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82-619: The British wanted a swift election of their favoured candidate, the Austrian heir apparent Joseph, Duke of Lorraine . The British Secretary of State the Duke of Newcastle had travelled to the continent with George II of Great Britain to oversee the Congress. The French were represented by Count Vergennes a young diplomat. The British had agreed to pay some of the smaller electors subsidies in order to gain their votes. Saxony received

164-571: A close family member or adopted heir, and the presumption that the eldest or even a natural son would inherit was not enshrined. The death of an emperor led to a critical period of uncertainty and crisis. In theory, the Senate was entitled to choose the new emperor, but did so mindful of acclamation by the army or the Praetorian Guard . Thus, neither an emperor nor his heir had an inherent "right" to rule, and did so through military power and

246-666: A daughter inherits before her uncle and his descendants. It was practised in the succession to the once-separate thrones of Kingdom of England and Kingdom of Scotland , then in the Kingdom of Great Britain , and then the United Kingdom until 2015, when the Succession to the Crown Act 2013 (effective March 26, 2015) changed it to absolute primogeniture (to the eldest legitimate child, regardless of sex). This rule change

328-666: A death occurring). In 2015, pursuant to the 2011 Perth Agreement , the Commonwealth realms changed the rules of succession to the 16 thrones of Elizabeth II to absolute primogeniture, except for male heirs born before the Perth Agreement. The effects are not likely to be felt for many years; the first two heirs at the time of the agreement (Charles, Prince of Wales, later Charles III , and his son William, Prince of Wales ) were already eldest born children, and in 2013 William's first-born son Prince George of Wales became

410-430: A decline in regicide , as clear rules of succession reduce the number of people who could (absent a coup d'état ) replace a ruler, thus making it less desirable to cause the death of the monarch. Absolute , equal , (full) cognatic or lineal primogeniture is a form of primogeniture in which sex is irrelevant for inheritance; the oldest surviving child without regard to sex inherits the throne. Mathematically this

492-402: A landed estate, therefore, the protection which its owner could afford to those who dwelt on it, depended upon its greatness. To divide it was to ruin it, and to expose every part of it to be oppressed and swallowed up by the incursions of its neighbours. The law of primogeniture, therefore, came to take place, not immediately indeed, but in process of time, in the succession of landed estates, for

574-469: A legal sense (according to that form of primogeniture) to the current title-holder. The clearest example occurs in the case of a childless bearer of a hereditary title that can only be inherited by one person. If at any time the title bearer were to produce children, those children would rank ahead of any person who had formerly been heir presumptive. Many legal systems assume childbirth is always possible regardless of age or health. In such circumstances

656-437: A person may be, in a practical sense, the heir apparent but still, legally speaking, heir presumptive. Indeed, when Queen Victoria succeeded her uncle King William IV , the wording of the proclamation even gave as a caveat : ...saving the rights of any issue of his late Majesty King William IV, which may be born of his late Majesty's consort. This provided for the possibility that William's wife, Adelaide of Saxe-Meiningen ,

738-592: A similar-status foreign leader, as was conventional for high-status women for their family security and diplomacy. Such a situation was a major source of civil wars; one example is the Spanish Armada . Henry VIII of England did not wait until death and remarried twice on the basis of lack of producing a male heir, on the second occasion beheading his queen "for witchcraft" . A small minority of monarchs in many countries have openly made their heir an illegitimate child ; stories abound of others as newborns brought to

820-716: A single person. Most monarchies refer to the heir apparent of their thrones with the descriptive term of crown prince or crown princess , but they may also be accorded with a more specific substantive title : such as Prince of Orange in the Netherlands, Duke of Brabant in Belgium, Prince of Asturias in Spain (also granted to heirs presumptive), or the Prince of Wales in England and Wales; former titles include Dauphin in

