The Deeds of the Dukes of Normandy
The Gesta Normannorum Ducum [The Deeds of the Dukes of Normandy] is a landmark medieval chronicle tracing the rise and fall of the Norman dynasty from its early roots through the pivotal events surrounding the Norman Conquest of England. Originally penned in Latin by the monk William of Jumièges shortly before 1060 and later expanded at the behest of William the Conqueror, the work chronicles the deeds, politics, battles, and leadership of the Norman dukes, especially William’s own claim to the English throne. The narrative combines earlier historical sources with firsthand information and oral testimony to present an authoritative account of Normandy’s transformation from a Viking settlement into one of medieval Europe’s most powerful realms. William’s history emphasizes the legitimacy, military prowess, and governance of the Norman line, framing their expansion, including the conquest of England, as both divinely sanctioned and noble in purpose. Later chroniclers such as Orderic Vitalis and Robert of Torigni continued the history, extending the coverage into the 12th century, providing broader context on ducal rule and its impact. Today this classic work remains a foundational source for understanding Norman identity, medieval statesmanship, and the historical forces that reshaped England and Western Europe between 800AD and 1100AD.
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Paternal Family Tree: Capet
Maternal Family Tree: Matilda Carinthia Countess Champagne and Blois 1160
1137 Marriage of Prince Louis and Eleanor of Aquitaine
1152 King Louis and Queen Eleanor's Annulment
1154 Louis VII marries Constance of Castile
On 25th July 1137 Louis VII King of the Franks [aged 17] and Eleanor of Aquitaine Queen Consort Franks and England [aged 15] were married at the Cathedral of Saint-André, Bordeaux [Map] by Archbishop Geoffrey of Loroux. Her father William "Saint" Poitiers X Duke Aquitaine had died some three months previously leaving Eleanor of Aquitaine Queen Consort Franks and England as a ward of Louis's father Louis VI King of the Franks [aged 55] who quickly married her to his son Louis with a view to the Duchy of Aquitaine becoming joined with the Kingdom of France. A week later Louis VI King of the Franks died and his son Louis and Eleanor became King and Queen of France. She the daughter of William "Saint" Poitiers X Duke Aquitaine and Aenor Chatellerault Duchess Aquitaine. He the son of Louis VI King of the Franks and Adelaide Savoy Queen Consort France. They were third cousin once removed.
Eleanor gave Louis a rock-crystal vase as a wedding gift which he subsequently gave to Abbot Suger of Saint-Denis. The vase is now in the Louvre.
Crystal vase, 'of Eleanor'. Crystal: Iran (?), 6th-7th century (?). Mounting: Saint-Denis, before 1147; 13th and 14th centuries. Rock crystal, nielloed and gilded silver, precious stones, pearls, champlevé enamels on silver. Originating from the treasury of the Abbey of Saint-Denis. Inscription: "+ HOC VAS SPONSA DEDIT A(ie)NOR-REGI LUDOVICO MITADOL(us) AVO MIHI REX S(an)C(tis)Q(ue) SUGER(ius)" (This vase, Eleanor, his spouse, gave it to King Louis, Mitadolus to his ancestor, the king to me, Suger, who have offered it to the saints).
Vase de cristal, "d'Aliénor". Cristal: Iran (?), VI-VII siécle (?). Monture: Saint-Denis, avant 1147; XIII et XIV siécles. Cristal de roche, argent niellé et doré, pierres pécieuses, perles, émaux champlevés sur argent Provient du trésor de I'abbaye de Saint-Denis. Inscription: "+ HOC VAS SPONSA DEDIT A(ie)NOR-REGI LUDOVICO MITADOL(us) AVO MIHI REX S(an)C(tis)Q(ue) SUGER(ius)". (ce vase, Aliénor, son épouse, l'a donné au roi Lous, Mitadolus a son aïeul, le roi à moi, Suger, qui l'ai offert aux saints).
