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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Biography of Sibylla Anjou Countess Essex and Flanders 1112-1165

Paternal Family Tree: Anjou aka Plantagenet

Maternal Family Tree: Matilda Chateau Du Loir Countess Maine 1055-1109

1128 Death of William Clito

1163 Baldwin III King Jerusalem Dies Almaric I King Jerusalem Succeeds

In 1110 [her father] Fulk "Young" King Jerusalem (age 21) and [her mother] Ermengarde of Maine Countess of Anjou were married. She by marriage Countess Anjou. She the daughter of [her grandfather] Elias I Count Maine and [her grandmother] Matilda Chateau Du Loir Countess Maine. He the son of [her grandfather] Fulk "Réchin" Anjou 4th Count Anjou and [her grandmother] Bertrade Montfort Queen Consort France 1070-1117 (age 40). They were third cousin twice removed.

Around 1112 Sibylla Anjou Countess Essex and Flanders was born to [her father] Fulk "Young" King Jerusalem (age 23) and [her mother] Ermengarde of Maine Countess of Anjou.

In 1123 William Clito Count Flanders (age 20) and Sibylla Anjou Countess Essex and Flanders (age 11) were married. She the daughter of Fulk "Young" King Jerusalem (age 34) and Ermengarde of Maine Countess of Anjou. He the son of Robert Curthose III Duke Normandy (age 72) and Sybilla Conversano Duchess Normandy. They were fourth cousin once removed. He a grandson of King William "Conqueror" I of England.

In 1124 William Clito Count Flanders (age 21) and Sibylla Anjou Countess Essex and Flanders (age 12) were divorced.

Anglo-Saxon Chronicle. After 26th March 1124. After this went the king (age 56), and won all the castles of the Earl Waleram (age 20) that were in Normandy, and all the others that his enemies held against him. All this hostility was on account of the son of the [her former father-in-law] Earl Robert (age 73) of Normandy, named [her former husband] William (age 21). This same William had taken to wife the younger daughter (age 12) of [her father] Fulke, Earl of Anjou (age 35): and for this reason the King of France (age 42) and all the earls held with him, and all the rich men; and said that the king held his brother Robert wrongfully in captivity, and drove his son William unjustly out of Normandy.

In 1126 [her mother] Ermengarde of Maine Countess of Anjou died.

In 1127 [her former husband] William Clito Count Flanders (age 24) and Joanna Monferrat Countess Essex were married. She by marriage Countess Essex. She the daughter of Rainier Aleramici Marquis of Monferrat (age 43) and Gisela Ivrea Countess Savoy (age 57). He the son of [her former father-in-law] Robert Curthose III Duke Normandy (age 76) and Sybilla Conversano Duchess Normandy. They were third cousins. He a grandson of King William "Conqueror" I of England.

Anglo-Saxon Chronicle. 1127. And the King of France (age 45) brought [her former husband] William (age 24), the son of the [her former father-in-law] Earl of Normandy (age 76), and gave him the earldom; and the people of that land accepted him. This same William had before taken to wife the daughter (age 15) of the Earl of Anjou; but they were afterwards divorced on the plea of consanguinity. This was all through the King Henry (age 59) of England. Afterwards took he to wife the sister1 of the king's wife of France; and for this reason the king gave him the earldom of Flanders.

Note. Maternal half-sister; their mother Gisela Ivrea Countess Savoy (age 57).

On 2nd March 1127 Charles I Count Flanders (age 43) was murdered at Church of St Donatian. His second cousin [her former husband] William (age 24) succeeded Count Flanders. Sibylla Anjou Countess Essex and Flanders (age 15) by marriage Countess Flanders.

Anne Boleyn. Her Life as told by Lancelot de Carle's 1536 Letter.

In 1536, two weeks after the execution of Anne Boleyn, her brother George and four others, Lancelot du Carle, wrote an extraordinary letter that described Anne's life, and her trial and execution, to which he was a witness. This book presents a new translation of that letter, with additional material from other contemporary sources such as Letters, Hall's and Wriothesley's Chronicles, the pamphlets of Wynkyn the Worde, the Memorial of George Constantyne, the Portuguese Letter and the Baga de Secrets, all of which are provided in Appendices.

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In 1128 [her future husband] Thierry Count Flanders (age 29) succeeded Count Flanders. Swanhilde Countess Flanders by marriage Countess Flanders.

On 17th June 1128 [her brother] Geoffrey Plantagenet Duke Normandy (age 14) and [her sister-in-law] Empress Matilda (age 26) were married. She the daughter of King Henry I "Beauclerc" England (age 60) and Edith aka Matilda Dunkeld Queen Consort England. He the son of [her father] Fulk "Young" King Jerusalem (age 39) and [her mother] Ermengarde of Maine Countess of Anjou. They were fourth cousin once removed.

