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# Law of Primogeniture

## Definition

A legal principle that mandates the undivided inheritance of landed estates to the eldest son, preventing division among siblings and maintaining the estate's integrity for purposes of power, protection, and political influence rather than merely subsistence.

## Source Chapter

Book III, Chapter 2

## Context

Smith examines how this feudal inheritance law emerged from the need for landed estates to maintain their defensive and political power during the disorderly centuries following the fall of Rome, contrasting it with the Roman practice of equal division among children and arguing that it now serves only to perpetuate family pride at the expense of economic efficiency.

## Economic Domain

Regulation

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