This question is hard to summarize in one line. It's about succession

Factual Questions
21

[QUOTE=RealityChuck]
Except he didn’t rule by right of blood; he ruled by right of conquest. His connection with the Lancastrian branch was tenuous (he wasn’t actually the Lancastrian heir – that was the king of Portugal), so he didn’t try to rule by claiming he was the rightful heir: he ruled because he defeated Richard III and conquered the country.
[/QUOTE]

True, but virtually the first thing he did upon becoming king was to marry Richard’s sister, Elizabeth of York, to strengthen his future heirs’ claim to the throne.

22

[QUOTE=DrDeth]
Well, really, one did have to be of Royal blood.
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That didn’t stop Canute. (These days historians spell his name Cnut, but those of us prone to typos prefer Canute. :wink: )

23

[QUOTE=Alive At Both Ends]
True, but virtually the first thing he did upon becoming king was to marry Richard’s sister, Elizabeth of York, to strengthen his future heirs’ claim to the throne.
[/QUOTE]

Elizabeth of York was the eldest daughter of Edward IV. Richard III was the brother of Edward IV. This makes Elizabeth the niece of Richard III.

24

[QUOTE=Chez Guevara]
Elizabeth of York was the eldest daughter of Edward IV. Richard III was the brother of Edward IV. This makes Elizabeth the niece of Richard III.
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That’s what comes of posting from memory. I stand corrected. But my point is still valid - Henry was insecure about his claim to the throne (he belonged to a line that had been specifically debarred from succeeding to the throne by Parliament), so marrying Elizabeth was a sort of insurance policy for his children.

25

Also, in both Norway and Sweden nowadays, they’ve abolished the males having higher status than females-now it’s the oldest child, regardless of sex. In Sweden this was applied retroactively to Crown Princess Victoria, and her brother, the former Crown Prince. In Norway, however, they just grandfathered it in-Crown Prince Haakon is still next in line, even though he has an elder sister. But his eldest child, Princess Ingrid, is next in line, above her younger brother.

There’s talk of doing that in Spain, after Juan Carlos dies and Felipe becomes King. Elizabeth has also expressed interest in this in the UK, IIRC.

26

[QUOTE=Alive At Both Ends]
That didn’t stop Canute. (These days historians spell his name Cnut, but those of us prone to typos prefer Canute. :wink: )
[/QUOTE]

Canute wasn’t part of the Wessex line, aka “Anglo-Saxon Kings of England”