Ludwig van Beethoven’s genetic link to Flanders debunked
It’s a bit of a blow. DNA research has revealed that the famous German composer Ludwig van Beethoven isn’t genetically related to all the other Flemish Van Beethovens. Genetic research using hair from Ludwig van Beethoven discovered a love child in the composer’s direct male line and that person is believed to be the composer’s father, Johann.
Ludwig van Beethoven was born in Germany in 1770, but it was always believed that his roots lay in Flanders. Aert van Beethoven, born in 1537, is seen as the first Van Beethoven from whom all living Van Beethovens are descended.
Ludwig van Beethoven’s grandfather, Lodewijk, was born in Mechelen in 1712, but moved to Bonn (Germany) to further his musical career. Ludwig’s father, Johann van Beethoven is born there in 1740, followed by Ludwig himself in 1770.
DNA research now reveals that there is no genetic link between the first Van Beethoven, Aert, and our composer, Ludwig. All indications point to Lodewijk not being the natural father of Johann!
Geneticist Maarten Larmuseau and his colleagues at Leuven University reconstructed the family tree of the Flemish Van Beethovens. They compared the DNA of living male Van Beethovens with DNA from Ludwig’s hair. The Y-chromosome passes from father to son, but all Flemish Van Beethovens appear to have a Y-chromosome different from our composer.
Larmuseau says there’s no definite proof Ludwig’s father wasn’t the biological son of his grandfather, but a baptismal certificate is missing: “We don’t know exactly when Van Beethoven’s father was born or christened”.
The researchers add Van Beethoven’s father may not even have been a love child but could even have been the result of rape. Larmuseau says biology is important but doesn’t tell the whole story. A father named on a birth certificate doesn’t need to have a biological link with his child in order to pass on his surname” and adds: “Ludwig van Beethoven and all his Belgian relatives trace their name back to their common ancestor Aert. As a result the Belgian Van Beethovens are still related to the German musical genius”.
The research also throws up convincing evidence Ludwig probably died from cirrhosis of the liver. Ludwig had a genetic vulnerability to liver disease. His hair shows a hepatitis B infection, and he was also known as drinker.
The research also revealed that the “Hiller Lock”, a lock of hair said to have been cut from Ludwig’s head on his death by musician Ferdinand Hiller, couldn’t have come from Ludwig as these are the hairs of a woman.
The team including international researchers based their investigation on hair samples from Ludwig dating from the last years of his life found in collections in Europe, the UK and the US. All five samples came from the same individual. So, there can be little doubt they actually came from composer Ludwig Van.