Dynastic crisis, or when thrones are empty

Polished by centuries, the monarchical system of inheritance of power is arranged, it would seem, solidly and reliably. " God's anointed ", if no one pretends to take his place, there is nothing to worry about - scandalous resignations, impeachment and other troubles to him (unlike the elected head of government or state) do not threaten.

Know yourself, sit on the throne until the end of the century, and if you get bored - passed the monarch duties along with the regalia to the heir and enjoy a well-deserved rest! In most cases, this is exactly what happens (a very recent example is the "resignation" of the Queen of the Netherlands), but there is something called the "dynastic crisis," and this phenomenon can undercut the root of the most powerful and eminent monarchy ... What is this attack , Why such an expression, resembling a disappointing medical diagnosis?

The dynastic crisis is, in a nutshell, the lack of a successor. The same heir to the throne, that having become a full-fledged king (king, emperor, sultan, etc.), will not allow to suppress the monarch's dynasty, to which he himself belongs. But the reasons why this smooth transfer of power may not take place, a great many, only one in any case remains immutable - this situation always brings with it chaos and confusion, and in some cases calls into question the very existence of a state suddenly left without a supreme Lords.

How, for example, would the fate of the empire of Alexander the Great exist if this Macedonian king, who became the ruler of numerous lands and peoples, took care of the successor before he died on the way back from India? But Alexander overnight passed away, and his empire fell apart into several hostile kingdoms, in turn, also not long existed. Thus, two dynasties were interrupted at once: the modest Macedonian, the crown of which Alexander inherited, and the one whose founder he became; They ended it.

But an example of how the dynastic crisis plunged another empire, the British one, into confusion. In 1936, King Edward VIII entered the throne in accordance with all the rules, but he reigned for a short time, some 10 months, and then renounced monarchism in favor of his younger brother (the father of the present Queen Elizabeth). This was preceded by a grand scandal, because the reason for everything was a woman - not only that, a foreigner, so also divorced. What a horror for a kind, old England! Edward could not marry her at the rank of King, but he did not want to leave her, being a gentleman, preferring to part with the throne.

The definition of the crisis as a "congenital disease", as an inevitable risk factor inherent in the monarchical system itself, finds confirmation not only in historical facts, but also in culture - from fairy tales and legends to paintings of artists and works of playwrights. However, this is another, no less interesting topic, replete with the most unexpected stories - both tragic and truly comedic.

And as long as there are monarchies, as long as their fate is decided by the Great, Horrible (and sometimes Funny) dynastic crisis, these stories will not be exhausted.