Editing Primogeniture (section)

==Order of succession in monarchies==
[[File:Order of succession (Primogeniture) in the monarchies of the World.png|thumb|[[World]] [[Monarchy|monarchies]] by succession:
{{legend|#880015|[[Absolute primogeniture]]}}
{{legend|#A349A4|[[Elective monarchy|Elective]] and [[agnatic primogeniture]]}}
{{legend|#22B14C|[[Agnatic primogeniture]]}}
{{legend|#FF7F27|[[Elective monarchy|Elective]]}}
{{legend|#3F48CC|[[Male primogeniture|Male-preference primogeniture]]}}
{{legend|red|[[Agnatic seniority]]}}
]]
[[File:Order of succession (Primogeniture) in European monarchies.png|thumb|[[Monarchies in Europe|European monarchies]] by succession:
{{legend|#A52A2A|Absolute primogeniture}}
{{legend|green|Agnatic primogeniture}}
{{legend|#FF7E00|[[Elective monarchy|Elective]]}}
{{legend|#0048BA|Male-preference primogeniture}}
]]
{{anchor|Absolute cognatic primogeniture}}
[[File:Order of succession (Primogeniture) in African monarchies.png|thumb|[[Monarchies in Africa|African monarchies]] by succession:
{{legend|green|Agnatic primogeniture}}
{{legend|#FF7E00|[[Elective monarchy|Elective]]}}
{{legend|#0048BA|Male-preference primogeniture}}
]]
[[File:Order of succession (Primogeniture) in Southeast Asia monarchies.png|thumb|[[Monarchies in Asia|Southeast Asian monarchies]] by succession:
{{legend|#89000D|Absolute primogeniture}}
{{legend|#A447A5|[[Elective monarchy|Elective]] and agnatic primogeniture}}
{{legend|#1CB34B|Agnatic primogeniture}}
{{legend|#FF8022|[[Elective monarchy|Elective]]}}
{{legend|#0000FF|Male-preference primogeniture}}
]]
[[File:Order of succession (Primogeniture) in Middle Eastern monarchies.png|thumb|[[Monarchies in Asia|Middle Eastern monarchies]] by succession:
{{legend|#A52A2A|Absolute primogeniture}}
{{legend|#800080|[[Elective monarchy|Elective]] and agnatic primogeniture}}
{{legend|green|Agnatic primogeniture}}
{{legend|#FF7E00|[[Agnatic seniority]]}}
]]

===Absolute primogeniture===
[[File:Absolute cognatic primogeniture diagram.svg|thumb|Absolute cognatic primogeniture diagram. Legend: {{unordered list|Grey: incumbent|Square: male|Circle: female|Black: deceased|Diagonal: cannot be displaced}}]]
''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 is a [[depth-first search]].<ref>{{cite book|last1=Baccelli|first1=Francois|last2=Haji-Mirsadeghi|first2=Mir-Omid|last3=Khezeli|first3=Ali|editor-last=Sobieczky|editor-first=Florian|contribution=Eternal family trees and dynamics on unimodular random graphs|doi=10.1090/conm/719/14471|location=Providence, Rhode Island|mr=3880014|pages=85–127|publisher=American Mathematical Society|series=Contemporary Mathematics|title=Unimodularity in Randomly Generated Graphs: AMS Special Session, October 8–9, 2016, Denver, Colorado|volume=719|year=2018|arxiv=1608.05940 |isbn=978-1-4704-3914-9 |s2cid=119173820 }} See [https://books.google.com/books?id=7dV7DwAAQBAJ&pg=PA93 Example 3.7, p. 93].</ref>