Archbishop Geoffrey of Loroux: In 1137 he was appointed Archbishop of Bordeaux. On 18th July 1155 he died.
William "Saint" Poitiers X Duke Aquitaine: William "Saint" Poitiers X Duke Aquitaine and Aenor Chatellerault Duchess Aquitaine were married. She by marriage Duchess Aquitaine. He the son of William "Troubadour" Poitiers IX Duke Aquitaine and Philippa Rouerge Duchess Aquitaine. In 1099 he was born to William "Troubadour" Poitiers IX Duke Aquitaine and Philippa Rouerge Duchess Aquitaine at Toulouse. On 10th February 1127 William "Troubadour" Poitiers IX Duke Aquitaine died. His son William succeeded X Duke Aquitaine. On 9th April 1137 William "Saint" Poitiers X Duke Aquitaine died. His daughter Eleanor succeeded XI Duchess Aquitaine.
On 21st March 1152 the marriage of [his father] Louis VII King of the Franks [aged 32] and [his step-mother] Eleanor of Aquitaine Queen Consort Franks and England [aged 30] was dissolved by Hugh Toucy Archbishop of Sens at the Château de Beaugency on the grounds of consanguinity. Both Louis and Eleanor were present as were the Archbishops of Rouen and Bordeaux. Samson Mauvoison Archbishop of Reims acted on behalf of Eleanor. In dissolving the marriage Louis lost control of the Duchy of Aquitaine which was to have far reaching consequences for the next three centuries.
In 1154 [his father] Louis VII King of the Franks [aged 34] and Constance of Castile Queen of the Franks [aged 14] were married in Orléans. She by marriage Queen of the Franks. Somewhat curiously they were more closely related than Louis and his first wife [his step-mother] Eleanor of Aquitaine [aged 32] whose marriage had been annulled on account of consanguinity. The difference in their ages was 20 years. She the daughter of Alfonso VII King Castile VII King Leon [aged 48] and Berenguela Barcelona Queen Consort Castile and Leon. He the son of [his grandfather] Louis VI King of the Franks and [his grandmother] Adelaide Savoy Queen Consort France. They were second cousins.
On 13th November 1160 [his father] Louis VII King of the Franks [aged 40] and [his mother] Adèle Queen of the Franks were married a month or so after his second wife [deceased] had died in childbirth; Louis needed an heir. She by marriage Queen of the Franks. She the daughter of [his grandfather] Theobald Blois II Count Champagne IV Count Blois and [his grandmother] Matilda Carinthia Countess Champagne and Blois. He the son of Louis VI King of the Franks and Adelaide Savoy Queen Consort France. They were third cousin once removed. She a great granddaughter of King William "Conqueror" I of England.
On 22nd August 1165 King Philip II of France was born to [his father] Louis VII King of the Franks [aged 45] and [his mother] Adèle Queen of the Franks in Gonesse. The much longed for heir to the crown of France. He was also given the name 'Dieu Donné' meaning God Given. He a great x 2 grandson of King William "Conqueror" I of England.
On 28th April 1180 King Philip II of France [aged 14] and Isabelle Flanders Queen Consort France [aged 10] were married. She by marriage Queen Consort of France. She the daughter of Baldwin Flanders V Count Hainaut [aged 30] and Margaret Metz Countess Hainaut and Flanders. He the son of Louis VII King of the Franks [aged 60] and Adèle Queen of the Franks. They were half third cousins. He a great x 2 grandson of King William "Conqueror" I of England.
On 18th September 1180 [his father] Louis VII King of the Franks [aged 60] died in Paris [Map]. His son Philip [aged 15] succeeded II King France: Capet.
On 1st November 1180 King Philip II of France [aged 15] was crowned King France: Capet.
Annals of Six Kings of England by Nicholas Trivet [1258-1328]. On the Feast of All Saints [1st November 1180], Philip [aged 15], the son of the [his father] king of France, was crowned king at Reims by the archbishop of that place. The young king of England [aged 25] was present at this ceremony, attended by a large company of knights.
