Geboren, um zu herrschen?

Throughout history and in very different parts of the world people have tended to pass property, power, official positions and status on to the next generation in order to ensure their own continuity and the continuity of their impact. Whether in German or international politics and business, science or sports - dynastic continuities also affect today's world more than one would assume at first glance. What actually constitutes a dynasty becomes especially evident when its survival is directly threatened. This is the case when there are no offspring, when the offspring die or cannot inherit for other reasons, when the succession is disputed and this situation is challenged or exploited by competitors. For the first time in this volume, representatives of various disciplines deal with the threat to dynastic orders in various temporal, spatial and cultural contexts.