Monarchies and nobility[edit]

In hereditary monarchies the order of succession determines who becomes the

new monarch when the incumbent sovereign dies or otherwise vacates the throne. Such
orders of succession usually specify a selection process, by law or tradition, which is
applied to indicate which relative of the previous monarch, or other person, has the
strongest claim to assume the throne when the vacancy occurs.
Often, the line of succession is restricted to persons of the blood royal (but see morganatic
marriage), that is, to those legally recognized as born into or descended from
the reigning dynasty or a previous sovereign. The persons in line to succeed to the throne
are called "dynasts". Constitutions, statutes, house laws, and norms may regulate the
sequence and eligibility of potential successors to the throne.
In the past, the order of succession was sometimes superseded or reinforced by
the coronation of a selected heir as co-monarch during the life of the reigning monarch.
Examples include Henry the Young King and the heirs of elective monarchies, such as the
use of the title King of the Romans for the Habsburg emperors. In the partially elective
system of tanistry, the heir or tanist was elected from the qualified males of the royal
family. Different monarchies use different algorithms or formulas to determine the line of
succession.
Hereditary monarchies have used a variety of methods and algorithms to calculate the
order of succession among possible candidates related by blood or marriage. An
advantage of employing such formulae is that dynasts may, from early youth, receive
grooming, education, protection, resources and retainers suitable for the future dignity and
responsibilities associated with the crown of a particular nation or people. Such systems
may also enhance political stability by establishing clear, public expectations about the
sequence of rulers, potentially reducing competition and channeling cadets into other roles
or endeavors.
Some hereditary monarchies have had unique selection processes, particularly upon the
accession of a new dynasty. Imperial France established male primogeniture within the
descent of Napoleon I, but failing male issue the constitution allowed the emperors to
choose who among their brothers or nephews would follow them upon the throne.
The Kingdom of Italy was designated a secundogeniture for the second surviving son of
Napoleon I Bonaparte but, failing such, provided for the emperor's stepson, Eugne de
Beauharnais, to succeed, even though the latter had no blood relationship to the House of
Bonaparte. Serbia's monarchy was hereditary by primogeniture for male descendants in
the male line of Prince Alexander I, but upon extinction of that line, the reigning king could
choose any among his male relatives of the House of Karaorevi. In Romania, on the
other hand, upon extinction of the male line descended from Carol I of Romania, the
constitution stipulated that the male-line of his brother, Leopold, Prince of Hohenzollern,
would inherit the throne and, failing other male line issue of that family, a prince of a
"Western European" dynasty was to be chosen by the Romanian king and parliament. By
contrast, older European monarchies tended to rely upon succession criteria that only

called to the throne descendants of past monarchs according to fixed rules rooted in one
or another pattern of laws or traditions.