Security of the Political and Social Position of the Nobility in Early Modern Europe

Security of the Political and Social Position of the Nobility in Early Modern Europe

The nobility of early modern Europe were descended on the whole from

the mounted knights of medieval armies who had been granted land along

with social and political privileges and had subsequently formed a

higher social class. Between 1500-1789 the status of the aristocracy

came under threat both politically and socially. The rise of

‘absolutism’ within the monarchies of Europe led to the desire of

governments to reduce noble power and bypass several of their

privileges in order to increase state revenue and centralise

governmental control. The growth of the middle classes and the

destruction of the feudal system meant that the aristocracy had to

dramatically adapt to new social and economic situations. A great

difference can be seen between the survival of the nobility in Western

Europe and Eastern Europe, the latter maintaining great political

control and a substantial section of society. Western Europe saw the

decline of the nobility but also its movement towards a new role in

society.

Scott describes the “three interlocking developments”[1] that

constituted the problems of the nobility in the seventeenth and

eighteenth centuries. The first was economic as many families

experienced difficulties and drew closer in wealth to the aspiring

middle classes. The sixteenth century saw prices continue to rise as

rulers manipulated currencies and this proved a burden to the nobility

who relied solely upon the land for revenue. The aristocracy were

losing their traditional authority “politically to the centralising

state that was coming into existence ...

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[1] Scott, H.M., The European Nobilities in the Seventeenth and

Eighteenth Centuries Vol. 1: Western Europe (1995) p.8.

[2] Scott, H.M., The European Nobilities in the Seventeenth and

Eighteenth Centuries p.8.

[3] Scott, H.M., The European Nobilities in the Seventeenth and

Eighteenth Centuries p.53.

[4] Ruiz, T.F., Spanish Society 1400-1600 (Los Angeles, 2001) p.74.

[5] Dewald, J., The European Nobility, 1400-1800 (1996) p.152.

[6] Bush, M.L., Noble Privilege (1983) p.1.

[7] Bush, M.L., Noble Privilege p.79.

[8] Dewald, J., The European Nobility, 1400-1800 p.70.

[9] Dewald, J., The European Nobility p.70.

[10] Dewald, J., The European Nobility p.71.

[11] Beckett, J.V., The Aristocracy in England 1660-1914 (1986) p.350.

[12] Kamen, H., Early Modern European Society (2000) p.93.