobility were divided into two different categories: ''Mesafint'' ("prince"), the hereditary nobility that formed the upper echelon of the ruling class; and the ''Mekwanin'' ("governor") who were appointed nobles, often of humble birth, who formed the bulk of the nobility (''[[cf.]]'' the ''[[Ministerialis]]'' of the [[Holy Roman Empire]]). In Ethiopia there were titles of nobility among the ''Mesafint'' borne by those at the apex of medieval Ethiopian society. The highest royal title (after that of emperor) was ''[[Negus]]'' ("king") which was held by hereditary governors of the provinces of [[Begemder]], [[Shewa]], [[Gojjam]], and [[Wollo]]. The next highest seven titles were ''[[Ethiopian aristocratic and court titles#Men's honorifics|Ras]]'', ''[[Dejazmach]]'', ''Fit'awrari'', ''[[Grazmach]]'', ''[[Ethiopian aristocratic and court titles#Qenyazmach|Qenyazmach]]'', ''[[Azmach]]'' and ''[[Balambaras]]''. The title of ''Le'ul Ras'' was accorded to the heads of various noble families and [[cadet branch]]es of the [[Solomonic dynasty]], such as the princes of Gojjam, Tigray, and Selalle. The heirs of the ''Le'ul Rases'' were titled ''Le'ul Dejazmach'', indicative of the higher status they enjoyed relative to ''Dejazmaches'' who were not of the blood imperial. There were various [[hereditary title]]s in Ethiopia: including that of ''[[Jantirar]]'', reserved for males of the family of Empress [[Menen Asfaw]] who ruled over the mountain fortress of [[Ambassel]] in Wollo; ''[[Wagshum]]'', a title created for the descendants of the deposed [[Zagwe dynasty]]; and ''Shum Agame'', held by the descendants of ''Dejazmach'' [[Sabagadis]], who ruled over the [[Agame]] district of Tigray. The vast majority of titles borne by nobles were not, however, hereditary.

Despite being largely dominated by Christian elements, some Muslims obtained ''entrée'' into the Ethiopian nobility as part of their quest for aggrandizement during the 1800s. To do so they were generally obliged to abandon their faith and some are believed to have feigned conversion to Christianity for the sake of acceptance by the old Christian aristocratic families. One such family, the Wara Seh (more commonly called the "Yejju dynasty") converted to Christianity and eventually wielded power for over a century, ruling with the sanction of the Solomonic emperors. The last such Muslim noble to join the ranks of Ethiopian society was [[Mikael of Wollo]] who converted, was made ''Negus'' of Wollo, and later King of Zion, and even married into the Imperial family. He lived to see his son, [[Lij Iyasu]], inherit the throne in 1913—only to be deposed in 1916 because of his conversion to Islam.

===Madagascar===
[[File:Radama I, portrait by Ramanankirahina.jpg|thumb|King [[Radama I of Madagascar]] was from the Andriana stratum of the [[Merina people]].]]

The nobility in [[Madagascar]] are known as the ''[[Andriana]]''. In much of Madagascar, before French colonization of the island, the [[Malagasy people]] were organised into a rigid social caste system, within which the ''Andriana'' exercised both spiritual and political leadership. The word "Andriana" has been used to denote nobility in various ethnicities in Madagascar: including the ''[[Merina]]'', the ''[[Betsileo]]'', the ''[[Betsimisaraka people|Betsimisaraka]]'', the ''[[Tsimihety]]'', the ''[[Bezanozano]]'', the ''[[Antambahoaka]]'' and the ''[[Antemoro]]''.

The word ''Andriana'' has often formed part of the names of Malagasy kings, princes and nobles. Linguistic evidence suggests that the origin of the title ''Andriana'' is traceable back to an ancient [[Javanese language|Javanese]] title of nobility. Before the colonization by France in the 1890s, the ''Andriana'' held various privileges, including land ownership, preferment for senior government posts, free labor from members of lower classes, the right to have their tombs constructed within town limits, etc. The ''Andriana'' rarely married outside their caste: a high-ranking woman who married a lower-ranking man took on her husband's lower rank, but a high-ranking man marrying a woman of lower rank did not forfeit his status, although his children could not inherit his rank or property (''[[cf.]]'' [[morganatic marriage]]).

In 2011, the Council of Kings and Princes of Madagascar endorsed the revival of a Christian ''Andriana'' monarchy that would blend modernity and tradition.

===Nigeria===
[[File:Emir of Kano on his throne 092016.jpg|thumb|The [[Kano Emirate Council|Emir of Kano]], [[Sanusi Lamido Sanusi|Muhammadu Sanusi II]], on his throne in 2016.]]

Contemporary [[Nigeria]] has a [[Nigerian Chieftaincy|class of traditional notables]] which is led by its reigning monarchs, the [[Nigerian traditional rulers]]. Though their functions are largely ceremonial, the titles of the country's royals and nobles are often centuries old and are usually vested in the membership of historically prominent families in the various [[List of Nigerian traditional states|subnational kingdoms of the country]].

Membership of initiatory societies that have inalienable functions within the kingdoms is also a common feature of Nigerian nobility, particularly among the southern tribes, where such figures as the ''[[Ogboni]]'' of the ''[[Yoruba people|Yoruba]]'', the ''[[Nze na Ozo]]'' of the ''[[Igbo people|Igbo]]'' and the ''[[Ekpe]]'' of the ''[[Efik people|Efik]]'' are some of the most famous examples. Although many of their traditional functions have become dormant due to the advent of modern governance, their members retain precedence of a traditional nature and are especially prominent during festivals.

Outside of this, many of the traditional nobles of Nigeria continue to serve as [[privy counsellor]]s and [[viceroy]]s in the service of their traditional sovereigns in a symbolic continuation of the way that their titled ancestors and predecessors did during the pre-colonial and colonial periods. Many of them are also members of the country's [[political class#Nigeria|political elite]] due to their not being covered by the prohibition from involvement in politics that governs the activities of the traditional rulers.

Holding a [[chieftaincy]] title, either of the traditional variety (which involves taking part in ritual re-enactments of your title's history during annual festivals, roughly akin to a British [[peerage]]) or the honorary variety (which does not involve the said re-enactments, roughly akin to a [[knighthood]]), grants an individual the right to use the word "chief" as a pre-nominal [[honorific]] while in Nigeria.

==Asia==
[[File:Maratha darbar.jpg|thumb|right|A [[Maratha Empire|Maratha]] [[Durbar (court)|Durbar]] showing the Chief ([[Raja]]) and the nobles ([[Sardar]]s, [[Jagirdar]]s, Istamuradars & [[Mankari]]s) of the [[Princely state|state]].]]
[[File:EttuveettilPillas.jpg|thumb|Illustration of [[Nair]] nobles in 18th century [[Kerala]], India. The Nair caste was a martial nobility, similar to the Samurai of Japan.]]
[[File:Gama2 crop.jpg|thumb|In [[Korea]], royalty and [[yangban]] aristocrats were carried in [[Litter (vehicle)|litters]] called ''gama''. A Korean ''gama'', {{Circa|1890}}.]]
[[File:The Tsarong family.jpg|thumb|An [[Social classes of Tibet|aristocratic family]] in Lhasa, [[Tibet]] in 1936.]] 
[[File:Emperor Farrukhsiyar Bestows a Jewel on a Nobleman.jpg|thumb|Emperor [[Farrukhsiyar]] Bestows a Jewel on a Nobleman.]]

