Like being a descendent of King Henry the First of England or something like that? What are the benefits of having royal heritage?
2007-12-23 07:39:47 · 6 answers · asked by Anonymous in Arts & Humanities ➔ Genealogy
None that I know of.
My link to Charlemagne, Emperor of the West and King of the Franks, depends on 1,200 years of record keeping, through fire, flood, worms, the fury of the Norsemen and the Black Plague. In one place our royal blood depends on a lady who worked in a castle, came up pregnant without benefit of a husband, and told her parents it was the King.
Well, let's see. Assume you are in that lady's situation. You can approach HRH and say coyly "Oh, you royal stallion, you've done it again." If the child is a boy and looks like him, the king may make him an earl, and you can live out your days in an upstairs suite in your son's country manor, with a maid. On the other hand, if you tell the hulking young assistant gardener that you have to get married, you'll end up living in a hut at the foot of the Royal Onion Patch, cooking for a man who washes his feet every other month.
I told my kids not to give themselves airs.
2007-12-23 09:53:36 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Only if you are doing genealogy to prove you may be 'better' than someone (ie vanity).
In some ways, I think of genealogy as a game, where the purpose of the game is a challenge to find as many GOOD records as I can, or find/ prove a connection that other persons think is 'unfindable'. Like a crossword puzzle, only the entries are persons, and it is something that is never finished. As already mentioned.. royal lineages are usually well researched and already out there. No challenge in that.
I don't know of any benefit to finding royal ancestry. Solving puzzles is a real challenge, and has the benefit of meeting tons of persons. Something you cannot buy in any store.
2007-12-24 04:24:10 · answer #2 · answered by wendy c 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Having discovered through Ancestry.com that I am a descendent of James I and James II of Scotland--not to mention Robert the Bruce--and knowing the somewhat hapless history of the House of Stuart, I'd rather keep my head about such matters.
2007-12-23 14:07:33 · answer #3 · answered by Ellie Evans-Thyme 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
The only benefit that I can think of is that others have done some of your research for you. The genealogy of most royalty is well known.
2007-12-23 16:12:52 · answer #4 · answered by Lisa A 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
None at all except bragging rights. And personally I don't think any of them are anything to brag about. Study their histories. I would rather be related to Helen Keller, Madame Curie and many other REAL people(or my mailman).
2007-12-23 13:44:14 · answer #5 · answered by Clara 1 · 1⤊ 0⤋
It might give you a keener interest in history. And if it's legitimate and verifiable, it might make you eligible for membership in some society or other. And it will make you a distant cousin of about half the population.
2007-12-23 12:15:58 · answer #6 · answered by aida 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