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{{Short description|Form of government}}
{{about|the form of government|the social class|Aristocracy (class)|other uses|Aristocrat (disambiguation)}}

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'''Aristocracy''' ({{etymology|grc|''{{Wikt-lang|grc|ἀριστοκρατίᾱ}}'' ({{grc-transl|ἀριστοκρατίᾱ}})|rule of the best}}; {{etymology||''{{Wikt-lang|grc|ἄριστος}}'' ({{grc-transl|ἄριστος}})|best||''{{Wikt-lang|grc|κράτος}}'' ({{grc-transl|κράτος}})|power, strength}}) is a [[form of government]] that places power in the hands of a small, privileged [[ruling class]], the [[aristocracy (class)|aristocrats]].<ref name=OED>{{cite encyclopedia |date= December 1989 |title= Aristocracy |dictionary= [[Oxford English Dictionary]] |url=http://dictionary.oed.com/cgi/entry/50011987?single=1&query_type=word&queryword=aristocracy&first=1&max_to_show=10 |access-date=December 22, 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110629022358/http://dictionary.oed.com/cgi/entry/50011987?single=1&query_type=word&queryword=aristocracy&first=1&max_to_show=10 |archive-date= June 29, 2011}}</ref>
[[File:Henry Howard, 6th Duke of Norfolk.jpg|thumb|The [[Henry Howard, 6th Duke of Norfolk|6th Duke of Norfolk]], a 17th-century English aristocrat and politician who held the hereditary office of [[Earl Marshal]] of [[Kingdom of England|England]].]]
Across [[Europe]], the aristocracy exercised immense [[Economy|economic]], [[Politics|political]], and [[social]] influence.<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Aristocracy and Gentry {{!}} Encyclopedia.com |url=https://www.encyclopedia.com/international/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/aristocracy-and-gentry |access-date=2025-03-17 |website=www.encyclopedia.com}}</ref> In [[Western Christian]] countries, the aristocracy was mostly equal with [[magnate]]s, also known as the titled or higher [[nobility]], however the members of the more numerous social class, the untitled lower nobility ([[petty nobility]] or [[gentry]]) were not part of the aristocracy.

== Classical aristocracy ==
In [[ancient Greece]], the Greeks conceived aristocracy as rule by the best-qualified citizens—and often contrasted it favorably with [[monarchy]], rule by an individual. The term was first used by such ancient Greeks as [[Aristotle]] and [[Plato]], who used it to describe a system where only the best of the citizens, chosen through a careful process of selection, would become rulers, and [[hereditary monarchy|hereditary rule]] would actually have been forbidden, unless the rulers' children performed best and were better endowed with the attributes that make a person fit to rule compared with every other citizen in the polity.<ref name="Politics" /><ref name="Republic" /><ref name="Statesman" /> 

Hereditary rule in this understanding is more related to [[oligarchy]], a corrupted form of aristocracy where there is rule by a few, but not by the best. [[Plato]], [[Socrates]], [[Aristotle]], [[Xenophon]], and the [[Spartans]] considered aristocracy (the ideal form of rule by the few) to be inherently better than the ideal form of rule by the many ([[politeia]]), but they also considered the corrupted form of aristocracy (oligarchy) to be worse than the corrupted form of democracy ([[mob rule]]).<ref name="Politics">{{cite book|author=Aristotle|title=Politics|url=http://classics.mit.edu/Aristotle/politics.html}}</ref><ref name="Republic">{{cite book |author=Plato |title=The Republic |url=http://classics.mit.edu/Plato/republic.html}}</ref><ref name="Statesman">{{cite book |author=Plato |title=The Statesman |url=https://www.gutenberg.org/files/1738/1738-h/1738-h.htm}}</ref><ref name="Polity">{{cite book |author=Xenophon |title=The Polity of the Athenians and the Lacedaemonians |url=https://www.gutenberg.org/files/1178/1178-h/1178-h.htm}}</ref><ref name="Lycurgus">{{cite book |author=Plutarch |title=The Parallel Lives of the Noble Greeks and Romans |chapter=The Life of Lycurgus |chapter-url=http://classics.mit.edu/Plutarch/lycurgus.html}}</ref> This belief was rooted in the assumption that the masses could only produce average policy, while the best of men could produce the best policy, if they were indeed the best of men.<ref name="Statesman" /> Later [[Polybius]] in his analysis of the [[Constitution of the Roman Republic|Roman Constitution]] used the concept of aristocracy to describe his conception of a [[republic]] as a [[mixed government|mixed form]] of government, along with democracy and monarchy in their conception from then, as a system of [[Separation of powers#Checks and balances|checks and balances]], where each element checks the excesses of the other.<ref name="Polybius">{{cite book |author=Polybius |title=The Histories |chapter=The Roman Republic Compared with Others, Book VI, Section 43 |chapter-url=https://www.gutenberg.org/files/44125/44125-h/44125-h.htm}}</ref>

