In the latter case, there may be a further requirement implying division according to a scheme, such as equal shares for legitimate children.
Partible inheritance has been common in ancient Celtic and Germanic tribal societies, an example of the latter pattern is the so-called Salic patrimony.
Historically speaking, non-partible inheritance has been associated with monarchies and the wish for landed estates to be kept together as units.
In the Middle Ages, the partible inheritance systems, for example of the Merovingian dynasty, the Carolingian Empire, and the Kievan Rus, had the effect of dividing kingdoms into princely states, and are often thought to be responsible for their gradual decline in power.
The southern colonies adopted a system of male primogeniture in cases of intestacy, and the northern colonies adopted a system of partible inheritance in cases of intestacy, with the eldest son receiving a double portion of the estate.