Abbot John Whethamstede’s Chronicle of the Abbey of St Albans

Abbot John Whethamstede's Register aka Chronicle of his second term at the Abbey of St Albans, 1451-1461, is a remarkable text that describes his first-hand experience of the beginning of the Wars of the Roses including the First and Second Battles of St Albans, 1455 and 1461, respectively, their cause, and their consequences, not least on the Abbey itself. His text also includes Loveday, Blore Heath, Northampton, the Act of Accord, Wakefield, and Towton, and ends with the Coronation of King Edward IV. In addition to the events of the Wars of the Roses, Abbot John, or his scribes who wrote the Chronicle, include details in the life of the Abbey such as charters, letters, land exchanges, visits by legates, and disputes, which provide a rich insight into the day-to-day life of the Abbey, and the challenges faced by its Abbot.

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Biography of Sancho IV King Castile IV King Leon 1258-1295

Paternal Family Tree: Ivrea

In 1249 [his father] Alfonso X King Castile X King Leon [aged 27] and [his mother] Violante Barcelona Queen Consort Castile Queen Consort Leon were married. She the daughter of [his grandfather] James I King Aragon [aged 40] and [his grandmother] Violant Árpád Queen Consort Aragon [aged 34]. He the son of Ferdinand III King Castile III King Leon [aged 50] and Elisabeth Hohenstaufen Queen Consort Castile Queen Consort Leon. They were half third cousins. He a great x 2 grandson of King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England.

On 13th May 1258 Sancho IV King Castile IV King Leon was born to [his father] Alfonso X King Castile X King Leon [aged 36] and [his mother] Violante Barcelona Queen Consort Castile Queen Consort Leon. He a great x 3 grandson of King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England.

In 1282 Sancho IV King Castile IV King Leon [aged 23] and Maria Molina Queen Consort Castile Queen Consort Leon were married. He the son of Alfonso X King Castile X King Leon [aged 60] and Violante Barcelona Queen Consort Castile Queen Consort Leon.

In 1283 [his daughter] Isabella of Castile Queen Consort Aragon was born to Sancho IV King Castile IV King Leon [aged 24] and [his wife] Maria Molina Queen Consort Castile Queen Consort Leon. She a great x 4 granddaughter of King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England. She married (1) 1st December 1291 her first cousin once removed James "The Just" II King Aragon, son of Peter III King Aragon and Constance Hohenstaufen Queen Consort Aragon (2) 1310 her fourth cousin once removed John III Duke Brittany.

On 2nd April 1284 [his father] Alfonso X King Castile X King Leon [aged 62] died. His son Sancho [aged 25] succeeded IV King Castile, IV King Leon. [his wife] Maria Molina Queen Consort Castile Queen Consort Leon by marriage Queen Consort Castile, Queen Consort Leon.

On 6th December 1285 [his son] Ferdinand IV King Castile IV King Leon was born to Sancho IV King Castile IV King Leon [aged 27] and [his wife] Maria Molina Queen Consort Castile Queen Consort Leon. He a great x 4 grandson of King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England. He married 23rd January 1302 his half first cousin once removed Constance Burgundy Queen Consort Castile Queen Consort Leon, daughter of Denis I King Portugal and Elisabeth Barcelona Queen Consort Portugal, and had issue.

In 1286 [his son] Alfonso Ivrea was born to Sancho IV King Castile IV King Leon [aged 27] and [his wife] Maria Molina Queen Consort Castile Queen Consort Leon. He a great x 4 grandson of King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England. He died aged five in 1291.

In 1288 [his son] Henry Ivrea was born to Sancho IV King Castile IV King Leon [aged 29] and [his wife] Maria Molina Queen Consort Castile Queen Consort Leon. He a great x 4 grandson of King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England. He died aged eleven in 1299.

In 1290 [his son] Peter Ivrea was born to Sancho IV King Castile IV King Leon [aged 31] and [his wife] Maria Molina Queen Consort Castile Queen Consort Leon. He a great x 4 grandson of King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England. He married his second cousin Maria Barcelona, daughter of James "The Just" II King Aragon and Blanche Capet Queen Consort Aragon.

In 1291 [his son] Alfonso Ivrea [aged 5] died.

On 1st December 1291 [his son-in-law] James "The Just" II King Aragon [aged 24] and Isabella of Castile Queen Consort Aragon [aged 8] were married. She by marriage Queen Consort Aragon. She the daughter of Sancho IV King Castile IV King Leon [aged 33] and Maria Molina Queen Consort Castile Queen Consort Leon. He the son of Peter III King Aragon and Constance Hohenstaufen Queen Consort Aragon [aged 42]. They were first cousin once removed. She a great x 4 granddaughter of King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England.

In 1292 [his son] Philip Ivrea was born to Sancho IV King Castile IV King Leon [aged 33] and [his wife] Maria Molina Queen Consort Castile Queen Consort Leon. He a great x 4 grandson of King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England.

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.

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In 1293 [his daughter] Beatrice Ivrea Queen Consort Portugal was born to Sancho IV King Castile IV King Leon [aged 34] and [his wife] Maria Molina Queen Consort Castile Queen Consort Leon. She a great x 4 granddaughter of King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England. She married 12th September 1309 her half first cousin once removed Alfonso "Brave" IV King Portugal, son of Denis I King Portugal and Elisabeth Barcelona Queen Consort Portugal, and had issue.

On 25th April 1295 Sancho IV King Castile IV King Leon [aged 36] died. His son Ferdinand [aged 9] succeeded IV King Castile, IV King Leon.

Sancho IV King Castile IV King Leon 1258-1295 appears on the following Descendants Family Trees:

Royal Ancestors of Sancho IV King Castile IV King Leon 1258-1295

Kings Wessex: Great x 8 Grand Son of King Edmund "Ironside" I of England

Kings Godwinson: Great x 6 Grand Son of King Harold II of England

Kings England: Great x 3 Grand Son of King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England

Kings Scotland: Great x 7 Grand Son of King Duncan I of Scotland

Kings Franks: Great x 14 Grand Son of Charles "Charlemagne aka Great" King of the Franks King Lombardy Holy Roman Emperor

Kings France: Great x 8 Grand Son of Hugh I King of the Franks

Kings Duke Aquitaine: Great x 12 Grand Son of Ranulf I Duke Aquitaine

Royal Descendants of Sancho IV King Castile IV King Leon 1258-1295
Number after indicates the number of unique routes of descent. Descendants of Kings and Queens not included.

Isabella of Castile Queen Consort Aragon [1]

Ferdinand IV King Castile IV King Leon [1]

Beatrice Ivrea Queen Consort Portugal [1]

Ancestors of Sancho IV King Castile IV King Leon 1258-1295

Great x 2 Grandfather: Ferdinand II King Leon

Great x 4 Grandfather: Raymond III Count Barcelona

Great x 3 Grandmother: Berenguela Barcelona Queen Consort Castile and Leon

Great x 4 Grandmother: Douce Gevaudan Countess Barcelona

Great x 1 Grandfather: Alfonso IX King Leon

Great x 4 Grandfather: Henry Burgundy Count Portugal

Great x 3 Grandfather: Afonso "Conqueror Founder Great" I King Portugal

Great x 4 Grandmother: Teresa Alfónsez Jiménez

Great x 2 Grandmother: Urraca Burgundy Queen Consort Leon

Great x 4 Grandfather: Amadeus Savoy III Count Savoy

Great x 3 Grandmother: Malfada Savoy Queen Consort Portugal

Great x 4 Grandmother: Mahaut Albon Countess Savoy

GrandFather: Ferdinand III King Castile III King Leon Great Grand Son of King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England

Great x 2 Grandfather: Alfonso VIII King Castile

Great x 4 Grandfather: García "Restorer" IV King Navarre

Great x 3 Grandmother: Blanche Ramirez Queen Consort Castile

Great x 1 Grandmother: Berengaria Ivrea I Queen Castile Grand Daughter of King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England

Great x 4 Grandfather: Geoffrey Plantagenet Duke Normandy

Great x 3 Grandfather: King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England Grand Son of King Henry I "Beauclerc" England

Great x 4 Grandmother: Empress Matilda Daughter of King Henry I "Beauclerc" England

Great x 2 Grandmother: Eleanor Plantagenet Queen Consort Castile Daughter of King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England

Great x 3 Grandmother: Eleanor of Aquitaine Queen Consort Franks and England

Great x 4 Grandmother: Aenor Chatellerault Duchess Aquitaine

Father: Alfonso X King Castile X King Leon 2 x Great Grand Son of King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England

Sancho IV King Castile IV King Leon 3 x Great Grand Son of King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England

Great x 4 Grandfather: Raymond III Count Barcelona

Great x 3 Grandfather: Raymond V Count Barcelona

Great x 4 Grandmother: Douce Gevaudan Countess Barcelona

Great x 2 Grandfather: Alfonso II King Aragon

Great x 4 Grandfather: Ramiro "Monk" II King Aragon

Great x 3 Grandmother: Petronilla Jiménez Queen Aragon

Great x 4 Grandmother: Agnes Poitiers Queen Consort Aragon

Great x 1 Grandfather: Peter II King Aragon

GrandFather: James I King Aragon

Mother: Violante Barcelona Queen Consort Castile Queen Consort Leon

Great x 3 Grandfather: King Géza II of Hungary

Great x 2 Grandfather: King Béla III of Hungary

Great x 4 Grandfather: Mstislav I of Kiev

Great x 3 Grandmother: Euphrosyne of Kiev

Great x 1 Grandfather: King Andrew II of Hungary

Great x 3 Grandfather: Raynald of Châtillon

Great x 2 Grandmother: Agnes of Antioch

Great x 4 Grandfather: Prince Bohemond II of Antioch

Great x 3 Grandmother: Princess Constance of Antioch

Great x 4 Grandmother: Alice of Antioch

GrandMother: Violant Árpád Queen Consort Aragon