Quote:
Originally Posted by RogerBW
The smart aristocracy realises that it needs to bring in new blood over time (both to maintain itself and to prevent revolution), and invents a method of making that new blood into "people like us" – i.e. people who are similarly invested in preserving the status quo. Might be land grants, might be something else.
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The smart aristocracy also has to find a way to make aristocracy a cachet.
Possibly marrying new money to old was one of the best. As was promoting squirearchy. As was giving merit enoblements . The British squirearchy did have a way to "purchace" nobility as one could become equiv to the nobility by buying land. Often the money was from naval captures making it almost the same material as the original aristocracy.