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Chronicle of Abbot Ralph of Coggeshall
The Chronicle of Abbot Ralph of Coggeshall (Chronicon Anglicanum) is an indispensable medieval history that brings to life centuries of English and European affairs through the eyes of a learned Cistercian monk. Ralph of Coggeshall, abbot of the Abbey of Coggeshall in Essex in the early 13th century, continued and expanded his community’s chronicle, documenting events from the Norman Conquest of 1066 into the tumultuous reign of King Henry III. Blending eyewitness testimony, careful compilation, and the monastic commitment to record-keeping, this chronicle offers a rare narrative of political intrigue, royal power struggles, and social upheaval in England and beyond. Ralph’s work captures the reigns of pivotal figures such as Richard I and King John, providing invaluable insights into their characters, decisions, and the forces that shaped medieval rule. More than a simple annal, Chronicon Anglicanum conveys the texture of medieval life and governance, making it a rich source for scholars and readers fascinated by English history, monastic authorship, and the shaping of the medieval world.
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Paternal Family Tree: Montagu
Maternal Family Tree: Sibylla Tregoz Baroness Grandison
Around 1320 [her father] William Montagu 1st Earl Salisbury (age 19) and [her mother] Catherine Grandison Countess of Salisbury (age 16) were married. She by marriage Baroness Montagu.
In or before 1324 Elizabeth Montagu Baroness Badlesmere and Despencer was born to [her father] William Montagu 1st Earl Salisbury (age 22) and [her mother] Catherine Grandison Countess of Salisbury (age 19).
In 1328 [her husband] Giles Badlesmere 2nd Baron Badlesmere (age 13) attainder reversed 2nd Baron Badlesmere. Elizabeth Montagu Baroness Badlesmere and Despencer (age 4) by marriage Baroness Badlesmere.
Around 1328 Giles Badlesmere 2nd Baron Badlesmere (age 13) and Elizabeth Montagu Baroness Badlesmere and Despencer (age 4) were married. She the daughter of William Montagu 1st Earl Salisbury (age 27) and Catherine Grandison Countess of Salisbury (age 24).
In 1335 William Bohun 1st Earl of Northampton (age 25) and [her sister-in-law] Elizabeth Badlesmere Countess Northampton (age 22) were married. He the son of Humphrey Bohun 4th Earl Hereford 3rd Earl Essex and Princess Elizabeth of Rhuddlan Countess Essex, Hereford and Holland. They were fourth cousins. He a grandson of King Edward I of England. She a great x 4 granddaughter of King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England.
In 1336 John de Vere 7th Earl of Oxford (age 23) and [her sister-in-law] Maud Badlesmere Countess of Oxford (age 27) were married. She by marriage Countess of Oxford. They were third cousin twice removed. She a great x 4 granddaughter of King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England.
On 7th June 1338 [her husband] Giles Badlesmere 2nd Baron Badlesmere (age 23) died. Baron Badlesmere abeyant between his sisters [her sister-in-law] Margery Badlesmere Baroness Ros of Helmsley (age 29), [her sister-in-law] Maud Badlesmere Countess of Oxford (age 29), [her sister-in-law] Elizabeth Badlesmere Countess Northampton (age 25) and Margaret Badlesmere Baroness Tibetot (age 23).
On 15th November 1338 [her future husband] Hugh Despencer 1st Baron Despencer (age 30) was created 1st Baron Despencer by writ of summons.
On 24th June 1340 King Edward III of England (age 27) attacked the French fleet at anchor during the Battle of Sluys capturing more than 200 ships, killing around 18000 French. The English force included John Beauchamp 1st Baron Beauchamp Warwick (age 24), William Bohun 1st Earl of Northampton (age 30), Henry Scrope 1st Baron Scrope of Masham (age 27), William Latimer 4th Baron Latimer of Corby (age 10), John Lisle 2nd Baron Lisle (age 22), Ralph Stafford 1st Earl Stafford (age 38), Henry of Grosmont 1st Duke Lancaster (age 30), Walter Manny 1st Baron Manny (age 30), [her future husband] Hugh Despencer 1st Baron Despencer (age 32) and Richard Pembridge (age 20).
