Nobility and identity in 21st-century France

- Nobility no longer has a legal existence in France, but the legislator still recognizes the existence of titles of nobility, by virtue of a fundamental principle of French law which states that a text that has not been repealed is still in force. Indeed, the regulations enacted by Napoleon III concerning titles of nobility (decrees of January 24, 1852 and March 5, 1859) have never been repealed, and thus continue to regir the devolution of titles of nobility, both those of old France and those of the various 19th-century regimes that succeeded one another before the advent of the Third Republic. Families holding an authentic title of nobility can therefore have it officially registered with the Ministry of Justice, and over 400 titled individuals have had their rights recognized in this way since 1872 (registration of the title on official documents: passport, identity card, civil status certificates, etc.). Similarly, people who have obtained a title of nobility from a foreign sovereign can have it recognized in France. This was the case for thirteen titles conferred by the Pope between 1870 and 1877, and for the head of the de Levis Mirepoix family, who was authorized by decree on August 24, 1961 to bear the Spanish title of Duke of San Fernando Luis in France. Furthermore, usurpation of titles is still forbidden under article 259 of the penal code, but it must be admitted that the public prosecutor's office is not very diligent in this area, and that it is up to the victims to come forward...

- A second paradox: the further back we go from the time when the nobility enjoyed official status in France, the better our knowledge of the noble world becomes, with an extraordinary revival of noble studies. The proof is in the large number of works published over the last fifty years. These are essentially scientific works that have nothing to do with the self-indulgent publications of the 19th and early 20th centuries by "merchant de merlettes", to use Martial de Pradel de Lamase's expression.

Among the most important are Dictionnaire des familles françaises anciennes ou notables à la fin du XIXe siècle by Gustave Chaix d'Est-Ange, Du temps des privilèges au temps des vanités du vicomte de Marsay, Le second ordre by Jougla de Morenas, L'histoire de la noblesse française by Christian de Bartillat, Naissance de la noblesse by Karl Ferdinand Werner, Le catalog de la noblesse française by Régis Valette, La noblesse by Philippe du Puy de Clinchamps, Le nobiliaire de France by Docteur Dugast Rouillé, le Dictionnaire de la noblesse française by Saint Simon et Séreville, Etat de la noblesse française subsistante by Michel Authier and Alain Galbrun, le Nouveau nobiliaire de France by Izarny-Gargas, Lartigue and Vaulchier, le Dictionnaire et armorial de la noblesse by Patrice du Puy de Clinchamps.

The bicentenary of the French Revolution even saw the publication of a treatise on nobiliary law.Alain Texier's Qu'est-ce que la noblesse? (1 ) In the 1960s, the Cahiers Nobles collection published a large number of remarkable works on nobiliary law and history, several of which have fortunately been republished in recent years. Among the most important are Les honneurs de la cour by François Bluche, Les pages de la grande écurie by the same author, L'anoblissement par charges avant 1789 by François Bluche and Pierre Durye, Les titres de noblesse en France et dans les pays étrangers by Jacques Descheemaeker...

More recently, we should mention, among many others, the academic works of Jean-Marie Constant, François Bluche again, in the collection de la vie quotidienne, Jean Meyer in the collection Que sais-je, Laurent Bourquin in the collection Belin Sup, Guy Chaussinand-Nogaret, Guy Richard. We must pay tribute to pioneering academics such as Jean Meyer for his thesis on the Breton nobility, and François Bluche for his work on the magistrates of the Parliament of Paris, who, in the sixties, dared to break with the rules of the law.These pioneering scholars, such as Jean Meyer for his thesis on the nobility of Brittany and François Bluche for his work on the magistrates of the Paris parliament, dared to break the taboos that at the time forbade any interest in the strange social category of the ci-devant. It has to be said that things have totally changed, and that radical ostracism has been replaced by an opposite excess, at the risk of causing a veritable "overdose" with regard to noble studies. As a result, not a year goes by without the publication of a few theses on the second order, whether family monographs or regional studies from the four corners of the kingdom.These range from family monographs to regional studies of the four corners of the kingdom: Brittany, Provence, Bordeaux, Franche-Comté, Dauphiné, Périgord, Ile de France, and even Irish refugees in France. Historians have also discovered that noble families who played a major role in the history of France frequently held unpublished private archives. Clearly, we can only welcome such a development and do everything we can to encourage it.

This craze has not been limited to law and history, but has extended to sociology, ethnology and the art of living with the research of Monique de Saint Martin (2) and above all Eric Mension-Rigau (3 ) . Journalists such as François de Coustin (4), Gérard de Sède (5), François de Négroni (6), Bertrand Galimard Flavigny (7 ) . What's more, a number of newspapers and even television channels periodically devote articles or broadcasts to this milieu - often, alas, totally insipid, but clearly commercially promising. In 1987, to mark the millennium of the Capetians, the magazine Autrement published an issue devoted entirely to the nobility, entitled "Noblesse oblige , les aristocrates aujourd'hui, leurs valeurs, leur influence. " (8)

- The third paradox is that the number of nobles is increasing, while the number of noble families is decreasing. In fact, almost every year some names die out, while the fertility rate of the remaining families, far higher than that of the population as a whole, explains this paradox. Clearly, nobility, or rather noble identity, continues to fascinate, even in the 21st century, and so we shall attempt to analyze the phenomenon, explain the reasons for it and its remarkable persistence.

I - Fascination and noble identity.

This fascination takes many forms, but the most obvious is undoubtedly the requests for name changes published very regularly in the Journal Officiel. This so-called administrative procedure, which is often not devoid of ulterior motives, at least has the merit of being easy to spot thanks to the publicity imposed on applicants. A perusal of the Journal Officiel is always instructive, and the impressive number of particle names solicited in the form of additions, or even outright substitutions, leaves no doubt as to the continuing appeal of aristocratic-looking surnames. A look at the Bottin mondain is equally eloquent: fanciful noble titles or those of families who have never belonged to the second order abound, despite the care taken by the editorial staff, who regularly reject the listing of titles that are not aristocratic.the inscription of titles that previous editions attest have never been used (9). What's more, there are other legal means of adding a particle to one's name, which are much more discreet for lack of publicity: rectification of civil status before the courts, or adoption. All this, not to mention the addition of a motu proprio particle, particularly for names beginning with the articles de, du, des. The inflation of nobility-appearing names has prompted a number of researchers not only to publish all manner of dictionaries listing genuine nobility, as we saw in the introduction, but also to take a close interest in this nobility of appearance. The last few decades have seen the publication of works such as Jérôme (Archivist) 's Le dictionnaire des changements de noms, Joseph Valynseele's Carnet des familles nobles ou d'apparence by Joseph Valynseele and, above all, Le simili-nobiliaire français by Pierre-Marie Dioudonnat, which lists no fewer than 6,000 families, almost twice as many as those benefiting from a regular principle of nobility (10). Philippe du Puy de Clinchamps considers that the social importance of the remaining authentic nobility is attested by the existence of this facsimile:" One does not pursue, one does not exhaust oneself to resemble what is definitively dead" (11). The merit of the old France was that, through a number of procedures, it enabled the best elements of the tiers-état to move up to the second order. This social fluidity no longer exists, since the nobility has unwittingly become a caste, which was never the case in the days of our glorious monarchy. This stalemate goes some way to explaining the extent to which the noblesse d'apparence has taken on a life of its own. An anecdote in this regard is worth noting. During his brilliant career as an actor, Jean Gabin was made a Chevalier de la Légion d'Honneur.taient venir recueillir ses impressions, il avait manifesté sa satisfaction tout en précisant cependant " que dans l'ancienne France, m'on aurait anobli et que cela avait quand même une autre allure. "

