In 1917, the First World War caused the British king George V to officially change the name from " Saxe-Coburg and Gotha" to " Windsor" in the United Kingdom. One agnatic branch currently reigns in Belgium-the descendants of Leopold I-and another reigned until the death of Elizabeth II in the United Kingdom-the descendants of Albert, Prince Consort. It takes its name from its oldest domain, the Ernestine duchy of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, and its members later sat on the thrones of Belgium, Bulgaria, Portugal, and the United Kingdom and its dominions.įounded in 1826 by Ernest Anton, the sixth duke of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld, it is a cadet branch of the Saxon House of Wettin. GOT(H)-ə German: Haus Sachsen-Coburg und Gotha) is a European royal house.
The House of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha ( / ˌ s æ k s ˈ k oʊ b ər ɡ . Braganza-Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (Portugal extinct in 1932).Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, Belgium, Portugal, Bulgaria King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland.Although some cultures (such as the Roman culture) condemned incestuous relations, inter-marriage was still practiced anyway to achieve political agendas. Cleopatra’s Ptolemaic culture may not see anything wrong with inbreeding but it’s important to note that not all royal families in the past shared the same views towards incestuous relations. Inbreeding was indeed common practice, particularly among royalties in the past. Although reasons are unclear why Nero and Agrippina shared an incestuous relationship, some thought that it was Agrippina’s way to cumulating power for herself. It was also believed that Agrippina and Nero had shared an incestuous relationship later on, when Nero became emperor. In the Roman Empire, Agrippina married her uncle (Emperor Claudius) in order to strengthen her son’s, Nero, right to the throne. Inbreeding was so rampant that hemophilia (a genetic disorder) had spread in the royal family.īesides trying to maintain a pure bloodline, inbreeding was also practiced to strengthen political power. This was just one of the many intermarriages that happened in the royal family of England as many of their descendents also married among themselves.
Queen Victoria of England had married her first cousin, Albert. One reason why inbreeding was practiced was because royal families wanted to keep their bloodline pure. The modern, 21st century person might raise an eyebrow at inter-marriage and inbreeding, however, the practice was actually quite common in the past among various royal families from different cultures. Due to inbreeding, it was often stated that “there was not one drop of Egyptian blood in the Ptolemaic line.” Because Ptolemaic culture adopted Egyptian customs of marrying their sisters, inbreeding in Cleopatra’s family was actually not as scandalous as we might see it today. With inter-marriage occurring between different generations, a single couple in the family tree could represent four or five different generations in the family. One of the siblings gave birth to Cleopatra, which means Cleopatra’s mother was also her first cousin. In Cleopatra’s family, an uncle had three marriages with three of his nieces, who also happen to be siblings. Inter-marriage was common practice among the Ptolemies. However, a lesser known fact is that Cleopatra came from an incestuous family. We’ve all heard of the beautiful Cleopatra.