Hereditary monarchy facts for kids

A hereditary monarchy is a type of government where a monarch (like a king or queen) gets their job because they are related to the last monarch. It's the most common kind of monarchy today. Almost all countries with a monarch use this system.

What is a Hereditary Monarchy?

In a hereditary monarchy, all the rulers come from the same family. The crown (which means the power to rule) is passed down from one family member to another. This system can make a country more stable. People often feel loyal to a long-standing royal family. However, sometimes there have been big fights and even wars over who should rule next.

When a king or queen dies or steps down (this is called abdicating), the crown usually goes to one of their children. Often, it's the oldest child. When that child dies, the crown then passes to their child. If they have no children, it might go to a sister, brother, niece, nephew, cousin, or another relative. Hereditary monarchies usually have a law that sets out the order of succession. This way, everyone knows who will be the next monarch.

Today, the order of succession is often based on primogeniture. This means the oldest child inherits the throne. But in the past, other methods were much more common.

How Succession Works

In the past, different rules decided who would become the next ruler. These rules often depended on whether only men could rule, or if both men and women could.

Agnatic Succession

Agnatic succession means that women are not allowed to become the monarch. They also cannot pass the right to rule from their fathers to their children. Agnates are relatives who share a common male ancestor. This means the family line must always go from father to son.

Cognatic Succession

Cognatic succession means both men and women can become the monarch. However, women usually only get to rule if there are no men in the family. For example, in the United Kingdom, Princess Anne is after her younger brothers (and their children) in the line to the throne.

In the 1970s, Sweden changed its rules to "fully-cognatic" succession. This means the line of succession is based on age, not sex. When Princess Victoria of Sweden was born, she was not expected to be queen. But then the law changed. Even though her younger brother was born later, Victoria became the crown princess (the next in line to the throne).

Images for kids

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  Emperor Naruhito is the hereditary monarch of Japan. The Japanese monarchy is the oldest continuous hereditary monarchy in the world.

See also

In Spanish: Monarquía hereditaria para niños