1st to 10th Centuries CE
Isidore of Seville
St. Isidore of Seville was from a noble family of Cartagena, but was orphaned as a child and educated by his elder brother, St. Leander, in a monastery. (Another brother and sister are also... [more]
Jesus Christ
According to the Biblical accounts and orthodox Christian tradition, Jesus was not the biological son of Joseph the Carpenter , but literally the son of God. He was referred to by his cont... [more]
Joseph the Carpenter
The genealogies given for St. Joseph in the Biblical gospels of Luke (chapter 3) and Matthew (chapter 1) appear to contradict each other. According to Matthew his father was Jacob, while... [more]
Mary the Virgin
According to tradition and the apocryphal Gospel of the Birth of Mary, she was placed in the Temple at Jerusalem by her parents at the age of three (see Oblates ) and stayed there until he... [more]
Muhammad
Muhammad was born after his father died, and his mother died when he was six years old. He was then raised by his grandfather until he too died, when Muhammad was eight, after which he was ... [more]
Norwegian Ruling Families
In the Middle Ages fostering was practiced between the great families of Norway, possibly as a means of cementing interfamily alliances or demonstrating reciprocal status relationships. Acc... [more]
Roman Empire
Ancient Roman society institutionalized the adoption of adults. It was relatively common for a wealthy Roman couple to adopt an adult man, even a slave, as heir if they did not have any son... [more]
Zaid bin Haritha
Zaid was enslaved as a young child. He was brought to Mecca and given as a present to Muhammad the prophet. He was treated so well by Muhammad that when his father located him and tried to ... [more]
