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Medieval Society

The Upper Nobility

The nobility spanned a very large social range. At the top was royalty (in the Middle Ages, all the emperors were also kings) and what modern historians call the "upper nobility." These went by a variety of terms in the Middle Ages and the definition was never very precise. They were the magnates, the great barons, the titled nobility. In general they either possessed vast estates in their own right, or they enjoyed the favor of the king. Or both. Most bore titles such as duke, count, earl, margrave or marquis, but having such a title did not automatically place you among the upper nobility.

This was actually a fairly fluid social group, mainly because the fortunes of war and marriage tended to bring families up and cast them down in a surprisingly short period of time. While certain great families persisted, where we are able to gather specific information we see that it was not unusual for a family to last for only three generations; that is, for the family to hold high office, or to keep the same large estates.

How did people know you were in the upper nobility? Somewhat the same way we know someone is famous: folks simply recognize that. About the only place where high status nobility might be formally recognized and defined was in the Parliament of England, the Estates of France, Germany and certain other countries. These institutions all developed after 1300 and so belong only to the late Middle Ages. Before that, the upper nobility were simply those who were the big-shots at the time. In general, if you see someone designated as a duke or earl or count, that places them in the upper nobility. Even though they might not be rich or have much political power, they still held high social status.