Death & Dynasties

Rulers are often related, with power passing from member to member, forming a dynasty. This occurs not just with royalty or dictators, but also with representatives in a democracy. Families frequently pass power or compete with other families for a turn at the top, much more than chance would suggest.

Dynasties seem so natural that you may have never deeply considered them. However, you must if you wish to grasp and hold power as long as possible. Even if you follow "The Rules for Rulers" we have discussed—swaying the keys to power, securing the treasure, and controlling the court—no man rules forever. Dictators with abundant resources and unchallenged power still die. Representatives must contend with death, both literal and political. Nonetheless, your keys to power value their treasure, keeping you in your position not for love of you in particular, but for the rewards you provide.

Dead rulers can't distribute treasure. Thus, as your grave approaches, your key supporters become nervous. Your impending death forces them to plan for your replacement, not just to maintain their treasure, but also because a dead ruler's sudden departure can lead to a scramble for power at best, and a bloodbath at worst, leaving many keys on the inside now on the outside after.

This is why, if you happen to be sick, you must keep it secret. If your keys even think you might die, they must start planning for the next ruler to avoid chaos. Whispers about your health are a destabilizing poison in the minds of your key supporters, nearly impossible to remove. To them, your replacement is inevitable anyway, so they might start planning sooner, just in case. After a rumor, the keys might seem to stay on your side in their actions, but you’re already dead in their minds. You've lost control and will lose your throne sooner than you like.

While you can't defend against the reaper or extract poison from your supporters' minds, there is a way to defend your power against rumors of your departure. Family is the answer. Dictatorships and democracies have so much family rule because the key supporters want it. As your term limit or deathbed approach, your family is ready to keep the machinery of power turning, raising the treasure, and keeping the keys calm and plot-free.

Warm-hearted rulers may want to give their family advantages, and being the ruler comes with many. However, the key supporters also want the ruler's family in power positions because the family that plots together rules together. Generational power transcends death and term limits. Your keys worry less about transitions of power, and you worry less about their plans for your replacement. While key supporters will never fully trust you and your family, they can calculate that sticking with your family during a transition gives them better odds of staying on the inside because they know you and your relatives.

Likewise, sticking with the keys during a transition gives you better odds of staying on the throne. This creates a virtuous cycle formed by calculations that are like trust, but better. The ruler gets to rule longer, the keys worry less, and everything is smooth because when the king is dead, long live the king.

Place family in high-ranking military, business, or political positions. Never mind their 'qualifications'; being family is the qualification. They must work with your key supporters, so they know where the money comes from and how it is distributed. Family relationships with the keys keep everyone calm, not just during the transition, but, more importantly, for your political longevity, preceding it. So even if you have no interest in a spouse and have no love for babies, nonetheless, acquire them.

Of course, the risk is that family members may overthrow you. Many cunning princes have stabbed their king in the back, once confident the keys won't mind. But nothing is certain. You can only play the odds, and a ruler without family is more vulnerable to rivals and rumors. Remember, your keys care about the security of their treasure in general, not you in particular. For them, a family of rulers is a safer investment. Possible regicide is the price you pay for the longer and more secure reign a family brings.

This is why families are so popular among rulers and their key supporters. Family is a tool for maintaining power, just like any other.