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.
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In 1335 [her future husband] Charles IV King Bohemia Holy Roman Emperor Luxemburg [aged 18] and Blanche Valois Holy Roman Empress Luxemburg [aged 18] were married. She the daughter of Charles Valois I Count Valois and Mahaut Chatillon Countess Valois [aged 42]. He the son of King John I of Bohemia [aged 38] and Queen Elizabeth of Bohemia. They were fourth cousin once removed. She a great x 2 granddaughter of King Henry III of England.
In 1347 Elizabeth Pomerania Holy Roman Empress Luxemburg was born to [her father] Bogislaw V Duke of Pomerania [aged 29].
Before 1350 [her future husband] Charles IV King Bohemia Holy Roman Emperor Luxemburg [aged 33] and Anna Bavaria Holy Roman Empress Luxemburg were married. She by marriage Holy Roman Empress Luxemburg. He the son of King John I of Bohemia and Queen Elizabeth of Bohemia.
Before 19th April 1358 [her future husband] Charles IV King Bohemia Holy Roman Emperor Luxemburg [aged 41] and Anna Schweidnitz Holy Roman Empress Luxemburg were married. She by marriage Holy Roman Empress Luxemburg. He the son of King John I of Bohemia and Queen Elizabeth of Bohemia.
In or before 1366 Charles IV King Bohemia Holy Roman Emperor Luxemburg [aged 49] and Elizabeth Pomerania Holy Roman Empress Luxemburg [aged 18] were married. She by marriage Holy Roman Empress Luxemburg. The difference in their ages was 30 years. He the son of King John I of Bohemia and Queen Elizabeth of Bohemia.
On 11th May 1366 [her daughter] Anne of Bohemia Queen Consort England was born to [her husband] Charles IV King Bohemia Holy Roman Emperor Luxemburg [aged 49] and Elizabeth Pomerania Holy Roman Empress Luxemburg [aged 19] at Prague. She married (1) 20th January 1382 her fourth cousin King Richard II of England, son of Edward "Black Prince" and Joan "Fair Maid of Kent" Princess Wales.
On 15th February 1368 [her son] Holy Roman Emperor Sigismund was born to [her husband] Charles IV King Bohemia Holy Roman Emperor Luxemburg [aged 51] and Elizabeth Pomerania Holy Roman Empress Luxemburg [aged 21]. He married (1) 1385 his third cousin Mary Hungary I Queen Hungary (2) before 7th October 1409 Barbara of Cilli Holy Roman Empress and had issue.
On 22nd June 1370 [her son] John Duke of Görlitz was born to [her husband] Charles IV King Bohemia Holy Roman Emperor Luxemburg [aged 54] and Elizabeth Pomerania Holy Roman Empress Luxemburg [aged 23].
On 13th March 1372 [her son] Charles Bohemia was born to [her husband] Charles IV King Bohemia Holy Roman Emperor Luxemburg [aged 55] and Elizabeth Pomerania Holy Roman Empress Luxemburg [aged 25]. On 24th July 1373 Charles Bohemia died.
In 1373 [her daughter] Margaret Bohemia was born to [her husband] Charles IV King Bohemia Holy Roman Emperor Luxemburg [aged 56] and Elizabeth Pomerania Holy Roman Empress Luxemburg [aged 26]. She married 1381 John Hohenzollern Burgrave Nuremburg, son of Frederick Hohenzollern V Burgrave Nuremburg.
On 23rd April 1374 [her father] Bogislaw V Duke of Pomerania [aged 56] died. His son [her brother] Wartislaw [aged 29] succeeded 6th Duke Pomerania.
In 1377 [her son] Henry Bohemia was born to [her husband] Charles IV King Bohemia Holy Roman Emperor Luxemburg [aged 60] and Elizabeth Pomerania Holy Roman Empress Luxemburg [aged 30]. In 1378 Henry Bohemia died.
On 29th November 1378 [her husband] Charles IV King Bohemia Holy Roman Emperor Luxemburg [aged 62] died.
Around 1381 [her son-in-law] John Hohenzollern Burgrave Nuremburg [aged 12] and Margaret Bohemia [aged 8] were married. She the daughter of Charles IV King Bohemia Holy Roman Emperor Luxemburg and Elizabeth Pomerania Holy Roman Empress Luxemburg [aged 34]. He the son of Frederick Hohenzollern V Burgrave Nuremburg [aged 47].
On 20th January 1382 [her son-in-law] King Richard II of England [aged 15] and Anne of Bohemia Queen Consort England [aged 15] were married at Westminster Abbey [Map] by Bishop Robert Braybrooke. She by marriage Queen Consort England. She the daughter of Charles IV King Bohemia Holy Roman Emperor Luxemburg and Elizabeth Pomerania Holy Roman Empress Luxemburg [aged 35]. He the son of Edward "Black Prince" and Joan "Fair Maid of Kent" Princess Wales [aged 53]. They were fourth cousins. He a grandson of King Edward III of England.
It was the first royal wedding that including a Royal Procession from the Tower of London [Map] to Westminster Abbey [Map].
Arranged by Michael de la Pole 1st Earl Suffolk [aged 52] the marriage not popular since it brought no dowry and little prospect of increased trade since Bohemia not a primary English trade partner.
In 1383 [her son-in-law] Bryan Stapleton [aged 61] and [her daughter] Anne of Bohemia Queen Consort England [aged 16] were divorced when in Calais [Map].
In 1385 Holy Roman Emperor Sigismund [aged 16] and Mary Hungary I Queen Hungary [aged 14] were married. She the daughter of Louis I King Hungary King Poland and Elizabeth Bosnia Queen Consort Hungary. He the son of Charles IV King Bohemia Holy Roman Emperor Luxemburg and Elizabeth Pomerania Holy Roman Empress Luxemburg [aged 38]. They were third cousins.
On 14th January 1392 [her brother-in-law] Ernest "The Iron" Habsburg I Duke Austria [aged 15] and [her sister] Margaret Pomerania Duchess Austria [aged 26] were married. She by marriage Duchess Austria. He the son of Leopold "The Just" Habsburg III Duke Austria and Viridis Visconti Duchess Austria [aged 40].
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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On 15th April 1393 Elizabeth Pomerania Holy Roman Empress Luxemburg [aged 46] died.