== Modern aristocracy ==
In [[modern era|modern times]], aristocracy was usually seen as rule by a privileged group, the [[Aristocracy (class)#Modern aristocracy|aristocratic class]], and has since been contrasted with  [[democracy]].<ref name="OED" />

== Concept ==
The concept evolved in [[ancient Greece]] in which a council of leading citizens was commonly empowered. That was contrasted with [[representative democracy]] in which a council of citizens was appointed as the "senate" of a [[city state]] or other political unit. The [[Greeks]] did not like the concept of monarchy, and as their democratic system fell, aristocracy was upheld.<ref name="OED"/>

According to [[Tomás Fernández de Medrano]], a [[Justice|just]] and [[Virtue|virtuous]] form of [[republic]] is known as ''aristocracy'', meaning the rule of the most virtuous, referred to in [[Latin]] as [[Optimates and populares|''Optimates'']]  because they are regarded as [[good]] and [[Honour|honorable]].<ref name=":0" /> In his 1602 political treatise ''[[República Mista]]'', Medrano explains how this system arises when a select group of men, distinguished by their virtue, [[morality]], and [[wisdom]], hold [[authority]] over the rest, whether broadly or in specific matters, governing solely for the benefit and welfare of the public. A prime example of this was seen in [[Sparta]], whose exceptional governance allowed it to rule Greece for nearly five centuries.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book |last=Medrano |first=Juan Fernandez de |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=DJ7Uw6xczpEC |title=República Mista |date=1602 |publisher=Impr. Real |language=es}}</ref>

[[Plato|Plato's]] concept of aristocracy envisions an ideal state governed by a [[Philosopher king|philosopher-king]]—a ruler who possesses wisdom and a love for [[truth]]. He defines these "philosopher-kings" as individuals who "love the sight of truth."<ref>Plato, ''Republic'' 475c, Vol. 5</ref> To illustrate this idea, Plato uses analogies such as a captain steering a ship and a doctor administering medicine, emphasizing that just as not everyone is naturally suited to navigation or medicine, not everyone is fit to govern. A significant portion of the ''[[Republic (Plato)|Republic]]'' is then dedicated to outlining the educational system necessary to cultivate philosopher-kings.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Plato: The Republic {{!}} Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy |url=https://iep.utm.edu/republic/ |access-date=2025-03-16 |language=en-US}}</ref>

In contrast, the 1651 book ''[[Leviathan (Hobbes book)|Leviathan]]'' by [[Thomas Hobbes]] describes an aristocracy as a [[commonwealth]] in which the representative of the [[Citizenship|citizens]] is an assembly by part only. It is a system in which only a small part of the population represents the government; "certain men distinguished from the rest."<ref name="Hobbes2010">{{cite book |first=Thomas |last=Hobbes |author-link=Thomas Hobbes |title=Leviathan |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=FKLPStfcpjoC&pg=PA81 |date=1 January 2010 |publisher=Digireads.com Publishing |isbn=978-1-4209-3699-5 |page=81 |via=[[Google Books]]}}</ref> 