In festivitate Omnium Sanctorum coronatus est Remis, ab archiepiscopo ejusdem loci, in regem Philippus filius regis Francorum; cui solemnitati rex Anglorum junior cum magno interfuit militum comitatu.
On 5th September 1187 [his son] King Louis VIII of France was born to King Philip II of France [aged 22] and [his wife] Isabelle Flanders Queen Consort France [aged 17]. He a great x 3 grandson of King William "Conqueror" I of England. He married 23rd May 1200 his third cousin Blanche Ivrea Queen Consort France, daughter of Alfonso VIII King Castile and Eleanor Plantagenet Queen Consort Castile, and had issue.
On 14th March 1190 twin boys Robert Capet and Philip Capet were born to King Philip II of France [aged 24] and [his wife] Isabelle Flanders Queen Consort France [aged 19]. The eldest Robert died the same day, the youngest Philip died three days later. Their mother Isabelle Flanders Queen Consort France died from childbirth the day after the birth.
Chronicum Anglicanum by Ralph Coggeshall. In the same year [1193], the same king took to wife1 the sister of the King of Denmark, named Ingeborg, a maiden endowed with marvellous beauty. But after the marriage he repudiated her, and placed her among the nuns at Soissons; and he immediately ordered all the Danes who had come with her to return home.
Eodem anno, idem rex sororem regis Daciæ, nomine Ingelburgh, puellam mirabili decore præditam, accepit in uxorem, quam post nuptias repudians, inter sanctimoniales apud Suessionem collocavit; omnesque Dacos, qui cum illa advenerant, illico repatriare jussit.
Note 1. King Philip II of France [aged 27] married Ingeborg of Denmark [aged 19] on 14th August 1193. Three months later he sought an annulment of the marriage on the grounds of her consanguinity with his first wife Isabel of Hainault. Ingeborg was held in captivity for twenty years before being reconciled with Philip in 1213. Ralph de Decito: "Philip, king of the Franks, took to wife the sister of the king of Denmark; but because the divorce between them was solemnly carried out unexpectedly, this was spoken of among the people far more than the royal wedding which had previously taken place at the city of Amiens on the feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin [15th August 1193]. Separated from the king, the queen preferred to live among the nuns at Soissons rather than to return to her father's home in Denmark."
On 15th August 1193 King Philip II of France [aged 27] and Ingeborg Estridsen Queen Consort France [aged 19] were married. She by marriage Queen Consort of France. She the daughter of Valdemar "Great" I King of Denmark. He the son of Louis VII King of the Franks and Adèle Queen of the Franks.
Around November 1193 King Philip II of France [aged 28] and Ingeborg Estridsen Queen Consort France [aged 19] marriage annulled on the spurious grounds of her consanguinity with his first wife Isabelle Flanders Queen Consort France. She was kept, more or less, a prisoner for the remainder of her life being held in difference French castles.
On 4th February 1194 King Richard "Lionheart" I of England [aged 36] was released from his captivity; his mother [his step-mother] Eleanor of Aquitaine Queen Consort Franks and England [aged 72] having brought the ransom of 100,000 pounds of silver. On release King Philip II of France [aged 28] is said to have sent a message to the future King John [aged 27] "Look to yourself; the devil is loose".
Around July 1195 King Philip II of France [aged 29] proposed Eleanor "Fair Maid of Britanny" 4th Countess of Richmond [aged 11] marry his son King Louis VIII of France [aged 7] as part of peace negotiations with King Richard "Lionheart" I of England [aged 37].
On 20th August 1195 [his brother-in-law] William Montgomery IV Count Ponthieu [aged 16] and [his half-sister] Alys Capet Countess Ponthieu [aged 34] were married. She by marriage Countess Ponthieu. She the daughter of [his father] Louis VII King of the Franks and Constance of Castile Queen of the Franks. He the son of John Montgomery I Count Ponthieu and Beatrice St Pol Countess Ponthieu [aged 50]. They were third cousin once removed.
