Abramelin, on 22 April 2012 - 10:15 AM, said:
It could be possible: many royal families in Europe have intermarried. Marrying a 'common man or woman' was something not done back then.
But this, "I’ve also heard that something like 80% of people with northwest European ancestry have a direct descent from Charlemagne""must be a 'bit' of an exaggeration, lol.
All native Europeans are descended from Charlemagne. But that's only because all native Europeans are descended from all of those people of Charlemagne's time who have descendants right up to today.
14 US presidents are also descended from him.
The most recent common ancestor of every European today (except for recent immigrants to the Continent) was someone who lived in Europe 600 years ago. In other words, all Europeans alive today have among their ancestors the same man or woman who lived around 1400. Which means all native Europeans today who are not part of the same family and who appear to be unrelated are actually very distant cousins of one another.
Charlemagne is, approximately, my great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-grandfather.
Edited by TheLastLazyGun, 22 April 2012 - 05:53 PM.