902-669: A stronger claim by proximity of blood , the court ruled "Women cannot transmit a right which they do not possess", reinforcing agnatic primogeniture. This dispute was among the factors behind the Hundred Years' War , which broke out in 1337. Conflict between the Salic law and the male-preferred system was also the genesis of Carlism in Spain and Miguelism in Portugal. The crowns of Hanover and Great Britain, which had been in personal union since 1714, were separated in 1837 upon

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984-486: A system of absolute primogeniture that disregards gender, female heirs apparent occur. As succession to titles, positions, or offices in the past most often favoured males, females considered to be an heir apparent were rare. Absolute primogeniture was not practised by any modern monarchy for succession to their thrones until the late twentieth century, with Sweden being the first to adopt absolute primogeniture in 1980 and other Western European monarchies following suit. Since

1066-581: A war with Prussia in which they would need France as allies and so they had no wish to risk offending it. They also attempted to appease the British by suggesting alternative candidates. Even when the British offered themselves to compensate the Palatines, Austria refused to agree. The Austrian rejection of the scheme was the beginning of the end for the longstanding Anglo-Austrian Alliance , which collapsed in 1756. Newcastle and his Austrophile allies in

1148-558: A yearly payment of £48,000. The French perceived this as an attempt to forge a pro-British alliance of the German states to create a military coalition in any future war. They saw the sudden British interest in the election as a smoke screen behind which they were advancing their own interests in Germany. In response France applied pressure on Austria to try to block the scheme while Vergennes attempted to appear co-operative with Newcastle at

1230-543: Is partible inheritance . The common definition given is also known as male-line primogeniture, the classical form popular in European jurisdictions among others until into the 20th century. In the absence of male-line offspring, variations were expounded to entitle a daughter or a brother or, in the absence of either, to another collateral relative, in a specified order (e.g., male-preference primogeniture, Salic primogeniture, semi-Salic primogeniture). Variations have tempered

1312-563: Is "nearest" to the last male. Male-preference primogeniture (in the past called cognatic primogeniture) provides that a dynast 's sons and their lines of descent all come before the dynast's daughters and their lines. Older sons and their lines come before younger sons and their lines. It accords succession to the throne to a female member of a dynasty if and only if she has no living brothers and no deceased brothers who left surviving legitimate descendants. Then, older daughters and their lines come before younger daughters and their lines, thus

1394-538: Is a depth-first search . No monarchy implemented this form of primogeniture before 1980, when Sweden amended its Act of Succession to adopt it in royal succession. This displaced King Carl XVI Gustaf 's infant son, Prince Carl Philip , in favor of his elder daughter, Princess Victoria . Several monarchies have since followed suit: the Netherlands in 1983, Norway in 1990 (not retroactively), Belgium in 1991, Denmark in 2009, Luxembourg in 2011. In 2011,

1476-418: Is a person who is first in an order of succession and cannot be displaced from inheriting by the birth of another person. A person who is first in the current order of succession but could be displaced by the birth of a more eligible heir is known as heir presumptive . Today these terms most commonly describe heirs to hereditary titles (e.g. titles of nobility) or offices, especially when only inheritable by

1558-539: Is heir apparent to the Norwegian throne, and Victoria herself has a female heir apparent in her elder child, Princess Estelle . Victoria was not heir apparent from birth (in 1977), but gained the status in 1980 following a change in the Swedish Act of Succession . Her younger brother Carl Philip (born 1979) was thus heir apparent for a few months (and is a rare example of an heir apparent losing this status without

1640-525: Is that of Isaac 's sons Esau , who was born first, and Jacob , who was born second. Esau was entitled to the "birthright" ( bekhorah בְּכוֹרָה), but he sold the right to Jacob for a mess of pottage , i. e. a small amount of lentil stew. This passage demonstrates that primogeniture was known in the Middle East prior to the Roman Empire . A woman's right and obligation to inherit property in

1722-463: Is the right, by law or custom, of the firstborn legitimate child to inherit the parent's entire or main estate in preference to shared inheritance among all or some children, any illegitimate child or any collateral relative. In most contexts, it means the inheritance of the firstborn son (agnatic primogeniture); it can also mean by the firstborn daughter (matrilineal primogeniture), or firstborn child (absolute primogeniture). Its opposite analogue

