The German: '''hübsche''' families (German: Hübsche Familien, meaning 'families at court' at the time the term was in use) were the third elite class of the Electorate and Kingdom of Hanover in the 18th and early 19th centuries, after the nobility and the clergy. At the time Hanover was in a personal union with the United Kingdom. The group consisted of the higher bourgeoisie and the elite of university-educated civil servants, and played a significant role in the governing of Hanover, often as higher civil servants.[1]
The use of the word German: hübsch(e) in the sense of "courtly", "genteel", "presentable at court" is so archaic (etymologically related to German: höfisch, 'courtly') that it is not even mentioned in modern German dictionaries; nowadays it only means "pretty, handsome" (in addition to similar metaphorical meanings that these English equivalents also have), which is why most German speakers misunderstand German: hübsche Familien.[2] [3] The German: hübsche families have been described as a "state patriciate." In contrast to old noble families which tended to favour military careers, German: hübsche families placed emphasis on academic education, especially legal education, and favoured careers in the civil service. The German: hübsche families were a form of German: [[Bildungsbürgertum]].