Royal bastard

Older illegitimate children founded important family branches, as reported in the Trophées de Brabant: tome 1[5]([6]):

• House of Witthem, legitimised son of John II, Duke of Brabant.
• House of Brant, legitimised son of John III, Duke of Brabant.
• House of Glymes, legitimised son of John II, Duke of Brabant.
• House of Nassau-Corroy, legitimised son of Henry III of Nassau-Breda
• House of Dongelberghe, legitimised son of John I, Duke of Brabant.
• House of Mechelen, legitimised son of John I, Duke of Brabant.

In the Anglo-Saxon Heptarchy then Kingdom, descendants of kings were called aethelings, whether legitimate or not. When a kingship became vacant, a Witan would meet to name an aetheling as king. Papal legates visited the great hall of Offa of Mercia in 786 and decreed that an English king "must not be begotten in adultery or incest" and that "he who was not born of a legitimate marriage" could not succeed to the throne.[7] It is likely no rule of succession had set as to bastardy before this decree.[7]

Athelstan, his acknowledged illegitimate son, succeeded as king in 924.

William the Conqueror was an acknowledged illegitimate son of a line of three Norman dukes noted for many truces; he was of Scandinavian, Breton, Anglo-Saxon and North French royal and noble descent.

Gervase de Blois (written variously, often in latest books Gervais of Blois), a bastard of Stephen I, was Abbot of Westminster from 1138 to c. 1157.[8]

Henry I had 21 to 25 illegitimate children, including Robert, 1st Earl of Gloucester, Sybilla of Normandy (wife of King Alexander I of Scotland) Maud FitzRoy (wife of Conan III, Duke of Brittany), Constance or Maud FitzRoy, Mabel FitzRoy, Alice FitzRoy, Gilbert FitzRoy, and Emma.[9] "It might be permissible to wonder how it was that Henry I managed to keep track of all his illegitimate children, but there is no doubt that he did so," wrote historian Given-Wilson.[8]

Henry II had several bastards, most notably Geoffrey, Archbishop of York and William Longespée, 3rd Earl of Salisbury (who inherited his earldom from his wife's father, William of Salisbury). William's mother was Ida de Tosny, while Geoffrey's may have been called Ykenai.

Richard the Lionheart had at least one illegitimate child: Philip of Cognac, who died young (possibly in battle). He features as Philip the Bastard in Shakespeare's King John.

John had at least five children with mistresses during his first marriage to Isabelle of Gloucester, and two of which are known to have been noblewomen. He had eight or more others including Jeanne/Joan, Lady of Wales (wife of Llywelyn the Great) and Richard FitzRoy.

Edward IV had at least five illegitimate children, including Arthur Plantagenet, 1st Viscount Lisle (later Lord Deputy of Calais) by his mistress Elizabeth Lucy.

Perkin Warbeck closely resembled Edward IV and claimed to be his son Richard of Shrewsbury; it has been theorised that Perkin was one of Edward's illegitimate children.

Richard III justified his accession to the throne by claiming that the children of Edward IV were the product of an invalid marriage.

Richard III had at least two illegitimate children: John of Gloucester (Captain of Calais for a time) and Katherine, first wife of William Herbert, 2nd Earl of Pembroke.

Sir Roland de Velville was, in one account, the illegitimate son of Henry VII and "a Breton lady."

Henry VIII had one acknowledged illegitimate child, Henry FitzRoy, 1st Duke of Richmond and Somerset. As he had many mistresses, historians put forward six other likely instances including the mercenary Thomas Stukley, the poet Richard Edwardes and two of Mary Boleyn's children.

His daughter Elizabeth was in then Catholic canon law illegitimate, as Henry had married her mother, Anne Boleyn having divorced Queen Catherine; it was lawful under his new Anglican legal system.

Máel Coluim mac Alaxandair (fl. 1124–1134) was an illegitimate son of Alexander I of Scotland (r. 1107–1124) who unsuccessfully claimed his throne.

William the Lion (r. 1165–1214) had at least 6 illegitimate children, including Isabella Mac William.

Alexander II's (r. 1214–1249) illegitimate daughter Marjorie married Alan Durward.

Robert the Bruce (r. 1306–1329) had possibly six illegitimate children, including Robert Bruce, Lord of Liddesdale.

Robert II (r. 1371–1390) had 13+ illegitimate children, including Thomas Stewart, later Bishop of St Andrews.

Robert III (r. 1390–1406) at least two illegitimate children, including John, ancestor of the Shaw Stewart baronets.

James II (r. 1437–1460) had an illegitimate son, John Stewart, Lord of Sticks (d. 1523).

James IV (r. 1488–1513) had at least 5 illegitimate children with his mistresses, including Alexander Stewart, Archbishop of St Andrews, James Stewart, 1st Earl of Moray and Lady Janet Stewart, la Belle Écossaise.

James V (r. 1513–1542) had at least 9 illegitimate children with his mistresses, including Lady Jean Stewart (by Elizabeth Bethune), Robert Stewart, 1st Earl of Orkney (by Euphemia Elphinstone) and James Stewart, 1st Earl of Moray (by Margaret Erskine).