====History====
No monarchy implemented this form of primogeniture before 1980,<ref>[[Statens offentliga utredningar|SOU]] 1977:5 ''Kvinnlig tronföljd'', p. 16.</ref> when [[Sweden]] amended its [[Swedish Act of Succession|Act of Succession]] to adopt it in royal succession. This displaced [[Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden|King Carl XVI Gustaf]]'s infant son, [[Prince Carl Philip]], in favor of his elder daughter, [[Victoria, Crown Princess of Sweden|Princess Victoria]]. Several monarchies have since followed suit: the [[Kingdom of the Netherlands|Netherlands]] in 1983, [[Norway]] in 1990 (not retroactively), [[Belgium]] in 1991, [[Denmark]] in 2009, [[Luxembourg]] in 2011. In 2011, the governments of the 16 [[Commonwealth realm]]s which had a common monarch—Elizabeth II at that date—announced the [[Perth Agreement]], a plan to legislate changes to absolute primogeniture.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Watt |first=Nicholas |date=28 October 2011 |access-date=28 October 2011 |title=Royal equality act will end succession of firstborn male – rather than older sister |work=[[The Guardian]] |url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2011/oct/28/commonwealth-royalty-succession-change |archive-date=8 August 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170808194451/https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2011/oct/28/commonwealth-royalty-succession-change |url-status=live }}</ref> This came into effect with the necessary legislation on 26 March 2015. Other monarchies have considered changing to absolute primogeniture:
* With the birth of [[Infanta Leonor of Spain]] on 31 October 2005 to the then heir apparent [[Felipe VI of Spain|Felipe, Prince of Asturias]], and [[Queen Letizia of Spain|Princess Letizia]], the Spanish Prime Minister [[José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero]] reaffirmed the intention of the government to institute, by amendment of the Spanish constitution, absolute primogeniture. Zapatero's proposal was supported by the leader of the main opposition party, the conservative ''[[People's Party (Spain)|Partido Popular]]'', making its passage probable. However, Zapatero's administration ended before an amendment was drafted, and the succeeding governments have not pursued it. The Prince counseled reformers that there was plenty of time before any constitutional amendment would need to be enacted because the expectation was to leave him next in line to succeed his father despite his elder sisters' continued status as [[dynasty#Dynasts|dynasts]]; equal primogeniture was expected to apply first to his children. Felipe succeeded to the throne as Felipe VI upon his father's abdication in 2014, by which time he had two daughters. Felipe VI has no son that would, absent the constitutional amendment, displace Leonor as heir.
* In July 2006, the [[Kingdom of Nepal|Nepal]]ese government proposed adopting absolute primogeniture,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.newkerala.com/news/|title=Live Latest News Headlines &#124; newkerala.com News Channel|website=newkerala.com|access-date=26 September 2020|archive-date=4 March 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304114340/http://www.newkerala.com/nkfullnews-1-46116.html|url-status=live}}</ref> but the monarchy was [[Nepal|abolished]] in 2008 before the change could be effected.
* In [[Japan]], it has been debated whether or not to adopt absolute primogeniture, as [[Princess Aiko]] is the only child of [[Naruhito|Emperor Naruhito]]. However, the birth in 2006 of [[Prince Hisahito of Akishino|Prince Hisahito]], a son of [[Prince Akishino]] (the younger brother of Naruhito, and next in line to the [[Chrysanthemum Throne]]) has suspended the debate.

[[Monaco]], the [[Netherlands]], and [[Norway]] also deviated from traditional primogeniture in 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===
[[File:Agnatic primogeniture diagram.svg|thumb|Agnatic primogeniture diagram. Legend: {{unordered list|Grey: incumbent|Square: male|Black: deceased|Diagonal: cannot be displaced}}]]
Agnatic primogeniture or patrilineal primogeniture is inheritance according to seniority of birth among the sons of a monarch or [[paterfamilias|head of family]], with sons inheriting before brothers, and male-line male descendants inheriting before collateral male relatives in the male line, and to the total exclusion of females and descendants through females.<ref name="NF T">[https://runeberg.org/nfcj/0023.html Tronföljd], ''[[Nordisk familjebok]]'', vol. 30 (1920)</ref> This exclusion of females from [[dynasty|dynastic]] succession is also referred to as application of the [[Salic law]].

