Grandees


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The following article is from The Great Soviet Encyclopedia (1979). It might be outdated or ideologically biased.

Grandees

(Grandes), the higher nobility in medieval Spain, both clerical and secular (as opposed to the main body of the nobility, hidalgo and caballero); from the 16th century to the 20th grandee was a title of nobility. From the 13th century (when they are first mentioned) grandees occupied high state positions and enjoyed great privileges. They were free of taxes and had the right to defend their “liberty” to the extent of declaring war on the king and transferring their allegiance to another lord. With the flourishing of absolutism in the 15th century grandees were transformed into court nobility. The title grandee was abolished in 1931 with the liquidation of the monarchy.

The Great Soviet Encyclopedia, 3rd Edition (1970-1979). © 2010 The Gale Group, Inc. All rights reserved.
References in periodicals archive ?
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Not one of the grandees" - Ukip MP Douglas Carswell on Jeremy Corbyn.
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In his high camp, whimsical way, the man who whipped up a mini-revolution in the chat show world is now one of the grandees of light entertainment and a veritable national treasure (in Britain, at least) - all without having to compromise.
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Plans to create new giant of banking; business briefing

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