I'm just curious (as a newbee) how common it is for one to find royalty in their family histories? I've found what seems to be a rather large number for kings, emperors, dukes, etc in my family tree and I'm just wondering if that happens to a lot of people.

thanks,
-James

Estimates vary widely but it’s probable that a fairly high percentage of individuals today who have any European ancestry are descended from royalty. Documenting it is another matter though, as many either don’t have the interest in doing so or can’t find the key information for one reason or another. Then, since royal families tended to intermarry and most kings and their queens and/or queen consorts were often descended from long lines of kings (Emperors, Czars, Grand Dukes, etc.), it would be far more uncommon to find only one or two medieval monarchs in your family tree than to find literally hundreds.

Jim

In my own research, I have found that if your roots are English or Scottish, or even Irish, it is not too unusual to find descendancy from the nobility and/or monarchy. In the 17th century, many of those entering the New World were descendants of the ruling classes through younger brothers, sisters, or illegitimate but acknowledged sons/daughters thereof. Their fortunes may have diminished and they may have found themselves disenfranchised or out of favor with the current regime and so sought their fortunes in the New World. Also, any perceived enemy of the current king/nobility (and that included those who could not accept the form of worship favored by the monarch-of-the-moment), was fined, imprisoned, banished, beheaded, or worse. Banishment usually meant Holland or France until the 17th century, when the New World became a destination. Religious prisoners could be loaded on boats headed for the New World, with captains empowered to sell the prisoner into indentured servitude in payment of their (forced) passage. Many such religious prisoners, if not most, had upper class origins. If you find a noble in your tree, you may find a monarch not much further back, especially if your noble was in Scotland. And if you find in your line an illegitimacy, a descendancy from a female, or someone who became King with no claim at all to the throne, don't worry about it. So does Queen Elizabeth II.

Helen D.

If it is of any interest, I once read somewhere that something like 90% of the English population (discount more recent immigrations) was descended from John of Gaunt - sinply from the number of recorded illegimate children he had. Probably the other 10% were also related from the non-recorded illegimate children.

I recently found a "starter tree" (a fairly reliable tree where I can glean names for further research) that had quite a bit of royalty. I'm currently up to Knights, with a few lords and chieftens thrown in, but I'm ignoring the scottish side momentarily in favor of the Stricklands of Sizergh and Elizabeth D'Eyencourt's line.

I've actually found, it's not having the royals that's the problem, it's trying to convince family members that I didn't just pull the tree out of my nether regions. (I'm anal about documentation, and I'm enjoying the fact that now I get to source obscure books in the tree.) Also the "Found Eve yet?" jokes are getting a little tiresome.

I have been doing my husbands family tree for abt 2 yrs now and i have come across last names of Beaumont, Warenne, Plantegent and Hamilton. seems to me that alot of these names some how tie into alot of royalty and or famous people.

They are all probably related to William The Conqueror and his cohorts...giving you Norman, French and English royalty or at least nobility. I have also found this (on the Breton side) following a line of gentryed squires.

Probably sour grapes on my part, as at this moment, and over one and a half thousand ancestors later, I have no claim whatsoever to royal ancestry, however, many of the men who were given Lordships and Baronships by William, and came with him from Normandy, were cut throats, murderers and thieves. Does make you wonder.

I think it must be pretty common, I have linked my sons back to Henry II of England but the funny thing is that I am researching for someone I work with and they go back to the very same line.

Hi,

Neither I or my friend have managed so far, although I have a tenuous link to Francis Drake.

A girl I worked with could go back via the Dukes of Northumberland to John of Gaunt and beyond.

I guess I just have to keep on pegging away.