From Queen Elizabeth II to Rudy Giuliani, here are 10 powerful, rich, and historic people who married their cousins (2024)

FAQs

Did people used to marry their cousins? ›

A cousin marriage is a marriage where the spouses are cousins (i.e. people with common grandparents or people who share other fairly recent ancestors). The practice was common in earlier times and continues to be common in some societies today, though in some jurisdictions such marriages are prohibited.

Royal intermarriage is the practice of members of ruling dynasties marrying into other reigning families. It was more commonly done in the past as part of strategic diplomacy for national interest.

Notable people. James Boswell (1740–95) (biographer of Samuel Johnson) and his first cousin Margaret Montgomerie married in 1769. Boverianda Nanjamma and Chinnappa (the family name is Boverianda), Indian translators and scholars, were first cousins and a married couple.

In 24 states (pink), such marriages are illegal. In 19 states (green), first cousins are permitted to wed. Seven states (peach) allow first-cousin marriage but with conditions. Maine, for instance, requires genetic counseling; some states say yes only if one partner is sterile.

First cousins have an inbreeding coefficient of 0.0625. Anything at or above 0.0156, the coefficient for second cousins, is considered consanguineous; that includes relationships between people and their nephews and nieces.

In the state of California, marriage between first cousins is legally permitted, as the state's marriage laws do not prohibit consanguineous relationships of this degree. This stance is rooted in several factors, including cultural diversity, autonomy, and the right to marry.

The only times where royals actually married siblings was when it was tradition or the norm to do so, such as in Ancient Egypt.

Examples of Egyptian rulers who were married to their siblings include Senwosret I (reigned circa 1961 B.C. to 1917 B.C.), who was married to his sister Neferu; Amenhotep I (reigned circa 1525 B.C. to 1504 B.C.), who was married to his sister Ahmose-Meritamun; and Cleopatra VII (reigned circa 51 B.C. to 30 B.C.), who ...

The answer is more complicated than you might think. Contrary to popular belief, the royal family is not Catholic. We repeat, they are not Catholic. The royals are in fact the head of the Church of England, which is a Protestant Anglican church, and they've been a part of this religion since the 16th century.

Jerry Lee Lewis married his first cousin, Myra Gale, when she was 13. When he was 22 years old, classic rock's Jerry Lee Lewis married his first cousin, Myra Gale Lewis Williams, in 1957, according to Newsweek.

When your first cousin has a child? ›

If your first cousin has children, they are your first cousins once removed. The closest common ancestor shared are your grandparents, but you are 'once removed' from the level of first cousin (held by their parents).

Technically, your cousin's baby is your first cousin once removed. This means that you and the baby share a common set of grandparents (who would be great-grandparents to your cousin).

Must first cousins be forbidden to marry? In the Bible, and in many parts of the world, the answer is no.

The majority of babies born to couples who are blood relatives are healthy. Whilst cousin marriage increases the risk of birth defect from 3% to 6%, the absolute risk is still small. Cousin marriage only accounts for a third of birth defects. I hear a lot about this issue in the Pakistani community.

Although some communities do allow marriages between cousins, it is difficult for most to imagine a romantic relationship between first cousins as they are considered siblings. However, there have been cases where romantic feelings creep in inspite of being aware of the complications.

While first-cousin marriages were once favored by the upper classes in the U.S., such alliances declined sharply in the mid-to-late 19th century, possibly because advances in transportation and communication offered perspective brides and grooms greater access to a wider pool of marital prospects.

According to The New York Times this month, based on a study of the Geni database, Americans largely stopped marrying cousins in the late 19th century.

Definitely as far back as the Fourth Lateran Council of 1215, there was provision for the Church to grant dispensations allowing first cousin marriage, and this would have covered all the countries that then composed Great Britain (as well as Ireland).

Before the Industrial Revolution in the United States, Canada and Europe, you might have ended up married to a fourth cousin. People didn't travel far to find a spouse, and the closer you were to home, the more likely it was you'd marry within your family.