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History vocabulary · Empires, States and Rulers

Dynasty

Meaning in history, with examples

/ˈdɪnəsti/nounCore term

In history, dynasty means: A series of rulers who come from the same family and pass power from one generation to the next, or the period during which such a family rules.

In Turkish: hanedan, hanedanlık

How it is used

Dynasties are founded, come to power, rule and end or are overthrown. In Chinese history whole periods are named after them: the Ming dynasty (1368–1644). The adjective is dynastic: dynastic marriage, dynastic politics.

Example sentences

  1. The Habsburg dynasty ruled parts of Central Europe for more than six centuries.

  2. Dynastic marriages were a common way to secure alliances.

Common collocations

  • found a dynasty
  • the ruling dynasty
  • dynastic marriage
  • the end of the dynasty
  • reignThe period during which a king, queen, emperor or sultan rules; as a verb, to rule as a monarch.
  • successionThe process by which a new ruler takes the place of the previous one, and the rules or customs that decide who has the right to the throne.
  • monarchyA system of government in which a king, queen, emperor or other hereditary ruler is head of state, or a country governed in this way.
  • empireA large state or group of territories and peoples ruled by a single supreme authority, often an emperor or sultan, and usually built through conquest.

More terms: Empires, States and Rulers

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