===Indian subcontinent===
{{For|the historical hierarchy of the Indian subcontinent|princely state}}
[[File:Thomas Daniell, Sir Charles Warre Malet, Concluding a Treaty in 1790 in Durbar with the Peshwa of the Maratha Empire.jpg|thumb|[[Peshwa|Maratha Peshwa]] [[Madhavrao II]], surrounded by nobles in his court in 18th-century India.]]

Historically [[Rajputs]] formed a class of aristocracy associated with [[warrior]]hood, developing after the 10th century in the [[Indian subcontinent]]. During the [[Mughal empire|Mughal era]], a class of administrators known as [[Nawabs]] emerged who initially served as governors of [[Subah|provinces]], later becoming independent. In the [[British Raj]], many members of the nobility were elevated to royalty as they became the monarchs of their princely states, but as many princely state rulers were reduced from royals to noble [[zamindar]]s. Hence, many nobles in the subcontinent had royal titles of Raja, Rai, Rana, Rao, etc. In Nepal, ''Kaji'' ({{langx|ne|काजी}}) was a title and position used by nobility of [[Gorkha Kingdom]] (1559–1768) and [[Kingdom of Nepal]] (1768–1846). Historian [[Mahesh Chandra Regmi]] suggests that ''Kaji'' is derived from Sanskrit word ''Karyi'' which meant functionary.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Regmi |first=Mahesh Chandra |title=Regmi Research Series |year=1979 |location=Nepal |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=jGJDAAAAYAAJ |page=43}}</ref> Other noble and aristocratic titles were [[Thakur (title)|Thakur]], [[Sardar]], [[Jagirdar]], [[Mankari]], [[Dewan]], [[Pradhan]], [[Kaji (Nepal)|Kaji]], etc.
The [[Privy Purse in India|Twenty-Sixth Amendment of the Constitution of India]], passed in 1971, abolished all noble privileges within the Republic of India.

===China===
In East Asia, the system was often modeled on imperial China, the leading culture. Emperors conferred [[Chinese nobility|titles of nobility]]. Imperial descendants formed the highest class of ancient Chinese nobility, their status based upon the rank of the empress or concubine from which they descend maternally (as emperors were polygamous). Numerous titles such as ''Taizi'' (crown prince), and equivalents of "prince" were accorded, and due to complexities in [[dynasty#Dynasts|dynastic]] rules, [[house law|rules]] were introduced for Imperial descendants. The titles of the junior princes were gradually lowered in rank by each generation while the senior heir continued to inherit their father's titles.

It was a custom in China for the new dynasty to ennoble and enfeoff a member of the dynasty which they overthrew with a title of nobility and a fief of land so that they could offer sacrifices to their ancestors, in addition to members of other preceding dynasties.

China had a feudal system in the [[Shang dynasty|Shang]] and [[Zhou dynasty|Zhou dynasties]], which gradually gave way to a more bureaucratic one beginning in the [[Qin dynasty]] (221 BC). This continued through the [[Song dynasty]], and by its peak power shifted from nobility to bureaucrats.

This development was gradual and generally only completed in full by the Song dynasty. In the [[Han dynasty]], for example, even though noble titles were no longer given to those other than the emperor's relatives, the fact that the process of selecting officials was mostly based on a vouching system by current officials as officials usually vouched for their own sons or those of other officials meant that a de facto aristocracy continued to exist. This process was further deepened during the [[Three Kingdoms]] period with the introduction of the [[Nine-rank system]].

By the [[Sui dynasty]], however, the institution of the [[Imperial examination]] system marked the transformation of a power shift towards a full bureaucracy, though the process would not be truly completed until the Song dynasty.

Titles of nobility became symbolic along with a stipend while governance of the country shifted to [[scholar official]]s.

In the [[Qing dynasty]], titles of nobility were still granted by the emperor, but served merely as honorifics based on a loose system of favours to the Qing emperor.

Under a centralized system, the empire's governance was the responsibility of the Confucian-educated scholar-officials and the local gentry, while the [[Scholar-official|literati]] were accorded gentry status. For male citizens, advancement in status was possible via garnering the top three positions in imperial examinations.

The Qing appointed the Ming imperial descendants to the title of [[Marquis of Extended Grace]].

The oldest held continuous noble title in Chinese history was that held by the descendants of [[Confucius]], as [[Duke Yansheng]], which was renamed as the Sacrificial Official to Confucius in 1935 by the [[Republic of China (1912–49)|Republic of China]]. The title is held by [[Kung Tsui-chang]]. There is also a "Sacrificial Official to Mencius" for a descendant of [[Mencius]], a "Sacrificial Official to Zengzi" for a descendant of [[Zengzi]], and a "Sacrificial Official to Yan Hui" for a descendant of [[Yan Hui]].

The bestowal of titles was abolished upon the establishment of the People's Republic of China in 1949, as part of a larger effort to remove feudal influences and practises from Chinese society.

===Korea===
Unlike China, [[Silla]]'s bone nobles were much more aristocratic and had the right to collect taxes and rule over people. They also thought of the king as Buddha and justified their rule through the idea that status was determined by birth.<ref>{{Cite web |title=교과서 용어해설 {{!}} 우리역사넷 |url=http://contents.history.go.kr/front/tg/view.do?treeId=0100&levelId=tg_001_0320 |access-date=2024-06-08 |website=contents.history.go.kr}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=우리역사넷 |url=http://contents.history.go.kr/front/km/view.do?levelId=km_011_0040_0010&whereStr=@where+%7B+IDX_TITLE(HASALL%7C%27%EC%97%85%EC%84%A4%EA%B3%BC+%EC%9C%A4%ED%9A%8C%27%7C100000%7C0)+or+IDX_CONTENT(HASALL%7C%27%EC%97%85%EC%84%A4%EA%B3%BC+%EC%9C%A4%ED%9A%8C%27%7C100%7C0)+or+IDX_ALL(HASALL%7C%27%EC%97%85%EC%84%A4%EA%B3%BC+%EC%9C%A4%ED%9A%8C%27%7C1%7C0)+%7D |access-date=2024-06-08 |website=contents.history.go.kr}}</ref> However, this strict sense of social status gradually weakened due to the introduction of Confucianism and opposition from the lower class, and even in Silla, opportunities were given to people of low social status through Confucian tests such as '독서삼품과(讀書三品'''科''')'. 

However, the still strict status order of Silla caused opposition from many people and collapsed when the country moved to [[Goryeo]]. In Goryeo, powerful families along with existing nobles became nobles, claiming a new lineage nobility. And in Goryeo, dissatisfied lower class people confronted the nobles and took power for a short period of time. Goryeo also had many hereditary families, and they were more aristocratic than Confucian bureaucrats, forcibly collecting taxes from the people being slaughtered by the Mongolian army, killing those who rebelled, and writing poetry ignoring their situation.

As Goryeo weakened and nobles pursuing [[Joseon]] appeared, Goryeo's nobility could not stand against them and chose to be absorbed into yangban. However, since the Korean nobility had never experienced defeat by commoners like Han Gaozu Liu Bang, the aristocratic character was not completely extinguished even in Joseon, which began to actively introduce Han Chinese rule. So, in the early days, there were quite a few hereditary powerful noblemen like the Jeju Ko.<ref>{{Citation |last=김 |first=종업 |title=탐라국 (耽羅國) |encyclopedia=한국민족문화대백과사전 [Encyclopedia of Korean Culture] |url=https://encykorea.aks.ac.kr/Article/E0058815 |access-date=2024-06-08 |publisher=Academy of Korean Studies |language=ko}}</ref> However, as Confucian reforms continued, it became difficult for yangbans to obtain political positions if they did not pass the exam. Each of them was usually still superior to ordinary people, but was not recognized unless it passed the test. So now, to become a yangban, it was essential for the members to pass the exam.

