Where a

monarchy A monarchy is a form of government in which a person, the monarch, is head of state for life or until abdication. The political legitimacy and authority of the monarch may vary from restricted and largely symbolic ( constitutional monar ...

is not

hereditary Heredity, also called inheritance or biological inheritance, is the passing on of traits from parents to their offspring; either through asexual reproduction or sexual reproduction, the offspring cells or organisms acquire the genetic informa ...

, but relies on

election An election is a formal group decision-making process by which a population chooses an individual or multiple individuals to hold public office. Elections have been the usual mechanism by which modern representative democracy has operat ...

, the reigning monarch may try to influence the succession by the designation of a preferred candidate.

Origin of the term

The word "designation" is derived from the

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through ...

and means the nomination, in advance, of someone to an

office An office is a space where an organization's employees perform administrative work in order to support and realize objects and goals of the organization. The word "office" may also denote a position within an organization with specific ...

Middle Ages

Designation played a significant constitutional and political role in the succession of the Frankish monarchy and, later, in the succession of kings in the

Holy Roman Empire The Holy Roman Empire was a political entity in Western, Central, and Southern Europe that developed during the Early Middle Ages and continued until its dissolution in 1806 during the Napoleonic Wars. From the accession of Otto I in 962 unt ...

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire ...

. Because the

throne A throne is the seat of state of a potentate or dignitary, especially the seat occupied by a sovereign on state occasions; or the seat occupied by a pope or bishop on ceremonial occasions. "Throne" in an abstract sense can also refer to the mon ...

was not passed on by inheritance, the king tried to determine his successor by making a recommendation to the "greats of the empire" (i.e. the empire's most powerful princes) within his own lifetime. Not infrequently this took the form of an actual nomination, but was probably also indicated by less formal acts. Four forms of designation can be distinguished, which have legally different meanings: * the ''designatio de futuro'', the obligation demanded by the reigning king on the "great princes" to recognise the succession of his son by swearing an

oath of allegiance An oath of allegiance is an oath whereby a subject or citizen acknowledges a duty of allegiance and swears loyalty to a monarch or a country. In modern republics, oaths are sworn to the country in general, or to the country's constitution. Fo ...

to the son (examples are the designation of Liudolf in 946 by

Otto I Otto I (23 November 912 – 7 May 973), traditionally known as Otto the Great (german: Otto der Große, it, Ottone il Grande), was East Frankish king from 936 and Holy Roman Emperor from 962 until his death in 973. He was the oldest son of He ...

, Henry III in 1026 and Henry IV in 1050. * the ''designatio de praesenti'' of the pre-

Hohenstaufen era The Hohenstaufen dynasty (, , ), also known as the Staufer, was a noble family of unclear origin that rose to rule the Duchy of Swabia from 1079, and to royal rule in the Holy Roman Empire during the Middle Ages from 1138 until 1254. The dynasty ...

, the election of the king's son commanded by the king during his lifetime (for example, the designation of

Otto III Otto III (June/July 980 – 23 January 1002) was Holy Roman Emperor from 996 until his death in 1002. A member of the Ottonian dynasty, Otto III was the only son of the Emperor Otto II and his wife Theophanu. Otto III was crowned as King of ...

) * the ''designatio de praesenti'' of the Hohenstaufen era (e. g. the designation of Henry VI in 1169) * the ''Fremddesignation'', i. e. the designation of a successor who is not the son of the ruler (e. g. the designation of

Henry I Henry I may refer to: 876–1366 * Henry I the Fowler, King of Germany (876–936) * Henry I, Duke of Bavaria (died 955) * Henry I of Austria, Margrave of Austria (died 1018) * Henry I of France (1008–1060) * Henry I the Long, Margrave of the N ...

in 919 and

Frederick I Frederick I may refer to: * Frederick of Utrecht or Frederick I (815/16–834/38), Bishop of Utrecht. * Frederick I, Duke of Upper Lorraine (942–978) * Frederick I, Duke of Swabia (1050–1105) * Frederick I, Count of Zoll ...

in 1152) The attempt by rulers to override the electoral rights of the princes in this way was no longer as successful after 1075, which is why Henry VI pursued an '' Erbreichsplan'' or "plan for a hereditary empire. With the double election of 1198, he had practically failed, but the right of the princes to elect the king despite a royal designation was settled only with the formation of the college of electors (''Kurfürstenkolleg'').

Literature

* G. Theuerkauf: Artikel ''Designation'' in: ''Handwörterbuch zur deutschen Rechtsgeschichte (HRG)''. 2nd edn., Vol. 1, Berlin, 2008, cols. 955–957. * Ulrich Schmidt: ''Königswahl und Thronfolge im 12. Jahrhundert (=Forschungen zur Kaiser und Papstgeschichte des Mittelalters''. Beihefte zu J. F. Böhmer, Regesta Imperii 7), Cologne, Vienna, 1987. * Heinrich Mitteis: ''Die deutsche Königswahl. Ihre Rechtsgrundlagen bis zur Goldenen Bulle.'' 2nd revised edition. Brünn etc. 1944. {{Authority control Legal history of the Holy Roman Empire Monarchy