Blood has always represented family but why does calling someone a Blueblood mean they are born members of an aristocratic family?
I’ll tell you. In the year 1212, a full three years prior to King John of England signing the Magna Carta at Runnymede, a pair of unscrupulous tailors convinced King John that they weaved a cloth so delicate and beautiful that it could not be seen by fools. So as the King, who coincidentally had varicose veins, marched through the streets fully exposed a young and innocent lad spoke up and exclaimed, “The King has blue veins, the King has blue blood!” The notion of blue-blooded royalty struck a nerve and became the spark that led to the Magna Carta and the birth of democracy. Which lasted until now…or a few years ago anyway.
Interesting Side Note: About 625 years after this event Danish author, Hans Christian Anderson, experiencing a crippling case of writer’s block, delved into the history books and wrote a fictionalized account of King John’s parade titled “The Emperor’s New Clothes.” The thinly disguised tale was soon discovered by the descendants of King John who successfully sued for liable.