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1804-624: The Duchy of Lancaster , which is merged with the British Crown which has included women in inheritance since the 16th century, and the Dukedom of Marlborough , which has done so since its establishment in 1702. However, in Scotland, Salic law has never been practised, and all the hereditary titles are inherited through male-preference primogeniture, where in the extinction of a male line,

1886-560: The Empress Gemmei (661–721) on the throne (but only because she was a Princess of the Imperial family, daughter of Prince Kusakabe ), remain the sole exceptions to this conventional argument. Primogeniture by definition prevents the subdivision of estates . This lessens family pressures to sell property, such as if two (or more) children inherit a house and cannot afford to buy out the other(s). In much of Europe younger sons of

1968-473: The Estates-General of 1317  [ fr ] ruling that "Women do not succeed the kingdom of France". In 1328 it was further elaborated to solve the dispute over the legitimate successor of Philip V's brother, Charles IV of France , in favour of Philip VI of France (the son of Charles' uncle Charles of Valois) over Edward III of England (the son of Charles' sister Isabella). While Edward had

2050-504: The Kingdom of France , and Tsesarevich in Imperial Russia . The term is also applied metaphorically to an expected successor to any position of power, e.g. a political or corporate leader. This article primarily describes the term heir apparent in a hereditary system regulated by laws of primogeniture —it may be less applicable to cases where a monarch has a say in naming the heir (performed either while alive, e.g. crowning

2132-522: The 20th century . In Japan, the Imperial chronologies include eight reigning empresses from ancient times up through the Edo period; however, their successors were most often selected from amongst the males of the paternal Imperial bloodline, which is why some conservative scholars argue that the women's reigns were temporary and that male-only succession tradition must be maintained. Japanese empresses such as Empress Genshō (680–748), who succeeded her mother

2214-608: The Balobedu Royal Council has appointed only female descendants to the queenship. The position has been unoccupied and stewarded by a regent since the death of Makobo Modjadji , the most recent Rain Queen, in 2005. The Balobedu Royal Council has not published information concerning its succession norms, but among the Limpopo tribe, it was widely expected that the late Rain Queen's daughter, Masalanabo, would succeed to

2296-509: The British cabinet were severely weakened, and Newcastle was also personally disappointed at the failure of a scheme into which he had put so much effort. Joseph eventually became Holy Roman Emperor in 1765, following the Seven Years' War . The lack of Austrian interest in acquiring the throne demonstrated how dramatically less important the role was in the 18th century. Heir apparent Philosophers Works An heir apparent

2378-735: The Colonies. Many of the early Virginians who were plantation owners were younger sons of landed gentry who had left Britain and Ireland fortuneless due to primogeniture. These were key ancestors of the Founding Fathers of the United States of America . In Democracy in America , Alexis de Tocqueville observes that abolition of primogeniture and entail as to property results in faster division of land. However, primogeniture, in forcing landless people to seek wealth outside

2460-512: The Congress. The Congress finally concluded with the intention to elect the Austrian candidate. Newcastle believed that the election of Joseph was sealed, but when he travelled to Vienna , he found the Austrians unwilling to proceed; they were using the requirement to forced to pay a small payment of money to the Palatine as justification for their refusal. The Austrians were preparing for

2542-547: The English or British throne; several times an heir apparent has died, but each example has either been childless or left a son or sons. However, there have been several female heirs apparent to British peerages (e.g. Frances Ward, 6th Baroness Dudley , and Henrietta Wentworth, 6th Baroness Wentworth ). In one special case, however, England and Scotland had a female heir apparent. The Revolution settlement that established William and Mary as joint monarchs in 1689 only gave

