Primogeniture Quotes
A fief was an estate of land and people. The man who had the title to the fief was obligated to raise troops from his estates and lead then at the command of the King. Women, under English law could not inherit a fief—it went to the oldest son. However, once the military element of fiefdom was eliminated, Johnson saw no reason why women should no longer inherit feifs and the titles that went with them.
King Henry VII had only 1 son, Edward who became king at age 9. But at the age 15 he became very ill and died with no children. Before his death however, Mary who would normally have been the next in line was a Catholic and Northumberland, the head of the Privy Counselor, and father of Jane’s Husband arranged for Edward to change his will before he died. Jane Grey riled for 9 days. Parliament then made Mary the Queen.
Primogeniture is the system where property is inherited from the father to the first born son. At the time women could not own property unless they were widows. It is the basis of most aristocracies. See {627010} for an American view of primogeniture that was stated a little earlier.
This early form of estate tax was a very popular act, as inheritors no longer had to pay the full "market price" of the estate to the state in order for the family to continue possession. Thus the estate tax was a welcome alternative for the then wealthy families.
