European Nobility - European Nobility

European Nobility

European nobility originated in the feudal/seignorial system that arose in Europe during the Middle Ages. Originally, knights 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 serfs 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.

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.

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 nobility until the middle of the 19th century. Thereafter the powers of the nobility were progressively reduced by legislation. However, until 1999, all Hereditary Peers were entitled to sit and vote in the House of Lords. Since, a reduction has been undertaken, whereby 92 sit, with 90 being elected by other hereditary peers to represent the peerage.

The countries with the highest proportion of nobles were Castile (probably 10%?), Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth (15% population in the 18th century with 800.000), Spain (722.000 in 1768 which was 7-8% of the entire population) and other countries with lower percentages like Russia in 1760 with 5-600.000 nobles (2-3% of the entire population), and France before the 1789 Revolution where there were no more than 300.000 which was 1% of the entire population (even if some scholars believe this figure was too big). In 1718 Sweden accounted from 10 to 15.000 nobles which was 0.5% of the entire population. Globally speaking all the nobles in 18th century Europe were maybe 3-4 million on a total of 170-190 million inhabitants. .
In Hungary, yet another frontier region, nobles made up 5% of the population. On the frontiers of Europe, western and eastern alike, ongoing warfare against ethnic outsiders – Turks and Tatars in eastern Europe, Moors (until 1492) in Spain – gave large numbers of new men access to higher status; and the booty of conquest provided the material bases for their advancement.