![]() Researcher Roman Vilas says, "We show for the first time that there is a clear positive relationship between inbreeding and appearance of the Habsburg jaw." Portrait of the Emperor Charles V (1500-1558). They found that Spain's Charles I, Charles II and Philip IV showed five of the seven tell-tale features of "mandibular prognathism" (protruding jaw). Researchers from Spain's University of Santiago de Compostela studied 15 members of the so-called Spanish Habsburgs. The offspring of these marriages were known for their peculiar features. The Habsburgs, a German-Austrian ruling family, made strategic marriages to cement their power, often wedding close relatives. (Getty)Ī typical "Habsburg face" included a large head, long nose, bulbous lower lips and jutting jaw, as was said to be a direct result of inbreeding. Portrait of Emperor Ferdinand I (1503-1564). He also possessed what was known as the "Habsburg jaw", which was common among his predecessors, as well as epilepsy. He had the disorder known as "hydrocephaly", which means he had a large skull due to the presence of water in the brain. At the time, doctors believed the reason the King often had blue urine was tied in with his "madness." Ferdinand of Austria: The Habsburg Jawįerdinand I was the son of Emperor Franz II and Marie-Therese, who were first cousins. He also suffered from skin conditions which were treated with medicine made from a substance called Gentian, which is believed to have been the reason why his urine turned blue. Doctors would try to treat his affliction in all sorts of ineffectual ways, such as putting him in a straitjacket and ice baths. Recent studies have pointed to patterns in the King's handwriting which, during his "manic episodes", was different to how it appeared when he was "normal". (Getty)īack then, nobody really knew what was wrong with the King apart his signs of "madness." It was said the King sometimes could not stop talking and, other times, he'd have convulsions. Queen Victoria was the only child of Edward, Duke of Kent, who was King George III's fourth son, making him her grandfather. He was an ancestor of Queen Victoria's and is also a product of inbreeding, which is believed to have caused his disorder. He's also known for ruling England at the time when they lost their main colony, America. George III was known as "Mad King George" due to mental illness (most experts believe he was suffering from bipolar disorder). ![]() He was tragically murdered at the age of 13 in 1918, along with his parents and four sisters, in the aftermath of the Russian Revolution. (Getty)Īlexei suffered from prolonged bleeding in his childhood but, of course, that wasn't how he died. Princess Alice (1843 - 1878), daughter of Queen Victoria, with her children. Alice's daughter Alix, Empress Alexandra Feodorovna of Russia, passed the gene to her son Alexei and his diagnosis changed the course of Russian history due to the involvement of Rasputin, who came in as a "healer" for Alexei. Victoria's daughter Alice carried the gene and passed it to three of her children, one of whom died when he was only two years old. Five of her grandchildren also died due to complications of haemophilia. One of their children, Leopold, Duke of Albany, was a haemophiliac who died at 30 from blood loss after he slipped and fell. Queen Victoria (1819 - 1901) and Prince Albert (1819 - 1861), five years after their marriage. Prince Albert had no sign of the disease, so he was unlikely to have been the one who passed the gene on. But she managed to pass the disorder to her children and grandchildren. Though Queen Victoria had haemophilia, she didn't face any kind of suffering. When it comes to royal blood, the most devastating impact of inbreeding has been haemophilia, a disorder that prevents blood from clotting and can be fatal. The couple first met when they were both just 16 and their mutual uncle Leopold came up with the idea that they should marry. The Queen herself married Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha, who was her first cousin (he was the son of her mother's brother).
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