Death & Dynasties

-I love you son! -As an instrument of political power? -Yes, as an instrument for political power -I love you too dad! -For my inheritance? -Yes, for your inheritance

Who will take over this channel then ? CGP Junior ?

"No man rules forever" Queen Elizabet: Exactly

North Korea: writes down notes profusely

I've played enough Crusader Kings to know how this works

This video is a walkthrough of how to play Crusader Kings 2

"Don't you think she looks tired?" LOL Loved that scene.

Now I understand why so many kings in history got in the blink of insanity with the prospect of not being able to have a son

Oh no! I wish I watched this earlier!

What is this, two videos from Grey within a single month? Universe time continuum is broken

"This is like trust, but better" - relationship advice by CGP Grey

Never noticed, but 4:02 the kid's Resumé changes from "Born Yesterday" to "Pokémaster". He has been trained well.

Counterpoint: While an heir-apparent is important, it doesn't have to be a relative. Appointing a key who has been a particularly effective subordinate as your heir can become a major reward to give out, thus convincing your keys to vie for your favor in the hopes that they will one day be the ruler. Rome had great success with this with the "Five Good Emperors": Nerva, Trajan, Hadrian, Antoninus, Marcus Aurelius. Each one starting with Nerva adopted their heir and made him their right-hand man (showering them with an appropriate amount of rewards to keep them loyal). The basic deal was "I'll train you to be an even more effective ruler if you wait until my natural death to take over". And that worked. Obviously, the risk of an adopted/appointed heir is that they'll be motivated to get rid of you just like your crown prince if the rewards you give them aren't enough. But the stability advantage gained by having a designated heir is not limited to genetics.

"No man rules forever" takes off helmet "I am no man"

"if have no love for babies none the less aquire them" I feel like grey is telling me to kidnap children

"Now the old king is dead, long live the king One minute I held the key..."

1:34 "This is why if you happen to be sick, keep it secret" Reminds me of Franklin Roosevelt

2 videos with in 2 weeks ...what is this magic..

Or as Elizabeth I quipped when refusing to name her successor, "More men worship the rising than the setting sun." She knew what she was about.

I been searching for years - YEARS - for the video to finally explain to me why monarchies are determined through bloodline rather than merit! Like, it legit makes so much sense now! I couldn't fathom why so many cultures only cared about the ruler's bloodline rather than someone's wisdom in leadership. But now, finally I have a better understanding and visual grasp of all the motivating factors!