Modern depictions of aristocracy tend to regard it not as the ancient Greek concept of rule by the best, but more as an [[oligarchy]] or [[plutocracy]]—rule by the few or the wealthy.<ref>{{Cite web |title=THE ARISTOCRACY AND GENTRY |url=https://www.encyclopedia.com/international/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/aristocracy-and-gentry |website=encyclopedia.com}}</ref>

== Differentiation ==
Aristocracy's corrupt counterpart is [[oligarchy]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-02-06 |title=Oligarchy {{!}} Definition & Facts {{!}} Britannica |url=https://www.britannica.com/topic/oligarchy |access-date=2025-03-18 |website=www.britannica.com |language=en}}</ref> [[Socrates]] describes oligarchy as a system rife with [[corruption]] and instability. As the ruling elite prioritize their own wealth, they enact laws that further concentrate power and resources in their hands. This deepens economic divisions between the rich and the poor, leading to class conflict and internal strife.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Kanefield |first=Teri |date=2025-01-19 |title=Part 3: Democracy, Oligarchy, and Tyranny |url=https://terikanefield.com/democracy-oligarchy-and-tyranny/ |access-date=2025-03-18 |website=Teri Kanefield |language=en-US}}</ref> According to [[Tomás Fernández de Medrano]] in his 1602 ''[[República Mista]]'', oligarchy occurs when a small group of noble or wealthy individuals control public administration but neglect the needs of the [[Poverty|poor]], prioritizing personal gain over the [[common good]]. Such governance inevitably turns into [[Tyrant|tyranny]], as historically seen in [[Sicily]] and other ancient oligarchies.<ref name=":0" /> 

Medrano also warns against the dangers of aristocratic rule when consumed by internal strife, stating that when the ''Optimates'' (the aristocracy) become driven by anger, hatred, [[envy]], and [[rivalry]], they inevitably destroy themselves and bring ruin to the republic through [[Political faction|factionalism]] and division.<ref name=":0" /> Medrano illustrates the dangers of internal discord through historical examples, citing [[Babylon|Babylon’s]] fall to [[Cyrus the Great|Cyrus]], [[Carthage|Carthage’s]] destruction, and Greek disunity under [[Alexander the Great]]. He notes that Rome’s decline, from [[Jugurtha|Jugurtha’s]] downfall to later internal strife, mirrors the fate of Sparta, the [[Numidians]], and other divided civilizations—including Rome itself, as [[Cato the Younger|Cato]] had foreseen.<ref name=":0" />

== History ==
Aristocracies dominated political and economic power for most of the medieval and modern periods almost everywhere in Europe, using their wealth and land ownership to form a powerful political force. The [[English Civil War]] involved the first sustained organised effort to reduce aristocratic power in Europe.  

=== 18th and 19th centuries ===
In the 18th century, the rising [[merchant class]] attempted to use money to buy into the aristocracy, with some success. However, the [[French Revolution]] in the 1790s forced many [[French nobility|French aristocrats]] into exile and caused consternation and shock in the aristocratic families of neighbouring countries. After the defeat of [[Napoleon]] in 1814, some of the surviving exiles returned, but their position within French society was not recovered.

The [[planter class]], owners of large-scale plantations where enslaved Africans produced crops to create wealth for a white elite, dominated political and economic affairs in America for over a century. The [[London School of Economics]]: "The dominant elite in the South before the [[American Civil War|Civil War]] were the wealthy landowners who held people in slavery, the so-called "planter class". Their influence in politics before the war can best be illustrated by highlighting that of the 15 presidents before Abraham Lincoln, eight held people as slaves while in office."<ref>{{cite news |title=Enslavers dominated Southern politics long after the Civil War ended |url=https://blogs.lse.ac.uk/usappblog/2020/10/23/enslavers-dominated-southern-politics-long-after-the-civil-war-ended/ |access-date=August 11, 2025 |work=LSE}}</ref> While many former slaveowners kept control of their land and remained politically influential, according to [[C. Vann Woodward]], the Civil War weakened and in some cases destroyed the planter aristocracy.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Billings |first1=Dwight B. |title=Planters and the Making of a "New South" |date=2017 |publisher=University of North Carolina Press |page=39}}</ref>

