History Main / SuccessionCrisis

* In ''TabletopGame/{{Exalted}}'', part of the Scarlet Empress' policy of keeping anybody from accumulating the power to overthrow her was to make the line of succession as obscure and convoluted as possible. Her Dynasty consists of twelve extended families, and she herself continuously delayed officially announcing a successor, ultimately stating that she would do so on the 1000th anniversary of her reign. This lack of clear succession is one of the reasons why, in the wake of her mysterious and unexpected disappearance, the Realm is on the verge of collapse.

** When King Alvis of Keldagrim died 500 eyars ago, he left no heirs to succeed him. [[MegaCorp The Consortium]] quickly took power after his death, having become more powerful than the monarchy in the few years since its creation, and has continued to rule the city in the present. After Hreidmar, director of the Red Axe company, manipulates events to stir public opinion, the populace calls for the Consortium to stand down and [[RightfulKingReturns restore the monarchy]]. The player pre-emptively unseals the records chamber to work out why Hreidmar wants to reinstate the monarchy, until they and their companions learn the horrible truth that Hreidmar is secretly a descendant of Alvis, and therefore, the rightful King of Keldagrim. As [[ScrewTheRulesImDoingWhatsRight Veldaban]] rightfully points out, [[ObviouslyEvil Hreidmar]] ''cannot'' be allowed to become king, having already proved through [[TheUnfettered the methods he's willing to use]] that [[TheCaligula he would make a poor ruler]]. Meike of the Keldagrim Monarchist Society agrees with him, and alters the records so that instead of Hreidmar, Alvis' bloodline traces to Veldaban, who orders Hreidmar's arrest after the Consortium declares him to be their new king, [[KnowWhenToFoldEm forcing Hreidmar to flee the city]]. While he's not happy about being forced to become king, [[LesserofTwoEvils Veldaban is at least satisfied that Hreidmar won't seize the throne]].

* ''VideoGame/RuneScape'': After [[spoiler:[[GodOfChaos Zamorak]]'s [[HellOnEarth demonic invasion]]]] fails and [[spoiler:the [[BanishingRitual Edicts of Guthix]] are re-established, [[HaveYouSeenMyGod banishing all the gods from Gielinor]] once more]], the Zamorakians engage in [[EnemyCivilWar a vicious civil war]] across the Wilderness in order to determine who will lead them, since [[spoiler:Zamorak]], overconfident in his victory as he was, did not bother to appoint a successor. [[BigRedDevil K'ril Tsutsaroth]] leads the demons, witches and cultists, while [[TheDragon Bilrach]] leads the Zamorakian Mahjarrat and his forces in Daemonheim. The civil war seems to end in Bilrach's victory after his faction turns things around and he manages to banish K'ril back to Infernus, only for [[spoiler:[[DragonWithAnAgenda Moia]]]], who has secretly co-opted key elements in both factions while [[BatmanGambit biding her time]], to [[KlingonPromotion challenge him for his position and defeat him in single combat]] after Bilrach's latest scheme for power blows up in his face ([[LiteralMetaphor literally]], thanks to the player and Adrasteia sabotaging his plan unnoticed).

* ''VideoGame/EldenRing'' has [[TheGreatOffscreenWar the Shattering]], a massive war triggered when the [[CosmicKeystone Elden Ring]] was shattered and Queen Marika mysteriously dissapeared. Each of Marika's demigod children who claimed a shard of the Elden Ring promptly laid a claim to the throne of the Lands Between, sparking a bloody conflict in which no one really won anything. [[ForeverWar The Shattering never really]] ''[[ForeverWar ended]]'', as by the time the game starts it's been an unknown but implied to be really long time since the start of the conflict, and the Lands Between are still a ruined mess filled with corpses, broken down siege weapons and more -- it's just that all factions are too broken down and their soldiers gone completely insane for anyone to actually continue fighting. Giving a proper end to the succession crisis by laying ''your'' claim to the throne and taking it by force to restore the Elden Ring is the main plot of the game.

