Weird Genealogy

Speculations Regarding a 1,848 Year-long Bloodline

I DON'T take any of this very seriously - however, if my family tree listed at "www.familysearch.com" is accurate (which, needless to say, is a VERY dubious assumption) my great...grandparents on the "Carter" side include many of the most prominent kings, queens and military leaders in early European history. There is supposedly a bloodline that flows back through 25 generations to King Edward I of England. This bloodline can be traced back through the "Carters" to the latter 1700's, at which point it switches to my great...grandmother's side, then back further and further through famous names such as "Lovelace" and "Cornwallis" until it eventually comes to Edward I and Eleanore, King and Queen of England from 1272 to 1307. Click HERE if you're really all that interested in the details.

Since becoming king was usually a strict matter of bloodline, and since kings and queens were expected to marry within similar ranks, my supposed great...grandparents from this point back included most of the important kings and queens of the previous one thousand years of European history, with my earliest supposed great...grandparents being born 1,848 years ago. Now THAT'S weird genealogy!

Again, I don't assume much, if any, of this is accurate, but I think it's lots of fun.

England, back to the Norman Invasion

Edward I (1239 to 1307) & Eleanore (1224 to 1290)
King and Queen of England from 1272-1307
My Great...X22...grandparents.

I am supposedly related to Edward I and Eleanore through their daughter, Joan, who married Gilbert "the Red Earl" de Clare (thus becoming my great...X21...grandparents) in 1290 at Westminster Abbey. The crown, meanwhile, went to Joan's brother, Edward II, whose rule was so marked by military disasters that he was eventually forced to abdicate to his son (Edward I's grandson). Edward II was then was tortured to death in a way that was particularly disgusting even for the times.
At age 15, Edward was sent to Spain to wed the 9-year-old Eleanore of Castille. Edward grew up to become a powerful military leader and, after returning from the Crusades, was crowned King at the age of 35. He conquered Wales and placed it under English rule. If you saw the movie "Braveheart," you will think of Edward I by his Hollywood image as being the particularly despicable character who attempted to conquer Scotland, including ordering the death of William Wallace (who was also tortured to death using a particularly disgusting method). Hollywood aside, he also is remembered for enlarging his council to include representatives of towns and rural areas throughout England, thus creating the first Parliament.

Henry III (1206-1272) & Elaeonore, Countess of Provence (1217-1291)
King & Queen of England from 1216 to 1272
My Great...X23...grandparents.
Edward father, Henry III, was only 9 years old when, upon his father's death, he became king. He ruled for 65 years, a long and largely incompetent reign that culminated in a civil war.

John "Lackland" (1166-1216) and Isabella De Taillefe(1180-1245)
King & Queen of England from 1199-1216.
My Great...X24...grandparents

John was "bad" king in the Robin Hood tale who ruled while his brother Richard was gone on the Crusades. His rule was disastrous, marked by growing unpopularity due to unfair taxes and the loss of territories in France. He was eventually forced by his nobles to sign the Magna Carta, which set limits on the king's powers.

Henry II (1133-1189) and Elaeonore, Princess of Aquitaine (1121, 1204)
King & Queen of England from 1154-1189.

Henry was perhaps the greatest king of medieval England. His claim to the throne was through his mother, so he was the grandson rather than son of Henry I. A skilled diplomat, at the height of his reign Henry controlled a vast territory that stretched from Scotland to Spain, making him the most powerful monarch in Europe.

Henry I (1068-1135) and Matilda, Princess of Scotland (1079-1118)
King and Queen of England from 1100 to 1135.

Henry, the third son of William I, was a shrewd and powerful king who came to power under questionable circumstances. After one older brother was killed in an accident, Henry claimed the crown while the second brother was away to the Crusades. This eventually led to a battle where the other brother was defeated and imprisoned for the remainder of his life. Despite this beginning, Henry was an effective ruler who reunified England and Normandy and helped develop a highly effective form of government.

William I (William the Conqueror, William of Normandy) (1024-1087) & Matilda, Countess of Flanders (1031-1083)
King and Queen of England from 1066-1087.

William, needless to say, was the leader of the Norman Invasion, who, upon defeating the forces of Harold at the battle of Hastings, placed all of England under Norman rule.

Wessex, Saxony (Northern Germany),
and Eastern Europe

* Alfred the Great (848-901) and Ealhswith (853-905)
King and Queen of England from 871-899.

The most important of my supposed ancient English great...grandparents were probably Alfred "The Great" and Ealhswith. He is best known, of course, as the Wessex military leader who saved England during the invasion by the Vikings. Some say the "King Arthur" legend is based on Alfred. Aside from being a great military leader, he was also an accomplished scholar, with translations including the writings of St. Augustine. He was known as "The Great" not only for his military victories, but also for making more books available in order to encourage wider literacy.

Egbert (784-838) and Redburth (788-?)
King and Queen of West Sessex, 828-839.