Chronicon ex Chronicis by Florence and John of Worcester. 27th July 1128. [her former husband] William (age 25), count of Flanders, surnamed The Sad, falling into an ambush, was wounded by his enemies, and, his sufferings increasing, died, amidst universal lamentations, on the sixth of the calends of August [27th July], and was buried at St. Bertin.

History of the Dukes of Normandy by William of Jumieges. So then, to the aforementioned Robert, Count of Flanders, Henry, king of the Saxons and emperor of the Romans, granted the County of Cambrai, and Robert did homage to him for it. This Robert begot two sons, Robert and Philip. Robert, who was called the Jerusalemite because he was present when Jerusalem was taken by the Christians, begot Baldwin, who succeeded him. But Baldwin died from a wound that he had received in a certain battle near the castle of Auc in Normandy. After him, Charles his kinsman succeeded. And when this Charles was treacherously killed, as has already been said, [her former husband] William (age 25), the son of Robert, Duke of Normandy, received the county of Flanders, as stated above. But he lived only a short time afterward, for while assaulting a certain town he was struck by a mortal wound. He died on the sixth day before the Kalends of August [27th July], in the year of the Lord 11281. He was buried in the church of Saint Bertin the Confessor, and [her future husband] Thierry (age 29) of Alsace, a kinsman of the preceding counts, succeeded him. To this Thierry, Henry, king of the English, gave in marriage the sister [Sibylla2] of Geoffrey Martel, Count of Anjou.

Igitur prædicto Roberto comiti Flandriæ Henricus rex Saxonum et imperator Romanorum, dedit comiD talum Cameracensem et ipse fecit ei inde fidelitatem. Genuit autem idem Robertus duos filios, Robertum et Philippum. Robertus vero Hierosolymitanus cognominatus, quia interfuit, dum Hierusalem a Christianis caperetur, genuit Balduinum qui ei successit. Eodem vero Balduino mortuo ex vulnere, quod in conflicta quodam apud Aucum castrum quoddam Northmanniæ acceperat, Carolus cognatus ipsius ei successit Quo per traditionem occiso, sicut jam dictum est, cumdem comitatum Flandriæ, sicut superius diximus, Willelmus filius Roberti ducis Northmanniæ habuit. Sed parvo tempore supervixit, in cujusdam oppidi assultu appetitus lethali vulnere. Decessit vero 6 Kal. Aug. anno ab incarnatione Domini 1188. Sepultus est autem in ecclesia Sancti Bertini confessoris et successit ei Terricus de Avseis, congnatus præcedentium comitum. Huic Henricus rex Anglorum copulavit sororem Gaufridi Martelli comitis Andegavorum.

Note 1. The manuscript here has erroneously 1188.

Note 2. Sibylla (age 16), around 1112-1165, daughter of Fulk of Anjou and Ermengarde de la Flèche. Her brother was Geoffrey, Count of Anjou, father of King Henry II of England; he is not known to have been given the nickname 'Martel' i.e. 'Hammer' although he is referred to as such in this text. Her uncle [her uncle] Geoffrey, Count of Anjou, who was known as 'Martel'. She married 1 in 1123 William "Clito", annulled 1124, and 2 in 1134 Thierry, Count of Flanders.

In 1129 [her father] Fulk "Young" King Jerusalem (age 40) travelled to Jerusalem [Map] on pilgrimage. His son [her brother] Geoffrey Plantagenet Duke Normandy (age 15) was appointed Count Anjou.

On 2nd June 1129 [her father] Fulk "Young" King Jerusalem (age 40) and [her step-mother] Melisende Queen of Jerusalem (age 24) were married at Jerusalem [Map]. She by marriage Countess Anjou. Her father (age 54) had written to Fulk "Young" King Jerusalem requesting the marriage since he had no male heirs. She the daughter of Baldwin II King Jerusalem. He the son of [her grandfather] Fulk "Réchin" Anjou 4th Count Anjou and [her grandmother] Bertrade Montfort Queen Consort France 1070-1117.

On 21st August 1131 Baldwin II King Jerusalem (age 56) died. [her father] Fulk "Young" King Jerusalem (age 42) succeeded King Jerusalem. [her step-mother] Melisende Queen of Jerusalem (age 26) by marriage Queen Consort Jerusalem.

