This book is the first comprehensive history of the European nobility between the Renaissance and the French Revolution. Designed to introduce students and non-specialists to the subject, it explains all the principal themes and problems in an authoritative and accessible manner. Professor Dewald surveys the changing numbers, self-perceptions, wealth, and political power of the European nobles, and explores their changing modes of life. Arguing against the conventional point of view, he maintains that the nobles of Europe adapted effectively to the profound changes that marked society and culture at this time. He also argues for the importance of Europe-wide patterns in the evolution of this dominant group; although different countries had different numbers of nobles and accorded them varying privileges, nobles everywhere faced essentially similar problems and responded to them in essentially similar ways.

喬納森·德瓦爾德，紐約州立大學曆史學教授，是西方史學界目前研究近代早期歐洲貴族的權威學者之一。他在近代早期歐洲貴族的研究領域耕耘多年，先後發錶《一個地方貴族階層的形成：1499－1610年魯昂法院的法官們》、《1398－1789年的蓬－聖皮埃爾：近代早期法國的貴族領地、共同體和資本主義》、《貴族的經曆和近代文化的起源：1570－1715年的法國》、《歐洲貴族1400－1800》等論著。