MovieChat Forums > Braveheart (1995) Discussion > "If we can't get them out, we'll breed t...

"If we can't get them out, we'll breed them out."

posted 6 years ago by Karl Aksel (1487)
3 replies | jump to latest

I never understood how that was supposed to make a lick of sense. Nevermind the fact that the whole prima noctis thing is a total fabrication, but how was this supposed to deal with the Scottish nobles? If anything it would have the opposite effect:

1. English nobles would have sexual rights to any *commoner* woman on her wedding night
2. Scottish offspring would legally belong to its parents, but could potentially make ius sanguinis claims to *English* titles.
3. Scottish nobles would be unaffected so long as they didn't marry commoners.

If anything, then, prima noctis would breed the English out. Unless I'm missing something here?

[–] Betamax66 (588) 6 years ago

People really need to examine how many ENGLISH people there are in Scottish royalty timelines...

Saint Margaret (sister of the atheling Edgar of 1066) marrying Malcolm III (killed 1093) their issue becoming several kings of Scotland.

[–] PrimeMinisterX (8718) 6 years ago

I'm pretty sure he was just saying that they would dilute the bloodlines until the Scots weren't even really Scottish anymore.

[–] Karl Aksel (1487) 6 years ago

But that wouldn't work, because any child born would still count as legitimate. And if there'd be any doubts as too the child's bloodline, that would be all the more dangerous to the English nobles, as there would now be a part Scottish offspring with blood claims to English titles.