Did Ancient Time European Women Have Equal Inheritance Right With Men?
This is not a simple question: “ancient time” is not a very precise marker. The answer varies with countries, periods and customs. However, there are some general pointers. In general inheritance law and custom tended to prioritise the male line. Females, in most cultures, inherited when specifically willed something. This could include a throne – the Empress Maud/Matilda was willed the throne of England by her father Henry I, but the inheritance was disputed by Stephen and a civil war followed. In some parts of Europe colonised from the 4thC by the Salian Franks their laws, which debarred females from inheriting a throne in any circumstances, were valid right down to historic times. There were no regnant queens of France, for instance. The reason is obviously military. When the normal condition of a state or faction is war, the ruler must be a war leader and women do not normally fight (though Matilda, Joan of Arc and Isabel of Spain did not do badly as generals). In the early 19thC i
