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Primogeniture

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This is an old revision of this page, as edited by 193.11.248.15 (talk) at 05:55, 14 December 2002 (Expanded and Introduced the terms cognatic and agnatic primogeniture). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

Primogeniture is inheritance by the first-born of the entirety of a parent's wealth, estate or office. Primogeniture often occurs in regulating royal succession to the throne in a monarchy.

Agnatic primogeniture is inheritance by the first-born male child. Cognatic primogeniture is inheritance by the first-born child without regards to gender. The first country to adopt full cognatic primogeniture was Sweden in 1980. Beneficiary of this was Victoria of Sweden.

A special case of primogeniture exemplified in the French royal milieu, the Salic Law (attributed to the Salian Franks) forbade any inheritance of a crown through the female line. This accounts for the separation of the royal house of Luxemburg from that of the Netherlands, and partially explains the role of Carlism in Spain.

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