The appeal of a noble identity is also borne out by everyday language, which frequently refers to such and such a person, company or institution as having "earned its letters of nobility". Behind the term "nobility", there's always the underlying idea of an exceptional quality, which obliges the person who claims it, and who has the right to claim it.It's a quality that's also imposed on the collective imagination, hence the famous phrase "noblesse oblige" (nobility obliges). The reasons for this fascination are many and hard to pin down. How can we explain the survival of a noble identity in a world like ours? In my opinion, General Jean du Verdier takes a good look at the nobility when he writes: "Beyond worldly vanities, it is through its awareness of its difference that it constitutes a remarkable group in the contemporary world. To claim nobility, a quality linked to birth, is to admit that a part of ourselves is predestined, and to accept the obligations that flow from it. The nobleman acts in accordance with a code of conduct that he has not developed on his own. He recognizes that his behavior is dictated by his membership of a social group... This attitude sets him apart in a contemporary world that exalts the "liberated" individual, a man from nowhere, with no memory of his past, no family history. The nobles as a whole remain inspired by a demanding self-image. This social group has managed to preserve its specificity through an attachment to the virtues and fundamental principles that govern family life and life in society" (12). Molière expresses a similar idea when he has one of his characters say: "We can only share in the glory of our ancestors insofar as we strive to resemble them, and the glow of their deeds that they repandent on us imposes on us a commitment to do them the same honor, to follow in their footsteps and not to degenerate from their virtues if we wish to be esteemed their true descendants. " (13). The fascination that nobility inspires is clearly based on a number of values that it claims to uphold.

Despite its weaknesses and miseries, the nobility has always enjoyed a certain prestige, no doubt due to the virtues and values it has consistently defended, and which we must try to enumerate.

II - The values recognized or attributed to nobility.

First and foremost among these is a sense of honor. Two historical examples illustrate this point. At the end of his extended stay at Combourg, Chateaubriand recounts a scene in which his father reminds him of his duties, and ends his conversation with these words: "Monsieur de chevalier, I am old and ill: I do not have long to live. Behave like a good man and never dishonor your name. " (14 ) Honor of name and lineage is indeed a constant preoccupation in noble families. Closer to home, and even more unexpected, is the testimony of Jacques Duclos, former secretary of the Communist Party, in his memoirs of the Great War: "My company lieutenant was the Lieutenant Marquis de Colbert; he was a man of twenty-eight, with an amputated right arm, who should have been in the rear as an instructor and who had asked to be in the front line. He was one of those patriotic aristocrats... telling his men before going into battle: "Wherever I go, follow me". I can see him... advancing unarmed... cane in hand (perhaps like a souvenir sword!), which commanded respect. And in the face of this troop officer's behavior, my fellow miscreants and myself were no longer tempted to mock the Sacred Heart of Jesus insignia he wore on his capote in place of his heart. That silhouette of a man... was impressive, and we felt a chill run down our spines as we watched him fall, a bullet having fatally struck him... It is certain that when an officer sets an example of courage at the head of his soldiers, each one of us feels that his honor is in some way engaged... " (15 ). In other words, through example, honor can become contagious.

A second characteristic of the nobility is a strong sense of duty and service. Thus, when Alfred de Vigny was about to take part in the expedition of the "hundred thousand sons of Saint Louis" to defend the throne of Ferdinand VII, he declared: "It will be hard, but it will have to be done". During the expulsions of congregations in 1904, many noble officers did not hesitate for a moment to assert the demands of their conscience, like Lieutenant Boux de Casson: "I have respected pagodas and mosques, I will not defile the temples of my religion. "The result: six months' imprisonment, suspension from service and a new enlistment in 1914 (16). In old France, this sense of service was of course the service of the king, but this tradition has not been lost with the great clerks of the State, generally from the French state.This tradition has not been lost, however, with the great clerks of the State, most of them graduates of ENA (3 alumni from the nobility in 1980, 4 in 1983, 5 in 1984, 6 in 1986, 7 in 1987). Most descendants of the nobility have a certain idea of France, and have always paid the blood tax out of love for their country, a notion still in vogue in these families. During the Great War, given its size within the nation, the nobility could lay claim to first place for sacrifice on the field of honor, with 5 to 6% of those killed compared with the noble population compared with just over 3% for the nation as a whole, and 20 to 25% of nobles killed compared with the number of mobilized nobles (17).