Prior to Alfred, my great...grandparents were technically known as the kings and queens of Wessex. Here, where the bloodline is traced back another 15 generations, the most famous king and queen were the great Celtic warrior Egbert (784-838) and his wife Redburth (788-?) who ruled West Sessex from 828-839. By conquering Cornwallis, Kent, Sussex and Wessex, Egbert became the first king of all of southern England. As a result of his rule, Wessex dominated England for the rest of the Anglo-Saxon period.

Cerdic (467-534)
King of Saxony

Another even earlier Wessex military ancestor was Cerdic (467-534), the king who brought the Saxons from ancient Germany (Saxony) to England after the demise of the Roman hold on England. They sailed up the Thames to the old Roman city of London, then continued on west (Wessex) where they founded their own kingdom.

Kings and Mythological Ancestors

Prior to Cerdic, my supposed ancient ancestors were in Saxony (northern Germany), where oral tradition has the bloodline being traced back another seven generations to kings such as Brand (271-?), who brought the Saxons from Scandinavia to Northern Germany.

At this point, supposed ancestory moves completely into the realm of mythology. I, however, think it's interest, so I'm including it here. According to Scandinavian mythology, Brand's father was Odin, who brought the Saxons to Scandinavia from the "Other World" called Asgard. Odin was the son of Frithuwald (about 190 - ?) and Beltsa (about 194-?). Frithuwald, in turn, was the son of Freothelaf, who was said to be born around 160 in Asgard and is thought of by some as the father of all Saxons.

By mythological accounts, then, my earliest recorded great…grandfather is Freo-the-laf, born 1,842 years ago. So, there you have it.

Medieval Scotland and the Ancient Picts

In order to consolidate the Norman line after William I conquered England in 1066, his son, Henry I, married Matilda "Atheling," the daughter of Malcolm III, King of Scotland. Therfore, included on this list of my ancient great...grandparents are the ancient Scottish kings and queens, leading eventually back to the earliest recorded leaders of the Picts. Some of them follow:

Malcolm III (1033-1093) and Margaret "Atheling" (1045-1093), King and Queen of Scotland from 1058-1093.

* Duncan I (1013-1040) and Sibyl Fitzsward,(1014-1040), King and Queen of Scotland from 1034 to 1040.
(This is the same King Duncan whose murder by MacBeth was made into a play by William Shakespeare some 600 years later.

* Malcolm II (MacKenneth) (970-1034), King of Scotland from 1005-1034.

* Kenneth I "Macalpin", (810-859)
He is generally considered to be the first King of Scotland. He was the first son of an arranged marriage between Eochaid IV, King of the Scots, and Fergusa, daughter of Fergus, King of the Picts. At this point, then, the bloodline splits to include both Scots and Picts.

* Eochaid III, King of the Scots (695-721)

* Findon (Eochaid II), King of the Scots (660-692)

and

* Fergus, King of the Picts (735-?).

* Urgust, King of the Picts (709-?)

Germany, France, Italy,
and the Holy Roman Empire

Because most royal marriages were strategically chosen in order to consolidate land and formalize treaties, my great...grandparents were often the off-spring of arranged marriages among the sons and daughters of kings and queens of the major nations of Europe. Thus, my "official" great...grandparents also include the following:

* Charlemagne (742-814) and Hildegard (757-783), Emperor and Empress of the Holy Roman Empire.

Charlemagne was probably the most famous of all medieval military kings. Of royal "Carolingian" blood, he emassed a vast army and conquered Lombardy (northern Italy), Saxony, (northern Germany), Bavaria and parts of northern Spain, thus becoming the undisputed ruler of almost all of western Europe. On Christmas Day 800, Pope Leo III crowned him Emperor. He is also remembered for his contributions to education, law and government. Through him, my "official" great-grandparents ruled France for many generations as the "Carolingian dynasty."

* Berenger II (919-?) and Willa, Princess of Tuscany, (924 - ?), King and Queen of Italy, 950-961.

Upon the death of Lothar II, who had no children, Berenger was selected by the nobles to be the next King of Italy, thus starting the new dynasty. My "official" great...grandparents continued to rule Italy for many generations.

* Hughes "Capet" (939-968) and Adaelaeide, Princess of Aquitaine. King and Queen of France, 987-996.

After the death of Louis V, the last Carolingian King of France, Hugh, the Duke of Franks, was selected by the nobels as the new king. Interestingly, both Hugh "Capet" and Louis V were my "official" grandfathers. My new bloodline of "official" great...grandparents continued to rule France for many generations as the "Capetian dynasty."

. And so forth and so forth.

Does this all sound too weird to be accurate?
Probably. On the other hand...

1) After so many generations, there must be literally MILLIONS of people alive today who are the direct descendents of Edward I and, therefore, all of these other famous people. Maybe my family just happens to be one of the ones where the links weren't lost or forgotten.

2) Re-read the "disclaimer" above. Specifically, it doesn't really matter much to me if this bloodline is real. The possibility of some degree of accuracy has resulted in my looking at world history in an entirely new way, so I think it's interesting.


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