Royal bloodlines
Replies: 21
Re: Royal bloodlines
| Yvonne (View posts) | Posted: 6 Sep 2005 5:03PM GMT |
Classification: Query
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>I have found out that I am the 22nd descendant of King Edward II of England as well as a long list of other royalty on my grandmother's side. Also a descendant of King James I of England (of the Bible) on my grandfather's side. Does anyone know how I can persue this furthur and how to find more information. And if my place in the line of descendants is of any importance or just wishful thinking on my part!
It is said that a very large portion of the English-speaking population of present-day Great Britain and North America can claim a descent from a medieval king of England (such as King Edward II or his son Edward III). This does not make you special, nor does it make you ordinary; it just means you are part of the norm. In other words, most of the population of England is descended from King Edward III, and it would be much more impressive if you could prove you weren't descended from any British King.
If you are a descendant of King James I, you can look for your self in genealogical reference works, because his descendants are very well documented. Print sources include the following (in decreasing order of importance):
*The Royal House of Stuart: The descendants of King James VI of Scotland James I of England*, by A.C. Addington, 3 vols., London: Charles Skilton Ltd, 1969-1976 (This source traces the male-line and female-line descendants of King James VI/I up to the time of publication.)
*Burke's Guide to the Royal Family*, London: Burke's Peerage Ltd, 1973 (This source traces the male-line descendants, and a fair portion of female-line descendants, of King James VI/I up to the time of publication.)
*Le Royaume-Uni de Grande-Bretagne et Irlande du Nord*, 3 vols., 1989-1990 (Very similar to the preceding source.)
Online sources include:
Paul Theroff's Royal Genealogy Site (aka: The Theroff Files) at http://pages.prodigy.net/ptheroff/ Scroll down to where it says "The Descendants of King James I & VI" and follow the instructions.
About your "wishful thinking", if you want to know for certain if your line of descent is of any importance, find reliable genealogical reference works (especially ones that cite their sources and back up their claims)*; read the postings in Usenet newsgroups such as soc.genealogy.medieval and alt.talk.royalty; and steer clear of anecdotal (which can be defined as "based on casual observations or indications rather than rigorous or scientific analysis") information, whether you find it in print or on the Internet.
* One such work that you can rely on is *The Royal Descents of 600 Immigrants to the American Colonies or the United States*, by Gary Boyd Roberts, Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc., 2004.
Finally, continue to research your family tree, but do it logically, methodically, and without bias. Remember: you are not only descended from one individual (be he or she a royal or titled person). There is so much more to you than one single connection. Recognize that thousands of people (your ancestors) had to come before you genealogically before you could be here today :-)
>I have found out that I am the 22nd descendant of King Edward II of England as well as a long list of other royalty on my grandmother's side. Also a descendant of King James I of England (of the Bible) on my grandfather's side. Does anyone know how I can persue this furthur and how to find more information. And if my place in the line of descendants is of any importance or just wishful thinking on my part!
It is said that a very large portion of the English-speaking population of present-day Great Britain and North America can claim a descent from a medieval king of England (such as King Edward II or his son Edward III). This does not make you special, nor does it make you ordinary; it just means you are part of the norm. In other words, most of the population of England is descended from King Edward III, and it would be much more impressive if you could prove you weren't descended from any British King.
If you are a descendant of King James I, you can look for your self in genealogical reference works, because his descendants are very well documented. Print sources include the following (in decreasing order of importance):
*The Royal House of Stuart: The descendants of King James VI of Scotland James I of England*, by A.C. Addington, 3 vols., London: Charles Skilton Ltd, 1969-1976 (This source traces the male-line and female-line descendants of King James VI/I up to the time of publication.)
*Burke's Guide to the Royal Family*, London: Burke's Peerage Ltd, 1973 (This source traces the male-line descendants, and a fair portion of female-line descendants, of King James VI/I up to the time of publication.)
*Le Royaume-Uni de Grande-Bretagne et Irlande du Nord*, 3 vols., 1989-1990 (Very similar to the preceding source.)
Online sources include:
Paul Theroff's Royal Genealogy Site (aka: The Theroff Files) at http://pages.prodigy.net/ptheroff/ Scroll down to where it says "The Descendants of King James I & VI" and follow the instructions.
About your "wishful thinking", if you want to know for certain if your line of descent is of any importance, find reliable genealogical reference works (especially ones that cite their sources and back up their claims)*; read the postings in Usenet newsgroups such as soc.genealogy.medieval and alt.talk.royalty; and steer clear of anecdotal (which can be defined as "based on casual observations or indications rather than rigorous or scientific analysis") information, whether you find it in print or on the Internet.
* One such work that you can rely on is *The Royal Descents of 600 Immigrants to the American Colonies or the United States*, by Gary Boyd Roberts, Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc., 2004.
Finally, continue to research your family tree, but do it logically, methodically, and without bias. Remember: you are not only descended from one individual (be he or she a royal or titled person). There is so much more to you than one single connection. Recognize that thousands of people (your ancestors) had to come before you genealogically before you could be here today :-)