* In ''VideoGame/TalesOfGraces'', Aston Lhant sends his son Hubert off to another country to be raised by the military-based Oswell family. Aston does so [[DaddyHadAGoodReasonForAbandoningYou in order to avoid a messy succession crisis between Hubert and his older brother, Asbel]]. It's ultimately deconstructed when Hubert returns to Lhant years down the road. [[spoiler:Not only did Aston's attempts to avoid a succession crisis only delay the inevitable, they actually made it far worse than if he'd done nothing. Hubert now has [[TookALevelInBadass taken multiple levels in badass]] [[TookALevelInJerkass and in jerkass]], [[CurbStompBattle promptly curb-stomping Asbel]] and exiling him from Lhant, then telling off their mother when she tries to intervene.]]
* ''VideoGame/TalesOfVesperia'' has a succession crisis going on in the background, involving one of the main characters, Estelle. It is resolved rather abruptly when [[spoiler:Alexei's insurrection and the Adephagos crisis catapult Ioder into the role of acting Emperor. His performance nets him the support of both the Council and the Knights, making him as-good-as-permanent Emperor. Estelle seems rather relieved at this turn of events, as it allows her to continue her travels and pursue her dreams of being a writer]].
* A succession crisis is what sets several major events of the video game ''VideoGame/ValkyrieProfileCovenantOfThePlume'' into motion. Depending on the path that the player picks, it also plays out differently, and you play a part in deciding who comes out on top: [[spoiler:or so it looks. Kristoff and Langrey are guaranteed to either die or get imprisoned, and the only thing that changes is whether the realm is so badly fractured that Joshua is unable to keep it from collapsing after he takes the throne]].
* A Succession Crisis in fact appears in ''VideoGame/TacticsOgre'', but this actually does not come into play as a key event until later, as the ethnic cleansing and liberation of Walstania are more important in the early parts of the game. It is resolved by the end of the game, [[spoiler:either by talking Kachua, the rightful heir as the former king's biological daughter, out of committing suicide in front of Denim, or by allowing her to do that and making her adoptive brother, the ''next'' closest thing, the heir, giving him the custom class of "Lord"]].
* The events of ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyTactics'' are set forth by a Succession Crisis, and unlike another game made by some of the same people, ''Tactics Ogre: Let us Cling Together'', this takes central stage early on, but later the plot about [[CorruptChurch corruption in the Church]] becomes more important, and the War of the Lions is relegated to the background. [[spoiler:In fact, the succession crisis was ultimately instigated and extended ''by'' the church, in an attempt to reclaim their moral authority and position of power that was usurped by the strong monarchy.]] Both claimants are mostly uninterested in the throne (Princess Ovelia can't actually rule even if she does take the throne, as her eventual husband would become king, so she's a pawn with no power but to give power to someone ''else'', and the male heir is a ''baby''), but the factions pushing their claims, Duke Larg and Duke Goltana, are trying to seize power through regency and turn to war. [[spoiler: Ramza stops the war temporarily by flooding a major battlefield to force both sides to withdraw, and by the time the factions are ready to resume, Larg and Goltana have both been killed by the Lucavi demons running things, bringing the war to an end as their forces become too disorganized to continue.]]

