Tanistry

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Tanistry ( schott. Gaelic tànaisteachd [ t̪ʰaːn̪ˠaʃtʃʲaxt̪ ], irish tánaisteacht [ t̪ˠaːnɪɕtʲəxt ], Manx Tanishtagh [ tanʲɪʃtəx ], German Than election , leader of election or choice of the designated heir / successor , derived from Old Irish tánaise (designated heritage)) was a custom among many Celtic Tribes in Ireland , Scotland and on the Isle of Man to elect the successor of the king or the chief of the clan by the leaders of the clans, alternatively also by all men of the respective clan. The succession regulations of the Alpine dynasty of the Scottish kings respected the Tanistry tradition until at least 1034. As late as 1090, this custom was used in isolated cases.

The elected Than (leader, designated successor) had to be of legal age and without any flaws, mentally and physically. The election took place during the lifetime of the ruling king or clan chief with his participation, and the chosen one then bore the title "Than" (English tanist , Irish tánaiste ). He replaced the king or chief in the event of death or under special circumstances. As soon as this occurred, a new Than was elected so that a successor was always available. The choice did not necessarily fall on the son of the respective king, because the principle of primogeniture did not apply. The Tanistry system often resulted in a rotation between the most powerful lines of the clan or ruling dynasty. Although not originally intended, the Tanistry system maintained a balance of power between different lines of the clan . On the other hand, it was the cause of constant clashes within families and between individual clans, with often devastating consequences. According to PB Ellis, however, the disputes are often overestimated. It is customary that the son of a king was not succeeded by him and by no means indicates violent confrontations. A female clan leader (e.g. Baodicea , ruler of the Iceni) was not excluded . The Britons make no distinction between the sexes in the dominant position.

The word is still used today in a modified form in the political system of the Republic of Ireland. The Prime Minister is the Taoiseach , the Deputy Prime Minister is the Tánaiste .

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Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Peter Berresford Ellis: The Druids. Munich 1996 (original: The Druids. London 1994)
  2. ↑ Dio Cassius, according to Peter Berresford Ellis: The Druids. Munich 1996, p. 98.
    See also Peter Berresford Ellis: Die Druiden. Munich 1996, p. 101: "Women ... could ... represent the highest authority, although in historical times the kingship was predominantly reserved for men". See Jean Markale, La Femme Celte, 1972 (quoted from PBEllis, ibid. P. 15).
  3. ↑ Tacitus, Agricola; similar in Tacitus, Annales.
    After Peter Berresford Ellis: The Druids. Munich 1996, p. 101 with "obvious amazement". The "majority of the 'classic' reports", on the other hand, are "propaganda" (p. 9), for example Caesar's De Bello Gallico primarily a defense of a campaign of conquest (p. 13 f.), The content of which is often taken by scholars at face value ( P. 9).