During the Second World War, their commitment was also exemplary, as evidenced by the Memorial 1939-1945. L'engagement des membres de la noblesse et de leurs alliés, published in 2001 (18). The first members of the Resistance often belonged to the nobility : such as Count Honoré d'Estienne d'Orves, Count Philippe de Hauteclocque and his son Henri, Abbé René de Naurois, Paul Dunoyer de Ségonzac, Gérard de Cathelineau, Père Yves de Montcheuil. Among those deported were Guy de Kergaradec, Count Florent de Bazelaire, Count Adrien d'Esclaibes, Marquis de Laguiche, Jean de Page, Count Henry de Pimodan, Marquis Yves de Chargère, Albert de Seguin de Reyniès, Count Gabriel de Pontac, Jean de la Guéronnière, Princess Anne de Bauffremont, Countess de Toulouse-Lautrec (née Béatrice de Gontaut Biron), Gilberte du Cheyron du Pavillon, Hélène de Francqueville, Countess Jacques de Bodin de Saint-Laurent... It should be noted that 49 Compagnons de la Libération were of noble origin, i.e. almost 5% of the total (1,046). In one of his best novels, Michel de Saint Pierre evokes this situation when the main hero, the Marquis de Maubrun, says of noble people: "They absolutely want to be killed in every war...They have both the temptation to despise and the taste to serve. Wherever they are, Philippe, the level rises. Can 't you see it, this little army of good-named buggers marching through the thick and thin of history and tradition " (19). It was undoubtedly with such a mindset that many nobles embraced a career in arms. Even today, according to Christian de Bartillat (20 ), they account for 2% of army officers and 10% of Royal officers.

But this sense of service was not confined to the upper echelons of the civil or military service, and also extended to the social sphere, with the countless pioneers of social Catholicism: from Alban de Villeneuve-Bargemont to the liberal Charles de Montalembert, initiators in 1840 of a firstde La Tour du Pin and Comte Albert de Mun, founders of the Oeuvre des cercles catholiques d'ouvriers, Armand de Melun, MM.de Riancey and d'Azy, who set up the first workers' pension and mutual aid funds, and the many members of the Action libérale populaire, created in response to the encyclical Rerum Novarum. It was certainly in agricultural circles that noble families had an even greater influence, notably on crop improvement thanks to figures such as Gabriel de Saint Victor, Léonce de Vogüé or the viscount of Saint-Trivier, and their role was decisive in the development of agricultural societies, comices, syndicates (with the law of March 21 1884), agricultural mutuality, cooperatives and education. Emmanuel Leroy Ladurie, unsuspecting of aristocratic tropism, summed up the contribution of the nobility to the rural world when he wrote:"These particle-headed syndicalists often did far more to transform village society than did the revolutionaries in chambers, incapable of apprehending rural people." (21)

Finally, beyond the previous examples, commitment can go even further when it concerns the highest service. Monique de Saint Martin notes that the number of religious vocations among the aristocracy, although declining, is still relatively high. In 1988, almost 4% of priests in the Paris region came from the nobility, twenty times more than the proportion of descendants of the nobility in the population as a whole (< 0.2%). This finding is not surprising, given the nobility's history and origins, as Cyril Grange points out, and their strong attachment to religious practice and Christian values, which are out of all proportion to the rest of the population (22). Indeed, throughout the 19th and 20th centuries, countless representatives of the nobility were heavily involved in charitable works of all kinds, one of the most significant of which is undoubtedly the Oeuvre des campagnes, still in existence today, aimed at re-Christianizing the rural world (23). Noble families are also very present in high-profile religious publications such as the Cahiers de la rue d'Assas, where in the 80s nearlys de l'Oeuvre de soutien aux églises de France, whose board of directors is still 66% nobility.

Another virtue cultivated by the nobility is the frequent pursuit of refinement: attention to others, social relations, the art of living, decorum, the dignity of women - in short, what is generally referred to as courtesy. Over the centuries, a whole culture has grown out of the code of chivalry and princely courts, "that of respect for women, who from now on, whether noble or not, will have the upper hand in society over men, with the greatest respect being accorded to elderly ladies. " (24). A first example of this courtesy is given by Monique de Saint Martin when she reports the words of a former diplomat, Christian de Nicolay: " Some people think they're doing the right thing when they tell their guests: 'Make yourselves at home. This, it seems, is an erroneous conception of the role of the host, who seems to leave his guests to their own devices, with the implicit recommendation not to hinder each other. Preferable is the expression: soyez le bienvenu (be welcome); it expresses, in effect, the concern to show others a direct interest, a special attention. " (25). Another very common example is wedding announcements, in which the parents sometimes express their joy instead of using the classic formula: (ils) "ont l'honneur de vous faire part..." (they) "ont l'honneur de vous faire part..." (they) "ont l'honneur de vous faire part..." (they).The latter is obviously preferable, as it conveys consideration for the recipient, whereas the former expresses egocentric satisfaction. These are certainly nuances, but isn't courtesy made up of such refinements? This nuance has not escaped some who advocate the following mixed formula: (Edmond Burke, the clear-sighted Anglo-Irish political scientist, expresses this quest for refinement in his own somewhat poetic way: "The nobility adorns the civil order with its grace; it is the Corinthian capital of a polite society. " (26)

