Fall of royalty in europe - Research Paper Example

Historically, the ruling families consisted of several junior and senior branches which originated from a common ancestor. Therefore, these individuals usually used a common surname, and they were also referred to by their titles. The royal intermarriages were also considered critical, because, they brought forth several thrones to a sovereign dynasty. In Europe, there were numerous intermarriages between the European royal families and the descendants of Queen Victoria (Eilers 39). In the past, the royal dynasty names in Europe were obtained from the father who was the head of the family.

In cases whereby the queen regnant belonged to another household, the children were considered as members of the house of the prince. This asserts that Queen Victoria was an affiliate of the Hanover House. However, her male descendants belonged to the house of Albert who was her husband. The house of Albert is known as Saxe-Coburg and Gotha which is also a branch of the House of Wettin. In 1917, the name of this house was changed to Windsor (Junor 29). After the marriage of Maria Theresa who was from the House of Habsburg and Prince Lorraine, Theresa acquired the name Habsburg-Lorraine in order to associate closely with the Habsburg dynasty.

Portugal had already refused the issuance of Queen Maria II and Prince Consort to become the sole members of the Braganza. In Russia, Elisabeth from the House of Romanov died, hence; her nephew Duke Peter Ulrich from the Oldenburg house served as her heir. The dynasty name of Romanov was retained despite the fact that Peter had inherited the rule from her aunt. Lately, in the 20th century, the children of most regnant females in Luxembourg and Netherlands have also managed to retain their household affiliation (Herman 65).

Furthermore, the descendants of Queen Elizabeth have also managed to retain their maternal dynasty name. Later on, Prince Philip was later surnamed Mountbatten. In several countries, there are certain ways through which the royal household can change. For example, if a foreign prince is invited by another royal household to fill a vacancy in another throne, there are several changes that can be made in the royal family. According to historical research, there is an instance whereby Queen Anne from the House of Stuart died without an heir; therefore, she was succeeded by a prince from the House of Hanover who was considered as the closest relative to the dynasty.

There is a vast difference between individuals from the blood royal family and those who are married into a royal family (Aronson 1). In most cases, the individuals who fall within the first category are known as dynasts because they are the potential successors of a throne. Additionally, there are several relatives of the monarch who have certain privileges. The relatives can either be related by blood or marriage. According to royalty in Europe, there were certain precise functions of a royal family, which were entirely dependent on the monarchy.

Some of the monarchies exercise executive power whereby members of the royal family perform public, ceremonial or social functions. On the other hand, these members refrain from involving themselves in the actual governance of a country or performing in electoral politics (Eilers 45). Based on a constitutional monarchy, when a monarch dies, there is an order of succession among the royal members. This law of succession is only based on the laws