[Eric A. Taylor (OP)]

According to the genealogy done by my father I'm a decedent of Charlemagne. Consider that it's been more than 1100 years between Charlemagne's death and my birth (about 58 generations) could DNA prove that I am in fact Charlemagne's grandson?

The claim that I'm Charlemagne's decedent is based on legal records. Of the 50 some women who stand between my Grandmother and Charlemagne what are the chances that one or more of them were less than honest about who the father of their child was?

[gora]

Firstly congrats. The chances are not bad actually because 1100 years is a long long time and his progeny would have had thousands of descendants in this time. Well as far as lying goes, that's like a red herring.

[waqasibrm]

Hello i am surprise to know that DNA have such quality to solve our such mysterious mystery the info is really helpful for me.

[Eric A. Taylor (OP)]

Firstly congrats. The chances are not bad actually because 1100 years is a long long time and his progeny would have had thousands of descendants in this time. Well as far as lying goes, that's like a red herring.

It's not that big a deal. Something like 95% of the people of European descent can trace there ancestors to royalty (or some other historical name) at one point of the other. I've sometimes wondered how closely we are all related, considering that in just a few generations you exceed the population of the Earth in numbers of grandparents.

Assuming noe of the grandparents are the same person you have two parents, 4 grandparents, 8 great-grandparents, 16 great-great grandparents...doubling with every set. In just 30 generations you exceed 1 billion (1000000000) people which puts you back around 1400. World population in 1400 was only about 350 million, about the current population of the United States.

1st cousins share grandparents, 2nd cousins share great grandparents and so on. Could DNA testing show how far back two people share ancestors?