The Politics of Succession: Forging Stable Monarchies in Europe, AD 1000-1800

The death of the ruler poses a significant threat to the stability of any polity. Arranging for a peaceful and orderly succession has been a formidable challenge in most historical societies. The Politics of Succession documents how succession have historically been moments of violence and insecurity. However, the development and spread of primogeniture reduced the risk of depositions and civil war following the inevitable deaths of leaders, creating political stability and lengthening the time horizons of rulers and elites alike, thereby facilitating state-building.

Format: Hardback
Length: 272 pages
Publication date: 20 July 2022
Publisher: Oxford University Press

The demise of a ruler can pose a substantial threat to the stability of any polity. In most historical societies, arranging for a peaceful and orderly succession has proven to be a formidable challenge, and modern authoritarian regimes continue to grapple with it on a regular basis, often failing to meet this test. To explore the dynamics of succession in medieval and early modern Europe, The Politics of Succession draws on a unique dataset that encompasses the lives and fates of monarchs in all major monarchies during this period. This book reveals that the deaths of rulers were often accompanied by civil wars, and the anticipation of looming successions led to coups and depositions. However, this book also highlights the mitigating effect of primogeniture, the practice of the eldest son inheriting the throne, on the issue of succession in Europe after AD 1000. The predictability and stability that resulted from a clear hereditary principle outweighed the potential problems associated with incompetent and irrational rulers inheriting power. The data employed in the book substantiates this claim, demonstrating that primogeniture significantly reduced the likelihood of depositions and civil wars following the inevitable deaths of leaders. In this way, hereditary monarchy played a crucial role in fostering political stability and extending the tenure of rulers and elites, thereby facilitating state-building. By shedding light on the rationale behind a system of leader selection that may appear illogical and outdated, this book offers valuable insights into the key advantage of modern representative democracy: its ability to facilitate peaceful power transfers.

Weight: 570g
Dimension: 164 x 242 x 25 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780192897510