French nobility facts for kids
The French nobility (called la noblesse française in French) was a special social group in France for many centuries. They were like the upper class, with special rights and traditions. This group existed from the Middle Ages until it was officially ended on June 23, 1790, during the French Revolution.
Later, from 1808 to 1815, during the time of Emperor Napoléon, new noble titles were given out. These were recognized as a new kind of nobility by King Louis XVIII of France in 1814.
After that, from 1814 to 1848 and again from 1852 to 1870, the French nobility was brought back. It was an inherited honor, but without the old special rights. New inherited titles were also given. However, since September 4, 1870, the French nobility no longer officially exists in law. Still, old, real titles can sometimes be recognized as part of a family's name if they ask the Department of Justice.
Families in the French nobility became noble in two main ways: some were considered noble from very old times, and others were made noble by the King.
Historians have different ideas about how many noble families there were. But they all agree that France had one of the smallest noble groups in Europe compared to its total population. For example, in 1789, one historian thought there were about 140,000 nobles (around 9,000 noble families). This was only about 0.5% of France's 28 million people. Another historian estimated about 300,000 nobles, which is a little over 1%. At the time of the Revolution, nobles owned about one-fifth of all the land.
In 2016, it was estimated that about 4,000 families could still claim to be French nobility. This would be around 50,000 to 100,000 people, similar to the number in the 1780s.
Contents
How Did French Nobility Begin?
There were two main ways people became part of the French nobility:
- Immemorial Nobility: These were families who were recognized for having always lived as nobles. They weren't "made" noble at a specific time.
- Ennobled Families: These families were made noble by holding certain official jobs or by special letters from the King.
In the 1700s, a noble named Comte de Boulainvilliers believed that French nobles came from the victorious Franks. He thought non-nobles came from the conquered Gallo-Romans. This idea had no real proof, but it was a comforting story for nobles who were becoming poorer.
A historian named Guy Chaussinand-Nogaret, who studies French nobility, says that some people wrongly mix up "knightly nobility" with "sword nobility." He explains that "sword nobility" and "robe nobility" were more about jobs or roles, not separate social classes within the nobility. He also points out that the King of France didn't create a specific military nobility until 1750.
Nobility from Ancient Times
This type of nobility (called noblesse de race or noblesse d'extraction) included families who were always recognized as noble and were never officially "ennobled" by a king.
Genealogists (people who study family histories) sometimes made these differences:
- Nobles of the Sword (Noblesse d'épée): Thought to be France's oldest nobles, but some historians now question if this was a real, separate group.
- Feudal Nobility (Noblesse féodale): Nobility that could be proven since the 11th century.
- Knightly Nobility (Noblesse chevaleresque): Nobility proven since the 14th century, with family members known as "knights."
- Nobility of Old Extraction (Noblesse d'ancienne extraction): Nobility proven since the 15th century.
- Nobility of Extraction (Noblesse d'extraction): Nobility proven since the 16th century.
Families Made Noble
These families became noble through a special job or a royal document called Letters patent. Here are some ways people were made noble:
- Nobility of the Robe (Noblesse de robe): People became noble by holding important government jobs, especially in courts or financial offices. These jobs were often very expensive to buy. Usually, it took two generations for a family to become noble this way. However, in some important courts, one generation was enough.
- Nobility of the Chancery (Noblesse de chancellerie): Commoners could become noble by holding high offices for the king, especially in the chancery (a royal office). This started in the late 1400s. People paid huge amounts for these jobs. This type of nobility was sometimes joked about as "soap for serfs" because it was seen as a way to "clean up" commoners.
- Nobility of the Bell (Noblesse de cloche): People became noble by being a mayor or alderman in certain towns. This started in 1372 in cities like Poitiers and Toulouse. By the time of the Revolution, only a few towns still had this right.
- Military Nobility (Noblesse militaire): People became noble by holding military jobs, usually after two or three generations of service.
- Ennobled by Letters (Anoblis par lettres): People were made noble by special letters from the king after the year 1400. This became a way for kings, like Francis I, to earn money. Non-nobles who owned noble lands could pay a year's income from their land to become noble.
The time it took to become noble depended on the job:
- Nobility in the First Degree (Noblesse au premier degré): Nobility given in the first generation, usually after 20 years of service or if someone died in their post.
