Succession to the Lashardian throne

**Succession to the Lashardian throne** is determined by descent, gender (prior to 1980), legitimacy, and religion. Under common law, the crown is inherited by an individual's children and by a childless individual's nearest collateral line. Succession is restricted to Lashardian Orthodox Christian descendants of King Piet that have been confirmed by the Lashardian Orthodox Church. Lashardian Orthodox Christian descendants of non-Lashardian Orthodox Christians are not disqualified from succession.

Queen Sabina is the present sovereign and her heir apparent is her eldest daughter, Gaia, Crown Princess of Ubenmoor. Next in line after her is Henryk, Prince of Ubenmoor, the Queen's second child. Third in line is Stelle, Princess of Ubenmoor, the Queen's third child, followed by her uncle, Aleks, Prince of Ubenmoor. Fifth in line is Daniel, Lord of Ubenmoor, his son. The first four individuals in the line of succession who are twenty-one years or older, and the sovereign's consort, may be appointed Counselors of the State. Counselors of the State perform some of the sovereign's duties in the United Kingdom while he or she is out of the country or temporarily incapacitated. Otherwise, individuals in the line of succession need not have specific legal or official duties (though members of the royal family often do).

Until 1980, male-preference primogeniture was used throughout Lashardia to determine succession. However, no female was ever denied succession due to this law, as the eldest-born child was always a male. In 1976, King Oleg II's eldest-born child, Queen Sabina, was determined to be a female, and it rose the question of abolishing male-preference primogeniture in favor of absolute primogeniture. Following the birth of his second child, Prince Aleks, he became the first-in-line for the throne ahead of Sabina, and the Lashardian parliament began to work on an absolute primogeniture law. The law went into effect in 1980, and Sabina became the first-in-line again.

## Current line of succession

The annotated list below of persons in line of succession to the present Queen is limited to her descendants and others in the nearest collateral lines. Persons named in italics are known not to be in line to the throne (birth year not italicized if living).

* *King Oleg I* (1910–1987)
	+ *King Oleg II* (1931–2010)
		- Queen Sabina (b. 1976)
			* **(1)** Gaia, Crown Princess of Ubenmoor (b. 2003)
			* **(2)** Henryk, Prince of Ubenmoor (b. 2005)
			* **(3)** Stelle, Princess of Ubenmoor (b. 2007)
		- **(4)** Aleks, Prince of Ubenmoor (b. 1978)
			* **(5)** Daniel, Lord of Ubenmoor (b. 2013)
			* **(6)** Kornelia, Lady of Ubenmoor (b. 2015)
			* **(7)** Katrina, Lady of Ubenmoor (b. 2017)
		- **(8)** Karla, Princess of Ubenmoor (b. 1980)
			* **(9)** Leila, Lady of Ubenmoor (b. 2007)
		- **(10)** Rugia, Princess of Ubenmoor (b. 1984)
			* **(11)** Isa, Lady of Ubenmoor (b. 2010)
			* **(12)** Anastasia, Lady of Ubenmoor (b. 2012)
			* **(13)** Jasmina, Lady of Ubenmoor (b. 2014)
	+ *Piet, Prince of Ubenmoor (1935–2015)*
		- **(14)** Aleksander, Lord of Ubenmoor (b. 1959)
	+ **(15)** Maria, Princess of Ubenmoor (b. 1939)
	+ **(16)** Rok, Prince of Ubenmoor (b. 1942)
		- **(17)** Danyel, Lord of Ubenmoor (b. 1969)
			* **(18)** Lady Leila Danyelöwindenburg (b. 1995)
			* **(19)** Lady Esmeralda Danyelöwindenburg (b. 1997)
		- **(20)** Edvard, Lord of Ubenmoor (b. 1973)
			* **(21)** Lady Andromeda Edvardöwindenburg (b. 2000)
			* **(22)** Lady Eleonora Edvardöwindenburg (b. 2003)
			* **(23)** Lord Edvard Edvardöwindenburg (b. 2007)
* *Karl, Prince of Ubenmoor (1913–1983)*
	+ **(24)** Janeta, Lady of Ubenmoor (b. 1940)
		- **(25)** Lord Karl Karlöwindenburg (b. 1967)
			* **(26)** Baron Oleg Karlöwindenburg (b. 1998)
			* **(27)** Baroness Maria Karlöwindenburg (b. 2000)
		- **(28)** Lord Piet Karlöwindenburg (b. 1969)
			* **(29)** Baroness Emilia Pietöwindenburg (b. 2000)
			* **(30)** Baroness Żena Pietöwindenburg (b. 2002)
			* **(31)** Baron Mikael Pietöwindenburg (b. 2004)
		- **(32)** Lady Elena Karlöwindenburg (b. 1971)
			* **(33)** Baron Pal Charköwindenburg (b. 1999)
			* **(34)** Baron Kristian Charköwindenburg (b. 2001)
	+ **(35)** Pal, Lord of Ubenmoor (b. 1943)
		- **(36)** Lord Pal Palöwindenburg (b. 1973)
			* **(37)** Baroness Pala Palöwindenburg (b. 1998)