===Japan===
{{Main article|Japanese nobility|Kuge}}
[[File:Samurai-Edo-Customs-1798-Shiji-no-Yukikai.png|thumb|Japanese samurai (from left the second and fourth), 1798.]]
[[File:Genealogy-of-the-Minamoto-Clan-Utagawa-Kuniyoshi.png|thumb|351x351px|Genealogy of the [[Minamoto clan|Minamoto]]—the most powerful and important family of nobility in [[history of Japan]].]]

Medieval Japan developed a feudal system similar to the European system, where land was held in exchange for military service. The ''[[daimyō]]'' class, or hereditary landowning nobles, held great socio-political power. As in Europe, they commanded private armies made up of ''[[samurai]]'', an elite [[Edo society#Samurai|warrior class]]; for long periods, these held the real power without a real central government, and often plunged the country into a state of civil war. The ''daimyō'' class can be compared to European peers, and the samurai to European knights, but important differences exist.

Following the [[Meiji Restoration]] in 1868, feudal titles and ranks were reorganised into the ''[[kazoku]]'', a five-rank [[peerage]] system after the British example, which granted seats in the upper house of the [[Imperial Diet (Japan)|Imperial Diet]]; this ended in 1947 following Japan's defeat in World War II.

===Islamic world===
[[File:Aziz Pasha Abaza عزيز باشا أباظة.jpg|thumb|[[Aziz Pasha Abaza]] of the [[House of Abaza]], Egypt's largest aristocratic family.]]

In some Islamic countries, there are no definite noble titles (titles of hereditary rulers being distinct from those of hereditary intermediaries between monarchs and commoners). Persons who can trace legitimate descent from [[Muhammad]] or the clans of [[Quraysh]], as can members of several present or formerly reigning dynasties, are widely regarded as belonging to the ancient, hereditary Islamic nobility. In some Islamic countries they inherit (through mother or father) hereditary titles, although without any other associated privilege, e.g., variations of the title ''[[Sayyid]]'' and ''[[Sharif]]''. Regarded as more religious than the general population, many people turn to them for clarification or guidance in religious matters.

In [[Iran]], historical titles of the nobility including ''[[Mirza (noble)|Mirza]]'', ''[[Khan (title)|Khan]]'', ''[[ed-Dowleh]]'' and ''Shahzada'' ("Son of a Shah), are now no longer recognised. An aristocratic family is now recognised by their [[family name]], often derived from the post held by their ancestors, considering the fact that family names in Iran only appeared in the beginning of the 20th century.
Sultans have been an integral part of Islamic history. See: [[Zarabi]]
During the [[Ottoman Empire]] in the Imperial Court and the provinces there were many [[List of Ottoman titles and appellations|Ottoman titles and appellations]] forming a somewhat unusual and complex system in comparison with the other Islamic countries. The bestowal of noble and aristocratic titles was widespread across the empire even after its fall by independent monarchs. One of the most elaborate examples is that of the Egyptian aristocracy's largest clan, the [[Abaza family]], of maternal [[Abazins|Abazin]] and [[Circassians|Circassian]] origin.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2014-03-26 |title=عائلات تحكم مصر.. 1 ـ "الأباظية" عائلة الباشوات |url=https://www.albawabhnews.com/482311 |access-date=2024-04-03 |website= albawabhnews.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite AV media |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jvj8RNNRpuI |title=#مساء_الخير {{!}} محمود اباظة : حصلنا على لقب العيلة من سيدة شركسية |language=en |access-date=2024-04-03 |via=YouTube |author1=CBCtwo |date=May 10, 2014 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2019-02-20 |title=عائلات بارزة تدفع بأبنائها في الانتخابات لحفظ الميراث النيابي {{!}} مصر العربية |url=http://www.masralarabia.com/%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%AD%D9%8A%D8%A7%D8%A9-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B3%D9%8A%D8%A7%D8%B3%D9%8A%D8%A9/746311-%D8%B9%D8%A7%D8%A6%D9%84%D8%A7%D8%AA-%D8%A8%D8%A7%D8%B1%D8%B2%D8%A9-%D8%AA%D8%AF%D9%81%D8%B9-%D8%A8%D8%A3%D8%A8%D9%86%D8%A7%D8%A6%D9%87%D8%A7-%D9%81%D9%8A-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%A7%D9%86%D8%AA%D8%AE%D8%A7%D8%A8%D8%A7%D8%AA-%D9%84%D8%AD%D9%81%D8%B8-%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%85%D9%8A%D8%B1%D8%A7%D8%AB-%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%86%D9%8A%D8%A7%D8%A8%D9%8A |access-date=2024-04-03 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190220200724/http://www.masralarabia.com/%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%AD%D9%8A%D8%A7%D8%A9-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B3%D9%8A%D8%A7%D8%B3%D9%8A%D8%A9/746311-%D8%B9%D8%A7%D8%A6%D9%84%D8%A7%D8%AA-%D8%A8%D8%A7%D8%B1%D8%B2%D8%A9-%D8%AA%D8%AF%D9%81%D8%B9-%D8%A8%D8%A3%D8%A8%D9%86%D8%A7%D8%A6%D9%87%D8%A7-%D9%81%D9%8A-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%A7%D9%86%D8%AA%D8%AE%D8%A7%D8%A8%D8%A7%D8%AA-%D9%84%D8%AD%D9%81%D8%B8-%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%85%D9%8A%D8%B1%D8%A7%D8%AB-%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%86%D9%8A%D8%A7%D8%A8%D9%8A |archive-date=2019-02-20 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |date=2024-02-24 |title=Egypt in the Reign of Muhammad Ali – Afaf Lutfi Sayyid-Marsot – Google Books |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=KCz7N-GYKRcC&q=Abaza+Family%2C+Egypt&pg=PA123 |access-date=2024-04-03 |isbn=978-0-521-28968-9 |last1=Sayyid-Marsot |first1=Afaf Lutfi |publisher=Cambridge University Press }}</ref>

===Philippines===
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| footer ='''Left to right''': Images from the [[Boxer Codex]] illustrating ancient Filipino nobility wearing the distinctive colours of their social status: ['''1'''] a [[Visayans|Visayan]] noble couple; ['''2'''] a [[Visayans|Visayan]] [[Royal family|royal]] couple dressed in colours distinctive of their class (gold or [[Imperial yellow jacket|imperial yellow]], red and blue), which are also used by royalty in Asia;  ['''3'''] a native princess; and ['''4'''] a [[Tagalog people|Tagalog]] royal and his [[wikt:consort|consort]].
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Like other Southeast Asian countries, many regions in the [[Philippines]] have indigenous nobility, partially influenced by Hindu, Chinese, and Islamic custom. Since ancient times, ''[[Datu]]'' was the common title of a chief or monarch of the many [[History of the Philippines (900–1521)|pre-colonial]] principalities and sovereign dominions throughout the isles; in some areas the term ''Apo'' was also used.<ref>[http://www.subicbaypi.com/sub_stories_olongapostory.htm The Olongapo Story] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200219173144/http://www.subicbaypi.com/sub_stories_olongapostory.htm |date=2020-02-19 }}, July 28, 1953 – Bamboo Breeze – Vol. 6, No. 3</ref> With the titles ''[[Sultan]]'' and ''[[Rajah]]'', ''Datu'' (and its [[Malay language|Malay]] [[cognate]], ''Datok'') are currently used in some parts of the Philippines, [[Indonesia]], [[Malaysia]] and [[Brunei]]. These titles are the rough equivalents of European titles, albeit dependent on the actual wealth and prestige of the bearer.