- Gradual Nobility (Noblesse graduelle): Nobility given in the second generation, usually after both father and son served for 20 years.
Once a family became noble, the nobility was passed down through the male line to all male and female descendants. There were a few rare cases where nobility could be passed through the female line.
Rich families often found ways to become noble. Even though nobility itself couldn't be bought, lands with noble rights or titles could be. Commoners would buy these lands, use the noble name or title, and then try to avoid paying the "taille" tax, which only commoners paid.
Checking Nobility
Henry IV started to crack down on people who pretended to be noble. Later, from 1666 to 1674, Louis XIV ordered a huge check of everyone's noble status. Simply saying your parents and grandparents were noble wasn't enough anymore. You needed written proof, like marriage contracts or land documents, showing noble status since 1560.
Many families were forced to pay taxes again or pay fines for pretending to be noble. Some people even forged documents, which led to more fines. At the same time, Louis XIV, who needed money for wars, sold blank letters of nobility to people who wanted to be noble.
Nobility could also be lost. Certain jobs or activities, like working in trade or doing manual labor, could cause a noble to lose their status (this was called dérogeance). However, nobles could still profit from their lands by running mines or glassworks. If nobility was lost, it could be regained by stopping the forbidden activities and getting special "relief" letters. Some regions, like Brittany, were more relaxed about these rules, allowing poor nobles to farm their own land.
Special Rights of Nobles
From feudal times until 1789, French nobles had special legal and financial rights. The first official list of these rights was made around 1440 under Louis XI. These rights included:
- The right to hunt.
- The right to wear a sword.
- The right to own a seigneurie (land with special feudal rights and payments attached).
Nobles were also usually free from paying the "taille" tax, unless they owned non-noble lands in some areas. Also, certain important church, government, and military jobs were only for nobles.
Even though serfdom (where peasants were tied to the land) mostly ended in France by the 1400s, nobles still had many special rights over the free peasants who worked their lands. For example, they could collect the "cens" tax, which was an annual tax on leased lands. Nobles could also charge "banalités" for peasants to use the lord's mills, ovens, or wine presses. Or, a noble might demand a part of the peasants' harvests.
Nobles also had some legal power over their peasants. But as the modern state grew, many of these powers went to the government. This left rural nobles with mostly local police duties and control over violations of their own rights.
Duties of Nobles
Nobles had a duty to serve the king. They were expected to go to war and fight, even die, for the king. This was sometimes called the "blood tax" (impôt du sang).
History of French Nobility
Challenges to Royal Power
Before Louis XIV became very powerful, the great noble families often believed they had a right to rebel against a king they felt was abusing his power. Events like the French Wars of Religion and the Fronde (a civil war) were linked to nobles feeling they were losing their rights to a king who wanted more central control.
Many Protestant noble families left France before and after the Edict of Nantes was canceled in 1685. They lost their lands in France. In some areas, most nobles had become Protestant, so their departure greatly reduced the number of nobles. Some of these families became nobles in the countries they moved to.
In the 1680s, Louis XIV moved the royal court to the Palace of Versailles. This greatly changed the role of nobles. Versailles became like a "gilded cage." If a noble left Versailles, it could ruin their career, because all important jobs and appointments were made there. Nobles who stayed in the provinces were shut out of important military or state jobs. They often went into debt because they lacked royal money and couldn't afford a noble lifestyle on their land taxes alone.
Louis XIV also set up a strict set of rules for how people behaved at court. A single word or look from the king could make or break a noble's career. Moving the court to Versailles was a smart political move. By keeping nobles busy with court life and its daily drama, Louis weakened a major threat to his power. He removed the biggest obstacle to his goal of centralizing power in France.
Nobles had a "client system" where they gave land, gifts, and support to other nobles. This created a network of noble followers. Younger members of lesser families would join these noble households to learn about court life and military skills.
The French state grew stronger by shifting these client systems to focus on the king. It also created new powerful groups, like the wealthy middle class and the "nobility of the robe." By the late 1600s, any protest against the king was seen as a serious crime and was punished harshly.