After 1132 Thierry Count Flanders (age 33) and Sibylla Anjou Countess Essex and Flanders (age 20) were married. She by marriage Countess Flanders. She the daughter of Fulk "Young" King Jerusalem (age 43) and Ermengarde of Maine Countess of Anjou. He the son of Theodoric "Valiant" Metz II Duke Lorraine and Gertrude Flanders Duchess Lorraine. They were fifth cousins.

On 14th January 1139 [her brother-in-law] Simon Metz I Duke Lorraine (age 63) died. His son Matthias (age 20) succeeded I Duke Lorraine.

In 1143 [her son] Philip I Count of Flanders was born to [her husband] Thierry Count Flanders (age 44) and Sibylla Anjou Countess Essex and Flanders (age 31). He married (1) his fourth cousin Theresa Burgundy Duchess Burgundy, daughter of Afonso "Conqueror Founder Great" I King Portugal and Malfada Savoy Queen Consort Portugal (2) his third cousin once removed Elizabeth Capet, daughter of Ralph I Capet I Count Vermandois and Petronilla Poitiers.

In 1143 [her half-brother] Baldwin III King Jerusalem (age 13) was appointed III King Jerusalem.

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 13th November 1143 [her father] Fulk "Young" King Jerusalem (age 54) died in a hunting accident. His wife [her step-mother] Melisende Queen of Jerusalem (age 38) continued to reign in her own right with their son [her half-brother] Baldwin III King Jerusalem (age 13).

In 1144 [her sister-in-law] Gertrude Metz Countess Holland died.

In 1144 [her brother] Geoffrey Plantagenet Duke Normandy (age 30) by conquest Duke Normandy. [her sister-in-law] Empress Matilda (age 41) by marriage Duchess Normandy.

On 7th September 1151 [her brother] Geoffrey Plantagenet Duke Normandy (age 38) died at Château du Loir [Map]. He was buried at St Julien's Cathedral [Map].

Around 1155 [her son-in-law] Humbert Savoy III Count Savoy (age 21) and [her daughter] Gertrude Metz Countess Savoy were married. She by marriage Countess Savoy. She the daughter of [her husband] Thierry Count Flanders (age 56) and Sibylla Anjou Countess Essex and Flanders (age 43). He the son of Amadeus Savoy III Count Savoy and Mahaut Albon Countess Savoy. They were fifth cousin once removed.

In 1157 [her half-brother] Almaric I King Jerusalem (age 21) and [her sister-in-law] Agnes Courtenay Queen Jerusalem (age 21) were married. She by marriage Queen Jerusalem. She the daughter of Joscelin Courtenay II Count Edessa. He the son of [her father] Fulk "Young" King Jerusalem and [her step-mother] Melisende Queen of Jerusalem (age 52).

In 1160 [her son] Matthew Metz Count Boulogne and [her daughter-in-law] Marie Blois I Countess Boulogne (age 24) were married. She the daughter of King Stephen I England and Matilda Flanders. He the son of [her husband] Thierry Count Flanders (age 61) and Sibylla Anjou Countess Essex and Flanders (age 48). They were third cousins.

On 11th September 1161 [her step-mother] Melisende Queen of Jerusalem (age 56) died. Her son [her half-brother] Baldwin (age 31) succeeded King Jerusalem.

Baldwin III King Jerusalem Dies Almaric I King Jerusalem Succeeds

On 10th February 1163 [her half-brother] Baldwin III King Jerusalem (age 33) died at Beirut. His brother [her half-brother] Almaric (age 27) succeeded I King Jerusalem.

In 1165 Sibylla Anjou Countess Essex and Flanders (age 53) died.

On 17th January 1168 [her former husband] Thierry Count Flanders (age 69) died.

Jean de Waurin's Chronicle of England Volume 6 Books 3-6: The Wars of the Roses

Jean de Waurin was a French Chronicler, from the Artois region, who was born around 1400, and died around 1474. Waurin’s Chronicle of England, Volume 6, covering the period 1450 to 1471, from which we have selected and translated Chapters relating to the Wars of the Roses, provides a vivid, original, contemporary description of key events some of which he witnessed first-hand, some of which he was told by the key people involved with whom Waurin had a personal relationship.

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[her son] Matthew Metz Count Boulogne was born to Thierry Count Flanders and Sibylla Anjou Countess Essex and Flanders. He married (1) 1160 his third cousin Marie Blois I Countess Boulogne and had issue.

[her son] Peter Metz Bishop Cambrai was born to Thierry Count Flanders and Sibylla Anjou Countess Essex and Flanders.

Thierry Count Flanders and Swanhilde Countess Flanders were married. He the son of Theodoric "Valiant" Metz II Duke Lorraine and Gertrude Flanders Duchess Lorraine.

