Maria Fairolaine Pulmano Cuyos March 03,1963/1965 By Baptismal

In hereditary monarchies the order of succession is followed in order to determine who becomes the new monarch when the old monarch dies or vacates the throne. Such orders of succession generally specify which descendant of the previous monarch, or in default of a direct heir, which sibling or collateral of the previous monarch, will assume the throne. Generally, the line of succession is restricted to persons of the blood royal (see morganatic marriage), that is to those born into or descended from the present royal family or a previous sovereign. The persons in line to succeed to the throne are called"dynasts."Constitutions, statutes, house laws, and norms may regulate the number of dynasts and the qualifications of potential successors to the throne. In some cases, the order of succession may be reinforced by the coronation of the heir as co-monarch during the life of the present monarch. Examples include Henry the Young King and the use of the title King of the Romans for the heirs of the Hapsburg emperors. In the partially elective system of tanistry, the heir ortanist was elected from the qualified males of the royal family.
Also an elective monarchy may use some advance election or appointment already during the lifetime of an incumbent monarch, thus creating an order of succession.
Different monarchies use different algorithms or formulas to determine the line of succession. Chief among the lineal mechanisms are:
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Salic Law (also called Agnatic Succession) is the complete exclusion of females of the dynasty and their descendants from the succession. The Salic Law applied to the former royal or imperial houses of Albania, France, Italy, Korea, Romania, Yugoslavia, and Prussia/German Empire. It currently applies to the houses of Liechtenstein, Japan and Jordan. Generally, hereditary monarchies that operate under the Salic Law also use primogeniture among male descendants in the male line to determine the rightful successor, although in earlier history Agnatic seniority was more usual than primogeniture. Fiefs and titles granted "in tail male" or to "heirs male" follow this primogenitural form of succession. (Those granted to "heirs male of the body" are limited to the male-line descendants of the grantee; those to "heirs male general" may be inherited, after the extinction of the grantee's male-line descendants, by the male-line descendants of his father, paternal grandfather, etc.)
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According to the FAQ for the newsgroup alt.talk.royalty, under semi-Salic law, "the succession is reserved firstly to all the male dynastic descendants of all the eligible branches by order of primogeniture, then upon total extinction of these male descendants to the eldest of the dynastic female descendants." Current monarchies that operate under Semi-Salic law include Luxembourg, former monarchies that operated under semi-Salic law included Austria (later Austria-Hungary), Bavaria, Hanover, Wurttemberg, Russia, Saxony, Tuscany, and the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies. However, note that if a female descendant should take the throne, she will not necessarily be the senior heiress, but possibly the closest relative in relation to the current monarch is designated. For instance, let's say Prince A is elder than Prince B. Prince A becomes King A, then dies with only a daughter, Princess X, so Prince B becomes King B. King B has a daughter, Princess Y, and then King B dies, and there are no more male heirs. Though Princess Y is the current king's eldest daughter, her cousin Princess X is senior, thus the latter would become Queen X.
In practice, on occasions when there exists no male heir in a semi-Salic system, the female heir is usually determined more "pragmatically", by proximity of blood to the current monarch. Examples include Christian I of Denmark's succession to Schleswig-Holstein, Maria Theresa of Austria, Mary Adelaide and Charlotte of Luxembourg and Nassau, Anne of Brittany and Grand Duchess Maria of Russia, as well as Christian IX of Denmark's succession using the right of his wife Louise of Hesse.