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GCSE History · key term
A person entitled to inherit a position or property, including a royal throne.
Used by AQA and Edexcel
Paper 2
Revise: Challenges of a Female RulerA queen was expected to produce an heir, but a wife was expected to defer to her husband. Elizabeth therefore faced a dilemma: marrying might secure the future of her dynasty while threatening her own independence. Remaining unmarried protected her freedom to rule but left the succession uncertain.
Paper 2
A person entitled to inherit a title or property, including a throne, when its holder dies.
Revise: Situation on AccessionElizabeth’s father, Henry VIII, had been married to Catherine of Aragon, the mother of Mary I. He wanted to end that marriage and marry Anne Boleyn, hoping for a male heir. The pope refused to allow the annulment.
Distinguish marriage from succession: marriage might produce a direct heir, while naming a successor could settle the succession without marriage.
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