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Chapter 10
Itzcoatl "Obsidian-serpent" (Ruled 14271440) |
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There was a change in Tenochtitlan's succession system following the assassination of Chimalpopoca. In pre-imperial Tenochtitlan, strong and gifted leadership was not crucial because of the city's subordination to Azcapotzalco. Moreover, a council assisted the ruler and in the case of Chimalpopoca, his uncle, Itzcoatl, probably played a particularly large role.
1 But now there was no remaining direct heir and Itzcoatl took the throne in 1427 (see fig. 20), with profound consequences for Tenochtitlan's power structure.2 He would rule until 1440. |
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Under strict hereditary succession the number of potential heirs is relatively limited. For example, inheritance of positions and titles through primogeniture, as in Great Britain, means that the eldest son automatically succeeds on the death of his father. If the eldest son dies, the next son then succeeds, and so on. But the more succession is determined by kinship, the likelier it is that an unsuitable candidate will emerge, because kinship rather than competence is the criterion for selection. |
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Moreover, much of the political elite is excluded from candidacy. If the logical successor is eliminated, other pretenders may come to power themselves. Or, in a system of somewhat loosely linked city-states, members of the royal family may break away and form their own dynasties when the old king dies, and they may do so with some legitimacy. Thus a system of succession that excludes many able candidates is potentially vulnerable to internal disruption, especially where allied cities are not structurally dependent on a centralized authority.3 |
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