* In ''VideoGame/TheWitcher2AssassinsOfKings'', the king isn't even dead. That doesn't stop anyone from waging wars over the king's illegitimate sons to have a better position once he's dead. The king doesn't like that a bit. [[spoiler:Then he dies and things go ''really'' to hell.]]
* ''VideoGame/WorldOfWarcraft'':
** A succession crisis in the dwarven backstory, called the War of the Three Hammers, ended up splitting the dwarves of Ironforge into the Bronzebeard, Wildhammer, and Dark Iron clans. Technically, the clans already existed, but the succession crisis and the brutal war drove the Wildhammers and the Dark Irons out of Ironforge, resulting in them forming completely separate kingdoms.
** Even though King Magni Bronzebeard of Ironforge and of Khaz Modan is still alive at the game's beginning, fears of a future crisis result from the discovery that his daughter Moira is pregnant by Emperor Dagran Thaurissan of the Dark Iron Dwarves, following his kidnapping her and allegedly putting her under his spell, though Moira claims that there never was a spell, nor even a kidnapping. Even if the bastard heir is accepted by the king, the rest of the Ironforge dwarves might rebel in sheer horror and disgust at the thought of a half-Dark Iron being their king.
** This crisis comes to pass in the ''Franchise/{{Warcraft|ExpandedUniverse}}'' novel, ''Literature/TheShatteringPreludeToCataclysm'', which details the events leading up to the ''Cataclysm'' expansion. During the story, King Magni turned to crystal in a ritual to protect his people from the Cataclysm, paving the way for Moira to seize power. The crisis was eventually [[SubvertedTrope defused]] after the Council of Three Hammers consisting of Moira, Muradin Bronzebeard, and Falstad Wildhammer was formed as a power-sharing measure.
** In one of the comics leading up to ''Legion'', Magni wakes up from his crystal slumber. There are immediate fears that Magni will once again assume the throne, undoing the unity the Council of Three Hammers has achieved, potentially re-igniting the old conflicts and putting everything right back where it started. Fortunately for that, Magni has other issues to contend with, as he [[spoiler:becomes the Speaker for Azeroth itself]].
** The Shaman Campaign in ''Legion'' forces the shamans of the Earthen Ring to resolve two separate succession crises in Skywall and the Firelands, the elemental realms of wind and fire. Both have been leaderless since their prior rulers, Al Akir and Ragnaros, were destroyed in ''Cataclysm'', and two factions in each realm are warring for final control. The shamans, wishing to unite all four elemental lords to fight the Burning Legion, take the side of the less hostile candidates for leadership against the ones that would ignore or kill them out of hand.
* Features twice in ''VideoGame/BlazeUnion''. In the B route, it's revealed that this was one of the reasons that [[spoiler:Luciana and Aegina were ordered assassinated; Alanjame didn't want to deal with a Succession Crisis-inspired civil war while he was trying to take over the country]], and in the C route, the fact that Soltier doesn't have an heir and Bronquia would almost certainly destroy itself over picking a new Emperor is why Gram Blaze has no choice but to make sure he stays alive.

* Averted, mostly, with the ''VideoGame/KingsQuest'' universe. ''VideoGame/KingsQuestIQuestForTheCrown'' is centered around an attempt to avert a succession crisis. By completing the quest given to him, Sir Graham is proven worthy of being the childless King Edward's heir, preventing Daventry from falling into chaos when said king dies mere moments after the quest is complete. Recovering the three treasures was more of a way for him to know the kingdom was in good hands and a final test for his best knight. The FanSequel took it a step further by creating a legendary first king who handed the throne to his trusted knight when he died in battle without heirs. The king's brother was ''very'' displeased at being passed over and founded the Black Cloak Society. In the Air Gem's final test in the fan sequel, Graham can choose whether or not to make the protagonist of ''VideoGame/KingsQuestMaskOfEternity'' heir to the throne.
* ''VideoGame/DisgaeaHourOfDarkness'' starts with the Netherworld in the midst of one of these. The rightful heir, [[Characters/DisgaeaHourOfDarkness Prince Laharl]], had been sleeping for several years after his father's death, leading most of the Netherworld to forget about him. The first couple chapters involve him dealing with the numerous contenders looking to be the next Overlord. ''VideoGame/DisgaeaDimension2'' shows that several years later, this still hasn't blown over, with the sudden appearance by an angel claiming to be Laharl's long-lost sister and rightful inheritor of the throne, and a large faction of demons refuses to accept Laharl's position and have their own heir to the Overlord title they wish to place on the throne.

