Gentry

As Landed Gentry is known since the 16th century in England a not well-defined layer of the upper middle class and lower nobility in contrast to the higher nobility (peers or nobility ) to which mainly landowners and clergy, from the late 19th century, academics included. The Gentry was socially superior to the Commons ( commoners ) and unfree.

Defining characteristic of the Landed Gentry was particular that their families could earn their living entirely by leasing their lands. Offices clad members of the Landed Gentry mostly for reasons of prestige.

Development

Emerged the gentry from the amalgamation of the gentry with the narrow layer of wealthy bourgeois landowners ( Common, commoners ) in early modern England. In contrast to the Yeomen ( Yeomanry ) the gentry not even ordered their land, but drew its usually substantial income from the lease. Also part of the country clergy to Gentry. The members of the gentry led initially no ( hereditary ) title of nobility, today you are the Baronets, the Knights ( chivalry ) attributed only in exceptions.

The Gentry played in advance of industrialization an important role in the public belonging pastures ( commons ) brought with enclosures (Enclosures) in their possession and thus reduced. This can be seen as a Mitfaktor for massive success in the 19th century exodus of ordinary country people ( rural exodus ) in the cities, where they formed the proletariat.

The low nobility of the German-speaking countries, whose family name was recognizable mostly to the nobility sign "of", but not the rank titles such as " Baron " or " Count " possessed, can be compared approximately with the British Landed Gentry. A major difference, however, is that there is not a common sign as the German nobility "of" in English family names.

Application to China

Outside the UK, there was a comparable layer also in China, where the term particularly in the English-language literature on the approximately one percent of the population is employed, which had all three state exams, prefectural, provincial and palace examination completed. This test was abolished in the 1890s until 1905 by the inputs and forms of reformers (including Zhang Zhidong and Yuan Shikai ).

Application to Hungary

In Hungary the term used in the second half of the 19th century and took until the 20th century application. In contrast to Great Britain impoverished and landless members of the nobility Gentry ( dzsentri ) were called in Hungary, who held on to their position in society and their traditions despite their lack of assets. The only source of income of the Hungarian gentry remained the civil service. To be distinguished from the Gentry is the so-called " Bundschuh Nobility " ( bocskoros nemesség ), which consisted mainly of impoverished gentry or ennobled farmers and did not differ in their way of life of the farmers. In the 19th century belonged to about 5 % of the Hungarian population of this stratum of society. Both " Gentry " and " Bundschuh Nobility " are names for phenomena in the late Hungarian feudalism.