Louis Epstein
2019-01-28 19:37:25 UTC
When the Succession to the Crown Act was enacted,
much fuss was made about how the British throne might have
descended had it applied to descendants from Queen Victoria.
Much as I prefer the principle of absolute primogeniture for any
newly created title I regard it as more important that rules for
a title never change once established if the new rule having applied
since creation of the title would have resulted in any person who
historically succeeded not doing so.
Obviously if a princess ranked ahead of her younger brother in
succession her being sent off to a foreign court or betrothed to
a wealthy subject in marriage would have been entirely different
considerations and historical descendants of such princesses might
well never have been born.
Regardless...even leaving out Scotland (though James I of England
was absolute primogeniture heir of James II of Scotland,the
succession from James I of Scotland or earlier monarchs would
have diverged) there are numerous previous points of divergence
had the system of "Heirs Numenorean" (Tolkien posited this law
of succession for the throne of Numenor before any earthly kings
adopted it) applied at that point.
Certain successions may be held to have established particular
principles as applying at the time (Alfred the Great in place
of his elder brother's young sons as requiring an adult,or
Henry I's descendants in place of his elder sister's as requiring
preference for male lines,or George I's as requiring Protestantism)
but if we are to retrospectively apply indifference to those matters:
Descendants of Alfred the Great's elder brother probably exist
but the lines are fuzzy from the early generations on.
Edmund the Elder was the son of Edward the Elder's third marriage,
and among the children of his second marriage Ethelwerd/Aelfweard
is said by Patrick Montague-Smith to have left descendants;
in any case his sisters who married Charles the Simple
and Otto the Great left descendants.
As for the post-Conquest:
DIVERGING PRINCESS:St. Adela of Normandy,Countess of Blois
ELDER SISTER OF:Henry I
HEIR TRACES THROUGH:Elder brothers of King Stephen,such as
William Count of Sully or Theobald of Blois
(Queen Elizabeth is a descendant,though not the absolute
primogeniture heir)
DIVERGING PRINCESS:Matilda,Duchess of Saxony
ELDER SISTER OF:Richard Coeur de Lion (and John)
HEIR TRACES THROUGH:Herman VI of Baden unless his sisters were older
DIVERGING PRINCESS:Eleanor,Countess of Bar
ELDER SISTER OF:Edward II (and three other sisters older than
Edward who also left descendants)
HEIR TRACES THROUGH:Jeanne of Bar
DIVERGING PRINCESS:Isabella Countess of Bedford
ELDER SISTER OF:all children of Edward III other than the Prince
of Wales,pre-empting Clarence,Lancaster,or York claims
HEIR TRACES THROUGH:Jeanne of Bar (intermarriage with line
immediately above...I believe after 1799 (death of
Elector of Bavaria) this line reverts to Dukes of Arenberg
unless I've missed some elder sisters en route)
DIVERGING PRINCESS:Anne of York,Duchess of Exeter
ELDER SISTER OF:Edward IV (and Richard III)
HEIR TRACES THROUGH:Anne St. Leger,Baroness de Ros
(Viscount De L'Isle is the accepted heir general
but not all instances of a sister being older than
a brother are clear)
DIVERGING PRINCESS:Elizabeth of York
ELDER SISTER OF:Edward V
HEIR TRACES THROUGH:Margaret Tudor (below)
DIVERGING PRINCESS:Margaret Tudor,Queen of Scotland
ELDER SISTER OF:Henry VIII
HEIR TRACES THROUGH:Elizabeth Stuart (below)
DIVERGING PRINCESS:Elizabeth Stuart,Queen of Bohemia
ELDER SISTER OF:Charles I
HEIRESS:Margherita Archduchess of Austria-Este
DIVERGING PRINCESS:Augusta of Hanover,Duchess of Brunswick-Wolffenbuttel
ELDER SISTER OF:George III
HEIR TRACES THROUGH:House of Wurttemberg...Prince Alexander of Wied?
DIVERGING PRINCESS:Victoria,Princess Royal,Empress Frederick
ELDER SISTER OF:Edward VII
HEIRESS:Friederike Von der Osten.
Does anyone have any improvements upon the above?