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2624-613: The Saudi Arabian throne uses a form of lateral agnatic seniority , as did the Kievan Rus' (see Rota system ), the early Kingdom of Scotland (see Tanistry ), the Mongol Empire (see lateral succession ) or the later Ottoman Empire (see succession practices ). Some monarchies have (at least in principle) no element of heredity in their laws of succession at all and monarchs are elected . The Holy Roman Emperor

2706-572: The Senate's symbolic consent. The law of primogeniture in Europe has its origins in Medieval Europe where the feudal system necessitated that the estates of land-owning feudal lords be kept as large and as united as possible to maintain social stability as well as the wealth, power and social standing of their families. Adam Smith , in his book An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of

2788-640: The Wealth of Nations , explains the origin of primogeniture in Europe in the following way: [W]hen land was considered as the means, not of subsistence merely, but of power and protection, it was thought better that it should descend undivided to one. In those disorderly times, every great landlord was a sort of petty prince. His tenants were his subjects. He was their judge, and in some respects their legislator in peace and their leader in war. He made war according to his own discretion, frequently against his neighbours, and sometimes against his sovereign. The security of

2870-576: The absence of a male heir in the family was recorded in the case of the Daughters of Zelophehad in Numbers 27. During the Roman Empire , Roman law governed much of Europe, and the laws pertaining to inheritance made no distinction between the oldest or youngest, male or female, if the decedent died intestate . Although admission to the two highest ordines (orders), i.e. the senators and equestrians , potentially brought lifelong privileges that

2952-495: The adoption of absolute primogeniture by most of the Western European monarchies, examples of female heirs apparent include Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden, Princess Catharina-Amalia of the Netherlands, and Princess Elisabeth of Belgium; they are, respectively, the oldest children of Kings Carl XVI Gustaf , Willem-Alexander , and Philippe . Princess Ingrid Alexandra of Norway is heir apparent to her father, who

3034-471: The death of her grandson and ruled until 1003 CE. Another example is Qudsia Begum who became the Nawab of Bhopal in 1819 CE after the death of her husband and ruled until 1837 CE. Other famous queens include Rudrama Devi , Keladi Chennamma , Ahilyabai Holkar , Velu Nachiyar and Gowri Lakshmi Bayi . Razia Sultana was a rare example of a queen who succeeded her father even when her brothers were alive. She

3116-471: The desire for a male heir saw the women themselves excluded from the succession in favor of their sons, so that women could transmit claims but not inherit themselves. Such a system was called "quasi-Salic". In 1317, to illegitimize Joan II of Navarre 's claim on France, Philip V of France declared "women do not succeed to the throne of France". In 1328, Philip's successor, Charles IV of France , also died sonless; Charles' sister, Isabella of France , claimed

3198-489: The eastern European monarchies except Greece, i.e. Albania , Bulgaria , Montenegro , Romania , and Serbia . During this era, Spain (in the Carlist conflicts ) fought a civil war which pitted the Salic and female-line heirs of the ruling dynasty against one another for possession of the crown. Many English nobility descend by Salic, male primogeniture so have a greater average rate of extinction. For many other titles, if

3280-576: The eldest sister automatically receives the titles, and rules in her own right, not in the right of her son. A famous example of this is Marjorie, Countess of Carrick , mother of Robert the Bruce , who was the Countess of Carrick in her own right. During the High Medieval period, there arose a trend where the extinction of agnatic lineages forced the consideration of women's claims; nevertheless,

3362-467: The emperor and his council at court. Other than meeting requirements for personal wealth, the qualifications for belonging to the senatorial or equestrian orders varied from generation to generation, and in the later Empire, the dignitas ("esteem") that attended on senatorial or equestrian rank was refined further with additional titles, such as vir illustris , that were not inherited. Most Roman emperors indicated their choice of successor, usually

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3444-423: The expectant queen consort such as to James II of England "in a bedpan." Under any of these considerations, sons, some of whose lives were in times of war likely to be lost in battle, could be expected to produce more heirs. Eldest daughters could find themselves under a situation of duress on remarriage, and the concept of the trophy bride if the husband were slain is one resonant in many cultures especially before

