#heir and spare

[ky-landfill]

Hello there!! If you are possibly taking art requests, could you please maybe do Bruce being a great dad and comforting his kiddos? I’m a little sad and I could use some comfort right now myself. ❤️

[scattered-irises]

In the Shadow of the Sun

I said I'd write an heir and spare analysis essay on Thomas and Christopher someday. Here it is, preceding a ficlet I'm gonna upload soon.

“The heir is born to a life laid out neatly and rigidly. The spare gets precisely the opposite: an uncertain place, unspecified duties, unreliable income and the unappealing promise of dissipating influence as the next heir and spare come along to bump you aside.” —David Von Drehle

Two brothers. One to rule and one to follow. One guaranteed a life in the sun, one a life in the shadow of his resplendent brother. A tale as old as time. 

We see it throughout the Bourbon Dynasty, with the struggles of Monsieur to define himself in the shadow of his brother Louis. We see it today with the Duke of Sussex and the Duke of Cambridge. This trope has been replicated in media as well, from Succession to the Phantomhive brothers in Kuroshitsuji. Although not particularly highlighted in the Yu-Gi-Oh! Zexal anime, the sparse interactions between the oldest and middle brother of the Arclight family hints at the tensions between the heir and the spare. 

The tension is demonstrated throughout the first season, where Christopher commands while Thomas grudgingly follows. Whenever Thomas attempts to rebel, he is silenced. He has been taught his place a long time ago, raised in the shadow of his brother.

Meanwhile, Christopher has been raised with an air of superiority. He wields his power without qualms, seceding his power only to his father. Christopher insults Thomas without hesitating, calling him “distasteful” in episode 33. When Thomas guardedly retorts, Christopher escalates the situation until Michael intervenes. 

Christopher casually insults and lords over Thomas, signifying that this has been happening for a long time now. In episode 41, it is even implied that Christopher trusts Michael over Thomas.

The rift between Christopher and Thomas was definitely exacerbated after Christopher sent him and Michael to the orphanage, but I would suggest that these tensions have existed since the very beginning. 

In the flashbacks at the Arclight mansion, we see that Thomas and Christopher are already established as opposites. Thomas is spirited and lively. Christopher is sedate, either overlooking his brothers at his father’s side or quietly asserting his power over them. “Be good boys and I will teach you how to duel next time” (Episode 46). This promise of good behavior is preceded by Christopher’s warning that the two would be scolded if they continued to fight. In typical tweenage behavior, Thomas irritatedly replies “Tch! I know,” which implies that this has happened before. Causing fights has always been Thomas’ forte, it seems. 

Historically, an heir and a spare would have been raised as equals (in theory). Due to high child mortality rates, a spare would ensure that the family name would continue if the heir were to pass away due to disease or accident. Despite that, only one would inherit the family estate. If fortunate enough, the spare would inherit a piece of property from their mother’s side of the family (Spangler). Growing up, many spares would attempt to find other ways to distinguish themselves from their powerful sibling. In the Bourbons’ case, Monsieur, the title granted to the king's brother, would patronize the arts or distinguish himself in wars (Spangler).

Louis XIV and Philippe (the future Monsieur) as children:

Thomas’ efforts to distinguish himself from Christopher can be seen in his worldwide success as Duel Champion IV. Note that he signs with his stage name, the Arclight surname nowhere to be seen.

He is a new man, reborn in this modern world of duel monsters and spectacle. Despite his immense success, Christopher’s provocations continue to anger him. 

The sibling rivalry between these two is inflamed by the tensions involved with raising a spare and an heir. Thomas owes his foundations in dueling to Christopher, who had taught him. No matter how successful Thomas is, he knows that a part of his older brother will always be with him. Therefore, he can never truly escape his brother’s shadow. 

Thomas’ dual personality—one of cultivated manners versus one bristling with anger—represents the dutiful spare and the resentful spare cast into the shadows. The dutiful spare has been raised as his older brother’s equal, yet acknowledges that his place is not to rule but to follow. He is an appendage to his older brother, serving him in lands beyond the estate. He is affable, yet able to deflect attention onto his brother if needed. Thomas’ outward personality is gentlemanly, charismatic, and cheerful, lightening his brother’s severe nature.  

