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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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.
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.
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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].
On 15th April 1393 Elizabeth Pomerania Holy Roman Empress Luxemburg [aged 46] died.