The Ancient Greek term aristocracy meant a system of government with "rule by the best". This is the first definition given in most dictionaries. The word is derived from two words, "aristo" meaning the "best" and "kratia" "to rule". Because everyone has different ideas about what is "best", especially in relation to government, the term is tricky to apply in this sense. Aristocracies have most often been hereditary plutocracies (see below), where a sense of historical gravitas and noblesse o ...

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Aristocracy - History

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Byzantine aristocracy and bureaucracy - Aristocratic titles
Byzantine aristocracy and bureaucracy - Imperial titles Byzantine aristocracy and bureaucracy - Court titles
Byzantine aristocracy and bureaucracy - Military titles
Byzantine aristocracy and bureaucracy - Army Byzantine aristocracy and bureaucracy - Navy Byzantine aristocracy and bureaucracy - Other military titles
Byzantine aristocracy and bureaucracy - Administrative titles Byzantine aristocracy and bureaucracy - Sources

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The term "aristocracy" was first given in Athens to young citizens who led armies from the front line with their swords up. Since military bravery was such a highly regarded virtue in ancient Greece, the armies were being led by "the best". From the ancient Greeks, the term passed on to the European Middle Ages for a similar hereditary class of military leaders often referred to as the "nobility". As in ancient Greece, this was a slave holding class of privileged men whose military role made them see themselves as the most "noble", or "best". Both aristocracies relied upon an established church to back up their ...

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Aristocracy, Aristocracy - History

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Byzantine aristocracy and bureaucracy - Imperial titles. Basileus (Βασιλεύς)– the Greek word for "king," which originally referred to any king in the Greek-speaking areas of the Roman Empire, such as Herod in Judea. It also referred to the emperors of Persia. Heraclius adopted it to replace the old Latin title of Augustus (Augoustos) in 629, and it became the Greek word for "emperor." Heraclius also used the titles autokrator (αυτοκράτωρ - "autocrat," " ...

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Byzantine aristocracy and bureaucracy, Byzantine aristocracy and bureaucracy - Aristocratic titles, Byzantine aristocracy and bureaucracy - Imperial titles, Byzantine aristocracy and bureaucracy - Court titles, Byzantine aristocracy and bureaucracy - Military titles, Byzantine aristocracy and bureaucracy - Army, Byzantine aristocracy and bureaucracy - Navy, Byzantine aristocracy and bureaucracy - Other military titles, Byzantine aristocracy and bureaucracy - Administrative titles, Byzantine aristocracy and bureaucracy - Sources

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Byzantine aristocracy and bureaucracy - Army. Exarchos - The exarchs were governors of remote parts of the empire such as Italy or Africa. They enjoyed a greater degree of independence than other provincial governors, combining both civil and military authority, practically acting as viceroys. Domestikos – the domestikoi were originally imperial guards, who became generals in the themes. They included: Megas Domestikos (Grand Domestic) - t ...

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Byzantine aristocracy and bureaucracy, Byzantine aristocracy and bureaucracy - Aristocratic titles, Byzantine aristocracy and bureaucracy - Imperial titles, Byzantine aristocracy and bureaucracy - Court titles, Byzantine aristocracy and bureaucracy - Military titles, Byzantine aristocracy and bureaucracy - Army, Byzantine aristocracy and bureaucracy - Navy, Byzantine aristocracy and bureaucracy - Other military titles, Byzantine aristocracy and bureaucracy - Administrative titles, Byzantine aristocracy and bureaucracy - Sources

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The vast Byzantine bureaucracy had many titles, and varied more than aristocratic and military titles. In Constantinople there were normally hundreds, if not thousands, of bureaucrats at any time. These are some of the more common ones, including non-nobles who also directly served the emperor. Praetorian prefect – The Praetorian prefect was originally an old Roman office used for the commander of the army in the Eastern and Western portions of the Empire. It was abolished in the 7th century when it had become us ...