* Prior to the events of ''VideoGame/SuikodenV'', there was the Falenan Succession Conflict. After the death of their mother, Princess Falzrahm fought her elder sister Crown Princess Shahrewar for the throne. Rather than a flat-out civil war, both sides took advantage of the royal cabal of assassins known as Nether Gate to kill off supporters on both sides. Eventually, Shahrewar withdrew her claim, only to be promptly assassinated by Falzrahm to ''ensure'' the conflict wouldn't continue. Ironically, Falzrahm only ruled for two years before passing away. Having grown up in this poisonous environment, their daughters decided to nip any potential problems in the bud: Arshtat took the throne, while her sister Sialeeds and cousin Haswar agreed to never marry or have children.
** Unfortunately, this didn't quite work out as planned. Although the next queen (Lymsleia, the protagonist's younger sister) was never in doubt, a crisis occurred with regard to who would marry her and become royal consort and head of the country's military. This is traditionally decided through a tournament of champions, but since House Godwin won it through drugging or discrediting all potential threats to their champion, a lot of people were upset with this choice. The Godwins then tried to solidify their rule by assassinating the current Queen and Commander right away, when Lymsleia is still too young to rule on her own. The prince (the protagonist) was able to survive this assassination attempt, and much of the country begins to look to him as preferential to Gizel Godwin as leader of the Queendom (including the father of another contender for Lymsleia's hand, with whom the Prince takes refuge). And thus the stage is set for the civil war that comprises the majority of the game.
* Some of the ''VideoGame/TotalWar'' games allow this to happen if your faction leader buys the farm in certain circumstances — usually when the leader dies without any male heirs, but it can also happen when the heir presumptive is unpopular enough that one of his royal siblings rebels in an effort to take succession. The manual for ''VideoGame/MedievalTotalWar'' (which allowed you to choose which side to support) actually suggested engineering one of these to dispose of a weak family line, and a savvy player who sees one coming can pick his best general, give him the biggest army, and then marry him to a princess. If you're going to have a succession crisis, it's best to make sure it's a ''quick'' one.
** The ''Stainless Steel'' mod for ''VideoGame/MedievalIITotalWar'' takes this further, with rulers that can get traits like "Offends the Nobility" and distinguishes between bastard children, appointed regents in case of no blood heir, and actual blood heirs. Unpopular kings or unpopular heirs can cause civil wars in that mod.
** This is the premise of ''VideoGame/TotalWarPharaoh'', based on the possible civil war between [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Merneptah Merneptah's]] sons Seti II and Amenmesse amid the Late Bronze Age Collapse. The Hittites are also in the middle of their own succession crisis.

* One of the main plots of ''[[VideoGame/{{Ravenmark}} Ravenmark: The Scourge of Estellion]]'' is the aftermath of the death of the beloved Emperor Sergius Corvius, the ruler of the [[TheEmpire Empire of Estellion]]. The late Emperor has two children, not to mention other numerous members of House Corvius. Sergius's eldest daughter Adrise, the so-called [[MustHaveNicotine Chimney Queen]], has no interest in the throne, content with her role as the Queen (basically, a department head) of the Court of Industry. Adrise's brother Gratian, though, wants to take the throne for himself. While there doesn't appear to be a problem with there being only one claimant, Sergius's PraetorianGuard called the Reiht claim that Sergius had been grooming another as his true successor, someone worthy of the Obsidian Perch (the Imperial throne) much more than his power-hungry son. Cue the Reiht and the other heir being hunted by the Invocati, troops loyal to Gratian. It doesn't help that the Empire is also being invaded by a vast army from beyond the impassable Cardani Swamps, using the disorganized state of Estellion to their advantage. In fact, [[spoiler:the invaders are working with one of the royal advisors]].
** It's worth noting that the neighboring Commonwealth of Esotre has a king but can never succumb to this trope because it's an elected post and a largely ceremonial one at that. The King's Hand (also elected) handles most of the day-to-day activities.
* One of the scenarios in the Russian campaign in ''VideoGame/EmpireEarth'' is the result of the dying Grigor Stoyanovich making a choice about his successor. He chooses his mech bodyguard Grigor II. In this case, the crisis happens before Grigor is even dead, as many of his supporters turn against him, appalled by his choice. After brutally putting down the coup, Grigor succumbs to his heart condition, leaving the (even more ruthless) mech in charge.

