Primogeniture: Difference between revisions
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Accordingly, the other children of a family were usually left without inheritance. | Accordingly, the other children of a family were usually left without inheritance. | ||
However, parents usually made arrangements to provide for their children's future so that they could fend for themselves in case of their parents' death. Therefore, parents sought to secure their children's adult life by education (in case of younger sons)and by finding a suitable husband for daughters.In order to organize marriages, parents provided their daughters with a dowry to ensure that there was an appropriate man willing to marry the girl. | However, parents usually made arrangements to provide for their children's future so that they could fend for themselves in case of their parents' death. Therefore, parents sought to secure their children's adult life by education (in case of younger sons) and by finding a suitable husband for daughters. In order to organize marriages, parents provided their daughters with a dowry to ensure that there was an appropriate man willing to marry the girl. | ||
The idea behind primogeniture was to secure the estate as a whole, so that it would not be divided again and again until no one could have lived of it. Thus, primogeniture was also a key factor that enabled the expansion of estates. | The idea behind primogeniture was to secure the estate as a whole, so that it would not be divided again and again until no one could have lived of it. Thus, primogeniture was also a key factor that enabled the expansion of estates. | ||
Revision as of 12:10, 19 April 2010
A common law that arranged the organization of inheritance. Thus, it established the right of the eldest son that was born to a family to inherit the complete possessions of his family: this meant the family's entire estate, wealth and property.
Accordingly, the other children of a family were usually left without inheritance. However, parents usually made arrangements to provide for their children's future so that they could fend for themselves in case of their parents' death. Therefore, parents sought to secure their children's adult life by education (in case of younger sons) and by finding a suitable husband for daughters. In order to organize marriages, parents provided their daughters with a dowry to ensure that there was an appropriate man willing to marry the girl.
The idea behind primogeniture was to secure the estate as a whole, so that it would not be divided again and again until no one could have lived of it. Thus, primogeniture was also a key factor that enabled the expansion of estates.
Sources
- Woodford, Donna. "'According to my Bond.' Family Ties in Shakespeare's Time." Understanding King Lear: A Casebook to Issues, Sources and Historical Documents. Westport/CT and London: Greenwood Press, 2004. 85-111.
- Legal Definition of Primoeniture. http://duhaime.org/LegalDictionary/P/Primogeniture.aspx