Earl Shaftesbury is in Earldoms of England Alphabetically, Earldoms of England Chronologically, Extant Earldoms of England.
Summary
1672. Anthony Ashley-Cooper 1st Earl Shaftesbury (age 50) created.
21st January 1683. Son Anthony Ashley-Cooper 2nd Earl Shaftesbury (age 31) succeeded.
2nd November 1699. Son Anthony Ashley-Cooper 3rd Earl Shaftesbury (age 28) succeeded.
16th February 1713. Son Anthony Ashley-Cooper 4th Earl Shaftesbury (age 2) succeeded.
27th May 1771. Son Anthony Ashley-Cooper 5th Earl Shaftesbury (age 9) succeeded.
14th May 1811. Brother Cropley Ashley-Cooper 6th Earl Shaftesbury (age 42) succeeded.
2nd June 1851. Son Anthony Ashley-Cooper 7th Earl Shaftesbury (age 50) succeeded.
1st October 1885. Son Anthony Ashley-Cooper 8th Earl Shaftesbury (age 54) succeeded.
13th April 1886. Son Anthony Ashley-Cooper 9th Earl of Shaftesbury (age 16) succeeded.
25th March 1961. Grandson Anthony Ashley-Cooper 10th Earl of Shaftesbury (age 22) succeeded.
5th November 2004. Son Anthony Ashley-Cooper 11th Earl of Shaftesbury (age 27) succeeded.
15th May 2005. Brother Nicholas Ashley-Cooper 12th Earl of Shaftesbury (age 25) succeeded.
In 1672 Anthony Ashley-Cooper 1st Earl Shaftesbury (age 50) was created 1st Earl Shaftesbury. Margaret Spencer Countess Shaftesbury (age 47) by marriage Countess Shaftesbury.
On 21st January 1683 Anthony Ashley-Cooper 1st Earl Shaftesbury (age 61) died. His son Anthony (age 31) succeeded 2nd Earl Shaftesbury, 2nd Baron Ashley of Wimborne St Giles, 3rd Baronet Cooper of Rockbourne in Southampton. Dorothy Manners Countess Shaftesbury (age 27) by marriage Countess Shaftesbury.
On 2nd November 1699 Anthony Ashley-Cooper 2nd Earl Shaftesbury (age 47) died. His son Anthony (age 28) succeeded 3rd Earl Shaftesbury, 3rd Baron Ashley of Wimborne St Giles, 4th Baronet Cooper of Rockbourne in Southampton.
In 1709 Anthony Ashley-Cooper 3rd Earl Shaftesbury (age 37) and Jane Ewer Countess Shafetsbury (age 29) were married. She by marriage Countess Shaftesbury. He the son of Anthony Ashley-Cooper 2nd Earl Shaftesbury and Dorothy Manners Countess Shaftesbury. They were third cousins.
On 16th February 1713 Anthony Ashley-Cooper 3rd Earl Shaftesbury (age 41) died. His son Anthony (age 2) succeeded 4th Earl Shaftesbury, 4th Baron Ashley of Wimborne St Giles, 5th Baronet Cooper of Rockbourne in Southampton.
Before 1758 Anthony Ashley-Cooper 4th Earl Shaftesbury (age 46) and Susannah Noel Countess Shaftesbury (age 47) were married. She by marriage Countess Shaftesbury. She the daughter of Baptist Noel 3rd Earl Gainsborough and Dorothy Manners Countess Gainsborough. He the son of Anthony Ashley-Cooper 3rd Earl Shaftesbury and Jane Ewer Countess Shafetsbury. They were second cousins.
Before 17th September 1761 Anthony Ashley-Cooper 4th Earl Shaftesbury (age 50) and Mary Bouverie Countess Shaftesbury (age 30) were married. She by marriage Countess Shaftesbury. He the son of Anthony Ashley-Cooper 3rd Earl Shaftesbury and Jane Ewer Countess Shafetsbury.
On 27th May 1771 Anthony Ashley-Cooper 4th Earl Shaftesbury (age 60) died. His son Anthony (age 9) succeeded 5th Earl Shaftesbury, 5th Baron Ashley of Wimborne St Giles, 6th Baronet Cooper of Rockbourne in Southampton.
