English aristocracy

The English aristocracy is the hereditary nobility of England—dukes, marquesses, earls, viscounts, and barons who traditionally held land, titles, and political power.

The term often extends to include the broader upper class of old families, landed gentry, and those connected to titled nobility by birth or marriage: She married into the English aristocracy.

The aristocracy dominated Parliament through the House of Lords for centuries, though their political influence has waned considerably since the early twentieth century.