Studies of noble wealth in France in the late 1700s show big differences. A rich family might earn 100,000–150,000 livres (French money) per year. The most famous families could earn two or three times that much. For nobles in the provinces, 10,000 livres a year allowed for a comfortable life, but most earned much less. Nobles were expected to spend a lot to show their status. This, along with financial problems and their inability to work in most jobs without losing their nobility, contributed to their relative poverty.
One historian, Guy Chaussinand-Nogaret, divided nobles into five wealth groups. The richest 250 families, mostly living in Paris or at court, earned over 50,000 livres a year. The second group, about 3,500 families, earned between 10,000 and 50,000 livres. These were the rich provincial nobles. The third group (7,000 families) earned 4,000 to 10,000 livres, allowing a comfortable life. The fourth group (11,000 families) earned 1,000 to 4,000 livres and had to be careful with money. Finally, over 5,000 noble families earned less than 1,000 livres a year, with some earning as little as 50 livres. These poorer nobles paid little to no tax.
The French Revolution
At the start of the French Revolution on August 4, 1789, many small payments that commoners had to make to their lords were ended. Noble lands lost their special status. Nobles now had to pay the same taxes as everyone else, and they lost their special rights, like hunting and local justice. However, they were allowed to keep their titles at first. It took some time for these changes to become law across France.
It was decided that some annual payments owed to nobles, which were seen as "contracts" (not from feudal power), had to be bought back by the tenant. The price was set at 20 times the annual money amount (or 25 times if paid in crops). Peasants also had to pay back any unpaid dues from the last 30 years. There was no credit system for small farmers, so only wealthy people could afford to buy their land outright. This led to a lot of land being bought by rich peasants and middle-class people, who then rented it out to poorer farmers.
The Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen was approved on August 26, 1789. It stated that "Men are born free and equal in rights." But nobility itself wasn't abolished until June 19, 1790. Ideas of equality and brotherhood convinced some nobles, like the Marquis de Lafayette, to support ending legal recognition of nobility. But other liberal nobles, who had given up their tax privileges, saw this as an attack on their honor.
The First Empire (1808-1815)
During the First French Empire, Emperor Napoléon gave out new titles. When the Bourbon monarchy returned, these titles were recognized as a new form of nobility by King Louis XVIII of France in 1814.
Napoleon also created a new knightly order in 1802, the Légion d'honneur. This order still exists today, but its honors are not passed down through families. Napoleon had planned that after three generations of Legion of Honor knights, their families would become hereditary nobles. However, this rule was later canceled.
Later Restorations (1814-1870)
From 1814 to 1848 (during the Bourbon Restoration in France and July Monarchy) and again from 1852 to 1870 (during the Second French Empire), French nobility was brought back as an inherited honor, but without special rights. New inherited titles were also given.
Nobility and noble titles were abolished again in 1848 during the French Revolution of 1848. But inherited titles were restored in 1852 by Emperor Napoleon III.
From 1870 to Today
Since the French Third Republic began on September 4, 1870, the French nobility is no longer officially recognized and has no legal status. However, old, real titles that have been passed down correctly can sometimes be recognized as part of a family's name if they apply to the Department of Justice.
Noble Ways of Life
The idea of what it meant to be noble changed a lot from the 1500s to the 1600s. Through contact with the Italian Renaissance and its idea of the perfect courtier, the rough warrior class changed. They became what the 1600s called l'honnête homme (the 'honest' or 'upright man'). This ideal person was good at speaking, dancing, had refined manners, appreciated art, was curious, witty, and could write poetry.
Important noble values included an obsession with "glory" (la gloire) and majesty (la grandeur). This also meant showing off power, prestige, and luxury. For example, the noble heroes in plays by Pierre Corneille might seem overly proud to us today. But noble audiences back then would have seen their actions as fitting for their high status.
The Palace of Versailles, court ballets, noble portraits, and triumphal arches all showed glory and prestige. Military or artistic glory was seen as a moral duty for nobles, not as being vain. Nobles were expected to be "generous" and "magnanimous" (very kind). They were supposed to do great deeds without expecting money or power, simply because their status demanded it. This is where the saying noblesse oblige (nobility obliges) comes from, meaning nobles have a duty to act honorably. They also had to control their emotions, especially fear, jealousy, and revenge.
