A deep transformation of Austrian society, and consequently that of the aristocratic community occurred during the reign of Franz Joseph I. They lost their role as mediator between the Monarch and his subjects, i.e. their nobility rights, serfdom was also abolished. The aristocratic title as such was, however, preserved and the granting of it continued to be an important means of creating a group of inhabitants loyal to the sovereign and the state. This study interprets in detail the reasons for the change of Austrian aristocratic society after 1848 and the consequences of this situation for both the aristocratic community and the monarchy as a whole.
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The paper concentrates on a specific chapter of the Austrian heraldry, i.e. heraldry of the Jewish noble families. The coats-of-arms were originally granted to the Jews sporadically. Jakub Bassevi (1578-1635) was the first unbaptized Jew to receive a coat-of-arms and a title in the early 17th century. The Jews had not become ennobled until the 18th century. Their coats-of-arms, however, rarely contained traditional Jewish symbols. In Austria, we can thus encounter only the Star of David, the Ten Commandments and the prayer shawl (tallit).
The problem of the study of Jewish elites is that it is often ahistoric, oscillating between indiscriminate admiration and total refusal, which merely reflects the extremes of a traditionally unbalanced attitude of the society towards the Jews as well as towards nobility in general. Jewish nobility is part of the the so‑called new nobility of the 18th to 20th centuries, although in legal terms it does not constitute any specific group within it. Like other families belonging to the new nobility, its members obtained their titles as a reward for their credit and contribution to the monarchy and public welfare and, but for a few rare exceptions, had no social or family ties to aristocratic or old‑nobility families, despite the fact that it was precisely the new nobility who, since no later than the middle of the 19th century played a crucial role not only in the economy of the country, but also in its politics, army as well as its culture. Unlike aristocracy, this new social group, usually called „second society“, was open to all newcomers who had acquired a certain social status. The reason for nobilitation did not play any role in being a member of this elite: while some individuals were ennobled thanks to their entrepreneurial success which allowed them to give out large sums to charity, others earned their title due to exemplary performance of administrative or military service, and still others were nobilitated as a reward for their success in art and science. Whereas members of the latter group were nobility only through their titles and lifestyles, and through their family ties remained connected to the bourgeoisie, rich entrepreneurs and top state officials were often able to transform their considerable wealth in political and social capital.
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The aim of this study is to outline the summary development of Jewish nobility (persons of the Jewish faith or origin) in the Hapsburg Monarchy, yet focusing primarily upon contemporary specifics in terms of their nobilitations. It summarizes the development of awarding aristocratic titles to these persons and attempts to characterize the main milestones of nobilitations and compares the nobilitation policy of the rulers of the Danube Monarchy and the Kingdom of Prussia towards individuals of the Jewish faith and origin.
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