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From: Kevin Bradford <>
Subject: Re[2]: [PDP] Re: Zaida
Date: Sun, 21 Jul 2002 19:09:41 +0000
References: <13874-3D3B3590-291@storefull-2151.public.lawson.webtv.net><01cb01c23108$836c2fc0$22c8d9d1@default>
In-Reply-To: <01cb01c23108$836c2fc0$22c8d9d1@default>


This claim, taken from an unsourced Web page, can be refuted by
the following report from SGM's archives. We don't even know for
certain who "Zaida" really was, or if she was already a Christian
European concubine of the Muslims. And, she doesn't appear to have
been the ancestor of any of Europe's noble ancestors, and certainly
wasn't a direct ancestor of the Plantagenets [Moriarty].

As the Website claims, I seriously doubt there was any "supression
of evidence" regarding this case. The evidence is not there,
because there's none to be found. There's no lack of conspiracy
theories, even in genealogical research.

By his wife, Constance of Burgundy, Alfonso VI had Urraca, Queen of
Castile, and by his concubine, Ximena Munez, he had Teresa de Castile,
both of whom are Plantagenet ancestresses [Weis] and both of whom are
non-Muslims.

On Sunday, July 21, 2002, 10:46:53 PM, you wrote:

>> Is there a descent from the Prophet Mohammad to the Plantagenets?


SW> So some will claim. Check this out:

SW> http://www.compapp.dcu.ie/~humphrys/FamTree/Islam/index.html

SW> Sharon
SW> ----- Original Message -----
SW> From: "Victor Lovett" <>
SW> To: <>
SW> Sent: Sunday, July 21, 2002 6:28 PM
SW> Subject: [PDP] Re:


Date: Mon, 29 Apr 1996 14:52:48 GMT
Reply-To: GEN-MEDIEVAL <>
Sender: GEN-MEDIEVAL <>
From: Nathaniel Lane Taylor <>
Organization: Harvard University
Subject: Re: Ascent from Muhammed to Castilian Royals {=ZAIDA}

James P. Robinson III has posted a somewhat cumbersome print-out of the
bogus descent of "Zaida", the Moorish concubine of the Castilian king
Alfonso VI (who possibly later was his consort), from the Prophet,
Mohammed.

Todd Farmerie has already responded to the Zaida legend in several
postings in the last few months, and some discussion of certain alleged
*descents* from Zaida will appear in an article we have prepared on Sancha
de Ayala (not certain yet exactly where this will appear), but it should
be said that Zaida's descent from Mohammed or his near kin is not
accepted, nor is the identity concretely established of Alfonso's
consort(s) named Isabel and her (their) possible two daughters, Sancha and
Elvira.

The two daughters of Alfonso VI *possibly* by the consort, Isabel, who was
*possibly* the same as Zaida (*whose own ancestry is NOT KNOWN*), have
themselves no descendants traced beyond the third generation in any of the
generally available works on European noble families (e.g. Schwennicke's
ES). The most popularly cited descent, through children of Rodrigo
Gonzalez de Lara and his wife the princess Sancha (such as appears in
Turton's Plantagenet Ancestry), is demonstrably false.

Anyone interested in this would do well to look at ALL of the following items:

Washington, George H. S. L. "The Princess Zaida." The American
Genealogist 38 (1963), 245-247.

Evans, Charles. "The Princess Zaida." The American Genealogist 39
(1963), 157-160.

Barber, Forrest E. "Arab Blood Royal." The Augustan 18 (1975), 115-124.
{Also, letter re: Zaida to Eleanor of Castile descent in Augustan 17
(1974), in Omnibus for 1974, p. 753.}

Evans, Charles. "The Princess Zaida: Addenda." The American Genealogist
52 (1976), 32. {reiterating disproof of line given by Barber}

Kelley, David H. "A Mediaeval Miscellany: Commentaries on Roderick W.
Stuart's Royalty for Commoners." The American Genealogist 69 (1994),
110-118.

Readers should pay attention to the contrast between the article in The
Augustan and the articles in The American Genealogist. It speaks for
itself.

Nat Taylor

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