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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Count Cleves is in Count.
In 1119 Arnaud Cleves I Count Cleves succeeded I Count Cleves.
In 1147 Arnaud Cleves I Count Cleves (age 28) died. His son Dietrich succeeded II Count Cleves.
In 1172 Dietrich Cleves II Count Cleves died. His son Dietrich succeeded III and IV Count Cleves.
In 1188 Dietrich Cleves IV Count Cleves died. His son Dietrich succeeded V Count Cleves.
In 1188 Dietrich Cleves VIII Count Cleves was appointed VIII Count Cleves.
Around 1215 Dietrich Cleves V Count Cleves and Mathilda Dinslaken Countess Cleves were married. She by marriage Countess Cleves. He the son of Dietrich Cleves IV Count Cleves and Margaret Gerulfing Countess Cleves.
Before 1226 Dietrich Cleves V Count Cleves and Hedwig Meissen Countess Cleves were married. She by marriage Countess Cleves. He the son of Dietrich Cleves IV Count Cleves and Margaret Gerulfing Countess Cleves.
Before 1256 Dietrich Cleves VI Count Cleves (age 29) and Alida d Henry I Sponheim Countess Cleves were married. She by marriage Countess Cleves. He the son of Dietrich Cleves V Count Cleves and Hedwig Meissen Countess Cleves.
In 1260 Dietrich Cleves V Count Cleves died. His son Dietrich (age 34) succeeded VI Count Cleves.
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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In 1275 Dietrich Cleves VI Count Cleves (age 49) died. His son Dietrich (age 19) succeeded VII Count Cleves.
On 4th October 1305 Dietrich Cleves VII Count Cleves (age 49) died. His son Otto (age 27) succeeded Count Cleves.
In 1310 Otto Cleves Count Cleves (age 32) died. His half brother Dietrich (age 19) succeeded VIII Count Cleves. Margaret Guelders Countess Cleves by marriage Countess Cleves.
In 1340 Dietrich Cleves VIII Count Cleves (age 49) and Maria Jülich Countess Cleves were married. She by marriage Countess Cleves. She the daughter of Gerhard Jülich V Count Jülich and Elisabeth Brabant Countess Jülich. He the son of Dietrich Cleves VII Count Cleves and Margaret Kiburg Laufenburg Countess Cleves. They were sixth cousins. She a great x 4 granddaughter of King Stephen I England.
On 7th June 1347 Dietrich Cleves VIII Count Cleves (age 56) died. His brother Johann (age 54) succeeded Count Cleves. Mathilde Guelders Countess Blois and Cleves (age 22) by marriage Countess Cleves.
In 1368 Adolph de la Marck (age 34) succeeded I Count Cleves.
In 1369 Adolph de la Marck (age 35) and Margaret Jülich Countess Cleves and Mark (age 19) were married. She by marriage Countess Cleves. He the son of Adolph II Count de la Marck and Margaret Cleves Countess de la Marck. They were fourth cousins.
Otto Cleves Count Cleves and Mechteld von Virneburg Countess Cleves were married. She by marriage Countess Cleves. He the son of Dietrich Cleves VII Count Cleves and Margaret Guelders Countess Cleves.
Otto Cleves Count Cleves and Adelheid Mark Countess Cleves were married. She by marriage Countess Cleves. She the daughter of Engelbert Mark 1st Count Mark. He the son of Dietrich Cleves VII Count Cleves and Margaret Guelders Countess Cleves.
Dietrich Cleves VII Count Cleves and Margaret Kiburg Laufenburg Countess Cleves were married. She by marriage Countess Cleves. He the son of Dietrich Cleves VI Count Cleves and Alida d Henry I Sponheim Countess Cleves.
Dietrich Cleves VII Count Cleves and Margaret Guelders Countess Cleves were married. She by marriage Countess Cleves. She the daughter of Otto II Count Guelders and Margaretha Cleves Countess of Gulders. He the son of Dietrich Cleves VI Count Cleves and Alida d Henry I Sponheim Countess Cleves. They were half first cousins. She a great x 3 granddaughter of King Stephen I England.
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.
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Arnaud Cleves I Count Cleves and Ida Reginar Countess Cleves were married. She by marriage Countess Cleves. She the daughter of Godfrey Reginar I Count Louvain and Ida Chiny Countess Louvain.
Dietrich Cleves II Count Cleves and Adelaide Sulzbach Countess Cleves were married. She by marriage Countess Cleves. He the son of Arnaud Cleves I Count Cleves and Ida Reginar Countess Cleves.
Dietrich Cleves IV Count Cleves and Margaret Gerulfing Countess Cleves were married. She by marriage Countess Cleves. She the daughter of Floris Gerulfing III Count Holland and Ada Dunkeld Countess Holland. He the son of Dietrich Cleves II Count Cleves and Adelaide Sulzbach Countess Cleves. They were fifth cousin once removed.