Sunday 25 February 2018

Being a Plantagenent descendant isn't that special after all

I love being a Plantagenet descendant. I've said so before.

Wait. What? "...somewhere between 80 and 95 per cent of the living English-descended population of England shares some ancestry with the Plantagenet kings of the 14th century and before..."

That quote is attributed to British author Ian Mortimer in his 2006 book, The Perfect King: The Life of Edward III, Father of the English Nation. Yes, 12 years ago. And I only came across it now in a 2015 (Yes, three years ago. I know!) item, 5 things you (probably) didn't know about the Plantagenents on History Extra, the website of British History magazine and BBC World Histories magazine. 

I knew I'm one of millions of descendants, but between 80 and 95 per cent? Wow. 

Those five things? I knew three of the five things. Despite the many books I've read about my Plantagenets. 

But it turns out that being a Plantagenet isn't that special after all. 

Ian Mortimer's book is now on my "must read" list. 

The never ending story continues....







© Margaret Dougherty 2016-2018 All rights reserved

About the Family of Robert Young and Isabella Knox

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