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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On 17th July 1786 Anthony Ashley-Cooper 5th Earl Shaftesbury (age 24) and Barbara Webb Countess Shaftesbury (age 24) were married. She by marriage Countess Shaftesbury. He the son of Anthony Ashley-Cooper 4th Earl Shaftesbury and Mary Bouverie Countess Shaftesbury (age 55). They were sixth cousins.
On 14th May 1811 Anthony Ashley-Cooper 5th Earl Shaftesbury (age 49) died. His brother Cropley (age 42) succeeded 6th Earl Shaftesbury, 6th Baron Ashley of Wimborne St Giles, 7th Baronet Cooper of Rockbourne in Southampton. Anne Spencer-Churchill Countess Shaftesbury (age 38) by marriage Countess Shaftesbury.
On 2nd June 1851 Cropley Ashley-Cooper 6th Earl Shaftesbury (age 82) died. His son Anthony (age 50) succeeded 7th Earl Shaftesbury, 7th Baron Ashley of Wimborne St Giles, 8th Baronet Cooper of Rockbourne in Southampton. Emily Caroline Catherine Frances Cowper Countess Shaftesbury by marriage Countess Shaftesbury.
On 1st October 1885 Anthony Ashley-Cooper 7th Earl Shaftesbury (age 84) died. His son Anthony (age 54) succeeded 8th Earl Shaftesbury, 8th Baron Ashley of Wimborne St Giles, 9th Baronet Cooper of Rockbourne in Southampton. Harriet Augusta Anna Seymourina Chichester Countess Shaftesbury by marriage Countess Shaftesbury.
On 13th April 1886 Anthony Ashley-Cooper 8th Earl Shaftesbury (age 54) died. His son Anthony (age 16) succeeded 9th Earl Shaftesbury, 9th Baron Ashley of Wimborne St Giles, 10th Baronet Cooper of Rockbourne in Southampton.
On 15th July 1899 Anthony Ashley-Cooper 9th Earl of Shaftesbury (age 29) and Constance Grosvenor Countess of Shaftesbury (age 23) were married. She by marriage Countess Shaftesbury. He the son of Anthony Ashley-Cooper 8th Earl Shaftesbury and Harriet Augusta Anna Seymourina Chichester Countess Shaftesbury. They were fifth cousins.
On 25th March 1961 Anthony Ashley-Cooper 9th Earl of Shaftesbury (age 91) died. His grandson Anthony (age 22) succeeded 10th Earl Shaftesbury, 10th Baron Ashley of Wimborne St Giles, 11th Baronet Cooper of Rockbourne in Southampton.
In July 1966 Anthony Ashley-Cooper 10th Earl of Shaftesbury (age 28) and Bianca Maria de Paolis Countess of Shaftesbury were married. She by marriage Countess Shaftesbury. They divorced in 1948 on the grounds of his adultery with an unnamed woman. There was no issue from the marriage.
In July 1966 Anthony Ashley-Cooper 10th Earl of Shaftesbury (age 28) and Christina Eva Montan Countess of Shaftesbury (age 26) were married. She by marriage Countess Shaftesbury.
On 5th November 2002 Anthony Ashley-Cooper 10th Earl of Shaftesbury (age 64) and Jamila Ben M'Barek Countess of Shaftesbury (age 41) were married. She by marriage Countess Shaftesbury. The marriage lasted until April 2004 when he started a relationship with Nadia Orche. The difference in their ages was 22 years.
On 5th November 2004, his second wedding anniversary, Anthony Ashley-Cooper 10th Earl of Shaftesbury (age 66) was murdered by the brother, Mohammed M'Barek, of his wife Jamila Ben M'Barek Countess of Shaftesbury (age 43) on her behalf. On 7th April 2005 the remains of Anthony Ashley-Cooper 10th Earl of Shaftesbury were discovered in a valley at Théoule-sur-Mer, Alpes-Maritimes on the outskirts of Cannes. His son Anthony (age 27) succeeded 11th Earl Shaftesbury, 11th Baron Ashley of Wimborne St Giles, 12th Baronet Cooper of Rockbourne in Southampton. He died six weeks after assuming the title folowing the discovery of his father's remains.
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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On 15th May 2005 Anthony Ashley-Cooper 11th Earl of Shaftesbury (age 27) died of a heart attack. His brother Nicholas (age 25) succeeded 12th Earl Shaftesbury, 12th Baron Ashley of Wimborne St Giles, 13th Baronet Cooper of Rockbourne in Southampton.