A noble's status required them to show it off (this is called "conspicuous consumption"). Nobles would go into debt to build fancy city mansions (hôtels particuliers). They also bought expensive clothes, paintings, silverware, and furniture to match their rank. They were also expected to be generous by hosting grand parties and supporting the arts.
On the other hand, commoners who tried to act like nobles (like wearing a sword) were strongly criticized. Sometimes, they even faced legal action. Laws about fancy clothing for commoners had existed since the Middle Ages.
By the mid-1600s, traditional noble values started to be questioned. For example, Blaise Pascal sharply criticized the display of power. François de La Rochefoucauld suggested that no human act, no matter how generous it seemed, was truly selfless.
Noble Titles
Nobility and hereditary titles were different. While all people with inherited titles were noble, most nobles did not have a title. However, many used "courtesy titles" that weren't official.
Real noble titles were created or recognized by the king through special letters. If a title wasn't officially recognized, it was just a courtesy title with no legal standing. Titles were usually passed down through families, but sometimes they were just for one person. Before the French Revolution (the Ancien Régime), titles were linked to specific lands called fiefs de dignité.
Here are some of the titles:
- Prince: Used during the First French Empire. Before that, some families owned lands called principalities. The king sometimes allowed them to use the title of prince, but it was just a courtesy title without any special rank.
- Duc (Duke)
- Marquis
- Comte (Count)
- Vicomte (Viscount)
- Vidame: A rare title, always linked to a church area. It came from being the commander of a bishop's forces.
- Baron
- Chevalier (Knight): Used during the First French Empire. "Chevalier" also meant a noble who belonged to a special knightly order.
During the Ancien Régime, there wasn't much difference in rank based on the title itself, except for the Duke. Dukes often had special privileges as peers of France, meaning they had higher standing than other titled nobles. The order of importance at the royal court was based on how old the family's nobility was, their marriages, the honors and jobs they held, and their achievements.
Important notes:
- Écuyer (Esquire) was not a noble title. It was used by untitled nobles to show they were noble.
- Seigneur ("Lord of the manor"): This meant someone owned land, but it didn't mean the owner was noble, especially after the 1600s.
- Titles used by members of the royal family (like dauphin or Prince du Sang) were titles of high rank, not noble titles.
The use of the "de" particle in a name (like "de Balzac") does not mean someone is noble. In the 1700s and 1800s, many non-nobles added "de" to their names to appear noble. Today, it's estimated that 90% of names with "de" are not noble, and some truly noble families don't have "de" in their name at all.
Noble rankings were made even more complex by special knightly orders. These included the Chevaliers du Saint-Esprit (Knights of the Holy Spirit) created in 1578, the Ordre de Saint-Michel created in 1469, and the Order of Saint Louis created in 1696. There were also official government jobs and positions in the Royal House, like the "grand master of the royal wardrobe." These jobs had long stopped being real duties and became honorary positions with their own privileges. In the 1600s and 1700s, nobles and the "nobility of the robe" fought for these positions and any other sign of royal favor.
Family Symbols (Heraldry)
In France, by the 1500s, a signet ring (chevalière) with a coat of arms was not proof of nobility. Many middle-class families were allowed to register their own coats of arms, and they often wore these rings to seem noble.
However, all noble families did have a registered coat of arms. Traditionally, French men wore the signet ring on the ring finger of their left hand. French women wore it on their left little finger. Daughters sometimes wore their mother's signet ring if their father didn't have a coat of arms, but a son would not. Originally, these rings were used by nobles and officials in the Middle Ages to press into hot wax and seal official letters with their family symbol. But over time, this function became less important as more non-nobles wore them for status.
The chevalière can be worn facing up (en baise-main) or facing towards the palm (en bagarre). Today, wearing it facing inward is becoming more common. Some noble families traditionally wear it inward to show that the person is married. There are no official rules or laws about wearing a signet ring.
Symbolic Crowns for Nobles:
Before the Revolution (Ancien Régime)
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Duke and Peer of France | .svg){kind=small} |
Duke | .svg){kind=small} |
Marquis | .svg){kind=small} |
Count | .svg){kind=small} |
Viscount |  |
Vidame |  |
Baron |  |
Knight |
During the First Empire (Napoleon's time):
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Prince |  |
Duke |  |
Count |  |
Baron |  |
Knight |
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