* The plot of ''VideoGame/{{Dominions}}'' is a war over who gets to be the next TopGod after the old Pantokrator left.
* The plot of the strategy video game series ''Lords of the realm'' (e.g. ''VideoGame/LordsOfTheRealm2'') is entirely based on this trope: after the king's death, you must defeat other claimants while they try to do the same thing with you.
* Meta-example: In a prior version of ''VideoGame/DwarfFortress'', if particularly LongLived monarchs of particularly [[ParentalIncest inbred families]] died, it was possible for the succession to [[MyOwnGrandpa enter an endless loop]], thus causing a game world to [[GameBreakingBug crash irreparably]].
* The series ''VideoGame/AffairsOfTheCourt'' has the PlayerCharacter arriving in court ''just'' as the kingdom is going through this — the King/Queen is growing testy with their spouse for their inability to produce a legitimate heir. Naturally, [[ManipulativeBastard you can use this]] to slander them and cozy up to the monarch.

* An unusual one in ''VideoGame/FireEmblemWarriors'', as the problem is that neither heir ''wants'' the throne: Lianna thinks she doesn't have the self-confidence to be an effective ruler, and Rowan thinks being a ruler will weaken him [[spoiler:after seeing his father literally die from the stress of ruling]]. The crisis is put on the back burner once the plot kicks off, and after a bunch of character growth on both Rowan and Lianna's parts, the crisis is resolved: [[spoiler:they're ''both'' crowned as [[BrotherSisterTeam co-rulers]] of Aytolis]].
* In ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXIV'', the Garlean emperor Solus zos Galvus dies without naming a successor, leading to an offscreen civil war where his grandson Varis emerges victorious over the other claimants and assumes the throne. [[spoiler:Varis is then murdered at the end of ''Shadowbringers'' by his son Zenos, who has no interest in ruling the Empire and walks away from the throne, leading to ''another'' civil war. By the time the Warrior of Light and the united Grand Company of Eorzea march towards Garlemald in ''Endwalker'', the resulting war, thanks to Fandaniel's manipulations, has left the empire an empty shell of itself. Due to Zenos's part in bringing about Garlemald's downfall as part of his scheme to fight the Warrior of Light once more, Zenos was officially declared a traitor and given the middle name of "viator", which brands him as an enemy of the now leaderless empire.]]
* ''VideoGame/TheHeroicLegendOfEagarlnia'' kicks off with the noble House of Craft within the Eslotian Empire orchestrating a battle with the Kingdom of Nubidia that leads to the current Emperor's death, followed by backing the second-born heir that's resentful towards his elder sister and is willing to wage war over the throne, all so the Craft family can gain political power. And once the civil war starts, every other faction in Eagarlnia realizes that now is the best chance to go to war and gain control over the entire continent, Empire included.
* The murder of Chairman Sera in ''VideoGame/{{Yakuza 1}}'' sparks a civil war between the Tojo Clan Patriarchs, with [[TheHero Kazuma Kiryu]] battling against the forces of [[TheBrute Futoshi Shimano]] and [[EvilFormerFriend Akira Nishikiyama]] to ensure a peaceful transition happens. [[spoiler: Kiryu ultimately emerges victorious and becomes the Fourth Chairman, but chooses to AbdicateTheThrone in favor of Yukio Terada.]]
** In ''VideoGame/Yakuza3'', the Sixth Chairman of the Tojo Clan, Daigo Dojima, is shot and rendered comatose. As he's not expected to recover, a struggle breaks out between numerous Patriarchs, including Mine and Hamazaki. [[spoiler: Nobody wins, as Daigo wakes up.]]

