Lineage is called the succession line of predecessors and family successors of an individual, in this structure the so - called paternal-filial line must be taken into account, who is in charge of uniting each member of it with their parents, this line is denominated as varony, because it is only made up of individuals of the male gender. A term that is closely related to this is the surname, however they should not be confused one with the other, since the fact that a person has a certain surname does not mean that they have a specific lineage, since it can only be known through genetic studies.
In the European continent, the lineage was seen as something important, since the inheritance of titles, rights, properties, among other benefits depended on it, especially in those regions where the first-born of the family was the one who inherited the goods and others. rights. Etymologically speaking the term derives from the original Provençal dialect word "linhatge".
As time passes through history, the human being has been in charge of creating a series of ranks and differences between people, which were in charge of establishing a kind of hierarchy and rights, based on the kinship of the lineage. Although of course, each person has a paternal-filial line, in ancient times only those individuals with noble ancestry were given importance, that is, those who belonged to a powerful and wealthy family branch, in addition to that, they were these people who commonly opted for political positions of great relevance. That is why the lineage of each person, especially those who had a lust for power, took on a special importance, since that assured them an important position within the political sphere, in addition to ensuring their position for a long time and also their heirs.
A term that is related to the lineage is genealogy and which can tend to be confused, for this reason it is necessary to establish the differences between one and another, genealogy is a science that is dedicated to studying descent, ancestry, Among other social aspects, however, the lineage applies to studies related only to the paternal-filial line of a person.