====Recognition by the Spanish Crown====
Upon the [[History of the Philippines#Spanish settlement during the 16th and 17th centuries|islands' Christianization]], the datus retained governance of their territories despite annexation to the [[Spanish Empire]]. In a law signed 11 June 1594,<ref>"It is not right that the Indian chiefs of Filipinas be in a worse condition after conversion; rather they should have such treatment that would gain their affection and keep them loyal, so that with the spiritual blessings that God has communicated to them by calling them to His true knowledge, the temporal blessings may be added and they may live contentedly and comfortably. Therefore, we order the governors of those islands to show them good treatment and entrust them, in our name, with the government of the Indians, of whom they were formerly lords. In all else the governors shall see that the chiefs are benefited justly, and the Indians shall pay them something as a recognition, as they did during the period of their paganism, provided it be without prejudice to the tributes that are to be paid us, or prejudicial to that which pertains to their encomenderos." Felipe II, ''Ley de Junio 11, 1594'' in ''Recapilación de leyes'', lib. vi, tit. VII, ley xvi. Also cf. [[Emma Helen Blair]] and James Alexander Robertson, ''The Philippine Islands (1493–1898)'', Cleveland: The A.H. Clark Company, 1903, Vol. XVI, pp. 155–156.</ref> King [[Philip II of Spain]] ordered that the indigenous rulers continue to receive the same honors and privileges accorded them prior their conversion to [[Catholic Church in the Philippines|Catholicism]]. The baptized nobility subsequently coalesced into the exclusive, landed ruling class of the lowlands known as the ''[[principalía]]''.<ref>Scott, William Henry (1982). Cracks in the Parchment Curtain, and Other Essays in Philippine History. Quezon City: New Day Publishers. {{ISBN|978-9711000004}}. {{OCLC|9259667}}, p. 118.</ref>

On 22 March 1697, King [[Charles II of Spain]] confirmed the privileges granted by his predecessors (in Title VII, Book VI of the [[Laws of the Indies]])<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://fama2.us.es/fde/ocr/2006/leyesDeIndiasT1.pdf |title=Recopilación de Leyes de los Reynos de las Indias |access-date=2015-07-28 |archive-date=2017-03-28 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170328135621/http://fama2.us.es/fde/ocr/2006/leyesDeIndiasT1.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref> to indigenous nobilities of the Crown colonies, including the principalía of the Philippines, and extended to them and to their descendants the preeminence and honors customarily attributed to the [[Hidalgo (nobility)|hidalgos]] of [[Crown of Castile|Castile]].<ref>''Por cuanto teniendo presentes las leyes y cédulas que se mandaron despachar por los Señores Reyes mis progenitores y por mí, encargo el buen tratamiento, amparo, protección y defensa de los indios naturales de la América, y que sean atendidos, mantenidos, favorecidos y honrados  como todos los demás vasallos de mi Corona, y que por el trascurso del tiempo se detiene la práctica y uso de ellas, y siento tan conveniente su puntual cumplimiento al bien público  y utilidad de los Indios y al servicio de Dios y mío, y que en esta consecuencia por lo que toca a los indios mestizos está encargo a los Arzobispos y Obispos de las Indias, por la Ley Siete, Título Siete, del Libro Primero, de la  Recopilación, los ordenen de sacerdotes, concurriendo las calidades y circunstancias que en ella se disponen y que si algunas mestizas quisieren ser religiosas  dispongan el que se las admita en los monasterios y a las profesiones, y aunque en lo especial de que quedan ascender los indios a puestos eclesiásticos o seculares, gubernativos, políticos y de guerra, que todos piden limpieza de sangre y por estatuto  la calidad de nobles, hay distinción entre los Indios y mestizos, o como descendentes de los indios principales que se llaman caciques, o como procedidos de indios menos principales que son los tributarios, y que en su gentilidad reconocieron vasallaje, se considera que a los primeros y sus descendentes se les deben todas las preeminencias y honores, así en lo eclesiástico como en lo secular que se acostumbran conferir a los nobles Hijosdalgo de Castilla y pueden participar de cualesquier comunidades que por estatuto pidan nobleza, pues es constante que estos en su gentilismo eran nobles a quienes sus inferiores reconocían vasallaje y tributaban, cuya especie de nobleza todavía  se les conserva y considera, guardándoles en lo posible, o privilegios, como así se reconoce y declara por todo el Título de los caciques, que es el Siete, del Libro Seis, de la Recopilación, donde por distinción de los indios inferiores se les dejó el señorío con nombre de cacicazgo, transmisible de mayor en mayor, a sus  posterioridades...'' [https://books.google.com/books?id=MUZiJ2XG_-IC&dq=Vicente%20de%20Cadenas%20y%20Vicent%2C%20Las%20Pruebas%20de%20Nobleza%20y%20Genealogia%20en%20Filipinas%20y%20Los%20Archivios%20en%20Donde%20se%20Pueden%20Encontrar%20Antecedentes%20de%20Ellas%20in%20Heraldica%2C%20Genealogia%20y%20Nobleza%20en%20los%20Editoriales%20de%20%C2%ABHidalguia%C2%BB%2C&pg=PA28  Cf. DE CADENAS Y VICENT, Vicente (1993). ''Las Pruebas de Nobleza y Genealogia en Filipinas y Los Archivios en Donde se Pueden Encontrar Antecedentes de Ellas'' in ''Heraldica, Genealogia y Nobleza en los Editoriales de «Hidalguia»'', 19531–993: 40 años de un pensamiento (in Castellano). Madrid: HIDALGUIA, pp. 234–235.] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150623025313/https://books.google.it/books?id=MUZiJ2XG_-IC&lpg=PA232&ots=XtW6Qoc86n&dq=Vicente%20de%20Cadenas%20y%20Vicent%2C%20Las%20Pruebas%20de%20Nobleza%20y%20Genealogia%20en%20Filipinas%20y%20Los%20Archivios%20en%20Donde%20se%20Pueden%20Encontrar%20Antecedentes%20de%20Ellas%20in%20Heraldica%2C%20Genealogia%20y%20Nobleza%20en%20los%20Editoriales%20de%20%C2%ABHidalguia%C2%BB%2C&hl=it&pg=PA28 |date=2015-06-23 }}</ref>

====Filipino nobles during the Spanish era====
[[File:A family belonging to the Principalia.JPG|thumb|right|upright=0.75|Typical costume of a family belonging to the [[Principalía]] of the late 19th century [[History of the Philippines (1521–1898)|Philippines]]. Exhibit in the Villa Escudero Museum, [[San Pablo, Laguna]].]]