Thomas Monthermer 2nd Baron Monthermer (age 38) died from wounds. His daughter [her future sister-in-law] Margaret succeeded 3rd Baroness Monthermer.
Around November 1340 [her brother] William Montagu 2nd Earl Salisbury (age 12) and [her sister-in-law] Joan "Fair Maid of Kent" Princess Wales (age 12) were married. She was already married albeit secretly to Thomas Holland 1st Earl Kent (age 26). The subsequent investigation found her marriage to Thomas Holland 1st Earl Kent to be valid. She the daughter of Edmund of Woodstock 1st Earl Kent and Margaret Wake Countess Kent (age 43). He the son of [her father] William Montagu 1st Earl Salisbury (age 39) and [her mother] Catherine Grandison Countess of Salisbury (age 36).
Before 27th April 1341 Hugh Despencer 1st Baron Despencer (age 33) and Elizabeth Montagu Baroness Badlesmere and Despencer (age 17) were married. She by marriage Baroness Despencer. She the daughter of William Montagu 1st Earl Salisbury (age 40) and Catherine Grandison Countess of Salisbury (age 37).
Henrici Quinti, Angliæ Regis, Gesta, is a first-hand account of the Agincourt Campaign, and subsequent events to his death in 1422. The author of the first part was a Chaplain in King Henry's retinue who was present from King Henry's departure at Southampton in 1415, at the siege of Harfleur, the battle of Agincourt, and the celebrations on King Henry's return to London. The second part, by another writer, relates the events that took place including the negotiations at Troye, Henry's marriage and his death in 1422.
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14th December 1344 Richard Fitzalan 3rd or 10th Earl of Arundel 8th Earl of Surrey (age 38) and [her sister-in-law] Isabel Despencer Countess Arundel (age 32) marriage annulled by Pope Clement VI on the grounds that he had never freely consented to marry Isabel. He, at this time, is believed to be having an affair with her first cousin Eleanor (age 26) who he married four months later.
Before 1348 [her future husband] Guy de Bryan (age 29) and Joan Carew (age 27) were married.
In 1349 [her husband] Hugh Despencer 1st Baron Despencer (age 41) died. Baron Despencer extinct.
On 11th June 1349 [her father] William Montagu 1st Earl Salisbury (age 48) died. His son [her brother] William (age 20) succeeded 2nd Earl Salisbury, 4th Baron Montagu. [her sister-in-law] Joan "Fair Maid of Kent" Princess Wales (age 20) by marriage Countess Salisbury.
On 23rd November 1349 [her mother] Catherine Grandison Countess of Salisbury (age 45) died at Bisham Abbey [Map].
Before 1350 [her brother] John Montagu 1st Baron Montagu, Baron Monthermer (age 19) and [her sister-in-law] Margaret Monthermer Baroness Montagu 3rd Baroness Monthermer were married. She by marriage Baroness Montagu. He by marriage Baron Monthermer. He the son of [her father] William Montagu 1st Earl Salisbury and [her mother] Catherine Grandison Countess of Salisbury.
Before 10th July 1350 Guy de Bryan (age 31) and Elizabeth Montagu Baroness Badlesmere and Despencer (age 26) were married. She the daughter of William Montagu 1st Earl Salisbury and Catherine Grandison Countess of Salisbury.
Before 1352 [her brother-in-law] Roger Mortimer 2nd Earl March (age 23) and [her sister] Philippa Montagu Countess March (age 19) were married. She by marriage Countess March. She the daughter of [her father] William Montagu 1st Earl Salisbury and [her mother] Catherine Grandison Countess of Salisbury. He the son of Edmund Mortimer and [her former sister-in-law] Elizabeth Badlesmere Countess Northampton (age 38).
