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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.
Paternal Family Tree: Orange
William "The Silent" Orange Nassau I Prince Orange was created I Prince Orange.
On 24th April 1533 William "The Silent" Orange Nassau I Prince Orange was born to [his father] William "The Rich" I Count of Nassau Dillenburg (age 46).
On 6th July 1551 William "The Silent" Orange Nassau I Prince Orange (age 18) and Anna Egmond Princess Orange were married. She by marriage Princess Orange.
On 22nd November 1553 [his daughter] Maria Orange Nassau was born to William "The Silent" Orange Nassau I Prince Orange (age 20) and [his wife] Anna Egmond Princess Orange. She died aged one in 1555.
On 19th December 1554 [his son] Philip William Orange Nassau I Prince Orange was born to William "The Silent" Orange Nassau I Prince Orange (age 21) and [his wife] Anna Egmond Princess Orange. He married 1606 Eleonora Bourbon Condé Princess Orange, daughter of Henri Bourbon Condé Prince Condé and Charlotte Catherine Tremoille Princess Condé.
Around 23rd July 1555 [his daughter] Maria Orange Nassau (age 1) died.
On 7th February 1556 [his daughter] Maria Orange Nassau was born to William "The Silent" Orange Nassau I Prince Orange (age 22) and [his wife] Anna Egmond Princess Orange.
Chronicle of Geoffrey le Baker of Swinbroke
Baker was a secular clerk from Swinbroke, now Swinbrook, an Oxfordshire village two miles east of Burford. His Chronicle describes the events of the period 1303-1356: Gaveston, Bannockburn, Boroughbridge, the murder of King Edward II, the Scottish Wars, Sluys, Crécy, the Black Death, Winchelsea and Poitiers. To quote Herbert Bruce 'it possesses a vigorous and characteristic style, and its value for particular events between 1303 and 1356 has been recognised by its editor and by subsequent writers'. The book provides remarkable detail about the events it describes. Baker's text has been augmented with hundreds of notes, including extracts from other contemporary chronicles, such as the Annales Londonienses, Annales Paulini, Murimuth, Lanercost, Avesbury, Guisborough and Froissart to enrich the reader's understanding. The translation takes as its source the 'Chronicon Galfridi le Baker de Swynebroke' published in 1889, edited by Edward Maunde Thompson.
Available at Amazon in eBook and Paperback format.
On 6th October 1559 [his father] William "The Rich" I Count of Nassau Dillenburg (age 72) died.
On 25th August 1561 William "The Silent" Orange Nassau I Prince Orange (age 28) and Anna of Saxony (age 16) were married. She by marriage Princess Orange. They had two sons, one of which died in infancy, and three daughters.
On 31st October 1562 [his son] Countess Anna Orange Nassau died.
On 31st October 1562 [his son] Countess Anna Orange Nassau was born to William "The Silent" Orange Nassau I Prince Orange (age 29) and [his wife] Anna of Saxony (age 17). He died aged less than one years old.
On 5th November 1563 [his daughter] Anna Orange Nassau was born to William "The Silent" Orange Nassau I Prince Orange (age 30) and [his wife] Anna of Saxony (age 18).
On 8th December 1564 [his daughter] Maurits August Philips Orange Nassau was born to William "The Silent" Orange Nassau I Prince Orange (age 31) and [his wife] Anna of Saxony (age 19). She died aged one in 1566.
On 3rd March 1566 [his daughter] Maurits August Philips Orange Nassau (age 1) died.
On 13th November 1567 [his son] Prince Maurice I of Orange was born to William "The Silent" Orange Nassau I Prince Orange (age 34) and [his wife] Anna of Saxony (age 22).
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.
On 10th April 1569 [his daughter] Emilia Orange Nassau was born to William "The Silent" Orange Nassau I Prince Orange (age 35) and [his wife] Anna of Saxony (age 24).
On 24th June 1575 William "The Silent" Orange Nassau I Prince Orange (age 42) and Charlotte Bourbon Princess Orange (age 28) were married. She by marriage Princess Orange.
On 31st March 1576 [his daughter] Electress Louise Juliana of the Palatine Rhine was born to William "The Silent" Orange Nassau I Prince Orange (age 42) and [his wife] Charlotte Bourbon Princess Orange (age 29). She married before 16th July 1594 Frederick IV Elector Palatine and had issue.
On 26th April 1577 [his daughter] Elisabeth Orange Nassau was born to William "The Silent" Orange Nassau I Prince Orange (age 44) and [his wife] Charlotte Bourbon Princess Orange (age 30).
On 18th December 1577 [his wife] Anna of Saxony (age 32) died.
On 31st July 1578 [his daughter] Catharina Orange Nassau was born to William "The Silent" Orange Nassau I Prince Orange (age 45) and [his wife] Charlotte Bourbon Princess Orange (age 31).
On 18th August 1579 [his daughter] Charlotte Flandrina Orange Nassau was born to William "The Silent" Orange Nassau I Prince Orange (age 46) and [his wife] Charlotte Bourbon Princess Orange (age 32). She married after 1597 Claude de La Tremoille 2nd Duke Thouars, son of Louis III de La Tremoille 1st Duke Thouars and Jeanne Montmorency, and had issue.
On 17th September 1580 [his daughter] Charlotte Brabantina Orange Nassau was born to William "The Silent" Orange Nassau I Prince Orange (age 47) and [his wife] Charlotte Bourbon Princess Orange (age 33).
On 9th December 1581 [his daughter] Emilia Antwerpiana Orange Nassau was born to William "The Silent" Orange Nassau I Prince Orange (age 48) and [his wife] Charlotte Bourbon Princess Orange (age 34).
On 5th May 1582 [his wife] Charlotte Bourbon Princess Orange (age 35) died.
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.
On 24th April 1583 William "The Silent" Orange Nassau I Prince Orange (age 50) and Louise Coligny Princess Orange were married. She by marriage Princess Orange.
On 29th January 1584 [his son] Frederick Henry Orange Nassau II Prince Orange was born to William "The Silent" Orange Nassau I Prince Orange (age 50) and [his wife] Louise Coligny Princess Orange. He married 1625 Amalia Solms Braunfels Princess Orange and had issue.
On 10th July 1584 William "The Silent" Orange Nassau I Prince Orange (age 51) died. His son Philip (age 29) succeeded William I Prince Orange.
John Evelyn's Diary. 17th August 1641. I passed again through Delft, and visited the church in which was the monument of Prince William of Nassau, - the first of the Williams, and saviour (as they call him) of their liberty, which cost him his life by a vile assassination. It is a piece of rare art, consisting of several figures, as big as the life, in copper. There is in the same place a magnificent tomb of his son and successor, [his son] Maurice. The Senate-house hath a very stately portico, supported with choice columns of black marble, as I remember, of one entire stone. Within, there hangs a weighty vessel of wood, not unlike a butter-churn, which the adventurous woman that hath two husbands at one time is to wear on her shoulders, her head peeping out at the top only, and so led about the town, as a penance for her incontinence. From hence, we went the next day to Itvswick, a stately country-house of the Prince of Orange, for nothing more remarkable than the delicious walks planted with lime trees, and the modern paintings within.