The Laws of the Indies and other pertinent royal decrees were enforced in the Philippines and benefited many indigenous nobles. It can be seen very clearly and irrefutably that, during the colonial period, indigenous chiefs were equated with the Spanish hidalgos, and the most resounding proof of the application of this comparison is the General Military Archive in [[Segovia]], where the qualifications of "nobility" (found in the service records) are attributed to those Filipinos who were admitted to the Spanish military academies and whose ancestors were [[cacique]]s, [[encomendero]]s, notable Tagalogs, chieftains, [[Gobernadorcillo|governors]] or those  who held positions in the municipal administration or government in all different regions of the large islands of the Archipelago, or of the many small islands of which it is composed.<ref>''Por ella se aprecia bien claramente y de manera fehaciente que a los caciques indígenas se les equiparada a los Hidalgos españoles y la prueba más rotunda de su aplicación se halla en el Archivo General Militar de Segovia, en donde las calificaciones de «Nobleza» se encuentran en las Hojas de Servicio de aquellos filipinos que ingresaron en nuestras Academias Militares y cuyos ascendientes eran caciques, encomenderos, tagalos notables, pedáneos, por los gobernadores o que ocupan cargos en la Administración municipal o en la del Gobierno, de todas las diferentes regiones de las grandes islas del Archipiélago o en las múltiples islas pequeñas de que se compone el mismo.'' DE CADENAS Y VICENT, Vicente (1993). ''Las Pruebas de Nobleza y Genealogia en Filipinas y Los Archivios en Donde se Pueden Encontrar Antecedentes de Ellas in Heraldica, Genealogia y Nobleza en los Editoriales de "Hidalguia"'', 1953–1993: 40 años de un pensamiento (in Spanish). Madrid: HIDALGUIA. {{ISBN|9788487204548}}, p. 235.</ref> In the context of the ancient tradition and norms of Castilian nobility, all descendants of a noble are considered noble, regardless of fortune.<ref>Ceballos-Escalera y Gila, Alfonso, ed. (2016). ''Los Saberes de la Nobleza Española y su Tradición: Familia, corte, libros'' in ''Cuadernos de Ayala'', N. 68 (Octubre-Diciembre 2016, p. 4</ref>

At the ''Real Academia de la Historia'', there is a substantial number of records providing reference to the Philippine Islands, and while most parts correspond to the history of these islands, the ''Academia'' did not exclude among its documents the presence of many genealogical records. The archives of the ''Academia'' and its royal stamp recognized the appointments of hundreds of natives of the Philippines who, by virtue of their social position, occupied posts in the administration of the territories and were classified as ''"nobles"''.<ref>''Por otra parte, mientras en las Indias la cultura precolombiana había alcanzado un alto nivel, en Filipinas la civilización isleña continuaba manifestándose en sus estados más primitivos. Sin embargo, esas sociedades primitivas, independientes totalmente las unas de las otras, estaban en cierta manera estructuradas y se apreciaba en ellas una organización jerárquica embrionaria y local, pero era digna de ser atendida. Precisamente en esa organización local es, como siempre, de donde nace la nobleza. El indio aborigen, jefe de tribu, es reconocido como noble y las pruebas irrefutables de su nobleza se encuentran principalmente en las Hojas de Servicios de los militares de origen filipino que abrazaron la carrera de las Armas, cuando para hacerlo necesariamente era preciso demostrar el origen nobiliario del individuo.'' DE CADENAS Y VICENT, Vicente (1993). ''Las Pruebas de Nobleza y Genealogia en Filipinas y Los Archivios en Donde se Pueden Encontrar Antecedentes de Ellas in Heraldica, Genealogia y Nobleza en los Editoriales de "Hidalguia"'', 1953–1993: 40 años de un pensamiento (in Spanish). Madrid: HIDALGUIA. {{ISBN|9788487204548}}, p. 232.</ref> The presence of these notables demonstrates the cultural concern of Spain in those Islands to prepare the natives and the collaboration of these in the government of the Archipelago. This aspect of Spanish rule in the Philippines appears much more strongly implemented than in the Americas. Hence in the Philippines, the local nobility, by reason of charge accorded to their social class, acquired greater importance than in the [[Indigenous peoples of the Americas|Indies]] of the [[New World]].<ref>''También en la Real Academia de la Historia existe un importante fondo relativo a las Islas Filipinas, y aunque su mayor parte debe corresponder a la Historia de ellas, no es excluir que entre su documentación aparezcan muchos antecedentes genealógicos… El Archivo del Palacio y en su Real Estampilla se recogen los nombramientos de centenares de aborígenes de aquel Archipiélago, a los cuales, en virtud de su posición social, ocuparon cargos en la administración de aquellos territorios y cuya presencia demuestra la inquietud cultural de nuestra Patria en aquéllas Islas para la preparación de sus naturales y la colaboración de estos en las tareas de su Gobierno. Esta faceta en Filipinas aparece mucho más actuada que en el continente americano y de ahí que en Filipinas la Nobleza de cargo adquiera mayor importancia que en las Indias.''DE CADENAS Y VICENT, Vicente (1993). ''Las Pruebas de Nobleza y Genealogia en Filipinas y Los Archivios en Donde se Pueden Encontrar Antecedentes de Ellas in Heraldica, Genealogia y Nobleza en los Editoriales de "Hidalguia"'', 1953–1993: 40 años de un pensamiento (in Spanish). Madrid: HIDALGUIA. {{ISBN|9788487204548}}, p. 234.</ref>

With the recognition of the Spanish monarchs came the privilege of being addressed as [[Don (honorific)|Don or Doña]],<ref>''Durante la dominación española, el '''cacique''', jefe de un barangay, ejercía funciones judiciales y administrativas. A los tres años tenía el tratamiento de '''don''' y se reconocía capacidad para ser gobernadorcillo''. ''Enciclopedia Universal Ilustrada Europeo-Americana''. VII. Madrid: Espasa-Calpe, S. A. 1921, p. 624.</ref> a mark of esteem and distinction in Europe reserved for a person of noble or royal status during the colonial period. Other honors and high regard were also accorded to the Christianized Datus by the [[Spanish Empire]]. For example, the [[Gobernadorcillo]]s (elected leader of the [[Cabeza de Barangay|Cabezas de Barangay]] or the Christianized Datus) and Filipino officials of justice received the greatest consideration from the Spanish Crown officials. The colonial officials were under obligation to show them the honor corresponding to their respective duties. They were allowed to sit in the houses of the Spanish Provincial Governors, and in any other places. They were not left to remain standing. It was not permitted for Spanish Parish Priests to treat these Filipino nobles with less consideration.<ref>Blair, Emma Helen & Robertson, James Alexander, eds. (1903). ''The Philippine Islands, 1493–1898''. Volume 27 of 55 (1636–37). Historical introduction and additional notes by Edward Gaylord Bourne; additional translations by Arthur B. Myrick. Cleveland, Ohio: Arthur H. Clark Company. {{ISBN|978-1-333-01347-9}}. {{OCLC|769945242}}. "Explorations by early navigators, descriptions of the islands and their peoples, their history and records of the catholic missions, as related in contemporaneous books and manuscripts, showing the political, economic, commercial and religious conditions of those islands from their earliest relations with European nations to the close of the nineteenth century, pp. 296–297.</ref>

The Gobernadorcillos exercised the command of the towns. They were Port Captains in coastal towns. They also had the rights and powers to elect assistants and several lieutenants and ''[[alguacil]]es'', proportionate in number to the inhabitants of the town.<ref>Blair, Emma Helen & Robertson, James Alexander, eds. (1903). ''The Philippine Islands, 1493–1898''. Volume 27 of 55 (1636–37). Historical introduction and additional notes by Edward Gaylord Bourbe; additional translations by Arthur B. Myrick. Cleveland, Ohio: Arthur H. Clark Company. {{ISBN|978-1-333-01347-9}}. {{OCLC|769945242}}. "Explorations by early navigators, descriptions of the islands and their peoples, their history and records of the catholic missions, as related in contemporaneous books and manuscripts, showing the political, economic, commercial and religious conditions of those islands from their earliest relations with European nations to the close of the nineteenth century, pp. 329.</ref>

====Current ''status questionis''====
[[File:Heraldic Crown of Hispanic Hidalgos.svg|thumb|left|upright=0.75|[[Crown (heraldry)|Heraldic Crown]] of [[Hidalgo (nobility)|Hispanic Hidalgos]].]]
[[File:Naturales 5.png|upright=0.75|thumb|left|A pre-colonial Tagalog couple belonging to the [[datu]] class or nobility as depicted in the [[Boxer Codex]] of the 16th century.]]

