All 4 Uses

predecessor
in
Queen of Attolia
(Auto-generated)

I think it was an Eddisian who intended to be taken as an Attolian and that he gave that apprentice gold to betray my predecessor for the purpose of misdirection.†
Chpt 9

predecessor = one who precedes another in time
On the contrary, I think my predecessor was quite innocent.†
Chpt 9 *
The Thief of Eddis himself gave the apprentice the gold and did so because only if my predecessor was afraid for his life could he be induced to flee to Eddis.†
Chpt 9
Her guard captain, Teleus's predecessor, had eliminated her overbearing suitor, and she'd left her barons to themselves to accept the reality of her rule and gone to her bedchamber—the last time she would go to that room instead of the royal apartments.†
Chpt 15

Definitions:

(1) (predecessor)
one who precedes another in time -- such as the previous mayor relative to the current mayor
(2) (meaning too rare to warrant focus)