hidalgo

17th-century French illustration of a hidalgo in Spanish America with a Black servant The heraldic crown of Spanish hidalgos

A hidalgo (/hɪˈdælɡoʊ/; Spanish: [iˈðalɣo]) or a fidalgo (Portuguese: [fiˈðalɣu], Galician: [fiˈðalɣʊ]) is a member of the Spanish or Portuguese nobility; the feminine forms of the terms are hidalga, in Spanish, and fidalga, in Portuguese and Galician. Legally, a hidalgo is a nobleman by blood who can pass his noble condition to his children, as opposed to someone who acquired his nobility by royal grace. In practice, hidalgos enjoyed important privileges, such as being exempt from paying taxes, having the right to bear arms, having a coat of arms, having a separate legal and court system whereby they could only be judged by their peers, not being subject to the death sentence unless it was authorized by the king, etc.