Is it possible to know who would be King (or Queen) of the UK if primogeniture had been in effect since 1066?

Question

What I mean is: if there had been no wars or political involvements, (like the Act of Settlement), and the crown had passed from father to son, (or daughter) via primogeniture from 1066 until now.

Answer 1

Hmmm.  No.  Too many potential heirs died childless in the wars/conflicts you ask us to dismiss, and they might not have otherwise.  From what I know:

William the Conqueror had 3 sons who survived him (possibly 4): Richard, Robert (I'm not sure which one of these--computer's slow, so I can't double-check), William, Henry.  William II who was named King of England, had no children, and so it went to his younger brother Henry I.  The elder son who inherited Normandy--his line died out within a couple generations, so it might have come back to Henry's line anyway.  

If we skip over them, either Stephen's son Eustace, if he hadn't gotten killed in the battle for the throne--those are all hypothetical descendants, but likely in your scenario.  (Stephen was a grandson of the Conqueror through one of his daughters, Adela.)  Or Henry II, if his mother had been permitted to rule, would have still come to the throne.  No wars, tho--then any descendants of his eldest son, Henry the Young King, would likely have it.  Again, a man who actually died childless, and not necessarily by accident.

I'm sure you see what I mean about too many possibilities and unknowns.

Now if you ask us about the Stuart line (Act of Settlement), just look up the Pretenders descending from James II.  I believe the "honor" has come to rest on a scion of the old Bavarian throne--Rupert, or is it Albrecht?

Answer 2

It's entirely possible to find out, I think.

You'll have to go into a library (a university library would be better) and trace the sons of William I. If you're going strictly by the old law of primogeniture (from recently, daughters are allowed to inherit if born before sons, I believe) then follow only the first born sons and their first borns. If the line dies out, go back to the first uncle of the last first born.

Books like Burke's Peerage might help, there are lots of ancestry books and Peerages. I'm guessing you want to find out who would be King today should William the Conqueror's line have held the throne?

It's probably going to be difficult, I'm not sure whether genealogists or historians have looked into it. There is a Royal Society of Genealogy, I believe. You could contact them.

Answer 3

It would all be a guess but I dont think it would be impossible.  You would have to know all the children and ancestors.