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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.
Available at Amazon in eBook and Paperback format.
Marie Spartali aka Stillman is in Painters.
On 10th March 1844 Marie Spartali aka Stillman was born to [her father] Michael Spartali and [her mother] Euphrosyne Varsini. Her mother's name some spelled Valsami, sometimes Varsami.
1858. Dante Gabriel Rossetti (age 29). Portrait of Marie Spartali aka Stillman (age 13).
Between 1863 and 1865. James Abbott McNeill Whistler (age 28). "Rose and Silver: The Princess from the Land of Porcelain". Frequently described as "The Princess from the Land of Porcelain". Model [her sister] Christine Spartali Countess d'Anvers (age 16) sister of Marie Spartali aka Stillman (age 18).
Christine Spartali Countess d'Anvers: On 19th May 1846 she was born to Michael Spartali and Euphrosyne Varsini. In December 1868 Eduard Joseph Cahen d'Anvers Marquis de Torre-Alfina and she were married.
On 2nd December 1865 [her daughter] Lisa Romana Stillman was born to [her future husband] William James Stillman (age 37) and Marie Spartali aka Stillman (age 21).
1867. Marie Spartali aka Stillman (age 22). "The Lady Prays - Desire".
1867. Marie Spartali aka Stillman (age 22). "Mariana".
1868. Marie Spartali aka Stillman (age 23). "Portrait of a Young Woman".
March 1868. Julia Margaret Cameron nee Pattle (age 52). Photograph of Marie Spartali aka Stillman (age 23).
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.'
Available at Amazon in eBook and Paperback format.
1870. Marie Spartali aka Stillman (age 25). "La Pensierosa aka Thoughtful".
1870. Dante Gabriel Rossetti (age 41). Portrait of Marie Spartali aka Stillman (age 25).
1870. Dante Gabriel Rossetti (age 41). "A Vision of Fiammetta". Model Marie Spartali aka Stillman (age 25).
Around 1870. Edward Coley Burne-Jones 1st Baronet (age 36). "Cupid and Psyche". The models Marie Spartali aka Stillman (age 25) and Maria Terpsithea Cassavetti aka Zambaco (age 26).
1870. Dante Gabriel Rossetti (age 41). Head Study for Dante's Dream. Model Marie Spartali aka Stillman (age 25).
1871. Marie Spartali aka Stillman (age 26). Self-Portrait, or a portrait of the artist's sister [her sister] Christine Spartali Countess d'Anvers (age 24).
In 1871 William James Stillman (age 42) and Marie Spartali aka Stillman (age 26) were married.
Around 1872 [her daughter] Euphrosyne "Effie" Stillman was born to [her husband] William James Stillman (age 43) and Marie Spartali aka Stillman (age 27).
1872. Dante Gabriel Rossetti (age 43). The Bower Meadow. Models Alice aka Alexa Wilding (age 25) right in green, Marie Spartali aka Stillman (age 27) left in red.
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.
1874. Marie Spartali aka Stillman (age 29). Self-Portrait in Medieval Dress.
1878. Edward Coley Burne-Jones 1st Baronet (age 44). "Danaë and the Brazen Tower". The model Marie Spartali aka Stillman (age 33). See Hyginus Fables 63.
1879. Marie Spartali aka Stillman (age 34). "Fiametta Singing".
1881. Marie Spartali aka Stillman (age 36). "The Meeting of Dante and Beatrice on All Saints Day".
1881. Marie Spartali aka Stillman (age 36). "The Enchanted Garden".
1881. Marie Spartali aka Stillman (age 36). "Madonna Pietra degli Scrovigni". From the poem Sestina of the Lady Pietra degli Scrovigni by Dante Alighieri.
Dante Alighieri: Around 1265 he was born. On 14th September 1321 he died.
1882. Philip Burne-Jones 2nd Baronet (age 20). "The Three Graces" from "The Mill". Left to right: Maria Zambaco (age 38), Marie Spartali Stillman (age 37), and Aglaïa Coronio née Ionides (age 47).
1885 to 1890. Marie Spartali aka Stillman (age 40). "A Florentine Lily"
1885. Marie Spartali aka Stillman (age 40). "Love's Messenger". A dove has just carried a love letter to a woman standing in front of an open window. Model the artist's daughter [her daughter] Euphrosyne "Effie" Stillman (age 13).
