This is a translation of the 'Memoires of Jacques du Clercq', published in 1823 in two volumes, edited by Frederic, Baron de Reissenberg. In his introduction Reissenberg writes: 'Jacques du Clercq tells us that he was born in 1424, and that he was a licentiate in law and a counsellor to Philip the Good, Duke of Burgundy, in the castellany of Douai, Lille, and Orchies. It appears that he established his residence at Arras. In 1446, he married the daughter of Baldwin de la Lacherie, a gentleman who lived in Lille. We read in the fifth book of his Memoirs that his father, also named Jacques du Clercq, had married a lady of the Le Camelin family, from Compiègne. His ancestors, always attached to the counts of Flanders, had constantly served them, whether in their councils or in their armies.' The Memoires cover a period of nineteen years beginning in in 1448, ending in in 1467. It appears that the author had intended to extend the Memoirs beyond that date; no doubt illness or death prevented him from carrying out this plan. As Reissenberg writes the 'merit of this work lies in the simplicity of its narrative, in its tone of good faith, and in a certain air of frankness which naturally wins the reader’s confidence.' Du Clercq ranges from events of national and international importance, including events of the Wars of the Roses in England, to simple, everyday local events such as marriages, robberies, murders, trials and deaths, including that of his own father in Book 5; one of his last entries.
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Paternal Family Tree: Mecklenburg
Before 1680 [her future husband] Frederick I King Prussia (age 22) and Elisabeth Henriëtte Hesse-Kassel (age 18) were married. She the daughter of Wilhelm "The Just" VI Hesse-Kassel and Hedwig Sophia Hohenzollern (age 56). He the son of Frederick William "Great Elector" Hohenzollern Elector Brandenburg (age 59) and Luise Henriette Orange Nassau. They were first cousins.
Before 1685 [her future husband] Frederick I King Prussia (age 27) and Sophia Charlotte Hanover Queen Consort Prussia (age 16) were married. She the daughter of Ernest Augustus Hanover Elector Brunswick-Lüneburg (age 55) and Electress Sophia Palatinate Simmern (age 54). He the son of Frederick William "Great Elector" Hohenzollern Elector Brandenburg (age 64) and Luise Henriette Orange Nassau. They were second cousins. She a great granddaughter of King James I of England and Ireland and VI of Scotland.
On 6th May 1685 Sophia Louise Mecklenburg-Schwerin was born to [her father] Frederick I Duke of Mecklenburg Grabow (age 47).
On 28th April 1688 [her father] Frederick I Duke of Mecklenburg Grabow (age 50) died.
In 1690 [her future husband] Frederick I King Prussia (age 32) was appointed 499th Knight of the Garter by King William III of England, Scotland and Ireland (age 39) and Mary Stewart II Queen England Scotland and Ireland (age 27).
On 21st June 1692 [her brother] Frederick William I Duke Mecklenburg-Schwerin (age 17) succeeded I Duke Mecklenburg Schwerin.
On 18th January 1701 [her future husband] Frederick I King Prussia (age 43) was created I King Prussia. Sophia Charlotte Hanover Queen Consort Prussia (age 32) by marriage Queen Consort Prussia.
On 2nd January 1704 [her brother] Frederick William I Duke Mecklenburg-Schwerin (age 28) and [her sister-in-law] Sophie Charlotte Hesse-Kassel Duchess Mecklenburg-Schwerin (age 25) were married. She by marriage Duchess Mecklenburg Schwerin. She the daughter of Charles I Landgrave Hesse-Kassel (age 49) and Maria Amalia of Courland Landgravine Hesse-Kassel (age 50). They were fourth cousins.
In 1708 Frederick I King Prussia (age 50) and Sophia Louise Mecklenburg-Schwerin (age 22) were married. She by marriage Queen Consort Prussia. The difference in their ages was 27 years. He the son of Frederick William "Great Elector" Hohenzollern Elector Brandenburg and Luise Henriette Orange Nassau. They were fourth cousins.
On 25th February 1713 [her husband] Frederick I King Prussia (age 55) died. His son [her step-son] Frederick (age 24) succeeded I King Prussia. Sophia Dorothea Hanover Queen Consort Prussia (age 25) by marriage Queen Consort Prussia.
