The term blood in France during the early modern times designated, on one side, the vital fluid that ran in our veins, and on the other lineage, "race". Blood was in fact seen as the vehicle of hereditary physical and moral qualities that marked a lineage's character. Its purity should encourage the practice of virtues. This idea helped explain the superiority of nobility and backed the statement that social hierarchy was a fair notion, for being natural; it legitimized the power of kings as well, who were characterized by the excellence of their blood.
Blood purity; race; social hierarchies