The recognition of the rights and privileges accorded to the Filipino principalía as hijosdalgos of Castile seems to facilitate entrance of Filipino nobles into institutions of  under the Spanish Crown, either civil or religious, which required proofs of nobility.<ref name="cardenasvv">{{Cite book |last=DE CADENAS Y VICENT |first=Vicente |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=MUZiJ2XG_-IC&q=Vicente%20de%20Cadenas%20y%20Vicent%2C%20Las%20Pruebas%20de%20Nobleza%20y%20Genealogia%20en%20Filipinas%20y%20Los%20Archivios%20en%20Donde%20se%20Pueden%20Encontrar%20Antecedentes%20de%20Ellas%20in%20Heraldica%2C%20Genealogia%20y%20Nobleza%20en%20los%20Editoriales%20de%20%C2%ABHidalguia%C2%BB%2C&pg=PA28 |title=Las Pruebas de Nobleza y Genealogia en Filipinas y Los Archivios en Donde se Pueden Encontrar Antecedentes de Ellas ''in'' Heraldica, Genealogia y Nobleza en los Editoriales de "Hidalguia", 1953–1993: 40 años de un pensamiento |publisher=HIDALGUIA |year=1993 |isbn=9788487204548 |location=Madrid |language=es |author-link=Vicente de Cadenas y Vicent |access-date=2020-11-02 |archive-date=2022-04-07 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220407150533/https://books.google.com/books?id=MUZiJ2XG_-IC&q=Vicente%20de%20Cadenas%20y%20Vicent%2C%20Las%20Pruebas%20de%20Nobleza%20y%20Genealogia%20en%20Filipinas%20y%20Los%20Archivios%20en%20Donde%20se%20Pueden%20Encontrar%20Antecedentes%20de%20Ellas%20in%20Heraldica%2C%20Genealogia%20y%20Nobleza%20en%20los%20Editoriales%20de%20%C2%ABHidalguia%C2%BB%2C&pg=PA28 |url-status=live }}</ref>{{rp|page=235}} However, to see such recognition as an approximation or comparative estimation of rank or status might not be correct since in reality, although the principales were vassals of the Crown, their rights as sovereign in their former dominions were guaranteed by the [[Laws of the Indies]], more particularly the Royal Decree of Philip II of 11 June 1594, which Charles II confirmed for the purpose stated above to satisfy the requirements of the existing laws in the Peninsula.

It must be recalled that ever since the beginning of the colonialization, the conquistador [[Miguel López de Legazpi]] did not strip the ancient sovereign rulers of the Archipelago (who vowed allegiance to the Spanish Crown) of their legitimate rights. Many of them accepted the Catholic religion and were his allies from the very beginning. He only demanded from these local rulers vassalage to the Spanish Crown,<ref>FERRANDO, Fr Juan & FONSECA OSA, Fr Joaquin (1870–1872). ''Historia de los PP. Dominicos en las Islas Filipinas y en las Misiones del Japon, China, Tung-kin y Formosa'' (Vol. 1 of 6 vols) (in Spanish). Madrid: Imprenta y esteriotipia de M Rivadeneyra, p. 146</ref> replacing the similar [[Mandala (political model)|overlordship]], which previously existed in a few cases, e.g., [[Sultanate of Brunei]]'s overlordship of the [[Kingdom of Maynila]]. Other independent polities that were not vassals to other States, e.g., [[Madja-as|Confederation of Madja-as]] and the [[Rajahnate of Cebu]], were more of [[potectorate]]s or [[Suzerainty|suzerainties]] having had alliances with the Spanish Crown before the Kingdom took total control of most parts of the Archipelago.

==Europe==
[[File:Bojaren.jpg|thumb|Russian [[boyar]]s.]]

European nobility originated in the feudal/seignorial system that arose in Europe during the [[Middle Ages]].<ref>[[Karl Ferdinand Werner]], ''Naissance de la noblesse. L'essor des élites politiques en Europe.'' Fayard, Paris 1998, {{ISBN|2-213-02148-1}}.</ref> Originally, [[knight]]s or nobles were mounted warriors who swore allegiance to their sovereign and promised to fight for him in exchange for an allocation of land (usually together with [[serf]]s living thereon). During the period known as the [[Military Revolution]], nobles gradually lost their role in raising and commanding private armies, as many nations created cohesive national armies.

[[File:MS Ghent - Battle of Tewkesbury.jpg|thumb|left|The [[Battle of Tewkesbury]] in 1471. Large numbers of English nobility perished in the [[Wars of the Roses]].]]

This was coupled with a loss of the socio-economic power of the nobility, owing to the economic changes of the [[Renaissance]] and the growing economic importance of the merchant classes, which increased still further during the [[Industrial Revolution]]. In countries where the nobility was the dominant class, the ''bourgeoisie'' gradually grew in power; a rich city merchant came to be more influential than a nobleman, and the latter sometimes sought inter-marriage with families of the former to maintain their noble lifestyles.<ref>Marcassa, Stefania, Jérôme Pouyet, and Thomas Trégouët. "Marriage strategy among the European nobility." ''Explorations in Economic History'' 75 (2020): 101303. [https://thema.u-cergy.fr/IMG/pdf/2017-17.pdf online] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210714131023/https://thema.u-cergy.fr/IMG/pdf/2017-17.pdf |date=2021-07-14 }}</ref>

However, in many countries at this time, the nobility retained substantial political importance and social influence: for instance, the United Kingdom's government was dominated by the (unusually small) nobility until the middle of the 19th century. Thereafter the powers of the nobility were progressively reduced by legislation. However, until 1999, all [[hereditary peer]]s were entitled to sit and vote in the [[House of Lords]]. Since then, only 92 of them have this entitlement, of whom 90 are elected by the hereditary peers as a whole to [[Representative peer|represent the peerage]].

The countries with the highest proportion of nobles were [[Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth]] (15% of an 18th-century population of 800,000{{Citation needed|date=February 2022}}), [[Crown of Castile|Castile]] (probably 10%), Spain (722,000 in 1768 which was 7–8% of the entire population) and other countries with lower percentages, such as Russia in 1760 with 500,000–600,000 nobles (2–3% of the entire population), and pre-revolutionary [[Kingdom of France|France]] where there were no more than 300,000 prior to 1789, which was 1% of the population (although some scholars believe this figure is an overestimate). In 1718 Sweden had between 10,000 and 15,000 nobles, which was 0.5% of the population. In Germany it was 0.01%.<ref>Jorn Leonhard, and Christian Wieland, eds. ''What Makes the Nobility Noble?: Comparative Perspectives from the Sixteenth to the Twentieth Century'' (2011).</ref>

