Annals of the six Kings of England by Nicholas Trivet
Translation of the Annals of the Six Kings of England by that traces the rise and rule of the Angevin aka Plantagenet dynasty from the mid-12th to early 14th century. Written by the Dominican scholar Nicholas Trivet, the work offers a vivid account of English history from the reign of King Stephen through to the death of King Edward I, blending political narrative with moral reflection. Covering the reigns of six monarchs—from Stephen to Edward I—the chronicle explores royal authority, rebellion, war, and the shifting balance between crown, church, and nobility. Trivet provides detailed insight into defining moments such as baronial conflicts, Anglo-French rivalry, and the consolidation of royal power under Edward I, whose reign he describes with particular immediacy. The Annals combines careful year-by-year reporting with thoughtful interpretation, presenting history not merely as a sequence of events but as a moral and political lesson. Ideal for readers interested in medieval history, kingship, and the origins of the English state, this chronicle remains a valuable and accessible window into the turbulent world of the Plantagenet kings.
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Essex Bridge is in Shugborough, Staffordshire [Map].
1575. Essex Bridge [Map] is located just downstream of where the River Sow and River Trent converge adjacent to the Trent & Mersey Canal. Originally forty arches only fourteen remain. It was commissioned by Robert Devereux 2nd Earl Essex (age 9) as a pack-horse bridge although this seems unlikely given its width of four feet and narrow cutwaters. And his age in 1575 was only around ten so it likely a bridge was constructed before he commissioned its improvement, or alteration.
The confluence of the River Sow on the left and River Trent on the right.
The River Trent rises on Biddulph Moor, Staffordshire [Map] and flows, in a great horseshoe through, or near, Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire [Map], Stone, Staffordshire [Map], Essex Bridge [Map], Bishton Hall, Staffordshire [Map], Colwich, Staffordshire [Map] passing St Michael and All Angels Church, Colwich [Map], Rugeley, Staffordshire [Map], Kings Bromley, Staffordshire [Map], Alrewas, Staffordshire [Map], Burton-upon-Trent, Staffordshire [Map], Newton Solney, Derbyshire [Map], Repton, Derbyshire [Map], under Swarkestone Bridge, Derbyshire [Map], Sawley, Derbyshire [Map], Nottingham, Nottinghamshire [Map], Holme Pierrepoint, Nottinghamshire [Map], Stoke Ferry, Shelford [Map], under Gunthorpe Bridge, Nottinghamshire [Map], past Gunthorpe Lock [Map], Hoveringham, Nottingham [Map], Newark on Trent, Nottinghamshire [Map], Knaith [Map], Dunham Bridge [Map], Sutton on Trent, Nottinghamshire [Map], the Isle of Axholme [Map] and Gainsborough [Map] before joining the Humber Estuary at Trent Falls [Map].
The River Sow rises near Fair Oak, Staffordshire [Map]. From there it flows past Outlands, Staffordshire [Map], Bishops Offley, Staffordshire [Map], Copmere End, Staffordshire [Map], Eccleshall Castle, Staffordshire [Map], Chebsey, Staffordshire [Map], Little Bridgeford, Staffordshire [Map], Great Bridgeford, Staffordshire [Map], Stafford, Staffordshire [Map] to Baswich, Stafford [Map] where it is joined by the River Penk.
After Baswich the River Penk flows past Milford, Staffordshire [Map] to Essex Bridge [Map] where it joins the River Trent.