Whether it was the War of the Spanish Succession or the later Tsar family, in the end, it all came down to the matter of "heirs."
As pure-blood aristocrats reached the later stages, their options grew fewer and fewer. The Black family had even resorted to marriage between close relatives.
Though the Malfoy family was hailed as one of the Sacred Twenty-Eight Families, plenty of Muggle blood had in fact mingled into their line.
During their fifth year, Harry and Hermione had exploited adults' concern for young wizards to attack Umbridge and the Ministry of Magic.
They had no idea how different the degree of "concern" shown by wizarding parents was from that of Muggle parents.
There had once been a witch who, like the farmer who found the Conqueror's Diamond, sold Salazar Slytherin's locket for an absurdly low price.
She had been pregnant at the time and desperately needed money. Her husband was wealthy and capable of supporting both her and their child, but that did not mean he had to do so.
No law required a wealthy person to be responsible, much less when old Riddle had only been with Merope because he was under the influence of Amortentia. Of course, he could choose to abandon his wife and child, and there were even people who understood him. There were plenty of women in this world who clung to rich men out of greed for material comforts.
A family's upbringing was very important. In Jakob Fugger's era, the clergy were hypocritical and the aristocracy corrupt. Comparatively speaking, letting the citizens decide who became King of Germany seemed fairer and more just.
Jakob Fugger's gold coins had not been used for "elections." By then, the Holy Roman Empire had fractured so badly that the prince-electors no longer cared who