25
votes
How did succession in Anglo Saxon England work?
There is a lot that we do not fully understand about the details of the succession in Anglo Saxon England. Indeed, it seems quite likely that the role of the council ('witena ġemōt', or 'Witan', if ...
- 77.2k
18
votes
Accepted
Why is the heir to the British throne called "Prince of Wales"?
Short and Simple answer (actually, it's not so simple...)
The granting of the title 'Prince of Wales' by Edward I to his son (the future Edward II) was a demonstration of his authority over Wales and ...
- 108k
15
votes
How did succession in Anglo Saxon England work?
Technically, at that time kings were decided upon by the Witenagemot (assembly). We're not sure how pro-forma that typically was, but this was the accepted way a new King gained their legitimacy as ...
- 122k
12
votes
Did Edward the Confessor choose Harold Godwinson as his successor?
Yes.
Or at least, as far as we can know based on available sources. Of course, if one chooses to disregard extant historical records, then all kinds of speculations are possible. Hence, the general ...
- 97.6k
11
votes
Did the Russian Empire have a claim to Sweden? Was there ever a time where they could have pursued it?
Absolutely not. Through the entire 17th century and most of the 18th Sweden was the dominant military power across the Baltic Sea, a significantly stronger military power than Russia. Not until the ...
- 72.5k
9
votes
Did the Russian Empire have a claim to Sweden? Was there ever a time where they could have pursued it?
Yes, they did put a Holstein-Gottorp on the throne. But that didn't really help relations very much.
Following the disaster of the Great Northern War, Russia was the dominant power in Northern Europe....
- 5,613
8
votes
When did England make a statute that barred foreigners from inheriting the throne?
tl; dr
Iain Moncreiffe of that Ilk is correct. The 'common law' he is referring to for England dates to a legal judgement in 1321.
The Statute, however, dates to 1351 (not the fifteenth-century as ...
- 77.2k
7
votes
Accepted
What was the de facto rule by which the imperial title was transmitted in various Chinese dynasties?
What was the de facto rule by which the imperial title was transmitted in various Chinese dynasties?
What were the rules of succession during the different dynasties[?]
The de facto rule of ...
- 2,023
7
votes
Why is the heir to the British throne called "Prince of Wales"?
(I know Lars Bosteen has provided an answer but in the interest of completing this answer, I've provided a slight update.)
This is two questions rolled into one:
Why, in particular, Wales?
How did ...
- 6,279
5
votes
Did Richard II of England officially name Roger Mortimer or Edmund Mortimer as his heir?
The answer is no. Richard II simply revoked the letters patent that had been issued by Edward III in 1376. This had the effect of restoring Mortimer's position in the line of succession.
The ...
- 77.2k
5
votes
How did succession in Anglo Saxon England work?
Here is a list of the various successions of the monarchs of the house of Wessex beginning with the death of King Ecgberht who founded a new branch of the royal dynasty. The statistics of the ...
- 19.4k
5
votes
Typology and the cause of difference between European medieval kingship?
Pieter Geerkens gave a good answer on feudalism, but missed the mark with the conclusion that the elective monarchies appeared from areas that were not part of the Carolingian Empire, because of a ...
- 97.6k
4
votes
Was there a case where a king died while the heir to the throne was unborn?
King Alfonso XIII of Spain was born as King of Spain, as his father King Alfonso XII of Spain died on November 25th, 1885 and he was born on May 17th, 1886. So from November 1885 until May 1886 the ...
4
votes
Accepted
Are the Windsors English?
Correct
Everything you say appears 100% correct.
The current royal family are from the house of Windsor, though this is a name they adopted due to anti-german sentiment in Britain.
The house had ...
- 3,142
4
votes
Is there any example of a monarch being presumed dead but returning after the heir ascended to the throne?
The various False Dmitriys who appeared during Russia's Time of Troubles following the death of Ivan the Terrible are probably the best-known examples.
The real Dmitry, Ivan the Terrible's youngest ...
- 5,400
4
votes
Accepted
Is there any example of a monarch being presumed dead but returning after the heir ascended to the throne?
I can think of one example. Tamar, the mighty Queen of Kings of Georgia (c. 1160-1213) married as her 2nd Husband David Soslan from Alania (who later sources claimed was also a member of the ...
- 19.4k
3
votes
Did Charles IV of Spain legally change Spanish succession law in 1789?
If the wikipedia article on the Pragmatic Sanction of 1830 is anything to go by, the answer would be sort of, in the sense that the Pragmatic Sanction itself simply ratified the Decree of 1789:
The ...
3
votes
Did Richard II of England willingly abdicate the throne to Henry of Bolingbroke?
We have no way of knowing.
Neither Arundel's sermon in Westminster Hall, nor the anonymous Traison et Mort Chronicle, were written by an impartial observer. Both sides had an agenda, and both ...
- 77.2k
3
votes
Why are most monarchies in Europe of German descent?
Two reasons, sheer volume and the Holy Roman Empire. Germany has an incredibly vast number of royal families which increased their odds of succeeding a throne upon either intermarriage or death ...
3
votes
What are the immediate legal effects of rendering a royal branch illegitimate?
If you wonder if any historical discoveries or speculations about the legitimate or otherwise birth of medieval persons can affect the claim to the throne of the present British monarch, the answer is ...
- 19.4k
3
votes
Where did the names of these Tyrian kings come from?
As @Henry pointed out, the Wikipedia list seems to be copied from other lists that have been around on the internet for some time now. A similar one with more instructive explanations (of where the ...
- 2,914
2
votes
Why are most monarchies in Europe of German descent?
Some people say that the Holy Roman Empire had a lot of royal families. But at anyone time there is only one royal family per kingdom. In the earlier middle ages the Holy Roman Emperor was sometimes ...
- 19.4k
2
votes
Accepted
Unofficial title for third or fourth son of a king?
Basically, Mark C. Wallace's comment is probably the correct answer but, as there seems to be some interest in this question...
The only unofficial names for 3rd and 4th sons in use appear to be ...
- 108k
2
votes
Unofficial title for third or fourth son of a king?
If you are interested in heraldry, Cadency Marks differentiate the shields of each children, with special symbols for the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, etc. But this is very dependent on the country and time period. ...
- 4,598
2
votes
Unofficial title for third or fourth son of a king?
I think it mostly depends on the monarchy you are dealing with ; It seems to me that most of the "direct" line of succession during the Old Regime in France were all "Princes".
During the two French ...
- 21
1
vote
Is there any example of a monarch being presumed dead but returning after the heir ascended to the throne?
Somewhat in line with the other answers, although with a happy end of sorts, is the story of the False Waldemar (der falsche Waldemar in German).
A case with a real monarch - albeit not with one ...
- 9,406
1
vote
Typology and the cause of difference between European medieval kingship?
The feudal structure in place over the bulk of Western Europe devolves from the structure put in place during the Carolingian dynasty. The structures of authority created at this time were blessed by ...
- 72.5k
Only top scored, non community-wiki answers of a minimum length are eligible