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tlb
Fleet Admiral
Posts: 4441
Joined: Mon Sep 03, 2012 11:34 am
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Galactic Sapper wrote:Given what we know of Grayson inheritance of titles, I'd say the exact opposite. It's ALL genetics-based, not marriage based. For the Protector or any other Steadholder, which wife has the child is irrelevant as it's the genetic father who is passing the inheritance. Hence why there were so many instances of Steadholders passing titles to illegitimate children; in a pinch, even marriage doesn't matter. Only bloodline.
In Honor's case, bloodline inheritance can only be passed to her children; even an illegitimate child would probably be able to inherit if historic precedent were followed as bloodline trumps marriage. Technically, paternity for one of her children should be totally irrelevant to inheritance.
While it's something we never see in the books, it would be interesting to see what would happen if the Steadholders challenged the eligibility of an heir due to his paternity being in doubt. People being people, it's bound to have happened a few times when Grayson lacked the medical tech to make definitive tests.
As I have pointed out, we do not know enough about Maticoran law to discuss inheritance from a group marriage. But we do have textual evidence on the point you raise here, from Echoes of Honor, chapter 4: "He explained the Strathson Steading precedent to me quite clearly, Henry. Lady Harrington—" he got the name out in an almost level voice "—left no heirs . . . and that means the Steading escheats to the Sword, just as Strathson did seven hundred years ago."
"Yes, and no," Prestwick said. "You see, she did leave heirs—quite a few of them, actually—if we want to look at it that way."
"Heirs? What heirs?" Clinkscales demanded. "She was an only child!"
"True. But the extended Harrington family is quite extensive . . . on Sphinx. She had dozens of cousins, Howard."
"But they're not Graysons," Clinkscales protested, "and only a Grayson can inherit a steadholder's key!"
"No, they're not Graysons. And that's what makes the situation complicated. Just as you discussed it with Justice Kleinmeuller, His Grace and I have discussed it with the High Court. And according to the Court, you're right: the Constitution clearly requires that the heir to any steading must be a citizen of Grayson. That, however, is largely because the Constitution never contemplated a situation in which a foreign citizen could stand in the line of succession for a steading. Or in which an off-worlder could have been made a steadholder in the first place, for that matter!"
"Lady Harrington was not an 'off-worlder'" Clinkscales said stiffly, eyes flashing with anger. "Whatever she may have been born, she—"
"Calm down, Howard," Benjamin said gently before the old man could work himself up into full-blown wrath. Clinkscales subsided, and Benjamin waved a hand in a brushing gesture. "I understand what you're saying, but she most certainly was an off-worlder when we offered her her steadholdership. Yes, yes. I know the situation was unprecedented—and, if I recall correctly, you were less than enthralled with it at the time, you stiff-necked, reactionary old dinosaur!"
Clinkscales blushed fiery red, and then, to his own immense surprise, he laughed. It wasn't much of a laugh, and it came out rusty and unpracticed sounding, but it was also his first real one in the two and a half months since he'd viewed Honor Harrington's execution, and he shook his head.
"That's true enough, Your Grace," he admitted. "But she became a Grayson citizen when she swore her Steadholder's Oath to you."
"Of course she did. And if I choose to use that as a precedent, then what I ought to do is send for her closest heir—her cousin Devon, isn't it, Henry?—and swear him in as her successor. After all, if we could make her a Grayson, we can make him one, as well."
*** snip ***
"Thank you. And, yes, you're absolutely right about how the other Keys would react to any decision of mine to pass the Harrington Key to an 'off-worlder.' And I don't know enough about this Devon Harrington to begin to predict what sort of steadholder he'd make, either. I understand he's a history professor, so he might do better than anyone would expect. But it might also mean that, as an academic, he's totally unprepared for the command responsibilities a steadholdership entails."
"Well, Lady Harrington was certainly prepared for that part of it," Prestwick murmured, and Benjamin snorted.
"That she was, Henry. That she most certainly was, Comforter keep her." He paused for a moment, eyes warm with memory now, and not dark with grief, then shook himself. "But getting back to Professor Harrington, there's the question of whether or not it ever even crossed his mind that he might inherit from her. Do we have a right to turn his entire life topsy-turvy? Even if we asked him to, would he accept the Key in the first place?"
"But if we don't offer it to him, we may open still another Pandora's Box," Prestwick said quietly. Clinkscales looked at him, and the Chancellor shrugged. "Under our treaty with Manticore, the Protectorship and the Star Kingdom are mutually pledged to recognize the binding nature of one another's contracts and domestic law—including things like marriage and inheritance laws. And under Manticoran law, Devon Harrington is Lady Harrington's heir. He's the one who will inherit her Manticoran title as Earl Harrington."
"And?" Clinkscales prompted when Prestwick paused.
"And if he does want the Harrington Key and we don't offer it to him, he might sue to force us to surrender it to him."
"Sue the Protector and the Conclave?" Clinkscales stared at him in disbelief, and the Chancellor shrugged.
"Why not? He could make an excellent case before our own High Court . . . and an even better one before the Queen's Bench. It would be interesting to see which venue he chose and how the case was argued, I suppose. But then, I imagine watching a bomb count down to detonation beside you is probably 'interesting' while the adventure lasts, too."
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