A Family Lineage of the Tudor Dynasty

Many people wonder from whence they came and set out on the awe-inspiring adventure of claiming their roots. In two previous hubs, I have focused on more noteable lines in my mother's family history. Here, we will delve into my father's, which is better documented by family members before me who painstakingly found documentation and a family full of historical figures. Lets turn our focus to the Batson line first. This is my paternal grandmother's lineage. Not many names pop out at you until you reach life in the old country. The Batson's original ancestors hailed from Wales and France. The first noteable figure we find in the history of my Batson ancestors is Charlemagne, the great King of the Franks until 768 and Emperor of Romans from 800 to until 814, when he died. Also known as Charles I or Charles the Great, Charlemagne conquered Italy, earning the title Imperator Augustus given to him by Pope Leo the Third around the year 800.

Charlemagne's exact date of birth is unknown, but his conquests are world renowned. Many European monarchies were actually birthed from Charlemagne's rule, extending even to the present day. In fact, Pope John Paul II was awarded the Charlemagne Prize and during his acceptance speech, referred to Charlemagne as the Father of Europe. What a wonderful and fitting description of this great emperor. While it would be honorable to outline his achievements, I will not do so at this time as there are plenty of other noteable members to mention. For now let's close on Charlemagne and travel into the future.

I am sure we all have heard the historical exploits of the Tudor Dynasty, especially since television has decided to rewrite and perform the lives of many Tudor Dynasty members such as Henry VIII. In my family line we find Owen Tudor, the father of the Tudor Dynasty. In his not so secret affair with Henry V's widow, Katherine of Valois, two sons were produced. The second son, Jasper Tudor would later be dubbed the first Duke of Bedford and the First Earl of Pembroke by his half brother King Henry VI. He was renowned in Wales due to his paternal lineage, boasting relation to Ednyfed Fychan, the chancellor to Llywelyn the Great. Jasper's birth was considered illegitimate at the time, yet he was not denied the rights and priveleges as others would have endured. He gained much military skill in the early years of the War of the Roses and held very high office throughout his life. Upon the death of his brother, he took custody of his nephew who would later become King Henry VII who later begat the infamous, Henry the Eighth. Jasper had two illegitimate children but no legitimate children with his wife. As a result of these births, the family lines boasted the likes of Oliver Cromwell, Charles the First of England, King Juan Carlos of Spain and the current crown-head of England, Queen Elizabeth the Second. The Tudor Dynasty members that ended up in America are the branches that begat my family lines of Batson ancestors.

In 1844, the Batson Bible was published, listing many Batson family members, complete with marriages and births. Back then, this was a common way to ensure family lineage was complete. The interesting part of the links to European history and Batson ancestors is that while many family records were lost or non-existent upon immigration, my family line has remained intact. No doubt due to the careful recording of royal blood lines as far back as the B.C. eras. This has helped me cure my own curiousity as to who my family is and where we came from. I am often asked if I am ashamed of any of my ancestors and what they may have done that was public knowledge. My answer; No, no one is perfect and that goes for those who came before us, too.

Many a Batson ancestor has fought and died for his country and beliefs. From Revolutionary War soldiers to World War II heroes, we are sure of one thing, we have the drive needed to lead, fight and love engrained in our DNA. I urge you to find your family heroes or even family scandals. You never know, you may find a King, Queen, hero or famous entertainer that shares the same blood as you.