The Pauline Laws are the house laws of the House of Romanov of the Russian Empire

Russian Empire

The Russian Empire was a state that existed from 1721 until the Russian Revolution of 1917. It was the successor to the Tsardom of Russia and the predecessor of the Soviet Union...

. The name comes from the fact that they were initially established by Emperor Paul I of Russia

Paul I of Russia

Paul I was the Emperor of Russia between 1796 and 1801. He also was the 72nd Prince and Grand Master of the Order of Malta .-Childhood:...

 in 1797.

Paul I established strict order of succession by proclaiming that the eldest son shall inherit the throne. By doing this, Paul insisted on semi-Salic

Salic law

Salic law was a body of traditional law codified for governing the Salian Franks in the early Middle Ages during the reign of King Clovis I in the 6th century...

 order of succession

Order of succession

An order of succession is a formula or algorithm that determines who inherits an office upon the death, resignation, or removal of its current occupant.-Monarchies and nobility:...

, in effect excluding women from the line of succession to the Russian Throne

Line of succession to the Russian Throne

The Monarchy of Russia was abolished in 1917 following the February Revolution, which forced Emperor Nicholas II to abdicate. The issue of who is the current Pretender is open to debate.-Line of succession in March 1917:...

. Passing of the throne to the female line was only allowed in the absence of legitimately-born male dynasts.

Over time the house laws were amended, and in late Russian Empire the Russian laws which governed membership in the imperial house, succession to the throne and other dynastic subjects were contained in the Fundamental Laws of the Russian Empire and the Statute of the Imperial Family (codification of 1906, as amended through 1911).