3526-963: The family estate to maintain their standard of living accelerated the death of the landed aristocracy and, in his view, thus, quickened the shift to democracy . In Christian Europe , the Catholic Church originally had a monopoly on the authority to sanction marriage. Its teachings forbid polygamy and state divorce is an impossibility per se . Consequently, in Europe, given morbidity and infertility, succession could not be assured solely by direct male descendants or even direct male or female progeny. In Islamic and Asian cultures, religious officials and customs either sanctioned polygyny , use of consorts, or both, or they had no authority of marriage; monarchs could consequently ensure sufficient numbers of male offspring to assure succession. In such cultures, female heads of state were rare. The earliest account of primogeniture to be known widely in modern times

3608-486: The governments of the 16 Commonwealth realms which have a common monarch—Elizabeth II at that date—announced the Perth Agreement , a plan to legislate changes to absolute primogeniture. This came into effect with the necessary legislation on 26 March 2015. Other monarchies have considered changing to absolute primogeniture: Monaco , the Netherlands , and Norway also deviated from traditional primogeniture in

3690-612: The heir apparent for the remainder of William's reign. She eventually succeeded him as Queen of England, Scotland, and Ireland. The position of an heir apparent is normally unshakable: it can be assumed they will inherit. Sometimes, however, extraordinary events—such as the death or the deposition of the parent—intervene. In some jurisdictions, an heir apparent can automatically lose that status by breaching certain constitutional rules. Today, for example: Primogeniture Philosophers Works Primogeniture ( / ˌ p r aɪ m ə ˈ dʒ ɛ n ɪ tʃ ər , - oʊ -/ )

3772-429: The heir as a rex iunior , or through the monarch's will ). In a hereditary system governed by some form of primogeniture , an heir apparent is easily identifiable as the person whose position as first in the line of succession to a title or office is secure, regardless of future births. An heir presumptive , by contrast, can always be "bumped down" in the succession by the birth of somebody more closely related in

3854-409: The hereditary titles are inherited through male-preference primogeniture, where in the extinction of a male line, the eldest sister automatically receives the titles, and rules in her own right, not in the right of her son. A famous example of this is Marjorie, Countess of Carrick , mother of Robert the Bruce , who was the Countess of Carrick in her own right. A similar system was practised in many of

3936-427: The king would have socially entrenched powers over his new spouse: financial and any rivalry of a new queen consort by her personal and companions' physical strength was within the chivalric norm far-fetched so far as it might present a challenge to her ruling husband, if proving relatively able. Times of turbulence were more likely when a queen regnant/female main heir allowed to inherit was married to or remarried to

4018-542: The kingdoms in Kerala practised this system, including the Kingdom of Calicut , Kingdom of Cochin , the kingdom of Kolathunadu and the Kingdom of Valluvanad , to name a few. The Arakkal kingdom followed a similar matrilineal system of descent: the eldest member of the family, whether male or female, became its head and ruler; the male rulers were called Ali Rajah and female rulers were called as Arakkal Beevis. Usually after one king, his nephew through his sister succeeded to

4100-596: The kingdoms of the Indian subcontinent from the Middle Ages to the Indian independence movement . In many of these kingdoms, adoption was allowed from a relative if a monarch did not have children, and the adopted child could succeed to the throne at the death of the monarch. ( Shahu I adopted Rajaram II who ruled as king and he in turn adopted Shahu II who ruled as the next king. Princess Bharani Thirunal Parvathy Bayi,

4182-419: The late 20th or early 21st century by restricting succession to the crown to relatives within a specified degree of kinship to the most recent monarch. Agnatic primogeniture or patrilineal primogeniture is inheritance according to seniority of birth among the sons of a monarch or head of family , with sons inheriting before brothers, and male-line male descendants inheriting before collateral male relatives in