Descendants of the second order also claim many other virtues, such as respect for one's word, uprightness, intellectual honesty, the pursuit of excellence and elegance, generosity, respect for others, courage, a sense of hierarchy, an affective relationship with one's peers and a sense of responsibility.excellence and elegance, generosity, respect for others, courage, a sense of hierarchy, an affective relationship with the land and a commitment to lost causes. It's true, however, that the heirs of the nobility strive more often than others to put these qualities into practice. Of course, they don't have a monopoly on all these values: other social categories can lay claim to them, but they are found, or at least should be found, perhaps more frequently and in greater numbers in this milieu. Christian de Bartillat sums up the values that the nobility is expected to embody in the following formula: "Honor from arms, service from the king, courtesy from women, a sense of elevation of the soul from God. " (27 ) . But it's not enough to live these values; we must also ensure that they endure and are passed on to new generations.

III - Persistence and transmission of noble identity.

To ensure the continuity of their social identity, families have a certain number of means, substrates and viatics at their disposal, of which there are essentially three: economic and land assets, social assets and symbolic assets.

The first is eloquent enough and needs little further explanation. It's easy to understand that the age-old possession of a name that's often well known, a fortune and an important castle, helps to establish one's identity in the eyes of all. However, the other two substrates are more subtle.

For social heritage, sociologist Monique de Saint Martin uses the definition proposed by Pierre Bourdieu, i.e.: "The set of resources that are linked to the possession of a durable network of relations or to belonging to a group, as a set of agents who are not only endowed with common properties... but are also united by permanent and useful links". (28). This social capital is obviously transmitted almost exclusively through family or relatives, and can be fortified by attendance at certain schools or institutions such as the Order of Malta, the Jockey Club, the Society of the Cincinnati or the ANF.

Symbolic heritage, on the other hand, is even trickier to define. Monique de Saint Martin has tried, describing it as "belonging to a transcendent order where the lineage transcends the individual and even the family. e transcends the individual and even the family, where the heir believes himself to be and claims to be not the owner of property handed down by his ancestorsbut rather the link in a chain, or the custodian not only of an economic and material heritage, but also of rules, customs and traditions.but also of rules, duties, obligations and a value system summed up in the famous phrase "noblesse oblige" ("nobility obliges"). (29). This heritage includes notions such as the honor of the name or lineage, lineage, the family's seniority and illustriousness, the alliances contracted, "the taste for ritual", and "the taste for the good life".the taste for ritual, such as the shimmer of the coat of arms, the palimpsest of titles, the maze of genealogies " (30) participation in large family gatherings where family memories and history are exalted, or in commemorations such as theThe family also takes part in commemorations such as the moving and beautiful mass celebrated every June at the Picpus cemetery in Paris for the victims of the Terror. This capital is undoubtedly the most important and the most precious, for it constitutes the very essence of nobility: it cannot be taken away, it cannot be bought, any more than a name can be bought. As with social heritage, the transmission of symbolic heritage is largely ensured by the education received in the family, which is obviously essential since not everything can be learned at school. Some authors see a contradiction between the primacy given to birth and the permanent value placed on education (31). If, like Nietzsche, we can believe that birth plays a role in the character of individuals, this in no way contradicts the need for a structured education, but on the contrary is entirely complementary (32). In fact, family education is more necessary than ever in the face of today's extraordinary social "mix and the collapse of the younger generation's knowledge of history and general culture. (33). For a long time, the nobility could afford to communicate very little with their children, because in this homogeneous social milieu, where things were taken for granted, no-nonsense was commonplace. Those days are long gone: "The silent model is no longer enough. It's time to really say things. " (34 ) Having said this , it is clear that the accumulation of three heritages ensures that the noble identity is preserved under optimum conditions. This is the case, for example, for the Duc de Brissac and the Duc de Rohan, the latter of whom added the presidency of the Brittany region for many years to his patrimony... (35)