* {{Invoked| Trope}} by the wizard in ''WesternAnimation/TheCareBearsAdventureInWonderland'', who kidnapped the Princess of Heart just as she was about to be crowned queen, meaning he would take over.

* The backstory of ''Webcomic/GirlGenius'' had most of Europa united under the rule of Andronicus Valois, the Storm King, who disappeared shortly after his [[AltarDiplomacy political marriage to the sister of his nemesis, Bludtharst Heterodyne]]. Between that timing and [[ReallyGetsAround his proclivities before marriage]], he left behind no legitimate heirs and far too many illegitimate ones. Two hundred years later, the nobility are ''still'' at war with each other about who the rightful heir to the Lightning Throne is, with Tarvek and Martellus being two of the most notorious contenders.

** When the [=DiMeo=] crime family's acting boss Jackie Aprile dies from cancer, the resulting power vacuum leads to a major struggle between the protagonist Tony Soprano and his uncle Corrado "Junior" Soprano (both high-ranking ''caporegimes''), which lasts most of the first season. Tony initially agrees to recognize Junior as boss [[PuppetKing while secretly running the family behind his back]], but he finally sees an opportunity to seize control when [[spoiler:Junior is nailed by the FBI and put under house arrest]].
** The rival Lupertazzi family of New York has their own succession crisis in Seasons 4 and 5 after their long-time boss Carmine Lupertazzi dies of a heart attack, leading to a brief power struggle between Carmine's underboss John Sacrimoni ("Johnny Sack") and his son Carmine Lupertazzi Jr. The power struggle ends after Carmine Jr. (who isn't terribly interested in mob life) agrees to let Johnny succeed his father, but things become a bit more complicated after [[spoiler:Johnny is subsequently arrested--allowing the truly ruthless Phil Leotardo to take over]].

* The backstory of ''Webcomic/GirlGenius'' had most of Europa united under the rule of Andronicus Valois, the Storm King, who disappeared shortly after his [[AltarDiplomacy political marriage to the sister of his nemesis, Bludtharst Heterodyne]]. Between that timing and [[ReallyGetsAround his proclivities before marriage]], he left behind no legitimate heirs and far too many illegitimate ones. Two hundred years later, the nobility are ''still'' at war with each other about who the rightful heir to the Lightning Throne is.

* In ''Literature/TheHeroicLegendOfArslan'', there is Arslan who is making his move to free Pars from Lusitania and [[spoiler:Silvermask/Prince Hermes, Andragonas' nephew]] who also wants to undermine Lusitania from within. Parsian officers in exile recognize that because there are two contenders for the throne, liberating Pars will not bring peace to the country.

* ''VideoGame/EldenRing'' has [[TheGreatOffscreenWar the Shattering]], a massive war triggered when the [[CosmicKeystone Elden Ring]] was shattered and Queen Marika mysteriously dissapeared. Each of Marika's demigod children who claimed a shard of the Elden Ring promptly laid a claim to the throne of the Lands Between, sparking a bloody conflict in which no-one really won anything. [[ForeverWar The Shattering never really ''ended'']], as by the time the game starts it's been an unknown but implied really long time before the start of the conflict, and the Lands Between are still a ruined mess filled with corpses, broken down siege weapons and more - it's just that all factions are too broken down and their soldiers gone completely insane for anyone to actually continue fighting. Giving a proper end to the succession crisis by laying ''your'' claim to the throne and taking it by force to restore the Elden Ring is the main plot of the game.

* ''Manga/JujutsuKaisen'': Upon Naobito Zen'in's death during the Shibuya Incident, a special clause in his will leaves [[WhiteSheep Megumi]] as head of the clan instead of Naobito's son [[TheAce Naoya]]. Even though several members of the clan really would rather have Megumi lead them (since given the circumstances he is a better choice from a political point of view due to having better personal relations with the Gojo and Kamo clans), [[ItsAllAboutMe Naoya]] immediately begins plotting to have Megumi killed. [[spoiler:This ends up biting him in the ass when Maki and Mai become collateral damage in his latest scheme: [[KnightTemplarBigSister Mai's death pisses off Maki enough]] that she goes on to [[LeaveNoSurvivors wipe out the entire clan]].]]