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4264-650: The late estate holder had no descendants his oldest brother would succeed, and his descendants would likewise enjoy the rule of substitution where he had died. The effect of English primogeniture was to keep estates undivided wherever possible and to disinherit real property from female relations unless only daughters survived in which case the estate thus normally results in division. The principle has applied in history to inheritance of land as well as inherited titles and offices, most notably monarchies, continuing until modified or abolished. Other forms of inheritance in monarchies have existed or continue. Currently, succession to

4346-538: The legitimate female line of the original titleholder. In England, Fiefs or titles granted "in tail general" or to "heirs general" follow this system for sons, but daughters are considered equal co-heirs to each other, which can result in abeyance. In the medieval period, actual practice varied with local custom. While women could inherit manors, power was usually exercised by their husbands ( jure uxoris ) or their sons ( jure matris ). However, in Scotland, Salic law or any of its variations have never been practised, and all

4428-436: The male line ceases to exist, the title automatically passes to the closest elder sister and her descendants. It could sometimes also pass through a line of descendants to the last holder, as abeyant holders, until they become parents or ancestors to a male descendant who is first born to 'settle the abeyance'. Some senior agnatic cadets are granted from the outset courtesy or subsidiary titles. Notable English exceptions are

4510-461: The male line, and to the total exclusion of females and descendants through females. This exclusion of females from dynastic succession is also referred to as application of the Salic law . Another variation on agnatic primogeniture is the so-called semi-Salic law, or "agnatic-cognatic primogeniture", which allows women to succeed only at the extinction of all the male descendants in the male line of

4592-423: The mother of the reigning Queen Gowri Lakshmi Bayi of Travancore , had been adopted). Often, the wife or mother of a childless king were allowed to succeed to the throne as well and allowed to rule as queen regnants in their own right, until their death, after which the throne passed to the next closest relative. An early example of this is Queen Didda of Kashmir , who ascended the throne of Kashmir in 980 CE after

4674-420: The next apparent successor. But even in legal systems that apply male-preference primogeniture, female heirs apparent are by no means impossible: if a male heir apparent dies leaving no sons but at least one daughter, then the eldest daughter would replace her father as heir apparent to whatever throne or title is concerned, but only when it has become clear that the widow of the deceased is not pregnant. Then, as

4756-472: The next generation could inherit, the principle of inherited rank in general was little used. Rather, Roman aristocracy was based on competition, and a Roman family could not maintain its position in the ordines merely by hereditary succession or title to land. Although the eldest son typically carried his father's name in some form, he was expected to construct his own career based on competence as an administrator or general and on remaining in favor with

4838-708: The nobility had no prospect of inheriting by death any property, and commonly sought careers in the Church, in military service (see purchase of commissions in the British Army ), or in government. Some wills made bequests to a monastic order for an already suitably educated, disinherited son. Many of the Spanish Conquistadors were younger sons who had to make their fortune in war. In the late 17th and early 18th centuries, many younger sons of English aristocrats chose to leave England for Virginia in

4920-452: The only surviving child of Louis X of France , was debarred from the throne in favor of her uncle, Philip, Count of Poitiers . After this it was declared that women could not inherit the French throne. Then in 1328, after the death of Charles IV , his paternal cousin, Philip, Count of Valois , became king, notwithstanding the claims of Edward III of England . By proximity of blood , Edward

5002-532: The particular legislator. Such were the cases of Bourbon Spain until 1833 and the dominions of Austria-Hungary , as well as most realms within the former Holy Roman Empire , i.e. most German monarchies. This was also the law of Russia under the Pauline Laws of 1797 and of Luxembourg until absolute primogeniture was introduced on 20 June 2011. There are various versions of semi-Salic law also, although in all forms women do not succeed by application of

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5084-706: The perceived nature of the tasks and role of the monarch: a monarch/ prince (the latter means in Latin, chieftain) most usually was, first and foremost, a military leader, as in the Book of Numbers . Social norms pointing to kings further flow from making clear, first-generation survivors, so to avoid civil war . Lacking advanced healthcare and resource-conscious family planning , mothers faced high risk in enduring such regular childbirth . Also in pre-20th century medicine about 10% of women could not have children . Added to this, on any necessary remarriage from death in childbirth,

