Quote:
Originally Posted by Marc23
Vittorio Emanuele's first cousin and potential heir, Duke of Aosta, was a healthy man, 193cm tall. That's why they chose an insignificant Princess who brought them back "health".
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No doubt this kind of thinking did sometimes lead dynasties to make unconventional marriage choices. But just to be clear, inbreeding is not necessarily a recipe for genetic disaster. It is only when families with problematic genetic histories continuously intermarry over generations that overwhelming problems crop up, as happened with the Spanish Habsburgs.
As for King VE, he was unusually short, but in general a solidly healthy man. Queen Elena certainly did contribute height & good looks to the family line, but there is a good chance that VE may have fathered an equally healthy family line even had he married a Bourbon, or Habsburg.
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