Thanks for that correction on Ivan IV -- and you're right about his accomplishments. it's pretty incredible that this little state of Muscowy became so huge after this madman.
The elective veto was, BTW, among the least of Poland's problems. The BIG one was the liberum veto, as you say.
Correct again -- I need to re-read polski history and wow the in-laws :)
I’m not familiar with Hungarian history, but I suspect this would lead to the sons of the previous king leading revolts once they came of age. Unless the new king killed all the potential challengers, as the Ottoman sultans did.
The problem is not so much one of deciding who gets the throne. It’s of getting everybody else to accept the succession as legitimate.
We do it in this country by elections. Regardless of the griping, almost every American accepts that the winner of the election has legitimate authority. This most recent election was an exception, based on the birth issue.
But that just reinforces my point. Clear rules of succession (and following them) are essential if the new ruler is to be viewed as legitimate by his people. A ruler not viewed as legitimate only remains in power by force, and as Napoleon said, the only thing you can’t do with bayonets is sit on them. And he certainly should have known.