Beginning in Britain, industrialization in the 19th century brought urbanization, with wealth increasingly concentrated in the cities, which absorbed political power. However, as late as 1900, aristocrats maintained political dominance in Britain, [[Germany]], [[Denmark]], [[Sweden]], [[Austria]] and [[Russia]], but it was an increasingly-precarious dominion.

=== 20th century ===
The [[First World War]] had the effect of dramatically reducing the power of aristocrats in all major countries. In Russia, aristocrats were [[Red Terror|imprisoned and murdered]] by the communists. After 1900, liberal and socialist governments levied heavy taxes on landowners, spelling their loss of economic power.<ref>{{cite book |first=Barrington |last=Moore |title=The social origins of dictatorship and democracy |date=1966}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |first=David |last=Cannadine |title=The decline and fall of the British aristocracy |date=1990|publisher = Anchor Books |isbn = 9780385421034}}</ref>

=== Outside Europe ===
In the [[Chola dynasty]], the local (village) administration included a ''Sabha (meaning council or assembly in [[Tamil language|Tamil]]),''  which consisted entirely of [[Brahmin|Brahmins]] from the [[Brahmadeya]] villages—which were considered the "[[elite]]" of the time (i.e being the highest [[Caste system in India|caste]] in [[India]]).<ref>{{Cite web |title=Uttaramerur Inscription |url=https://vajiramandravi.com/current-affairs/uttaramerur-inscription/ |access-date=2025-09-09 |language=en-IN}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Public Administration of theMedieval and Later Cholas |url=https://cbc.gov.in/cbcdev/cholas/cholas-story.html |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20250122041516/https://cbc.gov.in/cbcdev/cholas/cholas-story.html |archive-date=2025-01-22 |access-date=2025-09-09 |website=cbc.gov.in |language=en}}</ref>

== See also ==

* [[Elitism]]
* [[Gentry]]
* [[Meritocracy]]
* [[Nobility]]
* [[Old money]]
* [[Timocracy]]
* [[Technocracy]]

== References ==
{{reflist}}

== Further reading ==
* Bengtsson, Erik, et al. "Aristocratic wealth and inequality in a changing society: Sweden, 1750–1900." ''Scandinavian Journal of History'' 44.1 (2019): 27–52. [https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/03468755.2018.1480538 Online]
* Cannon, John. ''History'', Oxford University Press, 1997, {{ISBN|978-0-19-866176-4}}
* Liu, Jia. "Study on the Decline of the British Aristocracy from the Perspective of Modernization." ''2018 4th International Conference on Economics, Management and Humanities Science'' (2018). [https://webofproceedings.org/proceedings_series/ECOM/ECOMHS%202018/ECOMHS97073.pdf Online]
* Schutte, Kimberly. ''Women, Rank, and Marriage in the British Aristocracy, 1485–2000: An Open Elite?'' (Springer, 2014).
*  Wasson,  Ellis. ''Aristocracy in the Modern World'', Palgrave Macmillan, 2006.
* Public Administration of the Medieval and Later Cholas, 2025. [https://cbc.gov.in/cbcdev/cholas/cholas-story.html Online]

== External links ==
* {{wikiquote-inline}}
* [https://www.britannica.com/topic/aristocracy Aristocracy] at Encyclopædia Britannica

{{Social class}}
{{European nobility}}
{{Political philosophy}}
{{Authority control}}

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[[Category:Aristocracy| ]]
[[Category:Ancient Greek government]]
[[Category:Oligarchy]]
[[Category:Social classes]]
[[Category:Social groups]]