Monarchs who divided their realms between multiple heirs?
- Thread starter libbrit
- Start date
"Gavelkind" shouldn't be used anywhere outside of England. Also, Charles V didn't divide his realm after his death, or rather abdication, Ferdinand had been ruling Austria (and Bohemia and Hungary) for decades, he just gave the title of HRE (which had no territorial bound) to him.
Anyways, the Habsburgs divided Austria a lot, in the Treaty of Neuburg it was divided between the Austrian Albertine line and the Styrian Leopoldine line, later the Leopoldines divided once again, creating the Tyrolese line, they were unified by the late 1400s. The division happened again after Ferdinand I's death, once again the same branches: Austrian (also Bohemian and Hungarian), Styrian and Tyrolese. The division ended in 1622 (I think) with the death of Archduke Albert and the ascention of HRE Ferdinand II.
It was in fact the concept of Salic Patrimony, German principalities divided their possessions a lot, see the multiple Welf cadets, the already mentioned Wettins, the Wittelbachs divided Bavaria, etc.
Anyways, the Habsburgs divided Austria a lot, in the Treaty of Neuburg it was divided between the Austrian Albertine line and the Styrian Leopoldine line, later the Leopoldines divided once again, creating the Tyrolese line, they were unified by the late 1400s. The division happened again after Ferdinand I's death, once again the same branches: Austrian (also Bohemian and Hungarian), Styrian and Tyrolese. The division ended in 1622 (I think) with the death of Archduke Albert and the ascention of HRE Ferdinand II.
It was in fact the concept of Salic Patrimony, German principalities divided their possessions a lot, see the multiple Welf cadets, the already mentioned Wettins, the Wittelbachs divided Bavaria, etc.
In addition to the above, a few more examples:
-William the Conqueror gave Normandy to his eldest son Robert and England to his middle son William Rufus (they immediately started fighting after he died, but that was the intention)
-The Merovingians did it regularly (and were the model for their Carolingian successors), resulting in regular fratricidal strife
-Ditto the Spanish, where Castile/Leon/Galicia were frequently split off/reunified in various configurations throughout the Middle Ages as kings partitioned their realm and then their children fought over it.
-William the Conqueror gave Normandy to his eldest son Robert and England to his middle son William Rufus (they immediately started fighting after he died, but that was the intention)
-The Merovingians did it regularly (and were the model for their Carolingian successors), resulting in regular fratricidal strife
-Ditto the Spanish, where Castile/Leon/Galicia were frequently split off/reunified in various configurations throughout the Middle Ages as kings partitioned their realm and then their children fought over it.
Actually, for a long time in early medieval European history, dividig the realm was the norm and not the exception. It varied between division on equal shares (the Franks, rhe Spanish kingdoms and many German principalities) and un-equal ones, in wich the elder took the greatest title and so on. It survived well later in form of appanages.
It was also seen by the people as just and fair.
It was also seen by the people as just and fair.
There were some splits in the House of Wessex in the 10th century- Edgar (Mercia and Northumbria) and Eadwig (Wessex and Kent), initially Æthelstan may have only been King of Mercia whilst his half-brother Ælfweard was King of Wessex (but Ælfweard died only a few weeks after their father Edward the Elder). However their predecessors didn't necessarily intend the realm to be divided, so...
There were loads of different Rurikids branches ruling over different Grand Duchies in Russia, though I'm not sure how exactly succession worked out there.
There were loads of different Rurikids branches ruling over different Grand Duchies in Russia, though I'm not sure how exactly succession worked out there.
Charlemagne got half of his father's kingdom but got the other half in barely three years by virtue of being a better war leader than his brother and said brother dying. He left only one son, so the empire got transmitted whole. Things started to unravel with his grandson who had three surviving sons, Lothaire, Louis and Charles who each got a third, before the two younger ones tag-teamed their eldest brother. That was the beginning of the separation between what eventually became France and Germany. Not that anybody realized it at the time of for several decades after.