One of the essential elements of symbolic heritage concerns the alliances contracted by noble families. Celle-ci has always been rightly concerned about its alliances, but it's clear that today's lifestyles, the access of girls from all walks of life to higher education, the opening up of social circles and rallies, have all led to a greater need for a more symbolic heritage.tudes supérieures, and the opening up of social circles and rallies have resulted in a greater social mix. But it's not certain that this evolution offers only advantages, as marriage always remains an adventure and it's better to accumulate affinities rather than disparities. Only the very young believe that marriage is the union of two beings alone in the world, whereas it's also the alliance and "perpetuation" of two families, with all their consequences for lifestyle, family life and family life.That said, marriages outside the strict nobility have always existed, notably with wealthy American heiresses. It has to be said, too, that the lifestyles of the aristocracy and the bourgeoisie have become increasingly similar since the middle of the 18th century, even if subtle differences cannot escape the trained eye.

Despite the changes in times and customs we've just described, it's undeniable that the nobility has retained a special place in French society. social visibility inversely proportional to its numerical weight, as we have already seen in the army and the Church. Descendants of nobility families or their allies are still widely represented in diplomacy, where they hold over 10% of positions (20 out of 190), in the Académie Française 15%, and in the Académie des Sciences Morales et Politiques 8%. In certain cultural or heritage protection institutions, they can reach extraordinary percentages: 50% of VMF directors, 75% at Demeure Historique, 80% in the Société de vénerie, 100% in the Société des bibliophiles français, 100% in the Société des Cincinnati... They are also to be found in the scientific world of the 20th century, with Prince Louis de Broglie, winner of the 1929 Nobel Prize in Physics, Maurice de Broglie, his brother, Father Teilhard de Broglie, and many others.re, Père Teilhard de Chardin, Professor Thierry de Martel, Count Olivier Costa de Beauregard, Director of Research at the CNRS, Jean-Luc de Gennes, Professor Pierre Gilles de Gennes, cousin of the prede Gennes, Stanislas de Sèze, in the publishing world with Christian de Bartillat, Xavier de Bartillat, Thierry de Clermont Tonnerre, Ithier de Roquemaurel, in the literary world with Ghislain de D'Arcy, Thierry de Clermont Tonnerre and Ithier de Roquemaurel.world with Ghislain de Diesbach, Jean des Cars, Jacques de Lacretelle, Jacques de Bourbon-Busset, Jean de Viguerie, Michel de Saint Pierre, Guy d'Arcangues, Elvire de Brissac, Elisabeth de Grammont, Thérèse de Saint Phalle, the Duc de Castries, the Duc de Lévis Mirepoix, the Duc de La Force, Prince Gabriel de Broglie, Antoine de Saint Exupéry, Françoise de Ligneris, Patrice de La Tour du Pin, Anna de Noailles, Jean d'Ormesson, in journalism Henri de Turenne, Jacques de Ricaumont, Jean-François de Virieu, Thierry de Scitivaux, Aimeric de Dampierre, Amaury de Chaunac Lanzac (François d'Orcival)... Last but not least, they are also numerous in the business world.Contrary to popular belief, this is not a new phenomenon, as many members of the second order have been involved in industrial activities since the 18th century. The best-known names are the Wendels, the Dietrichs, the Vogüés, the Polignacs, the Lassus Saint Geniès, the Boissieu, the La Tour d'Auvergne, the Hottinguer, the Saint Phalle...

Despite the upheavals of today's world, despite the vicissitudes of the times, despite the gradual and inexorable move away from the society of orders the French nobility has generally managed to preserve its social identity. This is quite an extraordinary phenomenon two hundred years after the French Revolution, but it has to be said that the continuity of this identity is, at the present time, one of the most important aspects of the French nobility. of this identity is now seriously threatened by the incredible evolution of mores and lifestyles. The persistence of the nobiliary identity was even the subject of a remarkable habilitation thesis by one of the very first connoisseurs of this social group, Professor Eric Mension-Rigau, from whom I have borrowed the title of my talk. He concludes one of his best works with the following question:" Its persistence will depend on the ability of new generations to preserve the collective memory of the group, to maintain its secular transmission, to feed off the past while keeping it alive" (36 ) . This is an essential point in a world that is trivialized, devoid of landmarks, and ever inclined towards unbridled egalitarianism and crossbreeding.