Euphrosyne "Effie" Stillman: Around 1872 she was born to William James Stillman and Marie Spartali aka Stillman. On 18th August 1911 she died.
William of Worcester's Chronicle of England
William of Worcester, born around 1415, and died around 1482 was secretary to John Fastolf, the renowned soldier of the Hundred Years War, during which time he collected documents, letters, and wrote a record of events. Following their return to England in 1440 William was witness to major events. Twice in his chronicle he uses the first person: 1. when writing about the murder of Thomas, 7th Baron Scales, in 1460, he writes '… and I saw him lying naked in the cemetery near the porch of the church of St. Mary Overie in Southwark …' and 2. describing King Edward IV's entry into London in 1461 he writes '… proclaimed that all the people themselves were to recognize and acknowledge Edward as king. I was present and heard this, and immediately went down with them into the city'. William’s Chronicle is rich in detail. It is the source of much information about the Wars of the Roses, including the term 'Diabolical Marriage' to describe the marriage of Queen Elizabeth Woodville’s brother John’s marriage to Katherine, Dowager Duchess of Norfolk, he aged twenty, she sixty-five or more, and the story about a paper crown being placed in mockery on the severed head of Richard, 3rd Duke of York.
Available at Amazon in eBook and Paperback format.
1887. Marie Spartali aka Stillman (age 42). "The May Feast at the House of Folco Portinari".
1888. Marie Spartali aka Stillman (age 43). "Dante at Verona".
1889. Marie Spartali aka Stillman (age 44). "Messer Ansaldo showing Madonna Dionara his Enchanted Garden". Illustrating a tale from The Decameron.
1891. Marie Spartali aka Stillman (age 46). "How the Virgin Mary came to Brother Conrad of Offida and laid her Son in his Arms".
1891. Marie Spartali aka Stillman (age 46). "Cloister Lilies".
1894. Marie Spartali aka Stillman (age 49). "Love Sonnets".
1894. Marie Spartali aka Stillman (age 49). Portrait of the artists daughter [her daughter] Euphrosyne "Effie" Stillman (age 22).
1894. Marie Spartali aka Stillman (age 49). "A Rose from Armida's Garden".
Jean de Waurin's Chronicle of England Volume 6 Books 3-6: The Wars of the Roses
Jean de Waurin was a French Chronicler, from the Artois region, who was born around 1400, and died around 1474. Waurin’s Chronicle of England, Volume 6, covering the period 1450 to 1471, from which we have selected and translated Chapters relating to the Wars of the Roses, provides a vivid, original, contemporary description of key events some of which he witnessed first-hand, some of which he was told by the key people involved with whom Waurin had a personal relationship.
Available at Amazon in eBook and Paperback format.
1896. Marie Spartali aka Stillman (age 51). "Beatrice".
On 6th July 1901 [her husband] William James Stillman (age 73) died at Frimley Green, Surrey. He was buried at Brookwood Cemetery, Woking.
On 18th August 1911 [her daughter] Euphrosyne "Effie" Stillman (age 39) died.
1914. Marie Spartali aka Stillman (age 69). "Pilgrim Folk".
On 26th January 1914 Jane Morris nee Burden (age 74) died at 5 Brock Street, Bath. On 29th January 1914 she was buried at St George's Church, Kelmscott [Map] in the same grave as her husband William Morris. Her body was driven in a 'motor' from Bath to the manor house just before the service. Her coffin was 17th century style and in oak with brass furniture and a simple inscription of her name and date of death, and was carried into the church by six village men. The church was well attended by the villagers as well as familiar names from the world of art and literature including Marie Stillman (age 69) whose wreath was noted in the papers. The hymn 'Now the labourer's task is o'er' was sung and the organist played the Dead March as the coffin was carried out to where William was already buried.
Before 1927. Marie Spartali aka Stillman (age 82). "A Clear Well With A Little Field".
Before 1927. Marie Spartali aka Stillman (age 82). "Dante's Vision of Leah and Rachel".
Before 1927. Marie Spartali aka Stillman (age 82). "Childhood of St Cecily".
Before 1927. Marie Spartali aka Stillman (age 82). "Girl Playing Music".
Before 1927. Marie Spartali aka Stillman (age 82). "Sir Tristram and the Belle Isolde".
On 6th March 1927 Marie Spartali aka Stillman (age 82) died at Ashburn Place, Kensington. She was buried with her husband at Brookwood Cemetery, Woking.