## History

### Kingdom of Titova

The Kingdom of Lashardia was first established in 698CE, when it was incorporated as a minor kingdom inside of the Kingdom of Titova. The newly established kingdom adopted agnatic primogeniture to find the kingdom's monarch. However, they encountered a problem when in 1098, King Askmank failed to produce any male offspring, instead having eight daughters, and having three older sisters. There were no male descendants who could succeed to the throne, and since House of Dorb was eager to keep their descendants in power, King Askmank enacted male-preference cognatic primogeniture, and his oldest daughter, Queen Malibena, became the first queen regnant of Lashardia.

Male-preference cognatic primogeniture was then used up until the fall of the Kingdom of Titova in the late-1800s. During the Titovan era, members of the royal family of Lashardia would also forfeit the throne if they married a non-Lashardian Orthodox Christian.

### Independent Lashardia

Following the independence of Lashardia, King Piet established the monarchy under House of Windenburg, and adopted a system of male-preference primogeniture. Despite this system frequently discriminating against female descendants in favor of male descendants, it never had to be used as the eldest-born child was always a male throughout Lashardia's history of using male-preference primogeniture. This was struck down in 1980 to allow Queen Sabina to succeed her father, King Oleg II.

## Current rules

### Crime

Under Lashardian law, any member of the royal family who has been prosecuted for a felony relinquishes their right to the throne. Additionally, if they have been prosecuted for two or more misdemeanors, they forfeit their right to the throne as well.

### Marriage

Lashardian law allows for Lashardian Orthodox Christian descendants of King Piet to succeed to the throne. Currently, older children and their descendants inherit the throne before younger children, while male children also inherited the throne before female children prior to 1980. The latter of these two rules signified male-preference primogeniture, although this was struck down in 1980 to allow Queen Sabina to succeed her father, King Oleg II. Children born out of wedlock and adopted children are not eligible to succeed. Illegitimate children whose parents later marry are legitimized, but still cannot inherit the throne.

Also under Lashardian law, direct descendants of the current monarch had to obtain the monarch's permission before they could marry. However, there are no known cases of a Lashardian monarch denying their child or grandchild the right to marry who they chose. If they do not consult the monarch before deciding to marry, they will forfeit the throne, although their marriage will still be recognized legally. A member of the royal family will also forfeit the throne if they choose to marry a divorcée.

### Religion

All members of the royal family listed in the line of succession must have been confirmed by the Lashardian Orthodox Church, or be under the minimum age possible to be confirmed by the church. Typically, Lashardian Orthodox Christian children are confirmed at age 12, so royal family members aged 12-and-over forfeit the throne until they are confirmed. They can also forfeit the throne if they publicly abandon the Lashardian Orthodox Church, or their parents do not have them baptized by age three.

## Accession

Following the death of the monarch, the heir apparent or heir presumptive immediately takes their place as the monarch, with no need for a coronation or ceremony. Soon after, the Accession Committee meets and decides a date for the official coronation of the monarch, and also officially confirms them to be the next monarch of the Kingdom of Lashardia. They send an official letter to the Parliament of Lashardia requesting that the date of the holiday *Nafiżklackom* (King/Queen's Day), be changed to the birthday of the current monarch.

After a period of mourning of traditionally about six months, the monarch is crowned in a coronation ceremony at Saint Fridrik's Cathedral in Post, Ubenmoor. The coronation is overseen by the bishop of the Lashardian Orthodox Church. The coronation is not required for a monarch, but is a long tradition.