On 7th May 1196 King Philip II of France [aged 30] and Agnes of Merania Queen Consort France were married. She by marriage Queen Consort of France. She the daughter of Berthold Andechs Duke Merania and Agnes Rochlitz. He the son of Louis VII King of the Franks and Adèle Queen of the Franks.
In 1197 [his half-sister] Alix Capet Countess Blois [aged 46] died.
Chronicle of Walter of Guisborough
A canon regular of the Augustinian Guisborough Priory, Yorkshire, formerly known as The Chronicle of Walter of Hemingburgh, describes the period from 1066 to 1346. Before 1274 the Chronicle is based on other works. Thereafter, the Chronicle is original, and a remarkable source for the events of the time. This book provides a translation of the Chronicle from that date. The Latin source for our translation is the 1849 work edited by Hans Claude Hamilton. Hamilton, in his preface, says: 'In the present work we behold perhaps one of the finest samples of our early chronicles, both as regards the value of the events recorded, and the correctness with which they are detailed; Nor will the pleasing style of composition be lightly passed over by those capable of seeing reflected from it the tokens of a vigorous and cultivated mind, and a favourable specimen of the learning and taste of the age in which it was framed.'
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In 1198 [his daughter] Marie Capet was born to King Philip II of France [aged 32] and [his wife] Agnes of Merania Queen Consort France. She a great x 3 granddaughter of King William "Conqueror" I of England. She married (1) 1211 her half third cousin once removed Philip Flanders I Marquis Namur, son of Baldwin Flanders V Count Hainaut and Margaret Metz Countess Hainaut and Flanders (2) 22nd April 1213 Henry Reginar VIII Duke Lower Lorraine I Duke Brabant, son of Godfrey Reginar VIII Duke Lower Lorraine and Margaret Luxemburg Duchess Lower Lorraine, and had issue.
On 11th March 1198 [his half-sister] Marie Capet Countess Champagne [aged 53] died.
23rd May 1200 King Louis VIII of France [aged 12] and Blanche Ivrea Queen Consort France [aged 12] were married. She the daughter of Alfonso VIII King Castile [aged 44] and Eleanor Plantagenet Queen Consort Castile [aged 38]. He the son of King Philip II of France [aged 34] and Isabelle Flanders Queen Consort France. They were third cousins. He a great x 3 grandson of King William "Conqueror" I of England. She a granddaughter of King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England.
In July 1200 [his son] Philip Capet Count Boulogne was born to King Philip II of France [aged 34] and [his wife] Agnes of Merania Queen Consort France. He a great x 3 grandson of King William "Conqueror" I of England. He married his third cousin Matilda Dammartin Queen Consort Portugal, daughter of Renaud Dammartin I Count Boulogne, Dammartin and Aumale and Ida Metz Countess Boulogne.
On 24th August 1200 King John of England [aged 33] and Isabella of Angoulême Queen Consort England [aged 12] were married. She had been engaged to Hugh IX of Lusignan IV Count of La Marche [aged 37] who subsequently appealed to King Philip II of France [aged 35], their feudal overlord, who used the position to justify a war against John. The difference in their ages was 21 years. She the daughter of Aymer Angoulême I Count Angoulême [aged 40] and Alice Courtenay Countess Angoulême. He the son of King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England and [his step-mother] Eleanor of Aquitaine Queen Consort Franks and England [aged 78]. They were fourth cousin once removed.
In 1201 [his wife] Agnes of Merania Queen Consort France died.
On 12th November 1202 [his former brother-in-law] Canute VI King of Denmark [aged 39] died. In 1202 His brother Valdemar [aged 32] succeeded I King of Denmark.
In 1205 [his former brother-in-law] King Valdemar II of Denmark [aged 34] and Dagmar of Bohemia [aged 19] were married. He the son of Valdemar "Great" I King of Denmark and Sophia of Minsk.
