A Genealogy Of The Noble And Most Ancient House Of Black
This text by wizarding historian Roland Sewaley covers the lineage of the House of Black, tracing the family back to its origins and outlining the members and their relations up to its last member. Also, given that there are no more male-line descendants, Mr Sewaley details the disowned members and the continuation of the genealogy through their branches of the family tree. This is a good read for any person intrigued to learn about the lineage of a prominent wizarding family and their descendants.
Last Updated
05/31/21
Chapters
10
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9,365
Preface
Chapter 1
Coat of arms of the House of Black
The Noble and Most Ancient House of Black was a prominent family of wealth and status in the wizarding community. Most of the family history known today is that of the descendants of Phineas Nigellus Black. Throughout their history, beginning from their origins in the Middle Ages, they are known for having been strict adherents to the belief of blood purity and their family tree can therefore be seen to intertwine as consequence of adhering to this philosophy. In addition to having pro-pureblood views, the House of Black also had anti-Muggle tendencies and for this, it can be noted that a number of the members of the House practised Dark Magic and supported, if not directly followed, Lord Voldemort during the Wizarding Wars.
Whereas the etymology of the House goes, it is likely that the family name has its roots in the Old English word blac, meaning "pale", which would thereby allude to their blood status given that pallid colour, or the colour white, is associated with purity.
Regarding the general physical appearance of the Blacks, they were reputed to be handsome in likeness, tall and possessing generally attractive qualities. In terms of monetary status, the Black family, as with many other pure-blood wizarding families like the Malfoys and Potters, is considered to be very wealthy.
Little is known about the family prior to Phineas Nigellus Black, who had five children, of which one was disowned. After him, the majority of the family is descended through Sirius I and Cygnus Black, the former of which was the ancestor of the last male Black. Eventually, the descendants of the House of Black in the male-line went extinct with the death of Sirius Black in 1996 although a number of other descendants exist through the lineage of female members, such as the Malfoys or the Weasleys.
