Your Roots Don’t Always Dictate Who You Are or Where You Live
Your family tree is an anchor you can raise and sail to other harbors
My family history goes back centuries, as does my husband’s — mine from England and his from Portugal.
You will notice the surname on my profile is de Braganza.
However, my full surname is Lucas de Braganza. When we married, I took my husband’s surname — de Braganza — but kept my lineage surname Lucas to honour my roots on my father’s side.
Having such a long surname can create confusion and it takes an awfully long time to spell it out to someone! Unless I need to provide my full names for ID documents, bank accounts, etc. I leave out the Lucas part.
For example, I had to omit it on my new bank card because the bank produces their up-dated cards in portrait format and they couldn’t fit in my full surname!
The fascinating fact about our family history is that we are both descendants of royalty!
Technically, hubby is a viscount, and as his wife, I am a viscountess.
We try not to be royal pains!
Portugal and England enjoy a long history together — the Anglo-Portuguese Alliance ratified at the Treaty of Windsor in 1386, is the oldest alliance in the world, and still in force. My alliance with hubby pales by comparison — 38 years — but he is my king and our home is our castle!
I would like to share both our family histories as they reflect the message of my title and sub-title.
Hubby’s family history is easy to trace, being a descendant of the Royal House of Braganza.
(To save you from looking it up in history books, I’ll share an outline here.)
The House of Braganza was founded by Alfonso I, 1st Duke of Braganza, who was the illegitimate son of King John I of Portugal. The Braganzas ruled the Kingdom of Portugal and the Algarve after successfully deposing the Philippine Dynasty in the Restoration War. In 1640, the Duke of Braganza became King John IV of Portugal.
Monarchies are in short supply these days, and being of royal descent is meaningless in the modern world.
Hubby’s mother and twin brother died in childbirth, and he never formed a close relationship with his father. The family blamed him for his mother’s death! His older brother and father both passed away years ago.
He stayed in touch with his half-sister until she and his favorite aunt died tragically in the Air France flight AF447 from Rio de Janeiro to Paris, which crashed into the Atlantic Ocean on 1 June, 2009.
He cut ties with the family in Portugal when he discovered they cheated him out of his inheritance. Shenanigans I shall not delve into.
Hubby transplanted his roots into South African soil when we met in 1985 and has forgotten most of his Portuguese language.
Home is where the heart is.
In my case, a branch of the Lucas family in New Zealand embarked on a 22- year project to trace our family tree, which they completed in 1986, the same year my father died.
He learned before his death that the Lucas family are descendants of King Edward 1 of England. The Royal College of Arms verified this!
My eldest nephew, who grew up in South Africa and moved to the UK in 2005, had always shown a keen interest in our family history. He put together a printed book version of our family tree and gave various family members a copy for Christmas in 2008, including me!
Being a reference book, you can’t read it from beginning to end like a novel, but I enjoy delving into it now and then.
Although I’m not in contact with the various branches of my family, I keep in touch with my immediate South African branch of the family — my sister-in-law (my brother passed in 2019) and niece in Port Elizabeth, as well as my nephews, nieces and grand-nieces who live in the UK and Ireland.
I guess we’re a nomadic lot and put our roots down where we feel most comfortable. Although we are scattered across different continents, knowing where I came from helps give me a sense of belonging.
And mentioning my blue blood is a great conversation piece, though worthless in real terms!
I was born in the UK, but grew up in South Africa. That may explain why both times I visited the UK in my adult years, I felt out of place and hankered for home. My family history may go back centuries, but I would never settle in England.
I raised anchor decades ago and chose South Africa as my harbour, my sanctuary, the country where I feel content and connected. We enjoy a unique landscape of nature, races and languages, music and sense of humour that gladdens my heart.
This is my home!
In memory of Johnny Clegg OBE OIS (1953–2019)
Thank you for being here.
Dr. Preeti Singh offered this Nature prompt on 23 December 2022 asking if we are proud of our roots. My answer has been a long time coming but finally arrived.
Further reading you may enjoy:
Wise words on ageing from @Donnete Anglin:
Aakash Dahal shares his feelings about snow and life’s journey:
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