* ''Manga/JujutsuKaisen'': Upon Naobito Zen'in's death during the Shibuya Incident, a special clause in his will leaves [[WhiteSheep Megumi]] as head of the clan instead of Naobito's son [[TheAce Naoya]]. Even though several members of the clan really would rather have Megumi lead them (since given the circumstances he is a better choice from a political point of view due to having better personal relations with the Gojo and Kamo clans), [[ItsAllAboutMe Naoya]] immediately begins plotting to have Megumi killed. [[spoiler:This ends up biting him in the ass when Maki and Mai become collateral damage in his latest scheme: [[KnightTemplarBigSister Mai's death pisses off Maki enough]] that she decides to [[LeaveNoSurvivors wipe out the entire clan]].]]

** Subverted. The Baratheons ''think'' they're in the middle of one after they find out about Jon Targaryen, with Stannis in the Black Cells and Shireen missing, leaving Renly as Robert's only viable heir. In ''reality'', they're an AuthorityInNameOnly -- all the kingdoms except Dorne and the Stormlands have sworn fealty to Jon, and Dorne is stuck in a CivilWar right now, leaving their involvement limited to nonexistent (they wouldn't side with either of the claimants anyway). The only other two Targaryen heirs, Daenerys and Viserys, are fully supportive of Jon's claim, with the former possibly even marrying him down the line if things work out. Put this all together, and anyone with a brain can see that Jon's practically king already, and that the Baratheons are the only ones yet to realize this.

* One of the Fanfic/QueensOfMewniSpinoffs, [[https://www.deviantart.com/tsukinekoi/gallery/66853413/ Mewni's New Generation]], had its own share of crises:
** Despite Solina being the elder child, the fact that she was born out of wedlock stigmatized her, and Mewnians favored her half-sister Helena, born in wedlock, for the throne. Eventually, Helena accepted their reasoning and attacked Solina before she could get the wand, causing a civil war that she won. (History would not be too kind to her, though, as despite calling herself the Rightful Sun, she would go down in history as decreed by her own daughter, no less-as the Usurper.

* In ''Fanfic/ThereAndBackAgain'':
** In Chapter 8, Jon Arryn learns that [[spoiler:his "son" Robin Arryn is {{not actually his child}} but his wife Lysa's bastard son from her affair with Littlefinger]], throwing the succession for the Vale and the East overall into question. They eventually try things again and following a five-year TimeSkip, have a healthy four-year-old daughter and another child on the way. However, this doesn't solve the crisis ''either'' as [[spoiler:Jon's great-nephew Harry Hardyng]] is staking out his own claim on Lordship of the Vale, believing Jon has gone soft in his old age.
** Thanks to [[spoiler:Littlefinger]] leaving an anonymous tip, Robert Baratheon learns of the canonical incestuous relationship between his wife Cersei and her brother Jaime and thus, the true parentage of Joffrey, Myrcella, and Tommen. Legitimizing one of his bastards would have its own set of problems and knowing he has to remarry and sire a legitimate successor (as the throne will pass over to either of his brothers and their children if he has no other named heirs), Robert tries to solve this problem... by betrothing himself to [[OldManMarryingAChild the thirteen-year-old Sansa Stark]]. This action winds up forcing Ned to [[InternalReveal reveal Jon's true parentage]] to the rest of the North and begin openly plotting to overthrow Robert and reclaim the Iron Throne in Jon's name.

** While Rhaenyra's position heir is much more secure than it was in the previous timeline, there are still plenty of detractors who would prefer to have Aegon on the throne. Luckily, with Alicent having no desire to enthrone her son and Aegon himself having a very close relationship with Rhaenyra, the danger of that particular threat has decreased significantly. To help shore up support, Rhaenyra has Jaecerys and Helaena betrothed to make the Hightowers less likely to rebel.

