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{{short description|Gaelic inheritance system}}
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'''Tanistry''' is a [[Gaels|Gaelic]] system for [[Inheritance|passing on titles and lands]].  In this system the '''Tanist''' ({{langx|ga|[[Tánaiste]]}}; {{langx|gd|Tànaiste}}; {{langx|gv|Tanishtey}}) is the office of heir-apparent, or second-in-command, among the (royal) Gaelic [[patrilineal]] dynasties of [[Ireland]], [[Scotland]] and [[Isle of Man|Mann]], to succeed to the [[Chiefs of the Name|chieftainship]] or to the [[kingship]]. The word is preserved in [[Republic of Ireland|Ireland]]'s government, where the prime minister is the ''[[Taoiseach]]'' while the deputy prime minister is the ''[[Tánaiste]]''.

==Origins==
Historically the tanist was chosen from among the heads of the ''roydammna'' or "righdamhna" (literally, those of ''kingly material'') or, alternatively, among all males of the ''[[Sept (social)|sept]]'', and elected by them in full assembly. The eligibility was based on descent from a king to a few degrees of proximity. Usually descent from the male lines of a king was the norm, however in Scotland, descent through the female lines of a king was also accepted, possibly because of an intermingling with the [[Picts#Kings_and_kingdoms|Pictish succession]] rules. An example of this is King [[Eochaid ab Rhun|Eochaid]] who claimed the Scottish throne as the son of the daughter of [[Kenneth MacAlpin|Kenneth I]]. 

The composition and the governance of the clan were built upon descent from a similar ancestor. The office was noted from the beginning of recorded history in Ireland, and probably pre-dates it.{{efn|According to the evidence in the annals, tanistry originated only about century after the Anglo-Norman invasion.<ref name="MacNeill-1934" />}} A story about [[Cormac mac Airt]] refers to his eldest son as his tanist. Following his murder by a member of the [[Deisi]], another ''roydammna'', [[Eochaid Gonnat]], succeeded as king.

In Ireland, the tanistry continued among the dominant dynasties, as well as lesser lords and chieftains, until the mid-16th/early 17th&nbsp;century when it was replaced by English common law.<ref name="Davis-1608" /><ref name="McGinty-2017" /> When in 1943 Ireland appointed its first new [[Chief Herald of Ireland|Chief Herald]], it did not reintroduce tanistry. The state granted courtesy recognition to Irish chiefs based on [[primogeniture]] from the last known chief.<ref name="Murphy-2010" />

The royal succession in Celtic Scotland was limited to the elective succession of the male descendants of ''Siol Alpein'' ([[House of Alpin]]) until the accession of [[Malcolm II of Scotland|King Malcolm&nbsp;II]] in 1005. This monarch was the first to introduce the concept of hereditary monarchy in Scotland. He did so to try to eliminate the strife caused by the [[elective monarchy|elective law]], which encouraged rival claimants to fight for the throne. The earlier [[Picts|Pictish kingdoms]] had allowed female-line succession to the throne and in middle age Scotland, Pictish and Gaelic succession rules were intermingled. Since Malcolm had only daughters, the throne passed to his grandson through his eldest daughter and later, their descendants. The Irish monarchies, for their part, never at any stage allowed for female line succession.<ref name="Warntjes-2004" />

==Candidates and functions==
The king or chief held office for life and was required by custom to be of full age, in possession of all his faculties, and without any remarkable blemish of mind or body. At the same time, and subject to the same conditions, a tanist or next heir to the monarchy was elected, who if the king died or became disqualified, at once became king.<ref name="EB1911-Tanistry" /> Typically a former king's son became tanist, sometimes the son of the king simultaneously elected but more often a son of a rival branch of the dynasty. Election was based on the principle that the dignity of chieftainship descend to the eldest and most worthy agnate of the last ruler; this differs from the system of [[primogeniture]].<ref name="Jaski-1995" /> Tanistry still disqualified many in the clan, as most clansmen were clients, not related to the ruling line, patrilineally or otherwise.<ref name="Bhreathnach-2014" />

[[Image:Flag of Ulster.svg|thumb|The [[flag of Ulster]] with the [[Red Hand of Ulster|Red Hand]].]]
One of the most common rules for qualification as a ''roydammna'' was that a candidate had to be a member of the previous chief's "''[[Derbfine|derbfhine]]''", a kindred including all descended in the male line from a common great-grandfather. However, it was often restricted to the chief's ''gelfhine'', a ''fine'' descended from one common (patrilineal) grandfather. This meant that the group became highly exclusive, keeping the kingship within the dynasty. Many in the wider clan might be reduced to gentry or peasant status (though they might share the surname). These features make tanistry an [[Patrilineality#Agnatic succession|agnatic succession]] mode, and a succession by appointment, as it was an [[elective monarchy]]. Tanistry evades the basic requirement of the [[hereditary monarchy]], i.e. that the outcome of the succession is predictable, up to the identity of successor and next heirs, by [[genealogy]].

