I don't understand all the statistical calculations in the article but find it fascinating that modern maxillo- facial surgeons can identify documented facial abnormalities from portraits. It would seem the Emperor Maximilian I was the first to show an abnormality but had the condition appeared previously? Portraiture before his time was more abstract so may not have shown deformities. It seems to me the deformities were caused by a recessive gene or genes as whenever the Hapsburgs married outside the family the deformities were not present in offspring - eg the illegitimate children of Charles V and Philip IV or Philip II's children by Elizabeth de Valois. I wonder if the Hapsburgs realised their in breeding was affecting the health of their off spring or whether they felt they were above such things and God would look after them. On the subject of the 18th and 19th century Borbons of Spain - maybe Queen Maria Luisa and Queen Isabella II allowed a little fresh DNA into the family tree and they weren't quite as in bred as we think?
Carlos II was succeeded by the grandson of his oldest half sister Felipe V of Borbon. The various lines descending from him did continue the habit of marrying in the family. If you look at Alfonso XII's official genealogy it's quite baffling. His parents were double first cousins. His grandfathers were brothers, his grandmothers sisters and their parents were also first cousins. To top it off the grandfathers were the maternal uncles of the grandmothers.
Not sure why the study referenced her as showing the least family traits given that, as it states, she was a Habsburg only by marriage and not by blood.
Leopold I of Austria (nicknamed "Hogmouth" by his subjects) and his unfortunate nephew, Carlos II of Spain appear to have been the last Habsburg rulers to exhibit these family traits in exaggerated form. After them the penny seems to have finally dropped and the dynasty eased up on their notorious habit of inbreeding.
Here's a much simplified article for people like me with limited scientific knowledge:
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/habsburg-jaw-royal-family-inbreeding-facial-deformity-spain-austria-holy-roman-empire-a9229071.html?utm_source=taboola&utm_medium=Feed[quote ]
Fascinating from what I could gather. Unfortunately I don't know enough about biology to be able to understand very much of it.
An interesting scholarly paper looks at facial deformities in Hapsburg rulers of Spain and Austria . Maxillo facial surgeons score deformities using modern medical assessment tools and scores are compared to degrees of in breeding in each individual.
Paper
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