His true personality is a product of constant sibling rivalry and family derision. Like any other child, he was scolded for causing fights, yet, growing up in the shadow of the composed Christopher must have brought up constant comparisons. Why couldn’t he be calmer? Why couldn’t he control himself like his brother did? Thomas desires attention because he is a spare cast into the shadows. Despite abandoning him and Michael, Christopher continues to be lauded as the rational, responsible, and most trusted brother. Seeing his brother favored over him even after his terrible actions further exacerbated Thomas’ behavior. 

The desire to impress his father signifies that Thomas wishes to be trusted like his brother. Although heirs and spares are theoretically raised as equals, the sibling hierarchy remains. Thomas knows he can’t become Christopher but tries on his own terms regardless. He was not raised with a sense of superiority like Christopher. He compensates for his insecurities by lashing out and attempting to fight the system that he was born into without knowing exactly how to dismantle it. The system of the spare and heir must be combated with wiles and subtlety, neither of which Thomas is particularly talented in. I must slightly digress and note that Michael possesses these qualities in greater abundance than Thomas.

Given a few years, Michael can choose between usurping the family title or creating his own legacy. I'm saying the latter.

In Zexal II, the only significant interaction between Christopher and Thomas is their farewell before his duel against Nasch. Instead of insulting Thomas, Christopher attempts to assert his power by preventing Thomas from dueling his “only friend.” He questions if Thomas can duel Nasch not because he wishes to demean his brother but out of concern for his emotions. This marked change in behavior is never explicitly explained. Perhaps at the end of the WDC duels, as the brothers faced death, they realized what was truly important. More reasonably, the period they spent missing from Zexal II was one of reconciliation. 

Christopher’s behavior in episode 124 signifies that he no longer views Thomas as a threat to his role but instead as a collaborator. This contrasts the archetype of the jealous heir. In 1569, King Charles IX rushed to join the siege of Saint-Jean-d’Angély due to the amount of praise his brother Henri was receiving on the battlefield. Instead of stealing Thomas’ glory for himself, Christopher allows Thomas to fight, granting him a card upon departure. Perhaps in his own way, Christopher was fighting alongside his brother during the duel. Thomas reciprocates his brother’s behavior and affectionately calls him “aniki,” affirming their brotherly relationship. Instead of admonishing him for the casual title (equivalent to ‘bro’ in English), Christopher accepts it with his characteristic quietness. 

Their improved relationship likely continues after Zexal. However, in Duel Links, it should be noted that Thomas has no unique lines when dueling against Christopher. Although Zexal’s duel links timeline is set in between Zexal I and II, the brotherly interactions around Christopher’s arrival still contain a fraction of the tension seen in Zexal I. While sibling rivalry is commonplace, I believe Thomas and Christopher’s rivalry is one heavily informed by the politics behind the spare and the heir. The “dissipating influence” continuously hangs over Thomas and he constantly finds himself at odds with his brother. Thus, he strives to create a life of his own outside of the family, traveling the world and creating a name for himself. 

Thomas is not an overly covetous spare seen in the likes of Claudius or Richard III. However, Zexal alludes to his envy of Christopher’s position. He wishes to be trusted and seen by his father instead of pushed aside. If he had been raised as his brother’s equal, why was he not deserving of the same trust? His fiery personality is built upon a foundation of resentment that festers in his heart. He attempts to fill this hole in with unchecked sadism and cruelty. At the end of Zexal, he is seen continuing his career as a Duel Champion, still attempting to create an independent identity from his brother’s. 

Cited Sources because why not

Spangler, Jonathan. Monsieur. Second Sons in the Monarchy of France: 1550-1800. Routledge, 2021, https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003165897.

Von Drehle, David. “Harry and Meghan Are Product of ‘an Heir and a Spare.’” Indianapolis Business Journal, vol. 40, no. 48, 2020, pp. 14-15B.

[inky-duchess]

Fantasy Guide to Royal Children - Heirs and Spares

The lives of Princesses and Princes are of interest to most fantasy writers, it's where many of our heroes, side characters and antagonists hail from. But what is there life like? Is it always ballgrowns and servants? Or something more?

A Strict Order of Precedence

The first thing to know about royal children and siblings is that there's a very strict precedence of importance. Is it fair? No. But this is a system, it doesn't have to be fair. The heir comes first without argument. They are the most important child, they are always greeted first, they are the one to stand next to the monarch or their parents at occasions, they literally go first - and this doesn't change with age, if the heir is the youngest, they still have precedence over their siblings. After the heir, order of predence goes by age and the order effects the life of the children. For example, the older sister will marry begore any of her sisters. This order of deference will be so engrained in your character's life that they will believe it the norm and rarely question it, it probably won't spark any in-fighting.

