Dutch nobility

With the constitutional reform of 1848, the privileges of the dutch noble were abolished and the nobles lost their constitutional roles. The only privileges that the former Dutch nobility were alllowed to keep were the legal use of titles and the grant of coats of arms by royal decree. The former noble lost their status of being a noble, they became civilians with a noble title.

The Dutch nobility was a small elite social class consisting of individuals or families recognized as noble, and with or without a title of nobility in the Kingdom of the Netherlands.

The existence of nobility was established in the Constitution of the Netherlands of 1814. Those who belong to the nobility were entitled to certain privileges, in particular to take a seat in the "Ridderschap", a former executive and legislative assembly at the regional or provincial level, and herewith the power to select members for the States-Provincial. .

The nobility are currently regulated by the Nobility Act, passed into law on 1 August 1994, and is overseen by the High Council of Nobility [nl],^[1] an official state institution of the Kingdom of the Netherlands^[2] which also maintains the official nobility register.