An order of succession is a formula or algorithm that determines who inherits an office upon the death, resignation, or removal of its current occupant.

Monarchies and nobility

In hereditary monarchies the order of succession is followed in order to determine who becomes the new monarch when the old monarch dies or vacates the throne. Such orders of succession generally specify which descendant of the previous monarch, or in default of a direct heir, which sibling or collateral of the previous monarch, will assume the throne. Generally, the line of succession is restricted to persons of the blood royal (see morganatic marriage), that is to those born into or descended from the present royal family 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 number of dynasts and the qualifications of potential successors to the throne. A hereditary monarchy is the most common style of monarchy and is the form that is used by almost all of the worlds existing monarchies. ... Look up monarch in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... A morganatic marriage is a type of marriage which can be contracted in certain countries, usually between persons of unequal social rank (unebenbürtig in German), which prevents the passage of the husbands titles and privileges to the wife and any children born of the marriage. ... Members of the British royal family A royal family is the extended family of a monarch. ... House law or House laws are rules that govern a dynastic family in matters of the order of succession and regency. ...

In some cases, the order of succession may be reinforced by the coronation of the heir as co-monarch during the life of the present monarch. Examples include Henry the Young King and the use of the title King of the Romans for the heirs of the Hapsburg emperors. In the partially elective system of tanistry, the heir or tanist was elected from the qualified males of the royal family. The coronation of Empress Farah, of Iran in 1967. ... Henry, the Young King Henry the Young King (February 28, 1155–June 11, 1183) was the second of five sons of Henry II of England and Eleanor of Aquitaine. ... King of the Romans (Latin: Rex Romanorum) was a title used by the rulers of the Holy Roman Empire before their coronation by the Pope, and later also by the heir designate of the Empire. ... Habsburg (sometimes spelled Hapsburg, but never so in official use) was one of the major ruling houses of Europe. ... Tanistry (Irish/Gaeilge Tàinste;Scottish Gaelic: Tànaisteachd) was the office of heir-apparent, or second-in-command, among the royal dynastys of Ireland and her offshoot nations. ...

Also an elective monarchy may use some advance election or appointment already during the lifetime of an incumbent monarch, thus creating an order of succession. This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ...

Different monarchies use different algorithms or formulas to determine the line of succession. Chief among the lineal mechanisms are:

Salic Law

Main article: Agnatic succession

Salic Law (also called Agnatic Succession) is the complete exclusion of females of the dynasty and their descendants from the succession. The Salic Law applied to the former royal or imperial houses of Albania, France, Italy, Korea, Romania, Yugoslavia, and Prussia/German Empire. It currently applies to the royal or imperial houses of Japan, Jordan, and Nepal. Generally, hereditary monarchies that operate under the Salic Law also use primogeniture among male descendants in the male line to determine the rightful successor, although in earlier history agnatic seniority was more usual han primogeniture. Fiefs and titles granted "in tail male" or to "heirs male" follow this primogenitural form of succession. (Those granted to "heirs male of the body" are limited to the male-line descendants of the grantee; those to "heirs male general" may be inherited, after the extinction of the grantee's male-line descendants, by the male-line descendants of his father, paternal grandfather, etc.) Salic law ... Salic law ... Korea (Korean: (조선 or 한국, see below) is a geographical area, civilization, and former state situated on the Korean Peninsula in East Asia, bordering China to the northwest and Russia to the northeast, with Japan situated to the southeast across the Korea Strait. ... Coat of arms of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia Flag of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia The Kingdom of Yugoslavia was a kingdom in the Balkans which existed from the end of World War I until World War II. It occupied an area made up of the present-day states of Bosnia... Coat of Arms of the Kingdom of Prussia, 1701-1918 Prussia (German: ; Latin: Borussia, Prutenia; Lithuanian: ; Polish: ; Old Prussian: Prūsa) was, most recently, a historic state originating in East Prussia, an area which for centuries had substantial influence on German and European history. ... Flag of the German Empire, 1871–1918: black-white-red The German Empire is the name conventionally given in English to the German state from the time of the proclamation of Wilhelm I of Prussia as German Emperor (January 18, 1871) to the abdication of Wilhelm II (November 9, 1918). ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Seniority is the concept of a person or group being in charge or in command of another person or group. ... Fee tail is an obsolescent term of art in common law. ...

