The Seshu-Shinno-ke often contributed to maintaining an unbroken Imperial lineage by providing a successor to the Imperial Throne when a male heir was not present in the direct line of the reigning Emperor.
世襲親王家はしばしば当今の天皇の直系に男子が不在の際に皇位継承資格者を輩出し、万世一系とされる皇統の維持に寄与してきた。