Who was the eldest of the Kauravas?

Duryodhana was the eldest of the Kauravas in the Mahabharata.

The name “Kauravas” most commonly refers to the one hundred sons of King Dhritarashtra and Queen Gandhari. Duryodhana was the first-born among those sons, with Dushasana and the other brothers following him. Their sister Dushala and their half-brother Yuyutsu are usually discussed separately.

His birth is presented as extraordinary: Gandhari’s pregnancy ended in a mass of flesh that the sage Vyasa divided into portions placed in jars. Duryodhana emerged first. His birth was accompanied by ominous signs, and advisers warned Dhritarashtra that he might bring disaster, but the king refused to abandon him.

Duryodhana’s position as eldest son made him the leading Kaurava claimant to the Kuru succession, although Yudhishthira, the eldest Pandava, had a strong rival claim. This rivalry drove the political conflict that culminated in the Kurukshetra War. Shakuni was Duryodhana’s maternal uncle, Karna his close ally, and Dushasana his younger brother—not alternatives to his identity as the eldest Kaurava.