Dynasty | Britannica (original) (raw)

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External Websites

• Oxford University Research Archive - What’s in a Word? The Etymology and Historiography of Dynasty: Renaissance Europe and Beyond
• UShistory.org - Dynasties
• University of Warwick - Dynasties: A Global History of Power, 1300-1800 (PDF)
• St Andrews Research Repository - The Modern Invention of ‘Dynasty’: An Introduction

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The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Last Updated: Feb 11, 2025• Article History

Related Topics:

monarchy

aristocracy

list of dynasties of ancient Egypt

monocracy

dynasty, a family or line of rulers, a succession of sovereigns of a country belonging to a single family or tracing their descent to a common ancestor (Greek dynadeia, "sovereignty").

The term is particularly used in the history of ancient Egypt as a convenient means of arranging the chronology.

This article was most recently revised and updated by Michael Ray.