Accommodation & Staff

Royal children are usually raised one of two ways. Either they are raised at court, in the same Palace as their parents or they are raised away from court under the care of trusted servants. Being raised away from their parents isn't a sign of remoteness or dislike or terrible parenting, it was a way of break a child into the constraints of royal life while giving them freedom of scrunity or danger. Usually these children are raised in the countryside for their health, as cities are usually cesspits for disease. Their parents would come to visit them or allow them to visit them at court. Children raised at court are raised with a higher level of scrunity and attention. They will be in the public eye.

Royal children will always be surrounded by staff. There will be nurses to wash and dress them, nannies to discipline and direct them, guards to protect them and usually, a guardian known as a governess to run their household and care for their needs. Staff are not allowed to hit royal children and must obey their commands. Some royal children were very close to their staff:

Kat Ashley and Elizabeth I

Baroness Lehzen and Queen Victoria

Klementy Grigorievich Nagorny and the Tsarevich Alexei Nikolaevich

Lala Bill and Prince John

However, some royal children faced neglect from their staff. George VI was abused by his nanny, who would pinch him during important occasions, openly favour his elder brother over him and deny him food, which many have been a cause of his speech impediment. After the Russian Revolution, another of the Tsarevich's nannies proved less loyal than the other. Andrei Yeremeyevich Derevenko abandoned his charge, but not before ordering the boy around and insulting him.

Day to Day Life

Royal children would be educated withing their home by tutors. They would usually take lessons all together (the heir may take other lessons). A royal child would recieve an education in languages, arithmetic, geography, etiquette, dancing, music, sports such as riding and literature. Sometimes they would even share lessons with the children of trusted nobles or their cousins. Only the heir will be taught statecraft and how to reign. There is no rhyme nor reason a spare would learn how to rule.

Some royal children are taught the value of their position. Many royal children will be raised strictly to adhere to their social standing and their place in it. Some children may be raised in isolation, kept from mingling and raised to think of themselves as higher than those around them. Some royal families preferred to raise their children as "normal" as possible. The last Romanov children slept in camp beds, with no pillows and we're expected to tidy their own rooms and help the servants. They didn't even use their proper titles, they were called by their names and given a tight monthly allowance to spend. Alexandra of Denmark and her sisters used to make their own clothes. Some royal children could even be encouraged to play with the children of servants and staff as well as nobility (Kolya Derevenko and Tsarevich Alexei Nikolaevich, Winifred Thomas and Prince John). Companionship was a great honour for noble and common child alike as sometimes, they would be invited to live or be educated alongside by the royal children.

Royal children will not undertake royal duties until they are of age. Younger children be be present for large scale events such as jubilees but would not be expected to partake in any duties themselves. When they are of age, they will usually be granted an annual allowance, be invited to social events, invited to be patrons of charities and participate in royal duties.

Heir Vs Spare

Heirs have more responsibility, all the prestige, more power but they have less freedom, less room to explore their own lives and be expected to always be the epitome of perfect. Heirs will be given responsibilities in government, sitting in on state meetings or undertaking state duties.

Spares have little in the way of real power but have the ability to live less regimental lives and gave more agency in their personal lives. Spares may act as ambassadors to other nations or undertake state visits on behalf of the monarchy or even take positions in the army. Spares are encouraged to find positions to support themselves outside the family, either in a marriage or undertaking some service to the country. Spares who stay in the country, tend to act as unofficial advisers to their sibling when they become monarch.

All Grown Up

When royal children grow up, there are usually certain expectations and limitations.

Heirs will be married quickly, the lineage must be secure. Heirs will usually marry either as part of a political alliance or marry somebody suitable - from a good family, the right background, and able to fit into a certain mould (i.e malleable, amiable and loyal). They will be expected to focus on the country, it's needs and support the monarch at all times. Their social circles will be scruntised, their every move will be noted and remarked upon. Heirs will never gave to worry about funding their lifestyle, the Crown is their job and it supports them.

Spares can marry or remain single if they choose, (but if the monarch instructs them go marry they must). Spares can travel, they can be idle, they can even persue amusements not permitted for the heir. Spares can win glory on the battlefield and mix with all sorts of people. That isn't to say spares are useless, spares often occupy very important spaces in society and government. Spares will usually take these positions not for just status but also for the pay. This is why spares are granted royal titles such as dukedoms (they can make money off the lands, be able to build a dynasty for themselves and their heirs and gain status).

