Nobilities in Transition 1550-1700

Nobilities in Transition explores the transformation of the nobility in the late 16th and 17th centuries. 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 'refeudalization' of state and society in southern Europe or the increasing urbanization 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