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Byzantine aristocracy and bureaucracy, Byzantine aristocracy and bureaucracy - Aristocratic titles, Byzantine aristocracy and bureaucracy - Imperial titles, Byzantine aristocracy and bureaucracy - Court titles, Byzantine aristocracy and bureaucracy - Military titles, Byzantine aristocracy and bureaucracy - Army, Byzantine aristocracy and bureaucracy - Navy, Byzantine aristocracy and bureaucracy - Other military titles, Byzantine aristocracy and bureaucracy - Administrative titles, Byzantine aristocracy and bureaucracy - Sources

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Elitism is a belief or attitude that an elite — a selected group of persons whose personal abilities, specialized training or other attributes place them at the top of any field (see below) — are the people whose views on a matter are to be taken most seriously, or who are alone fit to govern. Thus elitism sees an elite as occupying a special position of authority or privilege in a group, set apart from the majority of people who do not match up with their abilities or attributes. Thus this selected elite is treated with favouritism. Members of an inherited elite are aristocrats and natu ...

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Elitism - Anti-elitism Elitism - Elitism and education

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The nobility represents, or has represented, the higher stratum of a society in which social classes can be distinguished. The most distinctive feature of nobilty is that once acquired, it is passed to descendants, possibly according to some rules. The word "noble" in "nobility" also means "doing an act worthy of respect" to people. Nobility - Western nobility. Initially nobility descended from chivalry (or warrior class) in the feudal stage of the development of a society. Originally, knights or nobles wer ...

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Nobility - Western nobility Nobility - Nobility by nation

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Bourgeoisie (RP [ˌbɔː.ʒwɑːˈzi], GA [ˌbuɹ.ʒwɑˈzi]) in modern use refers to the wealthy or propertied social class in a capitalist society. Bourgeoisie - Origin of the term. Bourgeoisie is a French word. The early Anglicization "burgess" is derived from the old French burgeis (Cf. Also middle English: burgeis, burges, borges and old Dutch: burgher = the inhabitant ...

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Bourgeoisie - Origin of the term Bourgeoisie - Rise of the bourgeoisie Bourgeoisie - The Marxist view

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Boston Brahmins, or simply "Brahmins"—sometimes also called the First Families of Boston—are a blue-blooded class of New Englanders who claim hereditary or cultural descent from the Anglo-Saxon Protestants who founded the city of Boston, Massachusetts and originally settled New England. They are part of the historic core of the East Coast Establishment, along with wealthy families of New York and Philadelphia. Some of the Brahmins trace descent back to the original founders of Boston. Others bought their way into society in the nineteenth century with the profits of commerce, and by marrying into ot ...

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Boston Brahmin - Original Brahmin families

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What I Believe is an essay by E.M. Forster in which he outlines his creed as a secular humanist. E.M. Forster starts out by saying that he does not believe in creeds; but there are so many around that one has to formulate a creed of one’s own in self defence. Three values are important to Forster: tolerance, good temper and sympathy. What I Believe - Personal relationships and the state. Forster argues that one should invest in personal relationships: “one must be fond of peo ...

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What I Believe - Personal relationships and the state What I Believe - Democracy What I Believe - Great men Forster’s aristocracy and public life What I Believe - Individualism

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Boyars were hereditary nobles of three categories: 1) Rurikid princes of Upper Oka towns, Suzdal, Rostov, Yaroslavl, etc. that lived in Moscow after their hereditary principalities had been incorporated into Muscovy (e.g., Shuisky, Vorotynsky, Repnin, Romodanovsky); 2) foreign princes from Lithuania and Golden Horde, claiming descent either from Grand Duke Gediminas or from Genghis Khan (e.g., Belsky, Mstislavsky, Galitzine, Trubetskoy); 3) ancient families of Muscovite nobility that have been recorded in the service of Grand D ...