Charles II fathered at least 20 illegitimate children, of whom he acknowledged 14.[10] The most famous of these was James Scott, 1st Duke of Monmouth, his son by Lucy Walter. After Charles' death, Monmouth led a rebellion against his uncle James II. Charles had no legitimate children who survived childhood.

When Nell Gwynn brought her first child to Charles, she told it, 'Come hither you little Bastard and speak to your father!'.[11]

"Nay, Nellie, do not call the child such a name", said the king.

"Your Majesty has given me no other name by which I may call him."

Charles then named the child "Beauclerk" and bestowed the title "Earl of Burford".

Charles I with his son, the future James II. Both James and his older brother Charles II were known for their numerous bastards.

By Lucy Walter (c.1630–1658)

James II and VII had 13 illegitimate children.[17]

George I had 3 illegitimate children by his mistress, Melusine von der Schulenburg, Duchess of Kendal, including Melusina von der Schulenburg, Countess of Walsingham.

William IV had 11 illegitimate children.[18] They used the surname "FitzClarence", because he was duke of Clarence.[18]

When Victoria became queen, she banned royal bastards from court as "ghosts best forgotten."[18] Since then, the issue has been shrouded in secrecy and any subsequent illegitimate children have gone unacknowledged.[18]

Edward VII was claimed to be the natural father of the model Olga de Meyer.[19]

Henri IV had many mistresses and illegitimate children. The children of Gabrielle d'Estrées are notable because the King may have signed a wedding agreement with their mother before her unexpected death in 1599.

• By Gabrielle d'Estrées
  • César, Duke of Vendôme, legitimized
  • Catherine Henriette, mademoiselle de Vendôme, legitimized
  • Alexandre, Chevalier de Vendôme, legitimized
• By Madame de Verneuil
  • Gaston Henri, Duke of Verneuil, legitimized
  • Gabrielle Angélique, mademoiselle de Verneuil, legitimized
• By Madame de Moret
  • Antoine, Count of Moret, legitimized
• By Charlotte des Essarts
  • Jeanne Baptiste, legitimized
  • Marie Henriette, legitimized

Louis XIV had many mistresses and illegitimate children. Madame de Maintenon was their governess.[20]

"The bastards", as they were called, were compared to mules, unnatural hybrids who should not reproduce. "No issue should come of such species," the king once said.[21] Louis, nonetheless, found appropriate spouses for his illegitimate children.[21]

As illegitimate children were considered impure, their mothers might attempt to purify them through pious behavior.[21] Louise de La Vallière had six children by Louis XIV, including Marie Anne de Bourbon (1666–1739) and Louis de Bourbon (1667–1683). She repented by joining a Carmelite convent. There she wore a belt of iron spikes that cut into her flesh.[21]

Church leaders denounced Madame de Montespan, Louis' best-known mistress, who had seven children by him. In 1675, Father Lécuyer refused to give her absolution.[22] "Is this the Madame that scandalises all France?" he asked. "Go abandon your shocking life and then come throw yourself at the feet of the ministers of Jesus Christ."

The king's efforts to legitimize his illegitimate children showed his, "Olympian disdain for public opinion," according to one modern author.[20] The edict of Marly, issued in July 1714, granted two of Louis' sons by Montespan the right to succeed to the French throne.[23] This hugely unpopular decision led to a political crisis called the "bastard distortion" in 1714–1715.[23] It was reversed by the Parliament of Paris in July 1717, after Louis had died.[23]

• By Mademoiselle de La Vallière
  • Charles de La Baume Le Blanc
  • Marie Anne, mademoiselle de Blois, legitimized and married in the royal family
  • Louis, Count of Vermandois, legitimized
• By Madame de Montespan
  • Louis Auguste, Duke of Maine, legitimized and made dynast (1714-1715).
  • Louis César, Count of Vexin, legitimized
  • Louise Françoise, mademoiselle de Nantes, legitimized and married in the royal family
  • Louise Anne, mademoiselle de Tours, legitimized
  • Françoise Marie, mademoiselle de Blois, legitimized and married in the royal family
  • Louis Alexandre, Count of Toulouse, legitimized and made dynast (1714-1715)
• By Mademoiselle des Œillets
  • Louise de Maisonblanche

Like his great-grandfather, Louis XV had many mistresses and illegitimate children, but contrary to him, he never legitimized any of them.

• By Pauline Félicité de Mailly
  • Charles Emmanuel Marie Magdelon de Vintimille du Luc
• By Jeanne Perray:
  • Amélie Florimond de Norville
• By Marie-Louise O'Murphy
  • Agathe Louise de Saint-Antoine de Saint-André[24]
  • Marguerite Victoire Le Normant de Flaghac.[25]
• By Françoise de Chalus
  • Philippe Louis Marie Innocent Christophe Juste de Narbonne-Lara
  • Louis Marie Jacques Amalric de Narbonne-Lara
• By Marguerite Catherine Haynault
  • Agnès Louise de Montreuil
  • Anne Louise de La Réale
• By Lucie Madeleine d'Estaing
  • Agnès Lucie Auguste
  • Aphrodite Lucie Auguste
• By Anne Coppier de Romans
  • Louis Aimé de Bourbon, called the Abbot of Bourbon; he was the only one of the illegitimate children of Louis XV who was officially recognized.[26]
• By Jeanne Louise Tiercelin de La Colleterie
  • Benoît Louis Le Duc[27]