Semi-Salic Law

According to the FAQ for the newsgroup alt.talk.royalty, under semi-Salic law, "the succession is reserved firstly to all the male dynastic descendants of all the eligible branches by order of primogeniture, then upon total extinction of these male descendants to the eldest of the dynastic female descendants." Current monarchies that operated under Semi-Salic law include Luxembourg. Former monarchies that operated under semi-Salic law included Austria (later Austria-Hungary), Bavaria, Hanover, Württemberg, Russia, Saxony, Tuscany, and the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies. However, note that if a female descendant should take the throne, she will not necessarily be the senior heiress, but possibly the closest relative in relation to the current monarch is designated. For instance, let's say Prince A is elder than Prince B. Prince A becomes King A, then dies with only a daughter, Princess X, so Prince B becomes King B. King B has a daughter, Princess Y, and then King B dies, and there are no more male heirs. Though Princess Y is the current king's eldest daughter, her cousin Princess X is senior, thus the latter would become Queen X. FAQ is an abbreviation for Frequently Asked Question(s). The term refers to listed questions and answers, all supposed to be frequently asked in some context, and pertaining to a particular topic. ... A newsgroup is a repository usually within the Usenet system, for messages posted from many users at different locations. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Austria-Hungary, also known as the Dual monarchy (or: the k. ... The Free State of Bavaria  (German: Freistaat Bayern), with an area of 70,553 km² (27,241 square miles) and 12. ... Hanover (German: Hannover []), on the river Leine, is the capital of the federal state of Lower Saxony (Niedersachsen), Germany. ... Württemberg (often spelled Wurttemberg in English) refers to an area and a former state in Swabia, a region in south-western Germany. ... The Free State of Saxony (German: Freistaat Sachsen; Sorbian: Swobodny Stata Sakska) is at a land area of 18,413 km² and a population of 4. ... Tuscany (Italian Toscana) is a region in central Italy, bordering on Latium to the south, Umbria and Marche to the east, Emilia-Romagna and Liguria to the north, and the Tyrrhenian Sea to the west. ... The Two Sicilies The Kingdom of the Two Sicilies was the new name that the Bourbon king Ferdinand IV of Naples gave to his domain (including Southern Italy and Sicily) after the end of the Napoleonic Era and the full restoration of his power in 1816. ...

In practice, on occasions when there exists no male heir in a semi-Salic system, the female heir is usually determined more "pragmatically", by proximity of blood to the current monarch. Examples include Christian I of Denmark's succession to Schleswig-Holstein, Mary Theresa of Austria, Mary Adelaide and Charlotte of Luxembourg and Nassau, Mary Queen of Scots, Christina of Sweden, Anne of Brittany and Mary of Russia, as well as Christian IX of Denmark's succession using the right of his wife Louise of Hesse and the succession to Martin of Aragon. Pragmatism is a school of philosophy which originated in the United States in the late 1800s. ... Proximity or closeness in degree of kinship is one of the ways to determine succession based on genealogy. ... Christian I of Denmark (1426 – 1481), Danish monarch and union king of Denmark (1448 – 1481), Norway (1450 – 1481) and Sweden (1457 – 1464), under the Kalmar Union. ... This page is about Maria Theresa of Austria (often only known as Empress Maria Theresa), ruler of the Habsburg Empire from 1740-1780. ... Grand Duchess Charlotte of Luxembourg, Charlotte Aldegonde Élise Marie Wilhelmine (January 23, 1896 - July 9, 1985) was the second daughter of Grand Duke William IV of Luxembourg. ... Mary I of Scotland; known as Mary, Queen of Scots Mary I of Scotland (Mary Stuart or Stewart) (December 8, 1542 – February 8, 1587), better known as Mary, Queen of Scots, was the ruler of Scotland from December 14, 1542 – July 24, 1567. ... Christina (Kristina) (December 8, 1626 – April 19, 1689), later known as Maria Christina Alexandra and sometimes Count Dohna, was Queen regnant of Sweden from 1632 to 1654. ... Picture of the statue of Anne of Britanny located near the castle in Nantes, France Anne of Brittany (January 25, 1477 – January 9, 1514) was also known as Anna of Brittany and Anne de Bretagne. ... H.I.H. Grand Duchess Maria Vladimirovna, Titular Empress and Autocrat of all the Russias Her Imperial Highness Grand Duchess Maria Vladimirovna of Russia, Maria Wladimirovna Romanov (Мари́а Влади́мировна Рома́нов) (born December 23, 1953) has been the Head of the Imperial Family of Russia and Titular Empress and Autocrat of... Christian IX of Denmark (April 8, 1818 – January 29, 1906) was King of Denmark from November 15, 1863 to January 29, 1906. ... This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ... Martin I (1356—1410), the Elder, the Humane, the Ecclesiastic, King of Aragon (1396 - 1410)), King of Sicily (1409 - 1410) was the last direct descendant in legitimate male line of Wilfred the Hairy, Count of Barcelona, to rule Aragon. ...

