The families (, meaning 'families at court' at the time the term was in use) were the third elite class of the
Electorate
Electorate may refer to:
* The people who are eligible to vote in an election, especially their number e.g. the term ''size of (the) electorate''
* The dominion of a prince-elector in the Holy Roman Empire until 1806
* An electoral district
...
and
Kingdom of Hanover
The Kingdom of Hanover () was established in October 1814 by the Congress of Vienna, with the restoration of George III to his Hanoverian territories after the Napoleonic Wars, Napoleonic era. It succeeded the former Electorate of Hanover, and j ...
in the 18th and early 19th centuries, after the
nobility
Nobility is a social class found in many societies that have an aristocracy. It is normally appointed by and ranked immediately below royalty. Nobility has often been an estate of the realm with many exclusive functions and characteristics. T ...
and the
clergy
Clergy are formal leaders within established religions. Their roles and functions vary in different religious traditions, but usually involve presiding over specific rituals and teaching their religion's doctrines and practices. Some of the ter ...
. At the time Hanover was in a
personal union
A personal union is a combination of two or more monarchical states that have the same monarch while their boundaries, laws, and interests remain distinct. A real union, by contrast, involves the constituent states being to some extent in ...
with the United Kingdom. The group consisted of the higher
bourgeoisie
The bourgeoisie ( , ) are a class of business owners, merchants and wealthy people, in general, which emerged in the Late Middle Ages, originally as a "middle class" between the peasantry and aristocracy. They are traditionally contrasted wi ...
and the elite of university-educated civil servants, and played a significant role in the governing of Hanover, often as higher civil servants.
[ Klaus Mlynek: ''Hübsche Familien.'' In: '' Stadtlexikon Hannover'', .]
The use of the word in the sense of "courtly", "genteel", "presentable at court" is so archaic (etymologically related to , 'courtly') that it is not even mentioned in modern German dictionaries; nowadays it only means "pretty, handsome" (in addition to similar metaphorical meanings that these English equivalents also have), which is why most German speakers misunderstand .
hübsch
on DWDS.de[hübsch]
" '' Grimmsches Wörterbuch''. The families have been described as a "state patriciate." In contrast to old noble families which tended to favour military careers, families placed emphasis on academic education, especially legal education, and favoured careers in the civil service. The families were a form of .
Notable families
* Albrecht family
*Baring family
The Baring family is a German and British family of merchants and bankers. In Germany, the family belongs to the '' Bildungsbürgertum'', and in England, it belongs to the aristocracy.
History
The family's earliest known ancestor is Peter Bari ...
See also
*Bourgeoisie
The bourgeoisie ( , ) are a class of business owners, merchants and wealthy people, in general, which emerged in the Late Middle Ages, originally as a "middle class" between the peasantry and aristocracy. They are traditionally contrasted wi ...
*Nouveau riche
; ), new rich, or new money (in contrast to old money; ) is a social class of the rich whose wealth has been acquired within their own generation, rather than by familial inheritance. These people previously had belonged to a lower social cla ...
Literature
* Joachim Lampe: ''Aristokratie, Hofadel und Staatspatriziat in Kurhannover. Die Lebenskreise der höheren Beamten an den kurhannoverschen Zentral- und Hofbehörden 1714–1760.'' In ''Veröffentlichungen der Historischen Kommission für Niedersachsen und Bremen'', Folge 24: ''Untersuchungen zur Ständegeschichte Niedersachsens'', vol. 2, Historische Kommission für Niedersachsen und Bremen, Göttingen: Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, 1963.
* Henning Rischbieter (ed.): ''Hannoversches Lesebuch oder: was in Hannover und über Hannover geschrieben, gedruckt und gelesen wurde'', vol 1: ''1650–1850'', 3rd edition, Hanover: Schlütersche Verlagsgesellschaft, , p. 64f. and p. 145ff.
* H. Barmeyer: ''Hof und Hofgesellschaft in Hannover.'' In Hans-Dieter Schmid (ed.): ''Hannover – am Rande der Stadt'', in the series ''Hannoversche Schriften zur Regional- und Lokalgeschichte'', vol. 5, Bielefeld: Verlag für Regionalgeschichte, 1992, , .
*
References
{{reflist
Electorate of Hanover
Kingdom of Hanover
Social class subcultures
Social history of the Holy Roman Empire
Social class in Germany