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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On 31st July 1713 [her brother] Frederick William I Duke Mecklenburg-Schwerin (age 38) died.
On 29th July 1735 Sophia Louise Mecklenburg-Schwerin (age 50) died.
Kings Wessex: Great x 19 Grand Daughter of King Edmund "Ironside" I of England
Kings Godwinson: Great x 18 Grand Daughter of King Harold II of England
Kings England: Great x 14 Grand Daughter of King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England
Kings Scotland: Great x 18 Grand Daughter of King Duncan I of Scotland
Kings Franks: Great x 15 Grand Daughter of Louis VII King of the Franks
Kings France: Great x 19 Grand Daughter of Robert "Pious" II King of the Franks
Kings Duke Aquitaine: Great x 23 Grand Daughter of Ranulf I Duke Aquitaine
Great x 4 Grandfather: Magnus II Duke of Mecklenburg
Great x 3 Grandfather: Albrecht VII Duke Mecklenburg
Great x 2 Grandfather: Duke John Albert I of Mecklenburg-Schwerin 11 x Great Grand Son of
Great x 4 Grandfather: Joachim "Nestor" Hohenzollern Elector Brandenburg 9 x Great Grand Son of
Great x 3 Grandmother: Anna Hohenzollern Duchess Mecklenburg 10 x Great Grand Daughter of
Great x 1 Grandfather: Duke John VII of Mecklenburg-Schwerin 11 x Great Grand Son of
Great x 4 Grandfather: Frederick Hohenzollern I Margrave Brandenburg-Ansbach
Great x 3 Grandfather: Albert "The Elder" Hohenzollern I Duke Prussia 9 x Great Grand Son of
Great x 4 Grandmother: Sophia Jagiellon Margravine of Brandenburg-Ansbach 8 x Great Grand Daughter of
Great x 2 Grandmother: Anna Sophia Hohenzollern 10 x Great Grand Daughter of
Great x 4 Grandfather: King Frederick I of Denmark 
Great x 3 Grandmother: Dorothea Oldenburg 10 x Great Grand Daughter of
Great x 4 Grandmother: Anna of Brandenburg 9 x Great Grand Daughter of
GrandFather: Duke Adolphus Frederick I of Mecklenburg-Schwerin 12 x Great Grand Son of
Great x 4 Grandfather: Christian I King of Denmark
Great x 3 Grandfather: King Frederick I of Denmark
Great x 4 Grandmother: Dorothea of Brandenburg
Great x 2 Grandfather: Duke Adolph Oldenburg of Holstein-Gotorp
Great x 4 Grandfather: Bogislaw X Duke of Pomerania
Great x 3 Grandmother: Sophie of Pomerania Queen Consort of Denmark and Sweden
Great x 1 Grandmother: Sophia Oldenburg 11 x Great Grand Daughter of
Great x 4 Grandfather: William II Landgrave of Hesse 9 x Great Grand Son of
Great x 3 Grandfather: Landgrave Philip I of Hesse 10 x Great Grand Son of
Great x 2 Grandmother: Christine Hesse 10 x Great Grand Daughter of
Great x 4 Grandfather: George Duke of Saxony 9 x Great Grand Son of
Great x 3 Grandmother: Christine of Saxony 9 x Great Grand Daughter of
Great x 4 Grandmother: Barbara Jagiellon 8 x Great Grand Daughter of
Father: Frederick I Duke of Mecklenburg Grabow 13 x Great Grand Son of
Great x 4 Grandfather: Henry I Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg 9 x Great Grand Son of
Great x 3 Grandfather: Ernest I Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg 10 x Great Grand Son of
Great x 2 Grandfather: Henry Duke of Brunswick-Dannenberg 11 x Great Grand Son of
Great x 4 Grandfather: Henry V Duke of Mecklenburg
Great x 3 Grandmother: Sophie of Mecklenburg
Great x 1 Grandfather: Julius Ernst Duke of Brunswick-Dannenberg 12 x Great Grand Son of
GrandMother: Maria Katharina 13 x Great Grand Daughter of
Sophia Louise Mecklenburg-Schwerin Queen Consort Prussia 14 x Great Grand Daughter of