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Simple English definitions for legal terms
primogeniture
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A quick definition of primogeniture:
Primogeniture is a way of passing down property when someone dies. It means that the firstborn child gets everything. In the past, this usually meant that the oldest son would inherit everything, even if he had sisters. But now, things are different. People usually write a will to say who gets what when they die. And if they don't write a will, their property is divided equally among their children. Primogeniture used to be common in monarchies, where the oldest son would become the king or queen. But now, most countries have changed this rule so that the oldest child, whether a boy or a girl, can inherit the throne.
A more thorough explanation:
Primogeniture is a way of passing down property or a title to the firstborn legitimate child of a person upon their death. This means that the eldest living son would inherit everything, and a daughter could only inherit if she had no living brothers or the descendants of deceased brothers. This system was historically favored towards male heirs, but today it has largely been abandoned.
- In a monarchy that follows male-preference primogeniture, the eldest living son would inherit the throne before any daughter.
- Under absolute primogeniture, the firstborn child regardless of gender would inherit.
- In modern times, a person's property is usually dispersed through a will or through the laws of intestate succession, where all children inherit equally unless otherwise specified by the decedent.
These examples illustrate how primogeniture has been used in different contexts throughout history and how it has evolved over time. While it was once a common method of determining succession in hereditary monarchies, it has largely been replaced by more egalitarian systems of inheritance.