I’m sure you must be puzzled why the count of Conversano (I prefer to call him that than by his strange name Giangirolamo) is part of a story on this site.
The reason is that many families that are part of this site may be related to him.
To explain, let me mention a curiosity about Genghis Khan. Yes, Genghis Khan that founded in the 13 century (1201-1300), and was the Great Khan of what, in terms of territory, was the world’s largest contiguous Empire, the Mongol Empire. This Empire was conquered with battles and a lot of bloodshed. They say that the Great Khan was responsible for the deaths of 40 million people and that at the time was equivalent to reducing the world population by 11%. Can you believe?
Well, the Genghis Khan had many sons who continued and expanded the Mongol Empire which of course had many other children. So much so that a study published in 2003 concluded that one in every 200 men in the world today are direct descendants of the Great Khan.
Back to the count, he was a tyrant and Lord of a large area in Apulia, Italy and was born in the year of 1600.
One of the legends about the count that many swear is true, is that the Count enjoyed with enthusiasm and vigor, the law of the lord, in French droit du seigneur or in Latin jus primae noctis. I think the literal translation from Latin, first night law, defines what it means.
Explaining better, the count had the right to spend the wedding night and take the virginity of all newly married brides. This procedure created the question of who really was the father of the couple’s first child. So much so that many of the Apulian region believe they are directly related to the Count of Conversano, even when he does not appear in the genealogy of the family.
Who will know…
Conversano, by the way, is a picturesque town near Polignano-A-Mare and also near Alberobello. One of these days I will write about these cities.
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