5166-458: The power to continue the succession through issue to Mary II, elder daughter of the previous king, James II . William, by contrast, was to reign for life only, and his (hypothetical) children by a wife other than Mary would be placed in his original place (as Mary's first cousin) in the line of succession—after Mary's younger sister Anne . Thus, after Mary's death William continued to reign, but he had no power to beget direct heirs, and Anne became

5248-713: The pretender to the Travancore throne is still determined by matrilinear succession. The Akans of Ghana and the Ivory Coast, West Africa have similar matrilineal succession and as such Otumfuo Nana Osei Tutu II , Asantehene inherited the Golden Stool (the throne) through his mother (the Asantehemaa ) Nana Afia Kobi Serwaa Ampem II . The preference for males in most systems of primogeniture (and in other mechanisms of hereditary succession) comes mostly from

5330-581: The queenship upon turning 18. A ceremony to celebrate her anticipated queenship was officially held in 2018. In May 2021, however, the Royal Council announced that Masalanabo would instead be appointed khadi-kholo (great aunt). The late queen's son, Lekukela was installed in October 2022, becoming the first Rain King since the 18th century. In Kerala , southern India, a custom known as Marumakkathayam

5412-413: The representative of her father's line she would assume a place ahead of any more distant relatives. For example, had George, Prince of Wales (the future George IV) predeceased his father, King George III , between 1796 and 1817, the former's daughter, Princess Charlotte , being his only legitimate child, would have become heir apparent to the British throne. Such a situation has not to date occurred with

5494-401: The right to a place somewhere in the order of succession, but when it comes to what that place is, a female will rank behind her brothers regardless of their ages or her age. Thus, normally, even an only daughter will not be heir apparent, since at any time a brother might be born who, though younger, would assume that position. Hence, she is an heir presumptive. For example, Queen Elizabeth II

5576-452: The same kind of primogeniture as was in effect among males in the family. Rather, the female who is nearest in kinship to the last male monarch of the family inherits, even if another female of the dynasty is senior by primogeniture. Among sisters (and the lines of descendants issuing from them), the elder are preferred to the younger. In reckoning consanguinity or proximity of blood the dynasty's house law defines who among female relatives

5658-469: The same reason that it has generally taken place in that of monarchies, though not always at their first institution. Also known as agnatic primogeniture, is a system that excludes any female from inheritance of a monarch's principal possessions. Generally known in western Europe as an application of the " Salic law ". This rule developed among successions in France in the later Middle Ages. In 1316, Joan ,

5740-478: The throne not for herself, but through her to her son, Edward . However, Philip VI of France took the throne and added another rule to illegitimize Edward, that being nemo dat quod non habet – one cannot transmit a right that one does not possess. A variation of this form of primogeniture allowed the sons of female dynasts to inherit, but not women themselves, an example being the Francoist succession to

5822-712: The throne of Spain that was applied in 1947–1978. A case of agnatic primogeniture is exemplified in the French royal milieu , where the Salic Law (attributed to the Salian Franks ) forbade any inheritance of a crown through the female line. This rule was adopted to solve the dispute over the legitimate successor of John I of France , the short-lived son of deceased Louis X of France in favour of Philip V of France (brother of Louis and uncle of John) over Joan II of Navarre (daughter of Louis and sister of John),

5904-499: The throne, and his own son receives a courtesy title but has no place in the line of succession. In the absence of nephews, nieces could also succeed to the kingdom, as in the case of Queen Gowri Lakshmi Bayi who was the queen regnant from 1810 to 1813. Since Indian Independence and the passing of several acts such as the Hindu Succession Act (1956), this form of inheritance is no longer recognised by law. Regardless,