[jeonwonwoo]

[Do you think the Siege at Forli was the downfall for his character?] [...] The one issue I’ve always had is I wanted to elongate certain sections. Every episode has so much stuff going on and so many great meetings whether it’s the fight between Juan and Cesare or Lucrezia meeting her different lovers or it’s the pope talking to different people about political machinations. I always wanted to have Juan in Spain. I wanted to have a month where I could go over with my own unit of shooting where he finds himself a wife, but that’s not to be.

DAVID OAKES as JUAN BORGIA The Borgias — 2x07: The Siege at Forli

[fioblah]

kíli ksaturday

tip jar

[charlunday]

here have a bridgerton au

[wonder-worker]

something I find especially entertaining about Edward IV's reign is how Scandalous™ it was lol

he married a woman “whose origins broke all established conventions for English queenship” in a secret ceremony without consulting any of his lords and then made it everyone else's problem. he committed regicide, he committed fratricide; he was accused of bastardry, he was accused of bigamy and a 19-year-long sham marriage, he was accused of using necromancy against his subjects, he was accused of being enchanted by witchcraft by both his wife and his mother-in-law (multiple times). his own mother was said to "rule the king as she pleased" in the early years of his reign. he knew he was hot and actively milked it for money. he was vain as fuck: “he was wont to show himself to those who wished to watch him, and he seized any opportunity that the occasion offered of revealing his fine stature to onlookers”. he knew everything about everyone. "he was more favourable than other princes to foreigners". he was “fond of boon companionship, vanities, debauchery, extravagance and sensual enjoyments”; he was "thought to have indulged in his passions and desires too intemperately”; "it was ever feared he was not chaste”. his subjects publicly gossiped about his sex life, his doctors thought he was insane. NOBODY understood how he was still competent despite all this.

honestly, who was doing it like him?

[fruitageoforanges]

Princess Elia Nymeros Martell, heir to Dorne, and her husband Rhaegar in the year 279 AC.

(this is inspired by my au in which birth orders are swapped — elia is the eldest martell sibling and rhaegar is a second son — so their marriage agreement works the other way, with rhaegar being sent to dorne. elia’s clothes are inspired by fashions in moorish spain during the 11th century, while rhaegar’s are a mix of byzantine and early renaissance italy)

[bericas]

no, I am no longer funny, 'cause I miss the way you laugh.

before paige krasikeva, there is marin deaton, always on the cusp of laughing in derek's face or kissing him. when the times comes to choose one, she does neither; she turns away. none of the insults she'd teased him with had ever stung as badly as her soft smile and apologetic eyes. after paige, derek can almost deal with them both, as long as they're coming from marin again. can almost be comforted by them, until she walks away again. after kate argent, he and laura leave town long before he could've found out what marin would've done next.

a few months after derek comes back to beacon hills, marin shows up. morrell, now, but not through marriage. or, at least, not a marriage that lasted. she avoids the question in a way that's familiar and foreign all at once. when she intercepts him at the bank, months later, comfortable in the alphas' den, derek realizes just how much has changed. but not everything is different: derek leaves town again, and when he comes back, she finds him again. tells him about poison for the nogitsune in the body of the teen boy she'd been a guidance counselor to. though she clearly doesn't take joy in it, he doesn't think she's sorry for much anymore... but her eyes still look it. and her smile is still soft.

[une-sanz-pluis]

What do we know about the relationship between Edward III and Henry IV? I find it quite intriguing that he was inducted into the Order of the Garter together with Richard II ( and in fact were the last two people to be admitted by Edward III) while he didn't bother to do the same for Thomas of Woodstock so this should imply some special fondness which Edward had for Harry. But on the other hand, Richard lost his father and elder brother quite early so Edward may have thought that there is a real likelihood of the same happening to Richard which would have ensured that Henry would become king in the future ( through John of Gaunt) so his knighting could reflect Edward wishing to knight someone whom he deemed had a viable chance of succeeding him. And this is why I am so curious about the relationship that Edward III had with Henry Bolingbroke.