In 1211 [his son-in-law] Philip Flanders I Marquis Namur [aged 36] and Marie Capet [aged 13] were married. He died a year later. The difference in their ages was 23 years. She the daughter of King Philip II of France [aged 45] and Agnes of Merania Queen Consort France. He the son of Baldwin Flanders V Count Hainaut and Margaret Metz Countess Hainaut and Flanders. They were half third cousin once removed. She a great x 3 granddaughter of King William "Conqueror" I of England.
On 22nd April 1213 [his son-in-law] Henry Reginar VIII Duke Lower Lorraine I Duke Brabant [aged 48] and Marie Capet [aged 15] were married. The difference in their ages was 33 years. She the daughter of King Philip II of France [aged 47] and Agnes of Merania Queen Consort France. He the son of Godfrey Reginar VIII Duke Lower Lorraine and Margaret Luxemburg Duchess Lower Lorraine.
In 1214 [his former brother-in-law] King Valdemar II of Denmark [aged 43] and Berengaria Burgundy Queen Consort Denmark [aged 16] were married. She by marriage Queen Consort Denmark. The difference in their ages was 27 years. She the daughter of Sancho "Populator" I King Portugal and Dulce Barcelona Queen Consort Portugal. He the son of Valdemar "Great" I King of Denmark and Sophia of Minsk.
Anne Boleyn. Her Life as told by Lancelot de Carle's 1536 Letter.
In 1536, two weeks after the execution of Anne Boleyn, her brother George and four others, Lancelot du Carle, wrote an extraordinary letter that described Anne's life, and her trial and execution, to which he was a witness. This book presents a new translation of that letter, with additional material from other contemporary sources such as Letters, Hall's and Wriothesley's Chronicles, the pamphlets of Wynkyn the Worde, the Memorial of George Constantyne, the Portuguese Letter and the Baga de Secrets, all of which are provided in Appendices.
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Around 1220 [his half-sister] Alys Capet Countess Ponthieu [aged 59] died.
On 14th July 1223 King Philip II of France [aged 57] died. His son Louis [aged 35] succeeded VIII King France: Capet. Blanche Ivrea Queen Consort France [aged 35] by marriage Queen Consort of France.
On 29th July 1237 [his former wife] Ingeborg Estridsen Queen Consort France [aged 63] died.
[his son] Peirre Chalot Capet Bishop Noyen was born to King Philip II of France and Agnes of Merania Queen Consort France. He a great x 3 grandson of King William "Conqueror" I of England.
Kings Wessex: Great x 8 Grand Son of King Alfred "The Great" of Wessex
Kings England: Great x 2 Grand Son of King William "Conqueror" I of England
Kings Franks: Great x 10 Grand Son of Charles "Charlemagne aka Great" King of the Franks King Lombardy Holy Roman Emperor
Kings France: Great x 4 Grand Son of Hugh I King of the Franks
Kings Duke Aquitaine: Great x 8 Grand Son of Ranulf I Duke Aquitaine
Great x 4 Grandfather: Hugh I King of the Franks 
Great x 3 Grandfather: Robert "Pious" II King of the Franks
Great x 4 Grandmother: Adelaide Poitiers Queen Consort France
Great x 2 Grandfather: Henry I King of the Franks
Great x 4 Grandfather: William "Liberator" Arles 1st Count Provence 1st Count Arles
Great x 3 Grandmother: Constance Arles Queen Consort France
Great x 4 Grandmother: Adelaide Blanche Ingelger Queen Consort West Francia
Great x 1 Grandfather: Philip I King of the Franks
Great x 3 Grandfather: Yaroslav "The Wise" Rurik
Great x 2 Grandmother: Anne of Kiev Queen Consort Francia
