Editing Primogeniture (section)

==Description==
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 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: [[Monarchy of Belgium|Belgium]], [[Monarchy of Denmark|Denmark]], [[Grand Duke of Luxembourg|Luxembourg]], [[Monarchy of the Netherlands|Netherlands]], [[Monarchy of Norway|Norway]], [[Monarchy of Sweden|Sweden]] and the [[Monarchy of the United Kingdom|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 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 ([[Moiety title|moieties]]); thirdly, where 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 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 [[Order of succession#Lateral succession|lateral succession]]) or the later [[Ottoman Empire]] (see [[Line of succession to the former Ottoman throne#Succession practices|succession practices]]). 

Some monarchies have (at least in principle) no element of heredity in their laws of succession at all and monarchs are [[Elective monarchy|elected]]. The [[Holy Roman Emperor]] was chosen by a small number of powerful [[prince elector]]s from among Imperial magnates, while kings of [[Poland-Lithuania]] were [[Royal elections in Poland|elected directly by the nobility]]. Intermediate arrangements also exist, such as restricting eligible candidates to members of a dynasty (as is currently done in [[Monarchy of Cambodia|Cambodia]]).

Research shows that authoritarian regimes that rely on primogeniture for succession were more stable than forms of authoritarian rule with alternative succession arrangements.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Kurrild-Klitgaard|first=Peter|date=2000|title=The constitutional economics of autocratic succession|journal=Public Choice|volume=103|issue=1/2|pages=63–84|doi=10.1023/A:1005078532251|s2cid=154097838|issn=0048-5829}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|last=Kurrild-Klitgaard|first=Peter|title=The Encyclopedia of Public Choice |chapter=Autocratic Succession |date=2004|volume=103|pages=358–362|doi=10.1007/978-0-306-47828-4_39|isbn=978-0-306-47828-4}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Kokkonen|first1=Andrej|last2=Sundell|first2=Anders|date=May 2014|title=Delivering Stability—Primogeniture and Autocratic Survival in European Monarchies 1000–1800|journal=American Political Science Review|volume=108|issue=2|pages=438–453|doi=10.1017/S000305541400015X|issn=0003-0554|hdl=2077/38982|s2cid=53132563|hdl-access=free}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Acharya|first1=Avidit|last2=Lee|first2=Alexander|s2cid=29515121|date=2019-11-01|title=Path Dependence in European Development: Medieval Politics, Conflict, and State Building|journal=Comparative Political Studies|volume=52|issue=13–14|pages=2171–2206|doi=10.1177/0010414019830716|issn=0010-4140}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Kokkonen|first1=Andrej|last2=Sundell|first2=Anders|date=2019-06-11|title=Leader Succession and Civil War|journal=Comparative Political Studies|volume=53|issue=3–4|pages=434–468|doi=10.1177/0010414019852712|s2cid=197804359|issn=0010-4140}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.journalofdemocracy.org/articles/tracking-the-arab-spring-why-the-modest-harvest/|title=Tracking the "Arab Spring": Why the Modest Harvest?|website=Journal of Democracy|access-date=2019-10-27|archive-date=7 January 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200107122840/https://www.journalofdemocracy.org/articles/tracking-the-arab-spring-why-the-modest-harvest/|url-status=live}}</ref> Scholars have linked primogeniture to 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.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Bagge|first=Sverre|date=2019|title=The Decline of Regicide and the Rise of European Monarchy from the Carolingians to the Early Modern Period|url=https://www.degruyter.com/document/doi/10.1515/fmst-2019-005/html|journal=Frühmittelalterliche Studien|language=de|volume=53|issue=1|pages=151–189|doi=10.1515/fmst-2019-005|s2cid=203606658|issn=1613-0812}}</ref>