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Muscovy, Muscovy - Rise of Muscovy, Muscovy - Evolution of the Russian Autocracy, Muscovy - Evolution of the Russian Aristocracy, Muscovy - The time of Ivan IV, Muscovy - Time of Troubles, Muscovy - Romanovs, Muscovy - Expansion, Muscovy - Western European knowledge of Muscovy, Muscovy - Early Imperial Russia, Muscovy - See Also

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The Peerage is a system of titles of nobility that exists in the United Kingdom and is one part of the British honours system. The term can be used to refer to the entire body of titles in a collective sense, or to a specific title. All British honours, including peerage dignities, spring from the Sovereign, who is considered the fount of honour. The Sovereign him or herself cannot belong to the Peerage as "the fountain and source of all dignities cannot hold a dignity from himself" (opinion of the House of Lords in the Buck ...

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Peerage - Divisions of the Peerage Peerage - Ranks Peerage - Hereditary peers Peerage - Life peers Peerage - Styles and titles Peerage - Privilege of Peerage Peerage - History

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Aristocrats: aristocracy (social studies; social classes). The Aristocrats (joke; documentary) Other related archivesThe Aristocrats, aristocracy

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White-collar workers perform tasks which are less "physically laborious" yet often more highly paid than blue-collar workers, who do manual work. They are salaried professionals (such as some doctors or lawyers), as well as employees in administrative or clerical positions. In some studies, managers are considered as part of the white-collar worker grouping, in others they are not. The name derives from the traditional white, button down shirts worn by workers of such professions. The white shirts are easily soiled and therefore d ...

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Agrarianism is a social and political philosophy. In his introduction to his 1969 book Agrarianism in American Literature, M. Thomas Inge defines agrarianism by the following basic tenets: Cultivation of the soil provides direct contact with nature; through the contact with nature the agrarian is blessed with a closer relationship to God. Farming has within it a positive spiritual good; the farmer acquires the virtues of "honor, manliness, self-reliance, courage, moral integrity, and hospitalit ...

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The Varangians (Russian: Variags, Варяги) were Scandinavians who travelled eastwards, mainly from Jutland and Sweden. Promoting trade, piracy and mercenary militarism, they roamed the river systems and portages of what later became Russia, reaching the Caspian Sea and Constantinople. Their name came from Old Norse Væringjar, which may have come from the Old Norse plural noun várar = "pledge, troth". The East Slavs and the Byzantines, however, did not distinguish Scandinavians from other Germa ...

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Varangian - The Varangian Rus Varangian - The Varangian Guard Varangian - Primary Sources Varangian - Sources Varangian - Notes

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Courtiers follow an ancient profession. Once part of a ruling household, they became confounded with, then separate from, the administrative staff of government, as power gravitated from individuals to republican-style assemblies. Today they are the personal confidantes and assistants of hereditary rulers. Courtiers often flock around monarchs, but non-royal courts (ducal courts, electoral courts) also existed. Louis XIV of France systematically subjected the French aristocracy ...

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Boyars were hereditary nobles of three categories: 1) Rurikid princes of Upper Oka towns, Suzdal, Rostov, Yaroslavl, etc. that lived in Moscow after their hereditary principalities had been incorporated into Muscovy (e.g., Shuisky, Vorotynsky, Repnin, Romodanovsky); 2) foreign princes from Lithuania and Golden Horde, claiming descent either from Grand Duke Gediminas or from Genghis Khan (e.g., Belsky, Mstislavsky, Galitzine, Trubetskoy); 3) ancient families of Muscovite nobility that have been recorded in the service of Grand D ...

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Muscovy, Muscovy - Rise of Muscovy, Muscovy - Evolution of the Russian Autocracy, Muscovy - Evolution of the Russian Aristocracy, Muscovy - Ivan IV, Muscovy - Time of Troubles, Muscovy - Romanovs, Muscovy - Expansion, Muscovy - Western European knowledge of Muscovy, Muscovy - Early Imperial Russia

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The Divine Right of Kings is a European political and religious doctrine of political absolutism. Such doctrines are largely, though not exclusively, associated with the mediæval and ancien régime eras, based on contemporary Christian belief that a monarch owed his rule to the will of God, not to the will of his subjects, parliament, the aristocracy or any other competing authority. This doctrine continued with the claim that any attempt to depose a monarch or to restrict his powers ran contrary to the will of God. Its ...

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Divine Right of Kings - The concept Divine Right of Kings - Stuarts

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