-=-=-
The World Trade Center towers MUST rise again,
at least as tall as before...or terror has triumphed.
much fuss was made about how the British throne might have
descended had it applied to descendants from Queen Victoria.
Much as I prefer the principle of absolute primogeniture for any
newly created title I regard it as more important that rules for
a title never change once established if the new rule having applied
since creation of the title would have resulted in any person who
historically succeeded not doing so.
Obviously if a princess ranked ahead of her younger brother in
succession her being sent off to a foreign court or betrothed to
a wealthy subject in marriage would have been entirely different
considerations and historical descendants of such princesses might
well never have been born.
Regardless...even leaving out Scotland (though James I of England
was absolute primogeniture heir of James II of Scotland,the
succession from James I of Scotland or earlier monarchs would
have diverged) there are numerous previous points of divergence
had the system of "Heirs Numenorean" (Tolkien posited this law
of succession for the throne of Numenor before any earthly kings
adopted it) applied at that point.
Certain successions may be held to have established particular
principles as applying at the time (Alfred the Great in place
of his elder brother's young sons as requiring an adult,or
Henry I's descendants in place of his elder sister's as requiring
preference for male lines,or George I's as requiring Protestantism)
but if we are to retrospectively apply indifference to those matters:
Descendants of Alfred the Great's elder brother probably exist
but the lines are fuzzy from the early generations on.
Edmund the Elder was the son of Edward the Elder's third marriage,
and among the children of his second marriage Ethelwerd/Aelfweard
is said by Patrick Montague-Smith to have left descendants;
in any case his sisters who married Charles the Simple
and Otto the Great left descendants.
As for the post-Conquest:
DIVERGING PRINCESS:St. Adela of Normandy,Countess of Blois
ELDER SISTER OF:Henry I
HEIR TRACES THROUGH:Elder brothers of King Stephen,such as
William Count of Sully or Theobald of Blois
(Queen Elizabeth is a descendant,though not the absolute
primogeniture heir)
DIVERGING PRINCESS:Matilda,Duchess of Saxony
ELDER SISTER OF:Richard Coeur de Lion (and John)
HEIR TRACES THROUGH:Herman VI of Baden unless his sisters were older
DIVERGING PRINCESS:Eleanor,Countess of Bar
ELDER SISTER OF:Edward II (and three other sisters older than
Edward who also left descendants)
HEIR TRACES THROUGH:Jeanne of Bar
DIVERGING PRINCESS:Isabella Countess of Bedford
ELDER SISTER OF:all children of Edward III other than the Prince
of Wales,pre-empting Clarence,Lancaster,or York claims
HEIR TRACES THROUGH:Jeanne of Bar (intermarriage with line
immediately above...I believe after 1799 (death of
Elector of Bavaria) this line reverts to Dukes of Arenberg
unless I've missed some elder sisters en route)
DIVERGING PRINCESS:Anne of York,Duchess of Exeter
ELDER SISTER OF:Edward IV (and Richard III)
HEIR TRACES THROUGH:Anne St. Leger,Baroness de Ros
(Viscount De L'Isle is the accepted heir general
but not all instances of a sister being older than
a brother are clear)
DIVERGING PRINCESS:Elizabeth of York
ELDER SISTER OF:Edward V
HEIR TRACES THROUGH:Margaret Tudor (below)
DIVERGING PRINCESS:Margaret Tudor,Queen of Scotland
ELDER SISTER OF:Henry VIII
HEIR TRACES THROUGH:Elizabeth Stuart (below)
DIVERGING PRINCESS:Elizabeth Stuart,Queen of Bohemia
ELDER SISTER OF:Charles I
HEIRESS:Margherita Archduchess of Austria-Este
DIVERGING PRINCESS:Augusta of Hanover,Duchess of Brunswick-Wolffenbuttel
ELDER SISTER OF:George III
HEIR TRACES THROUGH:House of Wurttemberg...Prince Alexander of Wied?
DIVERGING PRINCESS:Victoria,Princess Royal,Empress Frederick
ELDER SISTER OF:Edward VII
HEIRESS:Friederike Von der Osten.
Does anyone have any improvements upon the above?
-=-=-
The World Trade Center towers MUST rise again,
at least as tall as before...or terror has triumphed.