To what extent were issues of succession the main cause of conflict in two early modern states? 

Candidates will consider the merits or otherwise of the proposition that issues of succession were the main cause of conflict in two early modern states. While the focus of the response must be within the timeframe of this topic, the periods of study of the two chosen states do not need to have existed at the same time. The states may or may not come from the same region. Candidates may follow either a comparative approach or discuss the two states separately. Candidates may focus on whether succession conflicts, sometimes resulting from the accession of minors and the role of regents, were the most significant rivalries, or if these issues involved or concealed other causes such as religious conflict. Candidates may consider other causes of conflict, such as rivalries between elites, interference of foreign powers or economic factors.