How did birth order affect inheritance and role in medival society?
Primogeniture was the custom of land inheritance whereby the entire estate passed to the eldest son. The custom spread from Normandy to Britain with the arrival of William the Conqueror in 1066. As part of the feudal system, primogeniture prevented the division of estates. However, it also disenfranchised women altogether and forced younger sons to leave to seek their own fortunes or live at the courtesy and in the service of their elder brothers.
