 "Ancient nobility" refer to those noble families that are known from the era before the Danish reformation where we have no exact knowledge of how they attained noble status, whereas letter nobility are those families that received their rank by a patent at the time of their elevation to the nobility.Families of the Lord High Councillors of Denmark prior to the introduction of absolutism in Denmark i 1660, and houses endowed with a title from 1671 onwards are regarded as higher nobility of Denmark.Whereas all other noble families are considered lower nobility.