porphyrogenitism

English

Etymology

From porphyrogenite +‎ -ism.

Noun

porphyrogenitism (uncountable)

1. (rare) The principle of succession in royal families, especially among the Eastern Roman emperors, by which a younger son, if born after the accession of his father to the throne, was preferred to an elder son who was born prior to it.
   • 1851, Francis Palgrave, The History of Normandy and of England:

     The doctrine of Porphyrogenitism, congenial to popular sentiment, and not without some foundation in principle, prevailed influentially and widely in many countries.

   • 1915, The Journal of Egyptian Archaeology, volume 2:

     The only legitimate spouse for a Ptolemy was a princess of the royal house, and generally a daughter not of a crown prince, but of a consecrated king. The evidence of this porphyrogenitism in the dynasty is quite clear.

References

• “porphyrogenitism”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.