GrandFather: Louis VI King of the Franks
Great x 4 Grandfather: Arnulf Gerulfing Count Holland 
Great x 3 Grandfather: Dirk Gerulfing III Count Holland
Great x 4 Grandmother: Luitgarde Luxemburg Countess Holland
Great x 2 Grandfather: Floris Gerulfing I Count Holland
Great x 3 Grandmother: Othelindis d Bernard Margrave Nordmark Count Holland
Great x 1 Grandmother: Bertha Gerulfing Queen Consort France
Great x 4 Grandfather: Bernard I Duke of Saxony
Great x 3 Grandfather: Bernard II Duke of Saxony
Great x 2 Grandmother: Gertrude Billung Countess Holland
Great x 4 Grandfather: Henry Schweinfurt
Great x 3 Grandmother: Eilika Schweinfurt Duchess Saxony
Father: Louis VII King of the Franks
Great x 4 Grandfather: Humbert "White Handed" Savoy I Count Savoy
Great x 3 Grandfather: Otto Savoy
Great x 2 Grandfather: Amadeus Savoy II Count Savoy
Great x 1 Grandfather: Humbert "Fat" Savoy II Count Savoy
GrandMother: Adelaide Savoy Queen Consort France
Great x 4 Grandfather: Otto William Ivrea I Count Burgundy 
Great x 3 Grandfather: Reginald Ivrea I Count Burgundy
Great x 4 Grandmother: Ermentrude Countess Burgundy
Great x 2 Grandfather: William I Count Burgundy
Great x 4 Grandfather: Richard "Good" Normandy II Duke Normandy 
Great x 3 Grandmother: Alice Normandy Countess Burgundy
Great x 4 Grandmother: Judith Penthièvre Duchess Normandy
Great x 1 Grandmother: Gisela Ivrea Countess Savoy
Great x 2 Grandmother: Ettiennette Countess Burgundy
King Philip II of France 2 x Great Grand Son of King William "Conqueror" I of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Odo Blois I Count Blois 
Great x 3 Grandfather: Odo Blois II Count Blois
Great x 4 Grandmother: Bertha Welf Queen Consort France
Great x 2 Grandfather: Theobald Blois III Count Blois
Great x 4 Grandfather: William IV Auvergne
Great x 3 Grandmother: Ermengarde Auvergne Countess Blois
Great x 1 Grandfather: Stephen Blois II Count Blois and Chartres
Great x 4 Grandfather: Hugh Maine III Count Maine
Great x 3 Grandfather: Herbert "Wakedog" Maine I Count Maine
Great x 4 Grandmother: Unamed Penthièvre Countess Maine
Great x 2 Grandmother: Gersenda Maine Countess Blois
GrandFather: Theobald Blois II Count Champagne IV Count Blois Grand Son of King William "Conqueror" I of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Richard "Good" Normandy II Duke Normandy
Great x 3 Grandfather: Robert "Magnificent" Normandy I Duke Normandy
Great x 4 Grandmother: Judith Penthièvre Duchess Normandy
Great x 2 Grandfather: King William "Conqueror" I of England -2 x Great Grand Son of King William "Conqueror" I of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Father of Beatrix and Herleva
Great x 3 Grandmother: Herleva of Falaise
Great x 1 Grandmother: Adela Normandy Countess Blois Daughter of King William "Conqueror" I of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Baldwin "Bearded" IV Count Flanders
Great x 3 Grandfather: Baldwin "The Good" V Count Flanders
Great x 4 Grandmother: Ogive Luxemburg Countess Flanders
Great x 2 Grandmother: Matilda Flanders Queen Consort England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Robert "Pious" II King of the Franks
Great x 3 Grandmother: Adela Capet Duchess Normandy
Great x 4 Grandmother: Constance Arles Queen Consort France
Mother: Adèle Queen of the Franks Great Grand Daughter of King William "Conqueror" I of England
Great x 1 Grandfather: Engelbert II Duke of Carinthia
GrandMother: Matilda Carinthia Countess Champagne and Blois