Primogeniture is the system of inheritance where the eldest son (or daughter if applicable) will inherit titles, estates, and money. In Britain, aristocratic titles are predominantly passed on through Agnatic (or male only) primogeniture, whilst in the Royal Family the line of succession for the crown was, until 2013, passed on through male preference primogeniture (where a younger male child would inherit ahead of an older female child), the British Royal Family now use absolute primogeniture (where the oldest child inherits regardless of sex) for the line of succession for the crown. This post is going to look at the three types of primogeniture, (agnatic, male preference and absolute), and use the British Royal Family and the fictional Bridgerton universe as examples to illustrate each type of primogeniture.
Agnatic (male only) Primogeniture
Under Agnatic Primogeniture only the eldest male child is able to inherit the title, and for most aristocratic titles in the UK this is how the inheritance for the title and estates is passed on, even in modern times. In the fictional world of Bridgerton one of the best examples of this practice is within the Featherington family. When Baron Featherington died at the end of season 1 it was unknown who would inherit the title and estate, and despite Baron Featherington having 3 daughters the title and estate would not be inherited by any of them, due to the practice of Agnatic Primogeniture. Under Agnatic Primogeniture the Featherington title and estate went to the nearest male relative to Archibald Featherington.
The way this is decided is by going back each generation until a male relative is found. Using the example of Baron Featherington, we know that the eventual heir (Jack) was a fourth cousin to Prudence, Philippa and Penelope, which means they share a Great Great Great Grandfather. What this means in terms of establishing the next Featherington heir is that they had to go back four generations from Archibald in order to find a line with an eligible living male relative.
This illustrates how agnatic primogeniture can create a situation where a title and estate is inherited far removed from the immediate family of the former holder.
Male Preference Primogeniture
Under Male Preference Primogeniture sons will inherit a title and estates ahead of any daughters, even if those daughters are older. The best real world example of this is the British Royal Family who had practiced Male Preference Primogeniture until the change in succession legislation in the UK and Commonwealth realms in 2013 (ahead of the birth of HRH Prince George). Within the British Royal Family we see that HRH Princess Anne The Princess Royal is below her younger brothers, Prince Andrew The Duke of York and Prince Edward The Duke of Edinburgh, in the line of succession due to the male preference primogeniture practiced at the time of her birth.
Applying male preference primogeniture in Bridgerton we will move out of the main Bridgerton show, to the Queen Charlotte spin off, where we see the application of male preference primogeniture referenced indirectly in the first and the final episodes, though the succession question was a major plot point for the Regency period in the show.
In the first episode a succession crisis was sparked by the death of Princess Charlotte of Wales, the granddaughter of Queen Charlotte and King George III, this is because Princess Charlotte was second in line to the throne after her father, The Prince Regent. If Princess Charlotte had a younger brother he would have been ahead of her in line to the crown, but she did not thus she was to inherit after her father's reign. If HRH Prince Frederick The Duke of York, HRH Prince William The Duke of Clarence, or HRH Prince Edward The Duke of Kent (the next three sons of Queen Charlotte and King George III) had sons they would not have jumped Princess Charlotte in the line of succession, but taken a position below their fathers who in turn were below Princess Charlotte.
In the final episode of Queen Charlotte, HRH Prince Edward The Duke of Kent went to Queen Charlotte to advise his wife was pregnant and they felt it would be a girl, though this was very much the show pushing the point they were talking about the conception of Queen Victoria, the point they were making was that at this time she became the fourth in line to the throne after her uncles The Prince Regent and The Duke of Clarence, and after her father The Duke of Kent, but she would be ahead of her other aunts and uncles. By the time her uncle The Prince Regent took the throne as HM King George IV, Victoria's father had died moving her to first third, then second, in the line of succession, and when her uncle The Duke of Clarence took the throne as HM King William IV Victoria became the heir apparent ahead of her aunts and uncles, and any male cousins she may have had.
Absolute Primogeniture
In contrast to Agnatic and Male Preference Primogeniture, Absolute primogeniture is when the eldest legitimate child - regardless of sex - inherits the title and estate. As mentioned above, the British Royal Family now use absolute primogeniture when determining the line of succession to the crown, after amendments to the Succession to the Crown Act passed by the UK Parliament and the parliament's of the 15 Commonwealth Realms.
The update of the Succession to the Crown Act applied to children born after 28 October 2011, meaning that any boys born after this date would not precede their older sisters in the line of succession. This change did not impact the monarch's succession for the following three generations after Her Late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. The first children to be affected by the change were those of Lady Davina Lewis, the daughter of HRH Prince Richard The Duke of Gloucester. Lady Davina's children, Tane (b. 2012) and Senna (b. 2010), who were 28th and 29th in the line of succession at the time had their order reversed in the line of succession, with Tane dropping to 29th and Senna moving up to 28th.
Since the change to the legislation we have seen how absolute primogeniture has changed the way the line of succession looks with the births of HRH Princess Charlotte and HRH Prince Louis. Prior to the change Princess Charlotte would have dropped one place in the line of succession on the birth of Prince Louis, however, with absolute primogeniture she retained her place of fourth (now third) in the line of succession even with the birth of a younger brother.
Within the Bridgerton Universe if absolute, (and not agnatic), primogeniture was in place in the aristocracy we would see this applied upon the death of Edmund's father, the seventh Viscount Bridgerton where it would be Billie Bridgerton who inherited not Edmund.
Note: HRH refers to His/Her Royal Highness and is used for those that have that style granted by the monarch
