Skip to content
primogeniture
EntityQ250843· pop 45· linked from 1,383 articles

primogeniture

Sign in to save

Primogeniture () is the right, by law or custom, of the firstborn legitimate child to inherit all or most of their parent's estate, as well as succeed their parent as the ruler of a state.

~36 min read

Encyclopedic overview

23 sections
Contents
  • Description
  • Order of succession in monarchies
  • Absolute primogeniture
  • History
  • Agnatic primogeniture
  • Agnatic-cognatic primogeniture
  • Male-preference (cognatic) primogeniture
  • Matrilineal primogeniture
  • Effects
  • History
  • Biblical
  • Roman law
  • Reemergence in medieval and modern times
  • Salic law
  • British titles of nobility
  • Quasi-Salic law
  • Historical examples
  • United States and Canada
  • Reform of noble title primogeniture
  • Spain
  • United Kingdom
  • See also
  • References

Primogeniture () is the right, by law or custom, of the firstborn legitimate child to inherit all or most of their parent's estate, as well as succeed their parent as the ruler of a state.

Primogeniture stands in contrast to shared inheritance among all or some children, any illegitimate child or any collateral relative. In most contexts, it means the inheritance of the firstborn son (agnatic primogeniture). It can also mean by the firstborn daughter (matrilineal primogeniture), or firstborn child (absolute primogeniture).

Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “primogeniture” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.

Gallery (20)