5986-577: The throne, as a governing rule for the French succession. Although Salic law excludes female lines, it also mandates partible inheritance , rather than primogeniture. This rule developed among successions in France in the later Middle Ages. In the lands of Napoleon Bonaparte 's conquests, Salic law was adopted, including the French Empire , the Kingdom of Westphalia and the Kingdom of Holland . Other states adopted Salic primogeniture as well, including Belgium, Sweden, Denmark ( in 1853 ) and all of

6068-417: The title before siblings and similar, this being termed "by right of substitution" for the deceased heir; secondly where children were only daughters they would enjoy the fettered use (life use) of an equal amount of the underlying real asset and the substantive free use (such as one-half inheritance) would accrue to their most senior-line male descendant or contingent on her marriage ( moieties ); thirdly, where

6150-674: The traditional, sole-beneficiary, right (such as French appanage ) or, in the West since World War II , eliminate the preference for males over females (absolute male-preference primogeniture). Most monarchies in Europe have eliminated this, including: Belgium , Denmark , Luxembourg , Netherlands , Norway , Sweden and the United Kingdom . The exceptions are Spain and Monaco (male-preference primogeniture) along with Liechtenstein (agnatic primogeniture). English primogeniture endures mainly in titles of nobility: any first-placed direct male-line descendant (e.g. eldest son's son's son) inherits

6232-580: Was chosen by a small number of powerful prince electors from among Imperial magnates, while kings of Poland-Lithuania were elected directly by the nobility . Intermediate arrangements also exist, such as restricting eligible candidates to members of a dynasty (as is currently done in Cambodia ). Research shows that authoritarian regimes that rely on primogeniture for succession were more stable than forms of authoritarian rule with alternative succession arrangements. Scholars have linked primogeniture to

6314-560: Was closest related as eldest son of the sister of Charles, Isabella . The assemblies of the French barons and prelates and the University of Paris resolved that males who derive their right to inheritance through their mother should be excluded. This ruling became a key point of contention in the subsequent Hundred Years War . Over the following century, French jurists adopted a clause from the 6th century Pactus Legis Salicae , which asserted that no female or her descendants could inherit

6396-482: Was heir presumptive during the reign of her father, King George VI ; had George fathered a legitimate son, then that child would have displaced Elizabeth in the line of succession and become heir apparent. However, a granddaughter could for example be heir apparent if she were the only daughter of the deceased eldest son of the sovereign (e.g. Queen Elizabeth II would have been heir apparent to George V if her oldest uncle and father both had died before their father). In

6478-566: Was practiced by the Nair nobility, the Malabar Muslims and royal families. Through this system, descent and the inheritance of property were passed from the maternal uncle to nephews or nieces. The right of the child was with the maternal uncle or the mother's family rather than the father or the father's family. Through this bloodline, surnames, titles, properties, and everything of the child are inherited from his uncle or mother. Almost all

6560-417: Was pregnant at the moment of his death, since such a posthumous child, regardless of its sex, would have displaced Victoria from the throne. Adelaide was 44 at the time, so pregnancy was possible even if unlikely. Daughters (and their lines) may inherit titles that descend according to male-preference primogeniture, but only in default of sons (and their heirs). That is, both female and male offspring have

6642-465: Was simultaneously adopted by the other Commonwealth realms that have the same monarch as their head of state. With respect to hereditary titles , it is usually the rule everywhere in Scotland and baronies by writ in the United Kingdom, but usually these baronies by writ go into abeyance when the last male titleholder dies leaving more than one surviving sister or more than one descendant in

6724-596: Was the reigning queen of the Delhi Sultanate from 1236 to 1240 CE. Male-preference primogeniture is currently practised in succession to the thrones of Monaco (since 1454 ) and Spain (before 1700 and since 1830 ). Matrilineal primogeniture is a form of succession in which the eldest female child inherits the throne, to the exclusion of males. The Rain Queen of the Balobedu nation has been cited as an example of matrilineal primogeniture. Since 1800,

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