The first danger currently threatening our families is the dilution of identity, against which we must react vigorously.This is where the ANF is clearly called upon to play a leading role, helping noble families to maintain their social identity and moral values, and to develop a sense of belonging among younger generations who are less and less cultivated due to the shortcomings of today's education system. These moral values are crystallized around "the precepts of Christianity, which for centuries have given meaning to the noble ethic... To resist the deviances of a confused societya society in disarray, representatives of the nobility must have the courage to assume their status, to be proud of themselves, not to deny themselves". (37). So it's up to parents to pass on the values and symbolic heritage we've been talking about at length, with passion and tenacity. historical conferences, commemorative masses such as those held every year at the Picpus cemetery, large family gatherings or "cousinades", and historical shows such as those staged at the Puy du Fou.

The ANF is obviously a stakeholder in such events, and that's why it's so important to join our association. The ANF is indispensable in the face of the aforementioned dilution of identity, because it enables us to come together, to help each other, to develop an esprit de corps, and thus to react effectively to the disintegration of today's society. It is scandalous to note that the ANF has a mere 6,000 members, whereas the estimated potential is in the region of 100,000 people... When you have the honor of belonging to a noble family, it is your duty to take an interest in the history of the families that have contributed to it.When you have the honour of belonging to a noble family, you have a duty to take an interest in the history of the families who, over the centuries, have played a part, more or less, in the constitution of our dear old country, and consequently the ardent obligation to join the ranks of the ANF. At a time when renowned academics are taking an interest in the persistence of our social identity, we, the people primarily concerned, would be deserting the field, but that would be a real and scandalous denial.

By way of conclusion, I'd like to return to the power of attraction still exerted by the nobility today, and its raison d'être. Philippe du Puy de Clinchamps puts forward an interesting explanation: "To the disappointing brevity of a man's life, nobility opposes long family continuity, a continuity that seems to defy time. A nobleman confronts death and believes he escapes it by subjecting the individual, who is but a transient, to a race whose duration is indefinite... Nevertheless, in our opinion, this longing for immortality remains the profound reason for his existence, " and for his success, we might add " (38 ). It's true that, at a certain age, everyone realizes that life is extremely short, and that it's comforting to be part of an indeterminate lineage. Karl Ferdinand Werner, for his part, pays tribute to the nobility at the end of his aforementioned book with these words:"That is why we would like to conclude by expressing our admiration for all those whom we know to have been worthy of belonging to the elites by their sacrifices, their taste for service, their talents and their altruism. They are worthy role models for the elite of today and tomorrow, for the excellence to which they have aspired will always remain an ideal of life.". ( 39)

I've gone on too long, and I'll leave it at that, but not without evoking a quip about the nobility inspired by both Christian de Bartillat and Abbé Sieyès: "It is nothing; it thinks it is a lot. They are still something " (40 ), and it's up to us to keep that something alive.

Patrick Clarke from Dromantin

NOTES

1. Alain Texier, Qu'est-ce que la noblesse?, Tallandier, Paris, 1989.

2. Monique de Saint Martin, L'espace de la noblesse, Paris, 1993.

3. Éric Mension-Rigau, Aristocrates et grands bourgeois, Education, Traditions, Valeurs, Paris, 1997.

4. François de Coustin, Gens de noblesse aujourd'hui, Paris, 1989.

5. Gérard de Sède, Aujourd'hui, les nobles..., Paris, 1975.

6. François de Négroni, La France noble, Paris, 1974.

7. Bertrand Galimard Flavigny, Noblesse, mode d'emploi, Paris, 1999.

8. Autrement, n° 89 - April 1987

9. Eric Mension-Rigau, habilitation thesis.

10. Philippe du Puy de Clinchamps, La noblesse, Paris, 1996, p. 94. This is the best synthesis ever published on the history and law of nobility. All those interested in these issues can consult this work with great profit. After four editions in the "Que sais-je" collection, the fifth edition was published in 1996 by L'intermédiaire des chercheurs et curieux.

11. Philippe du Puy de Clinchamps, La noblesse, Paris, 1996, p. 94. This is the best synthesis ever published on the history and law of nobility. All those interested in these issues can consult this work with great profit. After four editions in the "Que sais-je" collection, the fifth edition was published in 1996 by L'intermédiaire des chercheurs et curieux.

