Hereditary monarchy
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A hereditary monarchy (also hereditary monarchy) is a monarchy in which the succession to the throne is regulated by hereditary law.
The line of inheritance can be patrilineal, in which case rulership is passed from father to son, or matrilineal, in which case it is passed through a daughter - in the latter case, the crown is usually passed from father-in-law to son-in-law (e.g. in the oldest Chinese emperorship). The structural conflicts between ruler and heir are thus transformed into a (typically violent) familial father-son conflict. (cf: Family (Sociology)).
Another rule of inheritance determines which of several children becomes heir: In primogeniture, which is much more common in practice, the eldest child inherits, and in ultimogeniture, the youngest.
The most common form of succession in the hereditary monarchy is patrilineal primogeniture. A distinction must be made here between the purely male succession according to the so-called 'Salic Law' (still in force today, for example, in Liechtenstein) and the mitigated form - for example, according to the so-called 'Pragmatic Sanction', in which the ruler's sons take precedence over his daughters in the succession, but these in turn enjoy priority over more distant (also male) relatives (for example, in the United Kingdom until 2011). Many extant hereditary monarchies are moving away from these rules of succession that take gender into account. For example, Sweden in 1980, Belgium in 1991, Denmark in 2009 and the UK in 2011 made succession independent of this: The eldest child, regardless of gender, ascends the throne.
Despite the often dubious regnant quality of hereditary monarchs, also due to the genetic coincidences of inheritance, which can lead to the actual power or its function being exercised by official or unofficial representatives (regent, vizier, house-meier, shogun), hereditary monarchy is often preferred in traditional societies to elective monarchy because - judged by political science - its legitimacy is considered higher than that of an election, which may even take place without social consensus, which can lead to conflict - in borderline cases even to civil war.
Questions and Answers
Q: What is a hereditary monarchy?
A: A hereditary monarchy is a form of government where a monarch becomes the monarch because of their relation to the last monarch.
Q: Who usually becomes the monarch in a hereditary monarchy?
A: Usually, a king or queen becomes the monarch in a hereditary monarchy.
Q: Is a hereditary monarchy common?
A: Yes, a hereditary monarchy is the most common sort of monarchy.
Q: Are most of the world's monarchies today hereditary monarchies?
A: Yes, almost all of the world's monarchies today use a hereditary monarchy form of government.
Q: How does someone become the monarch in a hereditary monarchy?
A: In a hereditary monarchy, someone becomes the monarch because they are related to the previous monarch.
Q: What is the benefit of a hereditary monarchy?
A: A hereditary monarchy can provide stability and continuity to a country's government and succession.
Q: Is there a guarantee that a qualified or competent individual will become the monarch in a hereditary monarchy?
A: Not necessarily, as the next person in line based on lineage may not possess the necessary qualifications or abilities to effectively govern.
