Aristocracy refers to a social class or group of people who hold high status, power, or privilege based on their family lineage, wealth, or achievements. Full definition
The Athenian democracy was a kind of aristocracy of free citizens built on slavery. (firstthings.com)
The founding fathers were concerned enough about this to reject inherited titles and the other trappings of European aristocracy in favor of an egalitarian society, in which privilege was not heritable. (sbnation.com)
[8] He continued his education at Oxford and subsequently gained a doctorate with a thesis on the British aristocracy of the late 19th century at Christ Church, before being appointed to a Fellowship in History and Politics at Nuffield College. (en.wikipedia.org)