Nobles of the Sword

The Nobles of the Sword (French: noblesse d'épée) refers to the class of traditional or old nobility in France during the Middle Ages and the Early Modern periods. This class was heir to a militaristic ideology of professional chivalry. It is largely synonymous with the expressions noblesse de race and noblesse ancienne, and is used in opposition to other classes of French nobility, namely:

As with officer of the sword, the expression derives from the right of nobles to wear a sword.

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