Showing posts with label blue blood. Show all posts
Showing posts with label blue blood. Show all posts

Thursday, January 27, 2011

Blue Blood – Alexander Korda

Alexander Korda (1893-1956), renowned British director and producer of Hungarian-Jewish origin, was knighted in 1942 because of his contribution to British cinema.

Shortly after that, Korda, who was a passionate gambler, won $10,000 playing poker with the famous American film producer Samuel Goldwyn. The next day Goldwyn sent a check to Korda, written in red ink, and a letter in which he wrote:

- Bloodsucker, I signed this check with my own blood!

Shortly afterwards, Korda played again poker with Goldwyn. This time the British director lost approximately the same amount of money that he previously won. The next day he sent a check to Goldwyn written with ordinary, blue ink, with a note:

"Bloodsucker, this check is signed in my blood to. Knight Korda.”
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Saturday, September 25, 2010

Who is a nobleman in Europe? (Part Three: Noble Blood)

While the nobility is, as a social status and class, everywhere in Europe long ago abolished, the descendants of noble families still exist and use their old titles.

It is calculated that in Germany there are 40,000 people who belong to noble families. It is interesting that in Germany all noble families are shared on ancient nobility (the ones whose noble families existed before 1400) and the new nobility (created after 1400). These families are also shared as high nobility (the ones who had their place in the parliament of the Holy Roman Empire) and the lower nobility.


It should be stressed, however, that noble families are not in any way, special and separate part of the population. Modern studies have "democratized" genealogy, in the sense that it showed that, when looking at a long period of time (several tens of generations), the nobility is practically closely related to other populations and that the notion of "noble blood" is only myth, invented to impose and maintain class and social differences. During the Middle Ages, in some countries, many younger branches of the royal family have melted into the middle nobility, and often in the coming generations because of impoverishment they connected their selves through marriage to wealthier civil families. The process was also and reversed.

The difference between the nobles and the others is just the fact that only the family of nobles was able to preserve records of their ancestors (but only selected ones) for a longer time period, so that their genealogies are the only ones available and they can keep track of the change of generations throughout the centuries.


To return to Who is a nobleman in Europe? (Part One: From Cesar to Emperor), click HERE.

To return to Who is a nobleman in Europe? (Part Two: Seven Modern Kingdoms), click HERE.
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Who is a nobleman in Europe? (Part One: From Cesar to Emperor)

Modern studies have democratized the science of genealogy, showing that, when viewed in a long time, the nobility in Europe is closely related to other populations. "Blue blood" is just a myth invented to maintain class distinctions.

At the time of the Roman Republic, there were three groups of people: the patricians, the so-called knights and plebeians (common people). The term nobilis (noble) could be obtained only if you were descendant of consuls, that is, the top officials. With the collapse of the Roman Empire (476) and the emergence of the barbarian countries in Europe, gradually, new feudal nobility was created.

In Europe today there is practically no noble family (with the exception of Georgia), whose origin can be determined objectively for the period before 9th and 10th century.

Feudal nobles emerged as great medieval possessors of the land, members of the warrior class (knights) who, because of their merit to the ruler, received individual titles and privileges. In reality, more often they took individual titles and privileges by themselves.


To read Who is a nobleman in Europe? (Part Two: Seven Modern Kingdoms), click HERE.
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