Die Nobilitierungspolitik der letzten Habsburger. Der neue Adel im Zeitalter Franz Josephs und Karls

In the territories ruled by the Habsburg dynasty, the old practice of granting titles to individuals distinguished in the service of the state changed considerably in the later nineteenth century. While different procedures prevailed in the German and the Hungarian part of the Habsburg empire, the overall development led to the formation of a new, but less prestigious aristocratic class. During the reign of Emperor Francis Joseph I and Charles I/IV, noble titles were transformed into a special form of state honour. Noble titles, which in the previous centuries represented an important symbol of the status and power of the individual and the family, were now dependent only on the position honoured on the social ladder. The extraordinary increase in nobilitations during this period and the weakening of the position of the nobility as a result of the changes after 1848 likewise resulted in the decline of the family aristocracy. This process further deepened the already deep rift between the old and the new nobility.