A Study on the Definition of the Gentry Class in English Before the 17th Century
After the Norman Conquest,the anglicization of the chivalric system nurtured the emergence of the embryonic gentry class.In the 15th and 16th centuries,the gentry class rose in prominence,acting as agents of the crown through close collaboration with the monarchy.By the 17th century,the component of the gentry class had stabilized,but its definition prior to this period had always been equivocal.The ambiguous use of terminology by early modern scholars,coupled with the inherent social fluidity of the gentry class,has long made their definition unclear.To define the gentry class,a four-dimensional analysis is required including social identity,source of wealth,social mobility,and local power,which is expected to clarify the parameters of the gentry class.
gentry classcomplexityMiddle AgesEarly Modern period
万方数据
维普