Appointment, election, tanistry and rotation

Main article: Elective monarchy

Order of succession can be arranged by appointment: either the incumbent monarch or some electoral body appoints a heir or a list of heirs, already before vacancy occurs. A monarchy may be generally elective, alo in a way that the next holder will be elected only after it becomes vacant. In history, quite often, but not always, appointments and elections favored, or were outright limited to, members of a certain dynasty or extended family. There may have been genealogical rules to determine who all are entitled to succeed, and who will be favored. This has lead sometimes to an order of succession that balances branches of a dynasty by rotation. Tanistry (Irish/Gaeilge Tàinste;Scottish Gaelic: Tànaisteachd) was the office of heir-apparent, or second-in-command, among the royal dynastys of Ireland and her offshoot nations. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ...

Seniority

Main article: Agnatic seniority

In seniority successions, a monarch's or fiefholder's next sibling, actually it means almost always brother, succeeds; not his children. And, if the royal house is more extensive, (male) cousins and so forth succeed, in order of seniority, whicvh may depend upon actual age or upon the seniority between their fathers. For fuller account, see agnatic seniority. In hereditary monarchies, particularly in more ancient or in more underdeveloped times, seniority was a much-used principle of order of succession. ... In hereditary monarchies, particularly in more ancient or in more underdeveloped times, seniority was a much-used principle of order of succession. ...

Partible inheritance

Main article: Salic patrimony

In some societies, a monarchy or a fief was inherited in a way that all entitled heirs had a right to a share of it.

Primogeniture

Main article: Primogeniture

Detailed article on illustrated examples of Hereditary succession models

Primogeniture (or more properly Male Primogeniture) is a mechanism whereby male descendants of the sovereign take precedence over female descendants, with children representing their deceased ancestors, and where the senior line of descent always takes precedence over the junior line, in each gender. Elder sons always take precedence over younger sons. Younger sons always take precedence over older daughters. The right of succession always belongs to the eldest son of the reigning sovereign (see heir apparent), and then to the eldest son of the eldest son. This is the system in Britain, Spain (since 1978), Denmark, and Monaco. This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Contrasting with heir presumptive, an heir apparent is one who cannot be prevented from inheriting by the birth of any other person. ...

Fiefs or titles granted "in tail general" or to "heirs general" follow this system for sons, but daughters are considered equal co-heirs, at least in modern British practice. This can result in the condition known as abeyance. In the medieval period, actual practice varied with local custom. While women could inherit manors, power was usually exercised by their husbands (jure uxoris) or their sons (jure matris). Abeyance (from the Old French abeance meaning gaping), a state of expectancy in respect of property, titles or office, when the right to them is not vested in any one person, but awaits the appearance or determination of the true owner. ...

Equal Primogeniture

Fully equal primogeniture (or Absolute Primogeniture) is a law in which the eldest child of the sovereign succeeds to the throne, regardless of gender, and where females (and their descendants) enjoy the same right of succession as males. This is currently the system in Belgium (since 1991), the Netherlands (since 1983), Norway (since 1990), and Sweden (since 1980). 1991 (MCMXCI) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1983 (MCMLXXXIII) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... This article is about the year. ... 1980 (MCMLXXX) was a leap year starting on Tuesday. ...

Proximity of Blood

Main article: Proximity of blood

Proximity of blood is a system wherein the person closest in degree of kinship to the sovereign succeeds, preferring males over females and elder over younger siblings. This is sometimes used as a gloss for "pragmatic" successions in Europe; it had somewhat more standing during the Middle Ages everywhere in Europe. In Outremer it was often used to choose regents, and it figured in some of the succession disputes over the Kingdom of Jerusalem. It was also recognized in that kingdom for the succession of fiefs, under special circumstances: if a fief was lost to the Saracens and subsequently re-conquered, it was to be assigned to the heir in proximity of blood of the last fief-holder. Proximity or closeness in degree of kinship is one of the ways to determine succession based on genealogy. ... Proximity or closeness in degree of kinship is one of the ways to determine succession based on genealogy. ... The Middle Ages formed the middle period in a traditional schematic division of European history into three ages: the classical civilization of Antiquity, the Middle Ages, and modern times, beginning with the Renaissance. ... Outremer, French for overseas, was the general name given the Crusader states established after the First Crusade; County of Edessa, Principality of Antioch, County of Tripoli and especially the Kingdom of Jerusalem. ... Official language Latin, French, Italian, and other western languages; Greek and Arabic also widely spoken Capital Jerusalem, later Acre Constitution Various laws, so-called Assizes of Jerusalem The Kingdom of Jerusalem was a Christian kingdom established in the Levant in 1099 by the First Crusade. ... The term Saracen comes from Greek sarakenoi, which is itself derived from the Arabic word شرقيين sharqiyyin (easterners). The word was used in the early centuries of the Roman Empire to describe a nomadic Arab tribe from the Sinai Desert. ...

