Medieval knights as a class eventually outlived the conditions that had given rise to them, and became obsolescent, for many reasons both social and technological. The later ages of chivalry provide many good examples of how a class can become fossilized. In its decadence, the chivalrous class in Western Europe hoarded its history, and each family remembered centuries of genealogical backstory. The stability of society enabled the chivalrous class to persist for centuries, still nursing the dreams of the age of knighthood. Its members often played active parts in European history, and indeed arguably remained the leading class of society even in the 18th and 19th centuries, yet their education, habits and morals didn't seem to be optimized for any role they still played, but pointed backwards to a glorious past in which they still took pride.