Once upon a time a man decided to conquer all the land he could reach. As people tended to resist domination, he gathered an army and took the land by force, making the people he encountered his subjects. When all the land was under his control, he set rules (1) so governance would follow a straight line. He was powerful, yet still mortal. The time came when he had to think about his successor: the person who would rule after his death. The obvious choice would be his eldest son, who would be his flesh and blood and would be brought up by him, following his beliefs. Therefore, he chose a woman to become his wife and bear children, especially male babies. Women, even if they were smart, could not become a king’s successor as they were bound to give birth to children and take care of the house.
And so, the man became a king and the head of his family. He set an example to his subjects: to start a family, where the “father” would be the master and the “mother” would be the carer. Children would follow their parents’ footsteps and start their own families, following the same rules, and be happy in a harmonious country. As the king’s son would become a king, the blacksmith’s son would become a blacksmith, the baker’s son would become a baker, and so on. Everyone would have a place in society.
The king’s family was the most powerful because it was bound to rule them all. Therefore, his children were raised with such a belief. As each family lived in the same house, the ruling family was known as the House of their last name/ their father’s name. The family business was also recognised by the family’s name/ the head of the family’s last name. There was the House of the blacksmith’s family, the House of the baker’s family, and so on. Except, these families had a very limited power within society. Over time, the king’s family would become a dynasty (2) because they had power. The dynasty would last as long as sons (or other members of the family) would succeed to the head of the family and the head of state, becoming themselves the (new) head of the family and the head of state. Once the family/House changed, the dynasty would change too. The concept later extended to very powerful families that would become powerful through their business (and money earned). The key component to a family becoming a dynasty is having power over a certain period of time, where children succeed their parents in exercising such power. This is especially true in countries where money equals power.
Dynasties have shaped the world. A country’s history is often told according to the powerful families that had ruled it. Each dynasty represents a different period of history, sometimes very different in social and aesthetics terms than the previous one. In order to become a powerful and ruling family, many wars were fought, many assassinations were executed, many plots were devised. At some point, families found out that they could also gain power through marriage. Although they were not initially part of the aristocracy of that time, marrying “wisely” would give them access to it and, later, a noble title would land in the House.
Most powerful dynasties/families/Houses:
Julian clan | Roman Empire
Capetian dynasty | Kingdom of France
House of Habsburg | Europe (a little bit everywhere)
Medici Family | Italian bankers
Genghis Khan’s family | Mongol Empire
Dynasties in China
The Richest Families in America
NOTES:
- (1) “Ruling” comes from the verb to “rule”, which in Proto-Indo-European language meant “to move in a straight line”, later becoming “to lead, rule”. See also other related meanings to “rule”.
- (2) “Dynasty” comes from the Greek word dynástēs, meaning “holder of political power, lord, ruler”, later meaning “power, sovereignty, succession of rulers”.
This article is part of the WORD CHRONICLES series
Word Chronicles are articles where the meaning of words, concepts, and perceptions are discussed.
WORDS IN IDEAS 