Shared-origin myths license a kingdom to inherit imperial sovereignty

Evidence

It seems to me that, on the contrary, it is a discourse with a specific function. Its function 1s not so much to record the past or to speak of origins as to speak of right, to speak of power’s right. Basically, the story is a lesson in public right. — Michel Foucault, Society Must Be Defended, 132 (#corroborates, via linked claim)

To say that France is the heir to the empire is also to say that because France is Rome’s sister or cousin, France has the same rights as Rome itself. It is to say that France is not part of some universal monarchy which, after the empire, dreamed of reviving the Roman Empire. France is just as imperial as all the Roman Empire’s other descendants; it is just as imperial as the German Empire, and is in no sense subordinate to any Germanic Caesar. No bond of vassalage can legitimately make it part of the Hapsburg monarchy and therefore subordinate it to the great dreams of a universal monarchy that it was promoting at this time. — Michel Foucault, Society Must Be Defended, 133 (#expands, via linked claim)

Categorization

• XREF: connects to: The Semitic myth gains force when allied with state institutions; Colonial desires transformed tangible wealth into myths and mystical significance — Stuart Hall, Essential Essays, Volume 2: Identity…, 586; Sovereignty claims hinge on genealogical parity with rival empires — Michel Foucault, Society Must Be Defended, 133 (+5 more)

Related

• Sovereignty claims hinge on genealogical parity with rival empires (similarity 0.86)
• Origin myths function as political arguments about power, not historical records (similarity 0.82)
• Foundational myths reinterpret the past to justify future political claims. (similarity 0.79)

Broader Connections

• Origin myths function as political arguments about power, not historical records #corroborates (0.85) — Michel Foucault, Society Must Be Defended, 132
• Sovereignty claims hinge on genealogical parity with rival empires #expands (0.82) — Michel Foucault, Society Must Be Defended, 133
• Nation-state formation generates founding myths that legitimate ruling-class orders #expands (0.78)
• Unrelated peoples independently invent similar founding epics #qualifies (0.75) — , A Year of World Stories, 15261
• Shared enmity of a common ruler strongly binds groups together #corroborates (0.70) — Georg Simmel, on individuality and social forms_…, 333