I want to know if it is possible to find out if I am from a royal figure if I were to use my genes to trace my lineage.
Genealogy: How Likely Is Someone To Be Descended From A Monarch, Or Some Such Major Historical Figure If They Were To Trace Their Lineage Back 20 Generations?
It is quite exciting to know that your ancestor was a monarch or a historical figure, as you can tell everyone that you have royal ancestry. Going back to your question, 20 generations is a huge portion of time. For example, the number of ancestors you will have at that time is close to 1,000,000 or more. You might be wondering how can anyone have so many relatives back in the day? Well, there was a lot of inbreeding, which is why you had more relatives in the past.
Given that you want to go back in time by 500 years, such a huge number makes it likely that you may have a royal ancestor. However, there is also a chance that you won’t have any historical figure’s genes. If you think about it, a huge portion of the Asian men can trace their roots to Genghis Khan, the creator of the largest empire. Here is another theory, which can explain why it is possible that you may or may not have royal blood. Every ruler would have procreated to ensure that their line continues to rule. Assuming that these children survived and married with other people in the population, a large number of people would have come from a single historical figure. However, it is also possible that these monarchs would have only inter-married other noble members, which will reduce the likeliness of royal blood.
If you are a European, the chances are higher because there were several regional rules. A lot of them called themselves monarchs or by other titles which showed everyone that they were the rules of those regions. I know a friend, who has royal blood in him, because his Norwegian ancestry. Due to the Vikings and the Norman’s England invasion, he is related to several monarchs because of the Norse blood. Also, he can trace his roots all way to the 900’s, as his ancestors kept a family tree. He claims that if the Icelanders and Norwegians kept proper records, there is an even higher possibility that more people could claim they are related to the monarchs.
However, if you are expecting to the be the firstborn daughter or son of the royal family, then your chances are extremely low. Also, probabilities won’t always work, as not everyone moved around a lot. If you have white complexion, it is possible that you may have a relation with Queen Elizabeth 1, than Atahualpa. If you were to go a thousand years ago in time, you will find everyone has common ancestors. According to science, your Y-chromosome existed 200,000 to 300,000 years ago. They also say that your mitochondria DNA lived 100,000 to 200,000 years ago.