Hidalgo (Spanish Nobility) - Types

Types

Hidalgos de sangre (by virtue of lineage) are "those for whom there is no memory of its origin and there is no knowledge of any document mentioning a royal grant, which obscurity is universally praised even more than those noblemen who know otherwise their origin", or in other words, an immemorial noble. When challenged, an hidalgo de sangre may obtain a judicial sentence validating his nobility from the Royal Chancillería of Valladolid or Granada, if he can prove that it has been accepted local society and custom. In this case, the resulting legal document that verifies his nobility is called a carta ejecutoria de hidalguia (letters patent of nobility).

To qualify as an hidalgo solariego ("ancestral hidalgo"), one had to prove that all four of one's grandparents were hidalgos. Hidalgos solariegos were regarded as the most noble and treated with the most respect. One could also receive the title as a reward for meritorious acts, or by joining an hermandad. The natives of Biscay were all born hidalgos, giving them access to military and administrative careers. Unlike other hidalgos who refused manual work as contrary to their honour (as seen in Lazarillo de Tormes), Biscayne universal gentry extended to the lowliest native worker.

Hidalgo de bragueta ("fly-of-the-trousers hidalgo") obtained tax exemption for having seven sons in legal matrimony.

In Asturias, Cantabria and other regions of Spain every seven years the King ordered the creation of padrones ("registers") where the population was classified either as hidalgos nobles, and therefore, exempt from taxation due to their military status or pecheros (from an archaic verb, pechar, "to pay") who composed the estado llano ("lower ranks") and were excluded from military service and had to pay taxes. These padrones constitute nowadays a rich source of information about population genealogy and distribution as well as proof of nobility in certain cases.

Over the years the title lost its significance, especially in Spain. Kings routinely awarded the title in exchange for personal favors. By the time of the reign of the House of Bourbon, over half a million people enjoyed tax exemptions, putting tremendous strain on the royal state which wasn't calling their services to arms but relied more in professional armies and costly mercenaries. Attempts were made to reform the title and by the early nineteenth century with the forced levies to military service of all citizens by Universal Conscription without any minimum requirements of nobility or pay or loyalty by honour but by coercion on desertion, it had entirely disappeared, along with the social class it had originally signified and most of its centuries old developed code of honour in the nation social culture. By some twist of policies but agenda clearly copied from the French state, all hidalgos have been lumped with pecheros (taxable payers) but all citizens have not become hidalgos by any stretch of social rights or privileges but were still forced to pay in both, taxes and blood risks. Both social estates of the realm have become undivided and forced to add to the nation contributions in both manners without exemption, while the titled nobility and royalty kept their former privileges and exemptions.