In the [[Kingdom of Hungary]] nobles made up 5% of the population.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Jonathan |first=Dewald |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-fct5tlRFwEC&pg=PA25 |title=The European nobility, 1400–1800 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |year=1996 |isbn=0-521-42528-X |page=25 |access-date=2015-10-23 |archive-date=2022-04-07 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220407150538/https://books.google.com/books?id=-fct5tlRFwEC&pg=PA25 |url-status=live }}</ref> All the nobles in 18th-century Europe numbered perhaps 3–4&nbsp;million out of a total of 170–190&nbsp;million inhabitants.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Jean |first=Meyer |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=jXbaAAAAMAAJ |title=Noblesses et pouvoirs dans l'Europe d'Ancien Régime, Hachette Littérature |publisher=Hachette |year=1973 |isbn=9782346228201 |access-date=2020-11-02 |archive-date=2022-04-07 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220407150612/https://books.google.com/books?id=jXbaAAAAMAAJ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Jean-Pierre |first=Labatut |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=V4e1AAAAIAAJ |title=Les noblesses européennes de la fin du XVe siècle à la fin du XVIIIe siècle |publisher=Presses universitaires de France |year=1981 |isbn=9782130353447 |access-date=2020-11-02 |archive-date=2022-04-07 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220407150559/https://books.google.com/books?id=V4e1AAAAIAAJ |url-status=live }}</ref> By contrast, in 1707, when [[Acts of Union 1707|England and Scotland united]] into Great Britain, there were only 168 [[Peerage of England|English peers]], and 154 [[Peerage of Scotland|Scottish ones]], though their immediate families were recognised as noble.<ref name="may1">[[Erskine May, 1st Baron Farnborough|Farnborough, T. E. May, 1st Baron]] (1896). ''Constitutional History of England since the Accession of George the Third'', 11th ed. [http://home.freeuk.com/don-aitken/emay273.html Volume I, Chapter 5, pp. 273–281.] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080622193813/http://home.freeuk.com/don-aitken/emay273.html |date=2008-06-22 }} London: Longmans, Green and Co.</ref>

Apart from the hierarchy of noble titles, in England rising through baron, viscount, earl, and marquess to duke, many countries had categories at the top or bottom of the nobility. The [[gentry]], relatively small landowners with perhaps one or two villages, were mostly noble in most countries, for example the [[Polish landed gentry]]. At the top, Poland had [[Magnates of Poland and Lithuania|a far smaller class of "magnates"]], who were hugely rich and politically powerful. In other countries the small groups of Spanish [[Grandee]] or [[Peerage of France|Peer of France]] had great prestige but little additional power.

==Latin America==
In addition to the nobility of a variety of native populations in what is now Latin America (such as the ''[[Aymara people|Aymara]]'', ''[[Aztec]]s'', ''[[Maya peoples|Maya]]'', and ''[[Quechua people|Quechua]]'') who had long traditions of being led by monarchs and nobles, peerage traditions dating to the colonial and post-colonial imperial periods (in the case of such countries as [[Cuban nobility|Cuba]], [[Mexican nobility|Mexico]] and [[Brazilian nobility|Brazil]]), have left noble families in each of them that have ancestral ties to those nations' Indigenous and European families, especially the [[Spanish nobility]], but also the [[Portuguese nobility|Portuguese]] and [[French nobility|French]] nobility.

===Bolivia===
[[File:Angélica Larrea.png|thumb|[[Angélica Larrea]], [[Afro-Bolivian monarchy|Queen of the Afro-Bolivians]].]]

From the many historical native chiefs and rulers of pre-Columbian [[Bolivia]] to the [[Criollo people|''Criollo'' upper class]] that dates to the era of [[colonial Bolivia]] and that has ancestral ties to the [[Spanish nobility]], Bolivia has several groups that may fit into the category of nobility.

For example, there is a ceremonial monarchy led by a titular ruler who is known as the ''[[Afro-Bolivian monarchy|Afro-Bolivian king]]''. The members of his dynasty are the direct descendants of an old [[Monarchies in Africa#Sub-national monarchies|African tribal monarchy]] that were brought to Bolivia as slaves. They have provided leadership to the [[Afro-Bolivian community]] ever since that event and have been officially recognized by Bolivia's government since 2007.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://elpais.com/cultura/2018/01/19/actualidad/1516326396_507680.html |title=El retorno del rey negro boliviano a sus raíces africanas |newspaper=El País |date=19 January 2018 |access-date=2020-03-07 |archive-date=2020-11-09 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201109032859/https://elpais.com/cultura/2018/01/19/actualidad/1516326396_507680.html |url-status=live |last1=Rodríguez |first1=Andres }}</ref>

===Brazil===
{{Main article|Brazilian nobility}}
[[File:Marquis of Parana by Emilio Bauch.jpg|thumb|Portrait of the [[Honório Hermeto Carneiro Leão, Marquis of Paraná|Marquis of Paraná]], [[President of the Council of Ministers of Brazil|Prime Minister of Brazil]].]]

The nobility in Brazil began during the [[Colonial Brazil|colonial era]] with the [[Portuguese nobility]]. When Brazil became a [[United Kingdom of Portugal, Brazil and the Algarves|united kingdom with Portugal]] in 1815, the first [[Brazilian nobility|Brazilian titles of nobility]] were granted by the king of Portugal, Brazil and the Algarves.

With the independence of Brazil in 1822 as a constitutional monarchy, the titles of nobility initiated by the king of Portugal were continued and new titles of nobility were created by the [[emperor of Brazil]]. However, according to the [[Brazilian Constitution of 1824]], the emperor conferred titles of nobility, which were personal and therefore non-hereditary, unlike the earlier Portuguese and Portuguese-Brazilian titles, being inherited exclusively to the royal titles of the [[Brazilian imperial family]].{{citation needed|date=May 2017}}

During the existence of the [[Empire of Brazil]], 1,211 noble titles were acknowledged.{{Citation needed|date=September 2019}} With the proclamation of the [[First Brazilian Republic]], in 1889, the Brazilian nobility was discontinued. It was also prohibited, under penalty of accusation of [[high treason]] and the suspension of political rights, to accept noble titles and foreign decorations without the proper permission of the state. In particular, the nobles of greater distinction, by respect and tradition, were allowed to use their titles during the republican regime. The imperial family also could not return to the Brazilian soil until 1921, when the Banishment Law was repealed.{{citation needed|date=May 2017}}

===Mexico===
{{Main|Mexican nobility}}
[[File:Dell'Acqua Ernennung Maximilians zum Kaiser Mexikos.jpg|thumb|250px|right|A deputation of members of the Mexican nobility, presenting the throne of the [[Second Mexican Empire|Mexican Empire]] to the future [[Maximilian I of Mexico]] in 1863. He was a descendant of prior [[House of Habsburg|Habsburg]] rulers of the [[Spanish Empire]], the crown jewel being [[New Spain]] (Mexico).]]

The Mexican nobility were a [[Heredity|hereditary]] nobility of Mexico, with specific privileges and obligations determined in the various [[political system]]s that historically ruled over the Mexican territory.

The term is used in reference to various groups throughout the entirety of Mexican history, from formerly [[Dynasty|ruling]] [[Indigenous peoples of the Americas|indigenous]] families of the [[pre-Columbian era|pre-Columbian]] states of present-day Mexico, to noble Mexican families of [[Spanish nobility|Spanish]], [[mestizo]], and other European descent, which include [[conquistador]]s and their [[Lineal descendant|descendant]]s (ennobled by King [[Philip II of Spain|Philip II]] in [[1573]]), untitled noble families of Mexico, and holders of [[Imperial, royal and noble ranks|titles of nobility]] acquired during the [[New Spain|Viceroyalty of the New Spain]] (1521–1821), the [[First Mexican Empire]] (1821–1823), and the [[Second Mexican Empire]] (1862–1867); as well as bearers of titles and other noble [[prerogative]]s granted by foreign powers who have settled in Mexico.

The [[Constitution of Mexico|Political Constitution of Mexico]] has prohibited the state from recognizing any [[Imperial, royal and noble ranks|titles of nobility]] since 1917. The present [[Mexico|United Mexican States]] does not issue or recognize titles of nobility or any hereditary prerogatives and honors. Informally, however, a Mexican aristocracy remains a part of Mexican culture and its [[Hierarchy|hierarchical]] society.