[her daughter] Margaret Metz Countess Hainaut and Flanders was born to Thierry Count Flanders and Sibylla Anjou Countess Essex and Flanders. She married (1) her third cousin Baldwin Flanders V Count Hainaut, son of Baldwin Flanders IV Count Hainaut and Alice Namur Countess Hainault, and had issue (2) her half third cousin once removed Ralph Capet II Count Vermandois, son of Ralph I Capet I Count Vermandois and Petronilla Poitiers.

[her daughter] Matilda Metz Abbess Fontevraud was born to Thierry Count Flanders and Sibylla Anjou Countess Essex and Flanders.

[her daughter] Gertrude Metz Countess Savoy was born to Thierry Count Flanders and Sibylla Anjou Countess Essex and Flanders. She married 1155 her fifth cousin once removed Humbert Savoy III Count Savoy, son of Amadeus Savoy III Count Savoy and Mahaut Albon Countess Savoy.

Royal Ancestors of Sibylla Anjou Countess Essex and Flanders 1112-1165

Kings Franks: Great x 8 Grand Daughter of Louis "Pious" King Aquitaine I King of the Franks

Royal Descendants of Sibylla Anjou Countess Essex and Flanders 1112-1165
Number after indicates the number of unique routes of descent. Descendants of Kings and Queens not included.

Agnes de la Marck Queen Consort Navarre [7]

Isabelle Flanders Queen Consort France 1170-1190 [1]

Matilda Dammartin Queen Consort Portugal [1]

Blanche Capet Queen Navarre [1]

Maria of Brabant Queen Consort France 1256-1321 [1]

Henry Luxemburg VII Holy Roman Emperor [1]

Joan of Burgundy Queen Consort France 1292-1330 [1]

Blanche of Burgundy Queen Consort France 1297-1326 [1]

Philip "Noble" III King Navarre [1]

Joan Évreux Queen Consort France 1310-1371 [1]

Philippa of Hainaut Queen Consort England [2]

Margaret Hainaut Holy Roman Empress [2]

Blanche Valois Holy Roman Empress Luxemburg [1]

Blanche Dampierre Queen Consort Norway and Sweden [2]

Joan Auvergne Queen Consort France 1326-1360 [1]

Joanna Bourbon Queen Consort France 1338-1378 [3]

Blanche Bourbon Queen Consort Castile [3]

Yolande of Bar Queen Consort Aragon [1]

King Louis of Naples [2]

Jacquetta of Luxemburg Duchess Bedford [3]

Margaret of Anjou Queen Consort England [2]

Mary of Guelders Queen Consort Scotland [7]

Queen Charlotte of Savoy 1441-1483 [4]

Christina Queen Consort Denmark Norway and Sweden [1]

Louis XII King France [7]

Jean III King Navarre [2]

Bianca Maria Sforza Holy Roman Empress [4]

Anne of Brittany Queen Consort France [1]

Philip "Handsome Fair" King Castile [11]

Germaine Foix Queen Consort Aragon [7]

Marguerite Valois Orléans Queen Consort Navarre [11]

King Francis I of France [11]

Anne of Cleves Queen Consort England [12]

Mary of Guise Queen Consort Scotland [28]

Antoine King Navarre [15]

Catherine Medici Queen Consort France [2]

Maximilian Habsburg Spain II Holy Roman Emperor [2]

Louis VI Elector Palatine [7]

Louise Lorraine Queen Consort France [21]

Maximilian "The Great" Wittelsbach I Duke Bavaria I Elector Bavaria [31]

Maria Anna Wittelsbach Holy Roman Empress [31]

Marie de Medici Queen Consort France [2]

Electress Louise Juliana of the Palatine Rhine [6]

Ferdinand of Spain II Holy Roman Emperor [11]

Margaret of Austria Queen Consort Spain [11]

Anna of Austria Holy Roman Empress [10]

John George Wettin Elector Saxony [14]

Frederick William "Great Elector" Hohenzollern Elector Brandenburg [14]

Eleonora Gonzaga Queen Consort Bohemia [22]

Maria Leopoldine Habsburg Spain Queen Consort Bohemia [11]

Hedwig Eleonora Queen Consort Sweden [14]

Marie Françoise Élisabeth of Savoy Queen Consort of Portugal [35]

Charlotte Amalie Hesse-Kassel Queen Consort Denmark and Norway [14]

Victor Amadeus King Sardinia [41]

Louise of Mecklenburg Güstrow Queen Consort Denmark and Norway [14]

Maria Anna Neuburg Queen Consort Spain [28]

Frederick I King Sweden [42]

Joseph I Holy Roman Emperor [28]

Charles Habsburg Spain VI Holy Roman Emperor [28]