Unfortunately, we don't know know anything about their relationship beyond the fact that Henry was knighted in April 1377. It's impossible to say what kind of contact they had before then, the evidence just isn't there. Edward III seems to have relied on John of Gaunt in his later years and both Edward and Philippa of Hainault seemed to have had a close relationship with Henry's mother, Blanche of Lancaster. According to Chris Given-Wilson, Henry spent his childhood in the Blanche, Lady Wake's household, then at Tutbury and then in the future Richard II's court. It seems possible that there was some contact between Edward and Henry before the St. George's day festivities but it's impossible to say for sure if there was or what kind of contact there was. I think there was probably very little contact due to Henry's youth and Edward's declining health. I think it's likely Edward thought fondly of Henry, even if he probably knew very little about him.

I'm afraid that I'm very resistant to the idea that anyone had any serious expectation Henry would one day be king, mainly out of spite at Ian Mortimer, lol. I think there was an awareness of the possibility - Edward's only brother died when he was young, he had several children predecease him - but I think the only people who seriously believed that Richard would die and Gaunt or Gaunt's son would become king were those who thought Gaunt was planning to murder Richard. Hell, Henry was Gaunt's only legitimately born son who lived to see 1377 so Edward could have harboured fears that Henry might drop dead just as much as, if not more so, than Richard might. The Order of the Garter had a strictly limited membership: no more than 24 members (plus the monarch and Prince of Wales) - Richard was likely stepping into his father's place as the new Prince of Wales, which meant only one slot was available. Why Henry and not Thomas of Woodstock? Beyond the fact that Edward seems to have neglected Woodstock's public career (he was knighted very late in life compared to his brothers, he had to wait until 1385 for a dukedom), inducting Henry into the Order of the Garter may have been a gesture of support or gratitude for Gaunt, given that Gaunt was basically running the country for Edward and bearing the brunt of public hate.

[ky-landfill]

would you ever do anything in a fantasy/medieval au?

[fictionadventurer]

Potential February reading:

Sylvia's Lovers by Elizabeth Gaskell

These Happy Golden Years by Laura Ingalls Wilder

The Princess and Curdie by George Macdonald

One unread ebook

One unread physical book on my shelf

[oreolesbian]

still actively seething about how not only did disney ruin everything about luke skywalker and his legacy as a character in the sequels, but they are now taking one of his most beloved legends stories, heir to the empire, and doing it without him

[thevelaryons]

There are some incredible implications in how Corlys’ children seem to mirror each other: Addam to Laenor and Alyn to Laena.

Addam and Laenor looked similar, they rode the same dragon, had Corlys petitioning for their position as heirs, possibly implied to have the same sexuality, and had complicated relationships with Rhaenyra, BUT while Laenor never conformed to his duties, Addam was presented as Corlys’ perfect heir.

Meanwhile, Alyn and Laena were the two that had similar adventurous personalities to Corlys. It’s their bloodline that continued House Velaryon. Both had twins! There’s a lot of bisexual vibes with these two as well. Laena married Daemon and Alyn married Daemon’s mini-me, Baela. Oh, and their hasty decision making nearly risked causing political backlash from Braavos.

[blackswaneuroparedux]

Never believe though in my nature reigned, All frailties that besiege all kinds of blood, That it could so preposterously be stained, To leave for nothing all thy sum of good; For nothing this wide universe I call, Save thou, my rose, in it thou art my all.

- William Shakespeare

The heir and one of ‘spares’. Semper fidelis.

Princess Anne and Prince Charles ride in the grounds at Windsor, May 1969.

[saintchaser]

sirius black, who excelled, who was bright, who was alive. sirius black, whose smiles were wide and whose arms were open, whose hair was tucked behind his ear, his wand poking out of it, whose sleeves were rolled up, whose hands were filled with scribbles, and whose ears were filled with earrings. sirius black, cigarettes tucked behind his ears, and love tucked in his heart. sirius black, books scattered across the floor and his tie hanging off the bed frame. sirius black, who has always done everything effortlessly. whose magic coursed through his veins, thick like smoke, liquid like blood, ever since he knew himself. wine spilt on gowns, the lost heir.

regulus black, who tried, who was bright, but who never shined as brightly as sirius. regulus, who kept his back straight and who kept himself composed, green around his neck, his destiny a weight around his chest. chaining him, heavy on his heart. regulus black, imperfect perfection. regulus black, neat handwriting on scattered letters, a quiet betrayal signed R. A. B., a scream dying in the back of his throat. regulus black, magic in his veins, but not nearly as effortless as sirius', not nearly as good, never as good as sirius. regulus black, the spare heir.