[Yo-Yo]

Wasn’t first cousin marriage also common among European royalty?

[miss marmelstein]

Yes, certainly inbreeding among English royalty and the noble class in England - one of the reason for all the wars in the middle ages but also, oddly, for their amazing brilliance in the arts and law. Sometimes inbreeding creates good minds. But really bad tempers!

[tbw2]

True, but marrying other royal families to create alliances and the guys periodically marrying beautiful lower status women helped add genetic diversity.

[Gandalf_The_Gray]

Wasn’t first cousin marriage also common among European royalty?

Yes, that is why the offspring of many European royal families suffer from hemophilia, their blood doesn't clot, a paper cut can be fatal...

Regards,
GtG

[Rumplemeyer]

Wasn’t first cousin marriage also common among European royalty?

---

Yes it was, and look how well that turned out.

[Vigilanteman]

Common is relative. It was not uncommon in early America either. One of my four great grandmothers was a product of a first cousin marriage. Her Mom and Dad met in early 19th century Vermont in an isolated community where there were just not that many choices. Her son (my grandfather) was a Cornell graduate back in the days where an Ivy League degree actually meant something. She was a brilliant lady as were most of her grandchildren (a number of college professors, an army general and other well accomplished people among them).

The problem isn't an occasional first cousin marriage here and there. It is still legal in many states, not including West Virginia. The problem is this type of marriage generation after generation, which is pretty much confined to Islamic cultures only.

[minnesota_bound]

Look at the British : )