Francis I Holy Roman Emperor [22]

Adolph Frederick King Sweden [14]

Elisabeth Therese Lorraine Queen Consort Sardinia [22]

King George III of Great Britain and Ireland [30]

William Elector of Hesse [42]

Charlotte Mecklenburg Strelitz Queen Consort England [16]

Caroline Matilda Hanover Queen Consort Denmark and Norway [30]

Marie Sophie Hesse-Kassel Queen Consort Denmark and Norway [42]

Caroline of Brunswick Queen Consort England [30]

Frederick William III King Prussia [14]

Frederica Mecklenburg Strelitz Queen Consort Hanover [30]

Queen Fredrika Dorotea Vilhelmina [28]

King Christian I of Norway and VIII of Denmark [46]

Frederick William IV King Prussia [30]

Caroline Amalie Oldenburg Queen Norway [2]

William I King Prussia [30]

Frederick VII King of Denmark [76]

Queen Louise Hesse-Kassel of Denmark [88]

King Christian IX of Denmark [45]

Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom [60]

Queen Sophia of Sweden and Norway [73]

Victoria Empress Germany Queen Consort Prussia [166]

King Edward VII of the United Kingdom [166]

Maria Christina of Austria Queen Consort Spain [42]

Victoria Mary Teck Queen Consort England [84]

Frederick Charles I King Finland [88]

Constantine I King Greece [45]

Alexandrine Mecklenburg-Schwerin Queen Consort Denmark [121]

Victoria Eugénie Mountbatten Queen Consort Spain [208]

Louise Mountbatten Queen Consort Sweden [250]

Ingrid Bernadotte Queen Consort Denmark [196]

Philip Mountbatten Duke Edinburgh [295]

Sophia Glücksburg Queen Consort Spain [2]

Constantine II King Hellenes [2]

Carl XVI King Sweden [409]

Diana Spencer Princess Wales [20]

Ancestors of Sibylla Anjou Countess Essex and Flanders 1112-1165

Great x 3 Grandfather: Fulcuich Count Mortagne au Perche

Great x 2 Grandfather: Hugh de Perche Count Gâtinais

Great x 3 Grandmother: Melisende Viscountess Châteaudun

Great x 1 Grandfather: Geoffrey "Ferréol" Anjou 2nd Count Gâtinais

Great x 3 Grandfather: Albéric II Count Mâcon

Great x 2 Grandmother: Béatrice de Mâcon Countess Gâtinais

GrandFather: Fulk "Réchin" Anjou 4th Count Anjou

Great x 4 Grandfather: Fulk "Good" Ingelger 2nd Count Anjou

Great x 3 Grandfather: Geoffrey "Greygown" Ingelger 1st Count Anjou

Great x 4 Grandmother: Gerberge Unknown Viscountess Anjou

Great x 2 Grandfather: Fulk "Black" Ingelger III Count Anjou

Great x 1 Grandmother: Ermengarde Blanche Ingelger Duchess Burgundy

Great x 2 Grandmother: Hildegarde Sundgau Countess Anjou

Father: Fulk "Young" King Jerusalem

Great x 4 Grandfather: Aumary Reginarids

Great x 3 Grandfather: William Reginarids

Great x 2 Grandfather: Aumary Reginarids

Great x 1 Grandfather: Simon Montfort

Great x 2 Grandmother: Bertrade Unknown

GrandMother: Bertrade Montfort Queen Consort France 1070-1117

Great x 3 Grandfather: Robert Normandy Archbishop of Rouen

Great x 4 Grandmother: Gunnora Countess Ponthieu

Great x 2 Grandfather: Richard Normandy 2nd Count Évreux

Great x 3 Grandmother: Herleva Countess Évreux

Great x 1 Grandmother: Agnès of Normandy

Great x 3 Grandfather: Ramon Borrell Count of Barcelona

Great x 2 Grandmother: Adelaide aka Godehildis Ramon

Great x 4 Grandfather: Roger I of Carcasonne

Great x 3 Grandmother: Ermesinde of Carcassonne

Sibylla Anjou Countess Essex

Great x 1 Grandfather: Jean de la Flèche de Baugency

GrandFather: Elias I Count Maine

Great x 4 Grandfather: Hugh Maine II Count Maine

Great x 3 Grandfather: Hugh Maine III Count Maine

Great x 2 Grandfather: Herbert "Wakedog" Maine I Count Maine

Great x 1 Grandmother: Paula Maine

Mother: Ermengarde of Maine Countess of Anjou

Great x 1 Grandfather: Gervais II Lord Chateau Du Loir

GrandMother: Matilda Chateau Du Loir Countess Maine