==Nobility by nation==
A list of noble titles for different European countries can be found at [[Royal and noble ranks]].

{{For|the proper address of holders of these titles|Royal and noble title styles}}
{{For|the English Wikipedia category|:Category:Nobility by nation}}

===Africa===
* [[Botswanan chieftaincy]]
** [[Kgosi]]
* [[Ganwa|Burundian nobility]]
* [[Sahib-ul-Ma'ali|Egyptian nobility]]
* [[Ethiopian aristocratic and court titles|Ethiopian nobility]]
**[[Ras (title)|Ras]]
**[[Jantirar]]
* [[Ghanaian chieftaincy]]
** [[Akan chieftaincy]]
* [[Andriana|Malagasy nobility]]
* [[Gbara|Malian nobility]]
* [[Nigerian Chieftaincy]]
** [[Nigerian traditional rulers]]
*** [[Lamido]]
****[[Hakim (title)|Hakimi]]
*** [[Oba (ruler)|Oba]]
****[[Ogboni]]
*** [[Eze]]
****[[Nze na Ozo]]
* [[Abiru|Rwandan nobility]]
* [[Somali aristocratic and court titles|Somali nobility]]
* [[Zimbabwean chieftaincy]]

===Americas===
* [[Canadian peers and baronets]]
* {{ill|French-Canadian nobility|fr|Noblesse canadienne-française}}
* [[Brazilian nobility]]
* [[Cuban nobility]]
* [[Kuraka|Kuraka (Peru)]]
* [[Mexican nobility]]
** [[Pipiltin]]
* United States – While its [[Nobility Clause|constitution bars]] the federal and state governments from granting titles of nobility, in most cases citizens are not barred from accepting, [[List of Americans who held noble titles from other countries|holding]] or inheriting them. And, since at least 1953, the U.S. requires applicants for naturalization to renounce any titles.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Chapter 2 – The Oath of Allegiance |url=https://www.uscis.gov/policy-manual/volume-12-part-j-chapter-2 |access-date=27 Jan 2024 |website=U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services|date=4 April 2023 }}</ref>

===Asia===
* [[Armenian nobility]]
* [[Chinese nobility]]
* [[Indian peers and baronets]]
*[[Priyayi|Indonesian (Dutch East Indies) nobility]]
* [[Japanese nobility]] 
**[[Daimyō]] 
**[[Kazoku]]
**[[Kuge]] 
***[[Fujiwara family]]
***[[Minamoto family]]
***[[Tachibana clan (kuge)|Tachibana family]]
***[[Taira family]]
*[[Kaji (Nepal)]]
**[[Basnyat family]]
**[[Kunwar family]]
**[[Pande family]]
**[[Thapa family]]   
* [[Korean nobility]]
* [[Malay titles|Malay nobility]]
* [[Mongolian nobility]]
* [[Ottoman titles|Ottoman nobility]]
* [[Principalía]] of the Philippines 
* [[Thai nobility]]
* [[Vietnamese nobility]]

===Europe===
* [[Albanian nobility]]
* [[Austrian nobility]]
* [[Baltic nobility]] – ethnically [[Baltic German]] nobility in the modern area of Estonia and Latvia
* [[Belgian nobility]]
* [[British nobility]]                               
** [[British peerage]] 
*** [[Peerage of Great Britain]]
*** [[Peerage of the United Kingdom]]
*** [[Peerage of England|English peerage]]
*** [[Noblesse|Scottish noblesse]]
****[[Peerage of Scotland|Scottish peerage]]
****[[Barons in Scotland|Barons]]
****[[Laird]]s
*** [[Welsh Peers]]
*** [[Peerage of Ireland|Irish peerage]]
**** [[Chiefs of the Name]]
** [[Landed gentry|British gentry/minor nobility]]
*** [[Baronet]]s
*** [[Knight]]s
[[File:Burmese nobles.JPG|thumb|Burmese nobles and servants]]
* [[Byzantine aristocracy and bureaucracy]]
**[[Phanariotes]]
* [[Croatian nobility]]
* [[Czech nobility]]
* [[Danish nobility]]
* [[Dutch nobility]]
* [[Finnish nobility]]
* [[French nobility]]
* [[German nobility]]
** {{Lang|de|[[Freiherr]]}}
** [[Graf]]
** [[Junker]]
* [[Hungarian nobility]]
* [[Nobility in Iceland|Icelandic nobility]]
* [[Irish nobility]]
* [[Italian nobility]]
** [[Black Nobility]]
* [[Lithuanian nobility]]
* [[Maltese nobility]]
* [[Montenegrin nobility (1852–1918)|Montenegrin nobility]]
* [[Norwegian nobility]]
* [[Polish nobility]]
** [[Magnates of Poland and Lithuania|Magnates]]
* [[Portuguese nobility]]
* [[Russian nobility]]
** [[Boyar]]s
* [[Ruthenian nobility]]
* [[Serbian nobility]]
* [[Spanish nobility]]
* [[Swedish nobility]]
* [[Swiss nobility]]

===Oceania===
* [[Australian peers and baronets]]
* [[Ratu|Fijian nobility]]
* [[Ariki|Polynesian nobility]]
** [[Fa'amatai|Samoan nobility]]
** [[Tongan nobles]]

==See also==
{{div col|small=yes|colwidth=20em}}
* [[Almanach de Gotha]]
* [[Aristocracy (class)]]
* [[Ascribed status]]
* [[Baig]]
* [[Caste]] (social hierarchy of India)
* [[Debutante]]
* [[False titles of nobility]]
* [[Gentleman]]
* [[Gentry]]
* [[Grand Burgher]] (German: ''Großbürger'')
* [[Heraldry]]
* Honour
* [[Kaji (Nepal)]]
* King
* [[List of fictional nobility]]
* [[List of noble houses]]
* [[Magnate]]
* [[Nobiliary particle]]
* [[Noblesse oblige]]
* [[Noble women]]
* [[Nze na Ozo]]
* [[Ogboni]]
* [[Pasha]]
* [[Patrician (ancient Rome)]]
* [[Patrician (post-Roman Europe)]]
* [[Peerage]]
* [[Petty nobility]]
* [[Princely state]]
* [[Raja]]
* ''[[Redorer son blason]]''
* [[Royal descent]]
* [[Social environment]]
* [[Symbolic capital]]
{{div col end}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{wikiquote}}
{{Wiktionary|nobility}}
{{Commons category}}
{{Wikidata property|P53}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20131203070622/http://wwperson.informatik.uni-erlangen.de/cgi-bin/l3/LANG=engl/F=Karl@Theodor@Maria@Nikolaus@Johann@Jacob@Philipp@Franz@Joseph@Sylvester/N=v.u.zu@Guttenberg WW-Person], an on-line database of European noble genealogy (archived)
* [http://www.worldroots.com/ Worldroots, a selection of art and genealogy of European nobility]
* [http://www.worldwidewords.org/qa/qa-blu1.htm Worldwidewords]
* [http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?search=blue+blood&searchmode=none Etymology OnLine]
* [https://www.academia.edu/39073822/A_FEW_NOTES_ABOUT_GRANTS_OF_TITLES_OF_NOBILITY_BY_MODERN_SERBIAN_MONARCHS A few notes about grants of titles of nobility by modern Serbian Monarchs]

{{Social class}}
{{Nobility by nation}}

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Nobility| ]]
[[Category:Estates (social groups)]]
[[Category:Feudalism]]
[[Category:Oligarchy]]
[[Category:Social classes]]