ABSTRACT
This chapter looks at the European nobility as a heterogeneous group by focusing on the identities of dynasties and their importance. Apart from a European-wide take on nobilities, nobles are often described in a national context or studied at a local level. Most aristocratic dynasties had received titles, territories, honours and offices from their superiors, on which their status as grandees ultimately rested. Apart from economic interdependence, harmonious nobility, ruler relationships more often than not involved cultural factors as well. The construction of a dynasty's history was often connected to the social position that it held. A collective memory and sense of identity therefore imbued a noble family with shared interests: to uphold the dynasty's position. Identity formation in a dynastic context also provides a new framework to interpret the choices, careers and patronage of such families, and the positions assigned to individuals within it.
