Consanguinity table

A consanguinity table or consanguinity list is a compilation of genealogical results that are based on consanguinity . It is consequently a combination of a pedigree or ancestor list and a descendant or descendant list .

Consanguinity tables have been known since late antiquity , they are included, for example, in the Etymologiae of Isidore of Seville († 636). Their origins are the stemmata of the Roman Empire , their purpose was to document the degree of kinship for legal purposes.

Today's consanguinity tables have a completely different approach, which only appeared at the beginning of the 20th century due to medical issues, but were subsequently also used in the historical area, especially when depicting the relationships of famous people or families. Examples of this are the consanguinity tables that were developed for Luther and Goethe , but also for the Burckhardt family .

Consanguinity tables are based on a test person , represent their ancestors and the descendants of these ancestors, so they are neither linear like the list of descendants nor exponential like the pedigree, which poses extreme challenges both to the graphical representation and to the numbering of the persons to be included in the table brings itself. Usually you combine the blackboard with the list in order to achieve comprehensibility at all, but then also - depending on the purpose - limit yourself to the "essential" members of the family. In addition, colors and graphic elements (squares, circles, bold type, etc.) are often used in the board and "positive" and "negative" numbering is used in the list to promote clarity.