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So, as I was looking at my other thread (about who would be the king Bourbon King of France if basically all lines of the family except the descendants of Philip V of Spain died out), I realized how distant the line of succession would be. That made me think: what is the most distant succession that has occurred, and what is the most distant succession possible? I would prefer a succession as legitimate as possible. If there is a civil war and one claimant wins out, that counts. However, that's not what I'm looking for. Please refer only to states that show some continuity and still exist. I once saw a website where somebody claimed he should be Emperor due to his descent from the imperial family of China's Tang Dynasty (618-907), so that doesn't count, since the Tang are no more. It's a lot easier to calculate in monarchies where the succession is patrilineal, but if there are claims via a distant female relation, that works too.

Some historical contenders (a random grab-bag of successions, feel free to contribute):

Emperor Duzong of Song (r. 1264-1274), an 11th generation descendant of Emperor Taizu of Song (r. 960–976), for a 288 year gap. This is the most distant, in the sense of generations removed from a ruling ancestor.

King Henry IV of France (r. 1589-1610), a 10th generation descendant of Louis IX of France (r. 1226-1270) for a 319 year gap. This succession is the most distant I found, chronologically.

Emperor Shaowu of Southern Ming (r. 1646), a 9th generation descendant of Emperor Hongwu of Ming (r. 1368–1398). However, he might be considered a pretender. A gap of 248 years.

King/Emperor Kojong of Chosŏn (r. 1863-1907*), a 9th generation descendant of King Injo (r. 1623–1649) for a gap of 214 years. *Chosŏn became a protectorate in 1905 but the monarch kept his throne.

King Louis-Philippe I of France (r. 1830-1848), a 6th generation descendant of King Louis XIII of France (r. 1610-1643), a gap of 183 years.

Potentially, very distant successions:

Prince Kan'in Kotohito (l. 1865-1945), a 15th generation descendant of Emperor Sukō (r. 1348-1351), who is regarded by the Japanese imperial household as a pretender for obscure reasons that I won't touch on. In that case, Prince Yorihito's last legitimate imperial ancestor was Sukō's grandfather, Emperor Go-Fushimi (r. 1298–1301). Adopted as a possible successor to Emperor Meiji.

Louis Antoine, Duke of Enghien (l. 1772-1804), an 18th generation descendant of King Louis IX (r. 1226-1270). Possible successor to the French throne after the Orleanist line through the Conde line.

Louis François Joseph, Prince of Conti (1734-1814), a 16th generation descendant of King Louis IX (r. 1226-1270). Also a possible successor to the French throne, though I didn't look to see if the Conti line is senior to the Conde line.

What would be the most distant succession possible, and what would be the most distant succession historically? My suggestion would be the Japanese one. If Prince Yoshihito dies during childhood, and the Emperor Meiji has no other surviving sons, and the closer-related Arisugawa line dies out in 1911 and not 1913, then Prince Kotohito of the Fushimi line would take the throne. So let's say Emperor Meiji dies in 1912 as he did historically. That means when Kotohito takes the throne, it will have been 611 years since Kotohito's ancestors last reigned over all of Japan (Emperor Sukō ruled during a civil war over the Japanese throne).
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