* This trope triggers the plot of ''{{Anime/Voltes V}}''. [[spoiler: After the Emperor dies and it's time to choose a heir to the throne, the son of the Emperor's little brother, Gohl is chosen over the child of the Emperor and his concubine, Zambajil. Zambajil takes advantage of the FantasticCasteSystem in Boazania and exposes his cousin as hornless, thus condemning him into slavery. Gohl uses his knowledge of science and technology to help slave rebellions across the Empire, his spirit inspiring many to join him. However, he is eventually forced to flee Boazania as it's too dangerous for him, and settles on Earth where he has Kenichi, Daijiro and Hiyoshi with Mitsuyo. Zambajil eventually calls Gohl back to Boazania, saying that ever since he left, the technology of Boazania has weakened, and he will award Gohl with the status he had before he was exposed if he agrees to collaborate with him. Gohl rejects this and is subsequently enslaved. Spending years believing their father was dead, Kenichi, Daijiro and Hiyoshi are shocked to discover there's a chance he's alive, and strive to save him and liberate Boazania.]]

* In Creator/MarvelComics' ''ComicBook/PowerPack'', this was the default for the alien Snark empire every time an Emperor died, with all-out war of the whole society. It was so bad, the guy proposing government by {{gladiator|Games}}ial [[CombatByChampion combat]] was a heroic reformer.

* Many legends of the TropeNamer the ManInTheIronMask have him with a twin brother imprisoned to prevent this. The problem was complicated by a popular belief that in case of twins, the firstborn was the younger, and the second the older — the birth order showed the order they were conceived in. Either one, therefore, could be described as the rightful heir.

* This trope triggers the plot of {{Anime/Voltes V}}. [[spoiler: After the Emperor dies and it's time to choose a heir to the throne, [[spoiler: the son of the Emperor's little brother, Gohl is chosen over the child of the Emperor and his concubine, Zambajil. Zambajil takes advantage of the FantasticCasteSystem in Boazania and exposes his cousin as hornless, thus condemning him into slavery. Gohl uses his knowledge of science and technology to help slave rebellions across the Empire, his spirit inspiring many to join him. However, he is eventually forced to flee Boazania as it's too dangerous for him, and settles on Earth where he has Kenichi, Daijiro and Hiyoshi with Mitsuyo. Zambajil eventually calls Gohl back to Boazania, saying that ever since he left, the technology of Boazania has weakened, and he will award Gohl with the status he had before he was exposed if he agrees to collaborate with him. Gohl rejects this and is subsequently enslaved. Spending years believing their father was dead, Kenichi, Daijiro and Hiyoshi are shocked to discover there's a chance he's alive, and strive to save him and liberate Boazania.]]

* Interestingly enough, the events of ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyTactics'' are set forth by a Succession Crisis, and unlike another game made by some of the same people, ''Tactics Ogre: Let us Cling Together'', this takes central stage early on, but later the plot about [[CorruptChurch corruption in the Church]] becomes more important, and the War of the Lions is relegated to the background. [[spoiler:In fact, the succession crisis was ultimately instigated and extended ''by'' the church, in an attempt to reclaim their moral authority and position of power that was usurped by the strong monarchy.]] Both claimants are mostly uninterested in the throne (Princess Ovelia can't actually rule even if she does take the throne, as her eventual husband would become king, so she's a pawn with no power but to give power to someone ''else'', and the male heir is a ''baby''), but the factions pushing their claims, Duke Larg and Duke Goltana, are trying to seize power through regency and turn to war. [[spoiler: Ramza stops the war temporarily by flooding a major battlefield to force both sides to withdraw, and by the time the factions are ready to resume, Larg and Goltana have both been killed by the Lucavi demons running things, bringing the war to an end as their forces become too disorganized to continue.]]