Chronicle of a Bourgeois of Valenciennes
Récits d’un bourgeois de Valenciennes aka The Chronicle of a Bourgeois of Valenciennes is a vivid 14th-century vernacular chronicle written by an anonymous urban chronicler from Valenciennes in the County of Hainaut. It survives in a manuscript that describes local and regional history from about 1253 to 1366, blending chronology, narrative episodes, and eyewitness-style accounts of political, military, and social events in medieval France, Flanders, and the Low Countries. The work begins with a chronological framework of events affecting Valenciennes and its region under rulers such as King Philip VI of France and the shifting allegiances of local nobility. It includes accounts of conflicts, sieges, diplomatic manoeuvres, and the impact of broader struggles like the Hundred Years’ War on urban life in Hainaut. Written from the perspective of a burgher (bourgeois) rather than a monastery or royal court, the chronicle offers a rare lay viewpoint on high politics and warfare, reflecting how merchants, townspeople, and civic institutions experienced the turbulence of the 13th and 14th centuries. Its narrative style combines straightforward reporting of events with moral and civic observations, making it a valuable source for readers interested in medieval urban society, regional politics, and the lived experience of war and governance in pre-modern Europe.
Available at Amazon in eBook and Paperback format.
In 1357 [her brother] John Montagu 1st Baron Montagu, Baron Monthermer (age 27) was created 1st Baron Montagu.
On 31st May 1359 Elizabeth Montagu Baroness Badlesmere and Despencer (age 35) died. Monument in Tewkesbury Abbey [Map].
On 17th August 1390 [her former husband] Guy de Bryan (age 71) died. Monument at Tewkesbury Abbey [Map]. Alabaster with, unusually, a portrait rather than a generic face. Early Plate Bascinet Period. He was buried at St James' Church, Slapton.
[her daughter] Phillipe Bryan was born to Guy de Bryan and Elizabeth Montagu Baroness Badlesmere and Despencer.
[her son] William Bryan was born to Guy de Bryan and Elizabeth Montagu Baroness Badlesmere and Despencer.
[her son] Guy Bryan was born to Guy de Bryan and Elizabeth Montagu Baroness Badlesmere and Despencer.
[her son] William Bryan was born to Guy de Bryan and Elizabeth Montagu Baroness Badlesmere and Despencer.
Kings Franks: Great x 18 Grand Daughter of Charles "Charlemagne aka Great" King of the Franks King Lombardy Holy Roman Emperor
Kings France: Great x 10 Grand Daughter of Robert "Pious" II King of the Franks
Kings Duke Aquitaine: Great x 15 Grand Daughter of Ranulf I Duke Aquitaine
Great x 2 Grandfather: William Montagu 
Great x 1 Grandfather: Simon Montagu 1st Baron Montagu
GrandFather: William Montagu 2nd Baron Montagu
Great x 1 Grandmother: Hawise St Amand
Father: William Montagu 1st Earl Salisbury
Great x 4 Grandfather: Henry Montfort
Great x 3 Grandfather: Thurstan Montfort
Great x 2 Grandfather: Peter Montfort
Great x 4 Grandfather: William Cantilupe Baron 
Great x 3 Grandmother: Mabel Cantilupe
Great x 1 Grandfather: Peter Montfort
Great x 4 Grandfather: Adam Audley 
Great x 3 Grandfather: Henry Audley
Great x 4 Grandmother: Emma Fitzorm
Great x 2 Grandmother: Alice Audley
Great x 4 Grandfather: Ralph Mainwaring
Great x 3 Grandmother: Bertrade Mainwaring
GrandMother: Elizabeth Montfort Baroness Furnivall Baroness Montagu
Elizabeth Montagu Baroness Badlesmere and Despencer
Great x 1 Grandfather: Pierre Grandison
GrandFather: William Grandison 1st Baron Grandison
Mother: Catherine Grandison Countess of Salisbury
GrandMother: Sibylla Tregoz Baroness Grandison