tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4426485731280552659.post8698153321507185474..comments2024-01-22T09:59:19.371-08:00Comments on Life in the Middle Ages: Medieval bastardsC. Dale Brittainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02059138536172925502noreply@blogger.comBlogger16125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4426485731280552659.post-12645464326750207642018-01-08T08:10:44.055-08:002018-01-08T08:10:44.055-08:00No. For example, Louis VII and Eleanor of Aquitai...No. For example, Louis VII and Eleanor of Aquitaine had a celebrated divorce. The status of their daughters was unaffected.C. Dale Brittainhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02059138536172925502noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4426485731280552659.post-18183495556201376142017-12-27T17:47:14.954-08:002017-12-27T17:47:14.954-08:00If a married couple had a child and then divorced,...If a married couple had a child and then divorced, would that change the child's legitimacy? Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00140822593896036128noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4426485731280552659.post-73433434468659907682017-10-30T14:23:26.681-07:002017-10-30T14:23:26.681-07:00If a child were really recognized as the illegitim...If a child were really recognized as the illegitimate offspring of the queen and someone who was not the king, s/he would be cast out. This is a situation where politics took precedence over the normal medieval willingness to deal with "natural" children.C. Dale Brittainhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02059138536172925502noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4426485731280552659.post-54643615042293791542017-10-23T23:49:24.367-07:002017-10-23T23:49:24.367-07:00I have a question. Doing a bit of research, I can ...I have a question. Doing a bit of research, I can find plenty of information about king's who had illegitimate children. But what about queens? I understand cheating on the king was considered treason but what would happen to a child born out of a union between a queen and the man who was not her husband? Would they be treated any differently? Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10550332576344129071noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4426485731280552659.post-72200068149355214432017-08-21T07:07:37.639-07:002017-08-21T07:07:37.639-07:00Most people didn't have surnames at this time....Most people didn't have surnames at this time. They are just coming in. You could call him Fitzrobert. Note that if people did have surnames at this time, they were attached to them personally, not a family name.C. Dale Brittainhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02059138536172925502noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4426485731280552659.post-44181991605645491992017-08-13T13:15:06.674-07:002017-08-13T13:15:06.674-07:00I'm writing a fiction story. There is a courie...I'm writing a fiction story. There is a courier attached to the household of an older sister to Robert the Bruce. The man is a bastard to Robert the Bruce, making him a loyal but illegitimate nephew to Christina. I'm trying to figure out his surname.Holly Bhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14037469351694383171noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4426485731280552659.post-49158345037931776562017-06-15T08:16:26.336-07:002017-06-15T08:16:26.336-07:00Women could and did inherit frequently. In the ca...Women could and did inherit frequently. In the case of Henry I of England (see above), he designated his daughter Mathilda as next king (not queen) of England, not any of his illegitimate sons. A lot of the English barons refused to follow her, but they turned instead to her cousin, not her half-brothers. The half-brothers kept a low profile deliberately. In other cases, a bastard half-brother might have argued for his "rights." It was, as I said, complicated.C. Dale Brittainhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02059138536172925502noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4426485731280552659.post-91757574253353447312017-06-12T17:52:31.372-07:002017-06-12T17:52:31.372-07:00If the only "legitimate" heir a lord cou...If the only "legitimate" heir a lord could produce was a daughter, would she inherit over an illigimate half brother the father refused to legitimize? Or would said "bastard" have a chance?Katielynhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13378837584421246424noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4426485731280552659.post-11618402130620899842017-03-29T06:58:30.097-07:002017-03-29T06:58:30.097-07:00The parent (usually the father) would declare the ...The parent (usually the father) would declare the child their real heir. But unless it was a question of becoming the heir, one wouldn't bother with a legal fiction, because everyone would still know the child's origins. Henry I of England had at least 20 bastards who did very well because the king was their father, even if they were never legitimated.C. Dale Brittainhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02059138536172925502noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4426485731280552659.post-4877358609431444482017-03-27T13:27:23.179-07:002017-03-27T13:27:23.179-07:00How was a child legitimised?How was a child legitimised?Hadassahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06890524749033440357noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4426485731280552659.post-77211276843587792362017-02-01T20:57:12.613-08:002017-02-01T20:57:12.613-08:00Children could *always* be legitimated if the pare...Children could *always* be legitimated if the parents married. But there would always be a sense that they weren't quite as good as a child who was legitimate the whole time. Children born after their parents were married would both look down on and feel uneasy about children born "naturally" earlier.C. Dale Brittainhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02059138536172925502noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4426485731280552659.post-79203451994938838712017-02-01T20:55:18.350-08:002017-02-01T20:55:18.350-08:00Like everything in the Middle Ages, they believed ...Like everything in the Middle Ages, they believed in the rule of law and were figuring it as they went. There were no clear "child support" statutes. Someone who couldn't or wouldn't support a child was considered despicable, but it, like custody, would have to be negotiated by the principals.C. Dale Brittainhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02059138536172925502noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4426485731280552659.post-13685424280117983342017-01-27T04:31:06.477-08:002017-01-27T04:31:06.477-08:00I didn't think there was really a concept of l...I didn't think there was really a concept of lawyer in the middle ages and that issues were decided by kings & lords. But I'm no scholar - far from it. Anyway, I came across this wondering how custody and "child support" issues were handled, especially early middle ages. <br /><br />Do you have any suggestions for sources?<br /><br />thanks!Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16807090975131842483noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4426485731280552659.post-58005132004739310102017-01-08T06:45:40.093-08:002017-01-08T06:45:40.093-08:00Very interesting. I write novels set in Occitania ...Very interesting. I write novels set in Occitania in 1150-1158 so slightly different laws from Northern France /England Could a nothus be legitimised by the real father if the adulterous couple marry (the husband and assumed father having died?) Would that child be the equal of a child born when the couple are married? I know that is possible with a legitimised 'naturalis'Jean Gillhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14423822543543008594noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4426485731280552659.post-27237666393003265642017-01-04T14:32:58.041-08:002017-01-04T14:32:58.041-08:00All medieval cities and countries had laws. As no...All medieval cities and countries had laws. As noted above, things varied a lot, though there were general patterns.C. Dale Brittainhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02059138536172925502noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4426485731280552659.post-60965561878257401492017-01-03T21:49:09.940-08:002017-01-03T21:49:09.940-08:00where were these laws? was it the same everywhere...where were these laws? was it the same everywhere?louiseculmerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02092144618449134125noreply@blogger.com