This book is the first comprehensive history of the European nobility between the Renaissance and the French Revolution. Designed to introduce students and non-specialists to the subject, it explains all the principal themes and problems in an authoritative and accessible manner. Professor Dewald surveys the changing numbers, self-perceptions, wealth, and political power of the European nobles, and explores their changing modes of life. Arguing against the conventional point of view, he maintains that the nobles of Europe adapted effectively to the profound changes that marked society and culture at this time. He also argues for the importance of Europe-wide patterns in the evolution of this dominant group; although different countries had different numbers of nobles and accorded them varying privileges, nobles everywhere faced essentially similar problems and responded to them in essentially similar ways.