Nobilities in transition, 1550-1700 - Ronald G Asch

This book explores the transformation of the nobility in the late 16th and the 17th centuries. Challenges abounded, such as the new codes of conduct and social discipline which the confessional churches tried to impose, and also the ideals of urbanity and civility propagated by humanists and their 17th-century successors but nobles were in the long run largely able to assimilate such cultural trends, and subordinate them to their own value system. Few monarchs were able to rule for more than a limited period without the co-operation of significant sections of the traditional noble elite. This book looks at political and social changes, examines the impact princely courts had on noblemen and women and their way of life and analyses issues such as the 'refeudalisation' of state and society in southern Europe or the increasing urbanisation of noble elites in the period under discussion. While paying due attention to the great heterogeneity of the nobility in Europe it nevertheless shows how the adherence to common values and ideals nevertheless gave noble elites coherence and a shared sense of identity.