The system of government of modern countries is a disparate branch, for which certain authorities are responsible. The government of most countries consists of several hundred people, who are divided according to party affiliation and other political characteristics.
Even in the last century, there were many monarchies that had different systems of succession to the throne. At present, monarchical rule is a conditional concept in most European countries.
Monarchy
There are about 230 states all over the world, 41 of which have a monarchy form of government. Republics are mostly former colonies of the crown. They are the result of the collapse of great empires. This causes an unstable system of government and frequent conflicts in the territories with republican power. In particular, Iraq and the countries of the African continent gained independence from the British Empire in the 30s of the XX century.
Modern monarchies
The monarchy today is a whole system of tribal affiliations, for example, in the Middle East, and democraticallymodified sole form of government in European states.
The largest number of countries with monarchical rule is in Asia: Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Jordan, Thailand, Cambodia. The United Arab Emirates and Malaysia belong to the monarchical confederations.
The European monarchical succession system continues in countries such as the UK, Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg. Absolute monarchy - in the Vatican and Liechtenstein.
For the most part, monarchies are constructive, and the direct control of the state is carried out by the parliament, headed by the prime minister.
Succession systems
The succession to the throne is the basis of the entire monarchical chain. Only his heir or direct relative can take the place of the reigning monarch. This process is regulated by the laws of the monarchy country.
There are three main systems of succession to the throne:
- Salic - involves the transfer of the right to rule only through the male line, women are not considered as heirs to the throne.
- The Castilian system favors the males of the dynasty, but in the absence of male descendants, an heiress can take the place of the monarch.
- The Austrian system completely excludes women, the throne can be occupied by a man who is in any degree of kinship to the monarch. If there are no male descendants, then the succession to the throne passes to the woman.
- Arab countries have their own succession system - clan. The head of the monarchy is elected by councilfamily.
Also, succession systems may vary from country to country. Depending on the region and customs, enthronement had its own characteristics. For example, in Monaco, the family council elects the ruler for a period of five years, the African monarchy of Swaziland, when choosing the heir to the throne, takes into account the voice of his mother, this is an echo of matriarchy. The Swedish view of the succession to the throne is fundamentally different from the rest, the heir is the first-born, regardless of gender. These rules were introduced relatively recently, since 1980, and have already been adopted by neighboring monarchy states. In Russia, a ladder system of succession to the throne was used - horizontal inheritance, the right to the throne was first distributed among the brothers of the princely family. Women were not allowed to rule.
Succession to the Throne in Russia
The first ruler of Russia was Rurik, he is the first of the kind of princes. The Rurik dynasty ruled for about 700 years. The history of the Russian state lies at its origins.
The larch system of succession to the throne is the right to the throne of the next in seniority in the family. So, from the older brother, power passes to the younger, and then - to the children of the older brother, and only then - to the younger. The name comes from the word "ladder", which means climbing, as if on the steps of a ladder. So the ruling descendants remain in the family, and those who drop out of the family family of princes, whose descendants are not considered as contenders for the throne. Those who left are called "outcasts", they did not have time to take the princely throneeven for a short time.
1054th - the year of the creation of the ladder law, which was compiled by Yaroslav the Wise.
The system of succession to the throne by seniority of the representative of the family has existed for a long time.
Difficulties of the legacy of the throne in Russia
The main problem with the accession to the throne of the eldest of the family was that the descendants of the ruling prince could never take a place on the throne while all the brothers of their father, the prince, were alive.
In the event of the death of the ruler, the right to govern the state passed to his younger brother, bypassing the children. Only after the death of the eldest relative in the family, power passed to the first-born of the previous prince. Such confusion often caused protests and disputes. This is the reason for the complexity of the ladder system of succession to the throne.
Internecine wars and confrontations claimed the lives of entire cities and towns. Outbreaks of the struggle for power did not stop. Only in times of strong rulers could the throne be held.
Change of dynasties
The end of the 16th - the beginning of the 17th centuries is called "Time of Troubles" in history. This period was associated with a mass of popular uprisings, the transfer of power and its redistribution. Contradictions between Moscow and the Polish king.
In the course of disagreements, wars and turmoil, Mikhail Fedorovich Romanov was put on the throne by the Zemsky Council. Thus began the reign of the Romanov dynasty. The kings began to make changes to the system of succession.
Changing the system of succession to the throne
The Great Emperor of All Russia Peter I in 1722 on February 5 issued the "Charter of succession" to the throne. So the king wanted to secure his innovations in the way of life of the court and the country. According to the new law, anyone named by the reigning king in his will could become the heir to the throne.
After the death of Peter I, who did not leave a will, disagreements and a struggle for power began. During palace coups, the place on the throne passed from the emperor's wife, Catherine I, to his daughter Elizabeth.
After the accession to the throne of Emperor Paul I, the Castilian system of succession to the throne was introduced. According to her, preference in government was given to male heirs, but women were also not excluded.
Reforms of the succession system in Russia
Dated 1797, Paul I's "Act of Succession to the Throne" applied until 1917. Such a system excluded the struggle for the throne of the emperor. If there were no men by the Romanov family from the eldest to the youngest son, then the woman became the heiress, also according to the seniority of birth.
This document regulated the rules for concluding marital unions of imperial families. A marriage could be declared invalid if it had not previously been approved by the sovereign-emperor. The age of majority of the sovereign-heir was reached at the age of sixteen, and guardianship over him was terminated. Upon reaching the age established by the Act, the heir rules independently.
An important point in the election of the king was his belonging toOrthodox faith.
Examples from history
Succession to the throne has always been by bloodline, regardless of the system. Only a few kings were elected, namely:
- 1598 - Zemsky Sobor elects Boris Godunov as Tsar;
- 1606 - people and boyars choose Vasily Shuisky;
- 1610 - Prince Vladislav from Poland;
- 1613 - Mikhail Fedorovich Romanov.
After the reform of the heritage of Paul I, there were no disputes about the heritage, power was transferred by birthright.
The last reigning tsar of Russia was Emperor Nicholas II. His reign ended in 1917 with the collapse of the Russian Empire during the revolution.
