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initial attempt to narrow down the definition of nobility according to my humble, but certain knowledge. Experts, where are you? |
m dab Polish |
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The '''nobility''' represents, or has represented, the higher stratum of a society in which [[social class]]es can be distinguished. Typically the notion of nobility originates from the stage of [[feudal society]] in the development of a country. The nobility of a person might be either inherited or earned. Nobility is its most general and strict sense is an acknowledged preeminence that is ''hereditary'', i.e., legitimate descendants (or all male descendants, in some societies) of nobles are nobles, unless explicitely stripped of the privilege. In this respect, ''nobility'' is distinguished from British [[peerage]]: the latter can be passed to only a single member of the family. Another confusion of the term ''nobility'' is with [[aristocracy]]. The latter term is often used (abused) in an informal way, but in the strict sence it is a political term related to a form of government.
Nobles typically commanded resources, such as food, money, or labor, from [[commoner|common]] members or nobles of lower rank of their societies, and could exercise religious or political power over them. Also, nobles typically, but not necessarily were entitled to land property, which was reflected in the title. For example, the title [[Earl of Chesterfield]] tells about property, while the title [[Earl Cairns]] was created for a surname. However all the above is not obligatory; quite often nobility was associated only with social respect and certain social privileges. A typical example of the latter would be [[Poland|Polish]] [[szlachta]].
== Ranks in Europe ==
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