Ultimogeniture

Main article: Ultimogeniture

Ultimogeniture is an order of succession where the subject is succeeded by the youngest son (or youngest child). This serves the circumstances where the youngest is "keeping the hearth", taking care of the parents and continuing at home, whereas elder children have had time to succeed "out in the world" and provide for theselves. Remembering the usual age at death, the system has been relatively impractical during past centuries — primogeniture actually evolved from the usual fact that the eldest was most probable to have reached the age of majority, while the youngest have often been babies. Ultimogeniture has been suitable to rulers who have ruled already for several decades and are leaving children who are more or less all adults. Ultimogeniture, also known as postremogeniture or junior right, is the tradition of inheritance by the last-born of the entirety of a parents wealth, estate or office. ... Ultimogeniture, also known as postremogeniture or junior right, is the tradition of inheritance by the last-born of the entirety of a parents wealth, estate or office. ...

See also: crown prince, monarchy, prince, Royal House, royal family, Line of Succession to the British Throne, Order of precedence, proximity of blood, Salic law, tanistry. A Crown Prince or Crown Princess is the heir or heiress apparent to the throne in a royal or imperial monarchy. ... Places where monarchies maintain rule appear in blue. ... The term prince (the female form is princess), from the Latin root princeps, when used for a member of the highest aristocracy, has several fundamentally different meanings - one generic, and several types of titles. ... A Royal House or Dynasty is a sort of family name used by royalty. ... Members of the British royal family A royal family is the extended family of a monarch. ... HRH The Prince of Wales, the Heir Apparent. ... An order of precedence is a sequential hierarchy of nominal importance of people; it is used by many organizations and governments. ... Proximity or closeness in degree of kinship is one of the ways to determine succession based on genealogy. ... This article contains information that has not been verified and thus might not be reliable. ... Tanistry (Irish/Gaeilge Tàinste;Scottish Gaelic: Tànaisteachd) was the office of heir-apparent, or second-in-command, among the royal dynastys of Ireland and her offshoot nations. ...

Government

In politics, a desire to ensure a continuity of operations at all times has resulted in most offices having some formalized order of succession.

In republics with fixed-term elections, the national president is sometimes succeeded following death or resignation by the vice president, in turn followed by various office holders of the parliament or congress, and then members of the cabinet. For example, if both the President of the United States and Vice President of the United States are unable to serve, the Speaker of the United States House of Representatives takes over as President. Next in line is the President pro tempore of the United States Senate, who is followed by the Secretary of State, and other cabinet officials. In many republics, however, a new election takes place some period after the demise of the incumbent president. In a broad definition a republic is a state or country that is led by people who do not base their political power on any principle beyond the control of the people of that state or country. ... A Fixed-term election is an election that occurs on a set date, and cannot be changed by the incumbent politician. ... This article or section may be confusing or unclear for some readers, and should be edited to rectify this. ... A vice president is an officer in government or business who is next in rank below a president. ... States currently utilizing parliamentary systems are denoted in orange and red—the former being constitutional monarchies where authority is vested in a parliament, and the latter being parliamentary republics whose parliaments are effectively supreme over a separate head of state. ... A congress is a gathering of people, especially a gathering for a political purpose. ... The presidential seal was used by President Hayes in 1880 and last modified in 1959 by adding the 50th star for Hawaii. ... The Vice President of the United States is the second-highest executive official of the United States government. ... Seal of the House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives is, along with the United States Senate, one of the two houses of the Congress of the United States. ... Seal of the Senate The Senate of the United States of America is one of the two chambers of the Congress of the United States, the other being the House of Representatives. ... Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. ...

See also: continuity of government, United States presidential line of succession Continuity of government (COG) is the principle of establishing defined procedures that allow a government to continue its essential operations in case of a nuclear war or other catastrophic event. ... The presidential line of succession defines who may become or act as President of the United States upon the incapacity, death, resignation, or removal from office (by impeachment and subsequent removal) of a sitting President or a President-elect. ...