If doubt is an intrinsic issue of human beings, so can doubts about paternity. It is an often complicated issue at a personal and family level that has always been present throughout the history of humanity. Knowing the true identity of a person’s parents is one of the objectives and areas of work of a laboratory like LabGenetics. Find out about our services, which we will provide you completely anonymously and with proven results.
In today’s post, we are going to take a historical look at the personalities that History has left us who have been the result of an illegitimate relationship or who, at least, have left serious doubts about paternity after their death. They have been compiled by the journalist and writer María José Casado in her book ‘Bastardos ilustres’ (2011). We leave you with 7 of them:
Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519): Perhaps the best multi-faceted artist in history was an illegitimate descendant of a renowned Florentine family of notaries. Author of countless inventions and universal works such as ‘Mona Lisa’ or ‘The Vitruvian Man’, he was raised as one of his family, although he received neither education nor inheritance.
Erasmus of Rotterdam (1466-1536): Humanist philosopher and one of the great thinkers in European history, he was the fruit of an illegitimate love with a priest. It is believed that this circumstance prompted him to study the principles of the Church in depth.
Sara Bernhardt (1844-1923): One of the first great actresses of the contemporary era, she made her own way after having been an illegitimate daughter and having grown up in absolute poverty. Her acting skills made her an actress for eternity.
Giovanni Bocaccio (1313-1375): Along with Petrarch and Dante, one of the fathers of the Renaissance. He was despised by his family and did not have the presence of a mother figure throughout his life. It is believed that these emotional deficiencies led him to develop a great idealism about love.
Jean d’Alembert (1717-1783): His name will forever be linked to that of his colleague Diderot, with whom he created the French Encyclopedia. He was the product of a non-marital relationship between a soldier and a noblewoman, but was abandoned in a box in a Parisian church.
Alexandre Dumas Jr. (1824-1895): Doubts about paternity aside, the writer and illegitimate son of another great writer did not receive the scorn of his parents. However, his childhood was not easy, and this was seen in his most famous work, ‘The Lady of the Camellias’.
Guillaume Apollinaire (1880-1918): One of the pioneering poets of the avant-garde, his condition did not make things easy for him. Chaos reigned throughout his life, perhaps because of this, although he will forever be remembered as the father of surrealism.
