Legitimacy

In political science, legitimacy is the right and acceptance of an authority, usually a governing law or a regime. Whereas authority denotes a specific position in an established government, the term legitimacy denotes a system of government—wherein government denotes "sphere of influence".

Noun

legitimacy (countable and uncountable, plural legitimacies)

1. The quality or state of being legitimate or valid; validity.
2. Lawfulness of birth or origin; directness of descent as affecting the royal succession.