12. Général Jean du Verdier, Les associations de noblesse, Bulletin de l'ANF, n° 252, January 2003, p. 7-18.

13. Molière, Don Juan, act IV, scene 6.

14. Chateaubriand, Mémoires d'outre-tombe, tome 1, Paris, 1973, p. 147.

15. Jacques Duclos, Mémoires, quoted in Christian de Bartillat, Histoire de la noblesse française de 1789 à nos jours, tome 2, Paris, 1991, pp. 396-397.

16. Héric Boux de Casson, Centenaire d'un épisode des expulsions des congrégations, Bulletin trimestriel de l'ANF, n° 259, October 2004, p. 29-32.

17. Christian de Bartillat, op. cit. in vol. 2, pp. 365-367.

18. Mémorial 1939-1945: L'engagement des membres de la noblesse et de leurs alliés, Ehret, Paris, 2001.

19. Michel de Saint Pierre, Les Aristocrates, Paris , 1957, p. 246.

20. Christian de Bartillat, op. cit., vol. 2, p. 527.

21. Quoted in Daniel Mengotti, La noblesse et le catholicisme social dans les campagnes, Association d'entraide de la noblesse française, bulletin spécial, 1992, p. 116.

22. Cyril Grange, Les gens du Bottin Mondain (1903-1987), Paris, 1996, p. 154.

23. L'œuvre des campagnes was founded in 1857 by a priest, Father Vandel, and an aristocrat, Countess Auguste de La Rochejaquelein. See Eric Mension-Rigau's excellent Le donjon et le clocher. Nobles et curés de campagne de 1850 à nos jours, Paris, 2003.

24. Karl Ferdinand Werner, Naissance de la noblesse, op. cit. pp. 508-509.

25. Christian de Nicolay, Aux jours d'autrefois, Floch imprint, 1980, p. 228-230, quoted by Monique de Saint Martin.

26. Edmond Burke, Réflexions sur la révolution de France, 1790, Hachette, Paris, 1989, p. 176.

27. Christian de Bartillat, Histoire de la noblesse française, op. cit. volume 2, p. 560.

28. Pierre Bourdieu, Le capital social, notes provisoires, Actes de la recherche en sciences sociales, January 31 1980, p. 2.

29. Monique de Saint Martin, op. cit. p. 26.

30. Vladimir Volkoff, Pourquoi je serais plutôt aristocrate, Paris, 2004, p. 42 and 44.

31. Éric Mension-Rigau, Aristocrates et grands bourgeois, op. cit., p. 487.

32. In Beyond Good and Evil, Nietzsche writes: "You cannot erase from a man's soul what has been the most constant favorite occupation of his ancestors. "

33. A young journalist with a degree in political science no longer understands the term "ci-devant".and when his interviewer asks why, he replies with disarming candor that "he wasn't born in the 18th century...".

34. Quoted by Cyril Grange, op. cit. p. 386.

35. Gérard de Sède, in his aforementioned book, recounts an amusing anecdote between the Duc de Brissac and Philippe Bouvard, then a young television premier. Bouvard casually asked the duke what he should be called, to which the duke replied: "Sir, I'm not called, and I don't like to be called. But when people address me, they say Monsieur le Duc, and when they speak of me, they say Monsieur le Duc de Brissac. The title of duc is indeed the only one that should be used by everyone when addressing such a personality. That's why it's quite appalling to hear a university professor refer to an eminent representative of the French aristocracy as "Monsieur le comte". He must be confused with the academic titles of Monsieur le President or Monsieur le Recteur...

36. Éric Mension-Rigau, Aristocrates et grands bourgeois, op. cit., p. 491.

37. General Jean du Verdier, "L'avenir de la noblesse" conference, July 5, 2010. Let's make no mistake about the word "proud", which should be taken in the literary sense of the term, i.e., one who has a strong sense of his dignity, his honor, who has lofty, noble sentiments. In a word, the very opposite of arrogance.

38. Philippe du Puy de Clinchamps, La noblesse, op. cit. p. 108-109.

39. Karl Ferdinand Werner, Naissance de la noblesse, op. cit. p. 513.

40. Christian de Bartillat, Histoire de la noblesse française, op. cit. volume 1, p. 25.