A hereditary monarchy is a form of

government A government is the system or group of people governing an organized community, generally a State (polity), state. In the case of its broad associative definition, government normally consists of legislature, executive (government), execu ...

and succession of power in which the throne passes from one member of a ruling family to another member of the same family. A series of rulers from the same family would constitute a

dynasty A dynasty is a sequence of rulers from the same family, usually in the context of a monarchy, monarchical system, but sometimes also appearing in republics. A dynasty may also be referred to as a "house", "family" or "clan", among others. H ...

. It is historically the most common type of

monarchy A monarchy is a form of government in which a person, the monarch, reigns as head of state for the rest of their life, or until abdication. The extent of the authority of the monarch may vary from restricted and largely symbolic (constitutio ...

and remains the dominant form in extant monarchies. In most extant hereditary monarchies, the typical order of succession uses some form of

primogeniture Primogeniture () is the right, by law or custom, of the firstborn Legitimacy (family law), legitimate child to inheritance, inherit all or most of their parent's estate (law), estate in preference to shared inheritance among all or some childre ...

, but there exist other methods such as

seniority Seniority is the state of being older or placed in a higher position of status relative to another individual, group, or organization. For example, one employee may be senior to another either by role or rank (such as a CEO vice a manager), or by ...

and tanistry (in which an heir-apparent is nominated from among qualified candidates). Research shows that hereditary regimes, in particular

, are more stable than forms of authoritarian rule with alternative succession arrangements.

Succession

Theoretically, when the monarch of a hereditary monarchy dies or abdicates, the crown typically passes to the next generation of the family. If no qualified child exists, the crown may pass to a brother, sister, nephew, niece, cousin, or other relative, in accordance with a predefined

order of succession An order, line or right of succession is the line of individuals necessitated to hold a high office when it becomes vacated, such as head of state or an honour such as a title of nobility.Usurpers may resort to inventing semi-mythical genealogies to bolster their respectability. Historically, there have been differences in systems of succession, mainly revolving around the question of whether succession is limited to males, or whether females are also eligible (historically, the crown often devolved on the eldest surviving female child, as ability to lead an army in battle was a requisite of kingship). Agnatic succession refers to systems where females are neither allowed to succeed nor to transmit succession rights to their male descendants (as according to the

Salic law The Salic law ( or ; ), also called the was the ancient Frankish Civil law (legal system), civil law code compiled around AD 500 by Clovis I, Clovis, the first Frankish King. The name may refer to the Salii, or "Salian Franks", but this is deba ...

). An ''agnate'' is a kinsman with whom one has a common ancestor by descent in an unbroken male line. Cognatic primogeniture allows both male and female descendants to succeed, but males are usually given preference but gender equality has been an advocacy of the state in recent years. In absolute primogeniture, the eldest child can succeed to the throne regardless of sex; this system was adopted in 2011 by the monarchies in the Commonwealth (though not retrospectively affecting the order of succession). Another factor which may be taken into account is the religious affiliation of the candidate or the candidate's

spouse A spouse is a significant other in a marriage. A female spouse is called a wife while a male spouse is called a husband. Married The legal status of a spouse, and the specific rights and obligations associated with that status, vary signific ...

, specifically where the monarch also has a religious title or role; for example, the British monarch has the title of supreme governor of the Church of England and may not profess

Roman Catholicism The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

.; ;

Elective hereditary monarchy

Elective monarchy An elective monarchy is a monarchy ruled by a monarch who is elected, in contrast to a hereditary monarchy in which the office is automatically passed down as a family inheritance. The manner of election, the nature of candidate qualifications, ...

can function as ''de facto'' hereditary monarchy. A specific type of elective monarchy known as tanistry limits eligibility to members of the ruling house. But hereditary succession can also occur in practice despite any such legal limitations. For example, if the majority of electors belong to the same house, then they may elect only family members. Any family members that have taken part in any acts to attack a rightful heir are automatically disqualified. Or a reigning monarch will not have the sole power to elect a relative, especially if manipulative tactics were carried out to try to discredit a rightful heir. Many late-medieval countries of Europe were officially elective monarchies, but in fact pseudo-elective; most transitioned into officially hereditary systems in the early modern age. Exceptions include the

Holy Roman Empire The Holy Roman Empire, also known as the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation after 1512, was a polity in Central and Western Europe, usually headed by the Holy Roman Emperor. It developed in the Early Middle Ages, and lasted for a millennium ...

and the

Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth The Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, also referred to as Poland–Lithuania or the First Polish Republic (), was a federation, federative real union between the Crown of the Kingdom of Poland, Kingdom of Poland and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania ...

. In the event that a supreme being has been proven to be the rightful heir to the empire, there will be no challenges against that being, whether male or female. For a supreme being, that is proven to be the rightful heir, legal limitations do not apply.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hereditary Monarchy Succession

Succession

Elective hereditary monarchy

See also

References