'Nobility', a glamorous but ambiguous entity
tvN [Naked World History] with Professor Seung-Hwi Lim
My first aristocratic history class

The word 'nobility' is not very unfamiliar to us.
It is a character that appears frequently in webtoons and web novels, so it feels familiar and sometimes friendly.
Although they are often mentioned in our daily lives, we do not know much about the actual history or lives of the nobility.
The history of the nobility spans a very long period of time.
Even if we limit the geographical scope to Europe, it covers over two thousand years, from the ancient Greek and Roman era to the 19th century.
For so long, have the nobility remained the same, like the stereotypical image in fantasy literature? Their lives have constantly and fiercely changed with the times.
In the flood of commercialism, there is not only 'high-class' culture that is easily consumed and quoted.
Through this book, we will reveal the true face of the nobility, something we have not known about until now.

Why were the nobility in Europe referred to as "blue blood," a term that continues to be a frequent topic of conversation and captures the human imagination to this day? To cut to the chase, "blue blood" doesn't refer to blue blood, but to the blue veins that radiate from the skin.
Of course, the blood flowing through the veins is not actually blue.
However, because of the way light refracts when shining on the skin, it sometimes appears to have a blue tint.
This is because venous blood contains less oxygen than arterial blood.
Therefore, this is not a matter of history, but of science.
In conclusion, all the talk about blue blood is nothing more than a simple misunderstanding.
However, misunderstandings breed more misunderstandings, so when misunderstandings pile up, they can sometimes create a pretty solid story.
--- p.16

The image of noblesse oblige that prevails today is somewhat distant from the historical reality of Western European aristocracy.
This is especially true if we understand it as a virtue of charity or benevolence.
Noblesse oblige refers to the duty and sense of responsibility of a nobleman. Sometimes, it refers to duties and responsibilities that must be performed regardless of one's will, even if one lacks the ability, out of fear of the gaze of fellow nobles.
Fight bravely on the battlefield, fight even when you're afraid, and don't ignore the begging poor even when you're worried about feeding your family.
All of this was noblesse oblige.
The attitude that I have no choice but to follow suit because my colleagues do it is noblesse oblige.
Wearing expensive wigs and dressing in the latest fashions regardless of financial ability was also noblesse oblige.
--- p.47~48

Erasmus's "A Book of Etiquette for Children," first published in 1530, was a huge success and created the literary genre of etiquette books.
Of course, this etiquette book is not only for the nobility.
However, from the end of the 16th century, etiquette books began to appear that focused on maintaining the social status and distinction of the nobility.
It all began with the book The Courtier by Baldassare Castiglione, published in 1528.
This book argues that to be a perfect courtier, one must possess innate elegance and the respect of others for it.
If we follow Castiglione's argument, true nobility should flaunt their merits, but in the eyes of others, they should appear to be natural, not hard-won.
In short, it is a very difficult order to be elegant without being presumptuous.
--- p.82~83

For the aristocracy, who emphasized lineage and family, was the importance of family significantly different from that of other social classes? Yes and no.
In traditional society, the smallest unit of society was the family.
The concept of 'individual' had not yet emerged.
As the most basic building block, the family was an important foundation for both nobles and commoners.
Of course, the meaning and nuance of the word “important” is different today.
For example, it would be difficult to expect the ideal image of a loving couple, children who are the fruit of that love, and a harmonious family formed by them from the aristocracy of the past.
The myth of a loving, harmonious family emerged in the 19th century and is a concept that would not have been appropriate in pre-modern times.
--- p.110

William Hogarth (1697-1764) was an English painter and social satirist.
Between 1743 and 1745 he painted a series of six paintings called Marriage à la mode, which is now on display at the National Gallery in London.
This work debunks the myth of the aristocratic moral life and satirizes arranged marriages and subsequent married life with a cruel and horrifying intensity.
This elaborately planned series, in the order of [Marriage Agreement], [A Couple Sitting Side by Side], [Medical Examination], [Morning Dressing], [The Death of a Count], and [The Death of a Countess], shows the extreme drama of a political marriage for money and social advancement, from a spoiled nobleman's political marriage, to his messy married life stained by infidelity and gambling, to the husband's death due to infidelity and the wife's subsequent tragic suicide.
--- p.159~160

The nobility found in many societies in the East and the West can be defined as a status next to royalty that enjoys various privileges inherited through the patrilineal line, although its functions and appearance vary depending on the region and time period.
Here, status means a state in which social status is determined by birth.
It is a concept distinct from class, which is determined by an individual's ability and effort within economic production relations.

Before answering what a nobleman is, there is a prerequisite that must be remembered.
First is ‘society’.
For aristocracy to exist, there must be others, other members of society, who recognize it.
There is no society composed solely of aristocrats.
If all members equally enjoy the privileges of nobility, it becomes a right, not a privilege.
Secondly, nobility is a collective concept, not an individual one.
They exist as a relatively homogeneous group that enjoys certain privileges.
There is only one king.

--- p.226~227