Are there any surviving Royal families that can trace their lineage to the patrician class of roman society.?

Question

The patrician class in Rome, was derived from the original aristocratic families of Rome. Can any of the Royal families nowadays trace there families back this far?

Answer 1

Royalty tends to mythologize its geneaology to justify its existence. My impression is that current royal houses, even ones in Mediterreanean countries, are decended from warlords of the dark ages.

Italian nobilty is more likely to be decended in a diluted way from the patrician Romans.

Answer 2

All of the remaining royal houses are interconnected and can trace their descent from a number of common ancestors.   Victoria of the UK and Christian of Denmark are known as the Grandparents of Europe because of the proportion of European royals descended from them.

Going further back, the Roman Empire's nobles and also plebians were claimed as ancestors by Charlemagne and he is an ancestor of most current reigning and non-reigning monarchs, in Europe as well as many dynasties in Asia (via Byzantium, Persia and the Mugals).

Thus many monarchs trace ancestry from the Romans, ranging from Elizabeth II to the Sultan of Brunei.

Answer 3

I don't know, but thats a really good question. It would also be interesting to find out if any royals could trace themselves back to the Plebian class of Roman society. That would be interesting too.

Answer 4

Why would any surviving Royal family trace their lineage to the Romans?

The Danish Royal family is the oldest royal family with straight lineage - the first kind RECORDED was Gorm the Old who die about 958 c.e. His ancestors were "aristocrats" of the Danes and Norse society. Danes have always been ruled by Danes, and no immigrants ;-)

There are Jewish families who can trace their lineage to kings and queens who existed before there even was Rome.

Answer 5

Well, IIRC the House of Windsor can count among its ancestors El Cid, hero of 12th century Spain. El Cid's immediate ancestry is known, his father and grandfather being minor court functionaries (essentially Gentry or very minor nobles) in Spain going back into the 11th century. It may be possible to follow that path back to the Roman Empire.