The original nobility developed from knights or warriors in feudal society.

Originally, warriors or knights swore allegiance to their lord and fought for them in exchange for land (often living alongside serfs).

During the military technological revolution in feudal society, the invention of the musket gradually lifted the nobility's private control over the army.

A person's noble status can be derived from inheritance or from military exploits.

In the most common and strict meaning of the title "noble", "outstanding" qualities are inherited.

For example, unless explicitly deprived of the privileges of the nobility, the legal heir of a nobility (limited to men in some societies) remains a nobility.

In this respect, a "nobility" differs from a "British peerage": the latter is inherited only by a single member of the family.

aristocrat and aristocracy are less formal terms for a person or family of noble rank.

They lack distinction. For example, the young brothers and sisters of British aristocrats (perhaps even children's self-proclaimed VIPs) who hang out in the small circles at the top of the hereditary pyramid are also considered aristocrats, "blue blood" being the British expression for aristocratic birth.

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It could be a reference to the delicate, pale skin of people in that circle - blue blood vessels are easier to see through the skin - or it could be a description of argyria common in upper class society.

Silver poisoning, a permanent blue discoloration of the skin, is caused by excessive intake of silver, which was once widely used as an element in tableware and medicine.

In countries where modern aristocrats dominate, the bourgeoisie gradually grows into a powerful class; wealthy urban merchants tend to be more influential than small rural aristocrats.

In France, influential members of the haute bourgeoisie, especially those in the legal profession, received titles of nobility from the king.

The old aristocracy ("sword aristocrats") who started their careers in the army are increasingly dissatisfied with the new aristocracy ("robed aristocrats").

During the Restoration in the last years before the French Revolution, the old nobility sought to defend their privileges by promoting restrictions on certain sectors and promoting chivalry among those who could prove that they were sufficiently noble "quartiers" ('quartiers de noblesse' in French).

"quartiers de noblesse" means that a noble uses a coat of arms to prove that each of their bloodline comes from an ancestor who is qualified to wear the coat of arms, that is, they come from the old noble families of those ranks. The old noble families can identify their own paternal coat of arms. On the other hand,

This shows that they are not the new aristocrats who were originally members of the bourgeoisie.

Nobles would be required to provide evidence showing 'seize quartiers' (16 quarterings) or even 'trente-deux quartiers' (32 quarterings) to show all blood relationships up to five (to great-great-grandfather) or six (to great-great-great-grandfather) respectively.

Genealogy proves noble birth.

The nobles controlled resources such as food, money, common people and lower noble labor, and could exercise religious, political rights among them.

Interestingly, nobles sometimes had fiefdom rights over land, which could be reflected in naming.

For example, the Earl of Chesterfield in the name shows wealth, and Earl Cairns was founded for the name.

However, none of this is required, and many times, nobility is associated only with social honors and specific social privileges.

An example of the latter is Polish szlachta.

In modern society, the hereditary concept of special rights has become incompatible with modern lifestyles in Western society. The founders of the United States opposed anything that might promote aristocracy; the French Revolution abolished aristocrats and deprived them of their rights (although Napoleon I and Napoleon III

Restored certain titles of nobility, which were more honorary in nature).

Regarding the origin of the nobility, current scholars have different views, which are mainly divided into two types: The first one comes from the scholar Bloch, who believes that the Middle Ages is divided into two periods.

The first period (before the 11th and 12th centuries) was a period without aristocrats. The original aristocracy of Rome disappeared with the demise of the empire, and the barbarian aristocracy did not form. Only in the second period (after the 12th century) did nobles begin to appear.

Its typical feature is that the knight class began to officially appear, that is, knights are equal to nobles.

However, later scholars did not agree with the above statement through investigation.

After the German invasion, the Roman aristocracy did not really die out. It merged with the upper class of the barbarian states. There were already aristocrats in the early Middle Ages. In the later period, aristocrats and knights were integrated, but there were also differences between the two. Until the peace period,

The military functions of knights were weakened and the two became one.

After the 12th and 13th centuries, with the integration of nobles and knights, a clear hierarchy among nobles began to form. To become a noble, one must become a knight. The hierarchy and group nature were obvious.

Knights must be descendants of knights. This gap and the widening of other class groups have made the nobility obviously closed, and there are also different registrations within the nobility, showing different powers: Duke: In

Among the nobility, the Duke is the first level and has the highest status.