===Agnatic-cognatic primogeniture===
[[File:Agnatic-cognatic primogeniture diagram.svg|thumb|Agnatic-cognatic primogeniture diagram. Legend: {{unordered list|Grey: incumbent|Square: male|Circle: female|Black: deceased|Diagonal: cannot be displaced}}]]
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 the particular legislator.<ref name="NF T">[https://runeberg.org/nfcj/0023.html Tronföljd], ''[[Nordisk familjebok]]'', vol. 30 (1920)</ref><ref>[[Statens offentliga utredningar|SOU]] 1977:5 ''Kvinnlig tronföljd'', p. 16.</ref> 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]]{{source?|date=October 2024}}<!-- Luxembourg was still agnatic-only in 1907, when parliament had to specifically declare the Merenbergs morganatic, eventhough non of their ancestors ever ruled Luxembourg. Is this about post-Charlotte? Meaning that descendants of females are next in line and not the house of Parma? --> 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 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 is "nearest" to the last male.

===Male-preference (cognatic) primogeniture===
{{anchor|Male-preference primogeniture}}
[[File:Male-preference primogeniture diagram.svg|thumb|Male-preference primogeniture diagram. Legend: {{unordered list|Grey: incumbent|Square: male|Circle: female|Black: deceased|Diagonal: cannot be displaced}}]]

Male-preference primogeniture (in the past called cognatic primogeniture) provides that a [[Dynasty#Dynast|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 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 was simultaneously adopted by the other [[Commonwealth realm]]s that have the same monarch as their head of state. With respect to [[hereditary title]]s, it is usually the rule everywhere in Scotland and [[Hereditary peer#Writs of summons|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 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 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 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 of Satara|Rajaram II]] who ruled as king and he in turn adopted [[Shahu II of Satara|Shahu II]] who ruled as the next king. Princess Bharani Thirunal Parvathy Bayi, 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 [[Didda|Queen Didda of Kashmir]], who ascended the throne of Kashmir in 980 CE after the death of her grandson and ruled until 1003 CE. Another example is [[Qudsia Begum, Begum of Bhopal|Qudsia Begum]] who became the [[Nawabs of Bhopal|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 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 [[Jean I, Lord of Monaco|1454]]) and [[Spain]] (before 1700 and since [[Pragmatic Sanction of 1830|1830]]).

===Matrilineal primogeniture===
{{See also|Matrilineal succession}}
''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 [[matrilineality|matrilineal]] primogeniture. Since 1800, the Balobedu Royal Council has appointed only female descendants to the queenship.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Allsop|first=Jon|date=2018-09-21|title=The Restoration of South Africa's Rain Queen|url=http://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/south-africa-rain-queen|access-date=2020-09-26|website=Atlas Obscura|language=en|archive-date=21 September 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180921185003/https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/south-africa-rain-queen|url-status=live}}</ref> 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 Modjadji VII|Masalanabo]], would succeed to 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.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Makhafola |first=Getrude |date=2021-05-09 |title=Prince Lekukela Modjadji ascends to Balobedu royal family throne - instead of his sister Masalanabo |url=https://www.news24.com/news24/southafrica/news/prince-lekukela-modjadji-ascends-to-balobedu-royal-family-throne-instead-of-his-sister-masalanabo-20210509 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210509222103/https://www.news24.com/news24/southafrica/news/prince-lekukela-modjadji-ascends-to-balobedu-royal-family-throne-instead-of-his-sister-masalanabo-20210509 |archive-date=2021-05-09 |access-date=2022-03-28 |website=News24 |language=en-US}}</ref>

In [[Kerala]], southern India, a custom known as [[Marumakkathayam]] 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 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#Ali Rajas and Arakkal Beevis|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 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, the pretender to the Travancore throne is still determined by matrilinear succession.

The [[Akan people#Matrilineality|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]].