Consanguinity is the quality of being descended from the same ancestor as another person. Kinship and descent is one of the major concepts of cultural anthropology. ... An ancestor is a parent or (recursively) the parent of an ancestor. ... Person, in the classic sense, refers to a living human being. ...

The degree of relative consanguinity can be illustrated with a consanguinity table, in which each level of lineal consanguinity (i.e., generation) appears as a row, and individuals with a collaterally-consanguinious relationship share the same row. For other uses, see table (disambiguation). ... Generation is the act of producing offspring, or procreation. ...

The connotations of degree of consanguinity varies by context (e.g., canon law, Roman law, et al.). Most cultures define a degree of consaguinity below which sexual interrelationships are regarded as incestuous. In the Catholic Church, unwittingly marrying a closely-consanguinious blood relative is grounds for an annulment. In Western culture, canon law is the law of the Roman Catholic and Anglican churches. ... Incest is sexual activity or marriage between very close family members. ... The Roman Catholic Church believes its founding was based on Jesus appointment of Saint Peter as the primary church leader, later Bishop of Rome. ... Annulment is a legal procedure for declaring a marriage null and void. ...

Historically, some European nobles cited a close degree of consanguinuity when they required convenient grounds for divorce, especially in contexts where religious doctrine forbade the voluntary dissolution of a failed marriage. Conversely, the consanguinity law of succession requires the next monarch to be of the same blood of the previous one; allowing, for example, illegitimate children to inherit. A satellite composite image of Europe // Etymology Picture of Europa, carried away by bull-shaped Zeus. ... Divorce or dissolution of marriage is the ending of a marriage before the death of either spouse, which can be contrasted with an annulment which is a declaration that a marriage is void, though the effects of marriage may be recognized in such unions, such as spousal support, child custody... The origins of the word religion have been debated for centuries. ... Succession is the act or process of following in order or sequence. ... A monarch (see sovereign) is a type of ruler or head of state. ... Illegitimacy was a term in common usage for the condition of being born of parents who are not validly married to one another; the legal term is bastardy. ...

See also

• Bloodline
• Cousin chart
• Genealogy
• Genetics
• Inbreeding
• Mendelian inheritance
• Pedigree collapse

For the scientific journal Heredity see Heredity (journal) Heredity (the adjective is hereditary) is the transfer of characters from parent to offspring, either through their genes or through the social institution called inheritance (for example, a title of nobility is passed from individual to individual according to relevant customs and... A cousin chart is the common name for a Table of Consanguinity (see legalese). ... Genealogy the study and tracing of family pedigrees. ... Genetics (from the Greek genno γεννώ= give birth) is the science of genes, heredity, and the variation of organisms. ... Inbreeding is breeding between close relatives. ... Mendelian inheritance (or Mendelian genetics or Mendelism) is a set of primary tenets that underlie much of genetics developed by Gregor Mendel in the latter part of the 19th century. ... Pedigree collapse is a term created by Robert C. Gunderson to denominate the collapse of the family trees caused either by close cousin marriages or distant cousins unknowingly getting married. ...

External links

• Kalmes, Robert and Jean-Loup Huret. "Consanguinity."
  • Includes detailed information on the application of the coefficient of consanguinity
• Burtsell, Richard L. "Consanguinity (in Canon Law)." The Catholic Encyclopedia.
• Consanguinity at GeneWeb