House of Hanover

1. George I, reigned 1714-27,
   ancestor of all later monarchs.

The Royal line is the product of a series of political decisions

To be specific, to get to the present Royal family from Edward III, the Royal line had to pass through female lines no less than 7 times. Most times the surname changed, though sometimes the wife's surname was kept.

This is a lot of female lines and name changes. For comparison, my wife's descent from Edward III involves only 5 passes through female lines. And if I prove the Blennerhassett link then I myself have a descent from Edward III with 7 passes through female lines. In the Neville family are people whose descent from Edward III involves only 1 pass through a female line. And in the Somerset family are people with a direct male-line descent from Edward III and the medieval House of Plantagenet (no passes at all through female lines).

In short, the current Royal line is the product of a series of political decisions rather than being ordained naturally by descent. Nowhere is this illustrated more clearly than in the extraordinary succession of the House of Hanover.

Send me additions and corrections to this site Updates (please include your name and contacts): Send me a file from your computer: If you don't understand this form, use the long version. Or just email me. Enter this password: