Why does almost every royal family in Europe have German ancestry ?

Question

Why does almost every royal family in Europe have German ancestry ?

Answer 1

Queen Victoria was born 189 years ago. She spoke German as her first language. She had 9 children who had issue, and she married them to various royal families throughout Europe. She has over 800 descendents now.

Answer 2

Because there used to be plenty of German royal families until the unification of Germany in 1871.

Each little German state had its own king so there were plenty of royals to distribute  to other countries.

Answer 3

Royals tended to marry other royals,often cousins.

One reason can be traced back to Queen Victoria.She hoped that the royals of Europe would be united and reign over peaceful,well-tended,happy kingdoms.She envisioned the members of her nuclear family occupying the thrones of Europe one day:her son,reigning the UK;her daughter and son-in-law,in Germany,cousins and in-laws in Russia and Denmark and Greece.They would all see things eye-to-eye and agree on the way things should be;there would be no wars.Unfortunately,it was not to be.Her nephew,Willem,started World War I.

Answer 4

With all of the intermarriages I think that every one of the Royals in Europe have the blood of about every other royal in Europe!

Answer 5

Largely, because George 111 had about 14 children and Queen Victoria 8. There was a great deal of inter-marriage with Continental royalty and dukes, counts etc. Until George V1 married Elizabeth Bowes Lyon marriage to European aristocracy was the norm.

Answer 6

A matter of religion.  German royalty was mostly Lutheran. Hence, as Protestants, they could be married by Protestant royalty from other countries, since adherence to Protestantism was required of a monarch in certain countries (mostly Northern European).  that's why Sweden, Nortway, Denmark, England all have monarchs who are related to each other -- they in the main trace their forebears back to German royal and princely houses (Electors of Hanover, Prince Albert, etc.)

In the middle 19th century, the chief progenitor was the Protestant king of Denmark , Christian IX, who married off his many children to other countries, which is why he was sometimes called Europe's father-in-law.  He was the son of two German royals: Friedrich Wilhelm, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg and Louise Caroline, Princess of Hesse.