In such cases, primary responsibility for promoting the family's prestige, aggrandizement, and fortune fell upon the senior branch for future generations. A cadet, having less means, was not expected to reproduce a family. If a cadet chose to raise a family, its members were expected to maintain the family's social status by avoiding derogation, but could pursue endeavors
that might be considered demeaning for the senior branch, such as immigration to another sovereign's realm,
or engagement in commerce, or a profession (such as law), academia, or civil service.
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