Not only them, but the Merovingians too. Generally led to fratricidal wars, reunification under a strong enough leader, maybe one generation without problems, then several kids who survived, rinse and repeat. I can't remember exactly the name of that kind of succession, but it was very much not the choice of the kings but the custom of Frankish inheritance which dictated this system. Later French kings made very sure the kingdom was not something that could be divided as part of the succession process, merely the personal wealth of the monarch. The Franks did not make that distinction. Some German princes never got the memo. Hence the maddening divisions of land beween the Ernestine dukes of Saxony, of the Welfs of Braunschweig, the Ascanians of Saxe-Lauenburg and Anhalt... Look, most of the HRE at one point or another.
Alcsentre Calanice
Gone Fishin'
Sepration of both areas was quite probable since the west was of Latin (French) and the east of Germanic (German, later also Dutch) culture.
Planet of Hats
Donor
Anyone Welsh.
Also Sancho III of Pamplona.
At least it added a bunch of counties to his demesne limi- wait, right, RL, right.
Also Sancho III of Pamplona.
At least it added a bunch of counties to his demesne limi- wait, right, RL, right.
Does Henry II of England's division of the Angevin 'empire' between his eldest son, the Young King, getting England, Richard getting Aquitaine, and Geoffrey marrying into Brittany count?
Cause another example I can think of is of D. Felipe II of Spain divvying up his empire between his daughter Isabel getting the Southern Netherlands and his son getting the rest of the Spanish empire. Or Ferdinand I splitting the Habsburg empire between his three sons - Maximilian II getting HRE, Hungary and Bohemia; Ferdinand getting Inner Austria and Karl getting Further Austria.
Louis le Grand Dauphin is another example: he inherited his mother's right to Spain on the death of his uncle, Carlos II, in 1700, and "split" the inheritance of France and Spain between his first and second sons.
Cause another example I can think of is of D. Felipe II of Spain divvying up his empire between his daughter Isabel getting the Southern Netherlands and his son getting the rest of the Spanish empire. Or Ferdinand I splitting the Habsburg empire between his three sons - Maximilian II getting HRE, Hungary and Bohemia; Ferdinand getting Inner Austria and Karl getting Further Austria.
Louis le Grand Dauphin is another example: he inherited his mother's right to Spain on the death of his uncle, Carlos II, in 1700, and "split" the inheritance of France and Spain between his first and second sons.
The Visconti of Milan had always followed the rule of split inheritances: Gian Galeazzo's will in 1402 not only split his possessions between his two sons, but left the lordship of Pisa and Novara to a bastard son
It was part of what became known as Salic law. From wikipedia (yes, I know):
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salic_law#Some_tenets_of_the_law
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salic_law#In_France
That part I know.
I was referring to the fact that the kingdom was considered a personal property of the king to be equally divided among his heirs after his death rather than a trust to be transmitted whole to a single heir. The Capetians came up with the 'apanage' system which, while far from perfect, caused them a lot less trouble in the long-run. They also had the bright idea to have their eldest sons recognized as future kings and anointed in Reims when they were getting on in years. It made for more experienced and steady hands among the newly-crowned kings and much less risk of a civil war (although it remained).I would actually contest the idea that Felipe II divided his kingdom: Isabella Clara Eugenia and her husband were named governors of the Seventeen Provinces but they still had Felipe III as their overlord. Same goes for the Austrian Habsburgs: they gave places to be ruled to their various sons but under the strict primacy of whoever ended up as emperor. But you're right about Henry II. Richard I just got lucky he could reassemble the lot and then John... well, unlucky doesn't do it really justice, now, does it?
Oh, boy. Are you in a world of hurt if I sic @LSCatilina on you! While it's true there were already divergences in the languages by the time of the treaty of Verdun (843), the split in culture occured gradually over several centuries. And Charlemagne's preferred residence, Aachen, or Aix-la-Chapelle, was built along very Roman lines, while located in East Francia (well, Lotharingia first, but not for long) and now Germany.