The downside of the large group of eligibles was that increases in ''roydammna'' in each generation might lead to internecine dynastic civil war.<ref name="Warntjes-2004" />{{rp |page=405}} Such was the case among the descendants of King and High King [[Tairrdelbach Ua Conchobair]] (1088–1156). His dynasty, the [[Uí Briúin]], had successfully ruled as [[List of kings of Connacht|Kings of Connacht]] since at least the mid-5th century. Their increasing consolidation via the annexation of the Kingdoms of [[Kingdom of Meath|Mide]] and [[Kingdom of Dublin|Dublin]], plus suborning neighboring states and lordships to vassalage, led to Tairrdelbach becoming the first of his dynasty to become High King.

Competition between Tairrdelbach's many sons caused corrosive warfare among at least four competing main lines, in addition to allied lordships' and kingdoms' striving for the main chance. Coupled with the incursions of the [[Normans]] from 1169 onwards, this fragmented Ó Conchobhar rule. By the mid-13th century, they were reduced to ruling a fraction of their former patrimony.<ref name="Curtis-2012" />

Another example of ''Derbfhine'' or ''Roydammna'' proliferation comes from the ''[[Annals of Connacht]]''. It states that at the [[Second Battle of Athenry]] in August 1316, in addition to King Tadc Ó Cellaig of [[Uí Maine]], "there fell with him ... twenty-eight men who were entitled to succeed to the kingship of Uí Maine."<ref name="Annals-Connacht-1316" />

==Consequences==
The tanistry system often led to rotation among the most prominent branches of the clan or the reigning house, particularly in the [[Middle Ages]]. Though not necessarily intended to be so, tanistry was perceived to create balance between branches of family. A quite usual pattern was that the chief (king, lord) was succeeded by his tanist, elected earlier and from a branch different from that to which the incumbent chief belonged. Perhaps simultaneously upon that succession, a tanist was elected from another branch to fill the position vacated by the one now risen to chieftainship. He may have come from the branch to which the deceased belonged. The next vacancy would be handled in a similar way. If a chieftain attempted to have his own son (or brother) chosen over a representative of another branch, the electors were outraged, as they feared subjugation to one branch.

In 1296, the Bruce candidate to inherit the crown of Scotland pleaded the traditional tanistry in his favor. In terms of [[primogeniture]], he was from a cadet branch of the old royal descent, and thus would not have succeeded. The idea of rotation and balance (and his seniority in age and experience) made him a credible competitor. A Pictish aspect was that both the [[House of Balliol]] and [[House of Bruce]] descended through female lines from the royal house, and were allowed to present candidacy. Bruce also claimed tanistry through a female line. This may be an indication that in Scotland, Pictish and Gaelic succession rules were intermingled. The judicial resolution of the succession quarrel, directed by the English king, favoured the Balliols on the basis of primogeniture. Subsequent political events reverted that result to a more "clannish-tradition" direction. [[Robert the Bruce]], grandson of the candidate who argued for tanistry, ascended the throne despite descending from a rather junior [[cadet branch|cadet line]] of the original Royal House. All future monarchs of Scotland after that succeeded by the rights of the Bruce.

Tanistry as the system of succession left the headship open to the ambitious. It was a frequent source of strife both in families and between the clans, but it was conversely quasi-democratic. Tanistry was abolished by a legal decision during the reign of [[James VI and I|James{{nbs}}VI of Scotland]], who later was named James{{nbs}}I of England and Ireland. The [[English land law]] was substituted.<ref name="EB1911-Tanistry" /><ref name="AILR-2001" />

The rules of succession of the [[House of Alpin]] of [[list of Scottish monarchs|Scottish monarchs]] (a dynasty of mixed Pictish and Gaelic origin) and their successors abided by tanistry rules until at least 1034. They also used them in certain successions in the 1090s, and tanistry was used as an argument in succession litigation as late as the 1290s. A similar system operated in [[Wales]], where, under [[Welsh law]], any of the sons or brothers of the king could be chosen as the ''[[edling]]'', or heir to the kingdom.

==Tanistry==
In the broadest sense, the name ''tanistry'' describes the functional principle that "the most talented male member of the royal dynasty should inherit the throne, commonly by murder and war".<ref name="Fletcher-1979" />{{page needed |date=November 2020 |reason=Direct quote requires citation of the specific page number.}}

It is specifically used to describe the practical ramifications of the Turco-Mongol, as well as other [[Central Asian]] steppe [[nomad]], principles of inheritance and succession.  Because all male members of the royal clan are considered to have equally legitimate claims on power, the ruler is the individual who eliminates competitors and re-subjugates the rest of the state formation. The structure may be determined by bonds of personal loyalty to the ruler, which are considered to be dissolved on the ruler's death.<ref name="Fletcher-1979" />

