Aristocratic

Quick Facts: Who was Aristocratic?

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Aristocratic

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A system of governance where power is concentrated in a small, privileged ruling class.

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Origins & Early Life

Aristocracy (from Ancient Greek ἀριστοκρατίᾱ (aristokratíā) 'rule of the best'; from ἄριστος (áristos) 'best' and κράτος (krátos) 'power, strength') is a form of government that places power in the hands of a small, privileged ruling class, the aristocrats. Across Europe, the aristocracy exercised immense economic, political, and social influence. In Western Christian countries, the aristocracy was mostly equal with magnates, 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. The modern understanding of aristocracy is different from its classical use which referred to the citizens with good qualifications to rule. 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.

Pivotal Works & Achievements

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 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. 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). 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. Later, Polybius, in his analysis of the Roman Constitution, used the concept of aristocracy to describe his conception of a republic as a mixed form of government, along with democracy and monarchy in their conception from then, as a system of checks and balances, where each element checks the excesses of the other.

Enduring Legacy & Impact

In modern times, aristocracy was usually seen as rule by a privileged group, the aristocratic class, and has since been contrasted with democracy. 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. Plato's concept of aristocracy envisions an ideal state governed by a philosopher-king—a ruler who possesses wisdom and a love for truth.

Historical Fact-Check Quiz: Aristocratic

True or False: “In ancient Greece, aristocracy was always defined as a system where rule was strictly hereditary.”

Answer (FALSE ❌): In the classical Greek understanding, hereditary rule was actually forbidden; it was considered more related to oligarchy.

Contemporary Figures & Related Historical Timelines

• Aristophanes — Chrono-Wiki Encyclopedia Entry: Master of Old Comedy, whose plays satirized Athenian life and politics.
• Aristotle — Chrono-Wiki Encyclopedia Entry: Founding father of the Peripatetic school, whose works spanned science and philosophy.
• Aristotle Onassis — Chrono-Wiki Encyclopedia Entry: Greek shipping magnate who amassed a massive fleet and achieved global fame.
• Aristoxenus — Chrono-Wiki Encyclopedia Entry: A 4th century BC Peripatetic philosopher, known for his works on music and ethics.
• Arius — Chrono-Wiki Encyclopedia Entry: Cyrenaic presbyter whose teachings initiated the Arian controversy regarding the nature of Christ.
• Ariwara no Narihira — Chrono-Wiki Encyclopedia Entry: A celebrated waka poet and courtier of the early Heian period, known for his romantic life.

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