Our European ancestors did not live in isolation. They were impacted by:

• Political decisions
• Historical events
• Family decisions in earlier generations
• Boundary changes, including some that happened in earlier years
• Religion
• Wars
• Colonial measures

Quite recently someone asked me why there was colonial information and more modern information relating to European genealogy in the Researching Ancestors from Continental Europe course and the short answer is as I have listed above, but let me expand on that a little.

Researching in Europe is a huge undertaking and requires dedication to learn and explore. Our ancestors may have lived in 18th Century Turin, Paris, Moscow or any number of more rural locations, but they did not live in a bubble, that suspended those individuals away from the effects of those earlier times, or meant they were not experiencing the fallout of decisions made by others.

So, it is very important to gain a sense of how your country of interest was governed and by whom in the periods of yesterday, whether yesterday was 200 years ago or last week. It is also really important to gain context.

The course provides opportunity to read, learn and explore Europe, and the wider reach of the continent. It does not provide all the answers, but instead opportunity and I look forward to welcoming those with an interest in European ancestry on the course.