== See also ==
{{too many see alsos|date=June 2025}}

* {{anl|Agnatic seniority}}
* {{anl|Chief of the Name}}
* {{anl|Chiefdom}}
* {{anl|Clan}}
* {{anl|Dynasty}}
* {{anl|Elective monarchy}}
* {{anl|High King of Ireland}}
* {{anl|List of Irish kingdoms}}
* {{anl|Mandala (political model)}}
* {{anl|Order of succession}}
* {{anl|Partible inheritance}}
* {{anl|Patrilineality}}
* {{anl|Primogeniture}}

==Footnotes==
{{notelist|1}}

==References==
{{reflist|1=25em|refs=
<ref name="Annals-Connacht-1316">{{cite book |title=Annals of Connacht |at=1316.5}}</ref>

<ref name="AILR-2001">{{cite journal |year=2001 |title=The case of tanistry (Le case de tanistry) |series=Case summary |journal=Australian Indigenous Law Reporter |volume=37 |issue=6(3) [[sic]] |url=http://www.austlii.edu.au/au/journals/AILR/2001/37.html#Heading3}}</ref>

<ref name="Bhreathnach-2014">{{cite book |last=Bhreathnach |first=Edel |year=2014 |title=Ireland in the medieval world, AD&nbsp;400-1000: Landscape, kingship and religion |page=79 |publisher=Four Courts Press |isbn=978-1-84682-342-8}}</ref>

<ref name="Curtis-2012">{{cite book |last=Curtis |first=Edmund |year=2012 |title=A History of Medieval Ireland: From 1086 to 1513 |page=132 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=978-0-415-52596-1}}</ref>

<ref name="Davis-1608">Davis (1608) ''Case of Tanisrry'', 28 180 E.R. 516 {{full citation needed |date=November 2020 |reason=Author first name, source full name (not "E.R."), modern publisher, place. Cited by ref name=AILR-2001.}}</ref>

<ref name="EB1911-Tanistry">{{EB1911 |inline=y |wstitle=Tanistry |volume=26 |page=398}}</ref>

<ref name="Fletcher-1979">{{cite journal |last=Fletcher |first=Joseph |author-link=Joseph Fletcher (historian) |year=1979 |title=Turco-Mongolian monarchic traditions in the Ottoman Empire |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/41035830 | journal=Harvard Ukrainian Studies |volume=3 | publisher=Harvard Ukrainian Research Institute |pages=236–251|jstor=41035830 }}</ref>

<ref name="Jaski-1995">{{cite thesis |last=Jaski |first=Bart |year=1995 |title=The Traditional Rule of Succession in Early Ireland |page=127 |degree=Ph.D. |publisher=Trinity College |place=Dublin, IE}}</ref>

<ref name="McGinty-2017">{{cite web |last=McGinty |first=Matthew |year=2017 |title=Tanistry, primogeniture and divided clans |series=History hub / Tudor and Stuart Ireland |website=SoundCloud.com |url=https://soundcloud.com/history-hub/matthew-mcginty-tanistry-primogeniture-and-divided-clans?in=history-hub/sets/2017-tudor-and-stuart-ireland}}</ref>

<ref name="MacNeill-1934">{{cite book |first=Eoin |last=MacNeill |year=1934 |title=Early Irish Laws and Institutions|page=148|publisher=Burns, Oates and Washbourne|place=Dublin}}</ref>

<ref name="Murphy-2010">{{cite web |first=Sean J. |last=Murphy |date=29 April 2010 |title=Irish Chiefs: Historical background and a register |website=homepage.eircom.net |publisher=Centre for Irish Genealogical and Historical Studies |orig-date=30 September 2001 |url=http://homepage.eircom.net/~seanjmurphy/chiefs/register.htm}}</ref>

<ref name="Warntjes-2004">{{cite journal |last=Warntjes |first=Immo |year=2004 |title=Regnal succession in early medieval Ireland |journal=Journal of Medieval History |volume=30 |issue=4 |pages=378–380 |doi=10.1016/j.jmedhist.2004.08.004 |s2cid=161825953}}</ref>
}}

==Sources==
* {{cite book
 |first=Francis John |last=Bryne
 |author-link = Francis John Byrne
 |year=1973
 |title=Irish Kings and High Kings
 |place=Dublin, IE
 |publisher = [[Four Courts Press]]
 |isbn = 978-1-85182-489-2
}} 

==External links==
* {{cite web |website=Irish Tribes |url=http://www.irishtribes.com/articles/2012-03-election-of-gaelic-kings-and-leaders.html |title=Election of Gaelic kings and leaders under féineachas |first=Gerald A. John |last=Kelly |access-date=8 August 2012 |archive-date=6 March 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160306192410/http://irishtribes.com/articles/2012-03-election-of-gaelic-kings-and-leaders.html |url-status=dead }}

{{Early Irish law}}
[[Category:Constitutional law]]
[[Category:Monarchy in medieval Ireland]]
[[Category:Feudalism in Scotland]]
[[Category:Inheritance]]
[[Category:Early Irish law]]