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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Paternal Family Tree: Tremoille
Maternal Family Tree: Antoinette Polignac 1460
After 1597 [her father] Claude de La Tremoille 2nd Duke Thouars [aged 31] and [her mother] Charlotte Flandrina Orange Nassau [aged 17] were married. She by marriage Duchess Thouars. He the son of [her grandfather] Louis III de La Tremoille 1st Duke Thouars and [her grandmother] Jeanne Montmorency.
In December 1599 Charlotte Thouars Countess Derby was born to [her father] Claude de La Tremoille 2nd Duke Thouars [aged 33] and [her mother] Charlotte Flandrina Orange Nassau [aged 20] in Chateau Thouars.
On 25th October 1604 [her father] Claude de La Tremoille 2nd Duke Thouars [aged 38] died.
In 1626 Michiel Janszoon van Mierevelt [aged 59]. Portrait of Charlotte Thouars Countess Derby [aged 26].
On 26th June 1626 James Stanley 7th Earl of Derby [aged 19] and Charlotte Thouars Countess Derby [aged 26] were married. She by marriage Baroness Strange Knockin. She the daughter of Claude de La Tremoille 2nd Duke Thouars and Charlotte Flandrina Orange Nassau [aged 46]. He the son of William Stanley 6th Earl of Derby [aged 65] and Elizabeth Vere Countess Derby [aged 50].
In 1627 [her husband] James Stanley 7th Earl of Derby [aged 19] was appointed Lord Mann.
On 19th January 1628 [her son] Charles Stanley 8th Earl of Derby was born to [her husband] James Stanley 7th Earl of Derby [aged 20] and Charlotte Thouars Countess Derby [aged 28]. He a great x 4 grandson of King Henry VII of England and Ireland. He married before 1655 Dorothea Helena Kirkoven Countess Derby, daughter of Jehan Lord of Heenvliet and Katherine Wotton Countess Chesterfield, and had issue.
On 7th March 1628 [her husband] James Stanley 7th Earl of Derby [aged 21] was created 1st Baron Strange Knockin.
On 17th November 1630 [her daughter] Henriette Stanley Countess Strafford was born to [her husband] James Stanley 7th Earl of Derby [aged 23] and Charlotte Thouars Countess Derby [aged 30]. She a great x 4 granddaughter of King Henry VII of England and Ireland. She married 27th February 1654 her fourth cousin William Wentworth 2nd Earl Strafford, son of Thomas Wentworth 1st Earl Strafford and Arabella Holles.
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 1633 [her daughter] Amelia Stanley Marchioness Atholl was born to [her husband] James Stanley 7th Earl of Derby [aged 25] and Charlotte Thouars Countess Derby [aged 33]. She a great x 4 granddaughter of King Henry VII of England and Ireland. She married 5th May 1659 John Murray 1st Marquess Atholl, son of John Murray 1st Earl Atholl and Jean Campbell Countess Atholl, and had issue.
Around 1635 Anthony Van Dyck [aged 35]. Portrait of [her husband] James Stanley 7th Earl of Derby [aged 27] and Charlotte Thouars Countess Derby [aged 35] and their daughter.
On 7th January 1639 [her son] Edward Stanley was born to [her husband] James Stanley 7th Earl of Derby [aged 31] and Charlotte Thouars Countess Derby [aged 39]. He a great x 4 grandson of King Henry VII of England and Ireland.
On 16th April 1640 [her mother] Charlotte Flandrina Orange Nassau [aged 60] died.
On 18th October 1640 [her son] William Stanley was born to [her husband] James Stanley 7th Earl of Derby [aged 33] and Charlotte Thouars Countess Derby [aged 40]. He a great x 4 grandson of King Henry VII of England and Ireland.
On 29th September 1642 [her father-in-law] William Stanley 6th Earl of Derby [aged 81] died. His son [her husband] James [aged 35] succeeded 7th Earl Derby. Charlotte Thouars Countess Derby [aged 42] by marriage Countess Derby.
In 1650 [her husband] James Stanley 7th Earl of Derby [aged 42] was appointed 452nd Knight of the Garter by King Charles II of England Scotland and Ireland [aged 19].
Between September 1651 and November 1651 a rebellion against the Royalist leader of the Isle of Man James Stanley 7th Earl of Derby [aged 44] who had been captured at the Battle of Worcester. His wife Charlotte Thouars Countess Derby [aged 51] resisted the rebels with the aid of Philip Musgrave 2nd Baronet [aged 44] and Illiam Dhone (her husband's Receiver General). The Countess eventually surrendered after hearing of her husband's death. Illiam Dhone changed sides and worked with Parliamentarian soldiers to achieve a bloodless coup. Illiam Dhone was eventually arrested by the Earl's son Charles Stanley 8th Earl of Derby [aged 23] and executed by firing squad at Hango Hill on 2nd January 1663.
On 15th October 1651 [her husband] James Stanley 7th Earl of Derby [aged 44] died. His son Charles [aged 23] succeeded 8th Earl Derby, 2nd Baron Strange Knockin.
In September 1652 [her son-in-law] Henry Pierrepont 1st Marquess Dorchester [aged 46] and Catherine Stanley Marchioness Dorchester were married. She the daughter of James Stanley 7th Earl of Derby and Charlotte Thouars Countess Derby [aged 52]. He the son of Robert Pierrepont 1st Earl Kingston and Gertrude Talbot Baroness Pierrepont Holme Pierrepoint. They were fifth cousin once removed. She a great x 4 granddaughter of King Henry VII of England and Ireland.
Chronicle of Geoffrey le Baker of Swinbroke
Baker was a secular clerk from Swinbroke, now Swinbrook, an Oxfordshire village two miles east of Burford. His Chronicle describes the events of the period 1303-1356: Gaveston, Bannockburn, Boroughbridge, the murder of King Edward II, the Scottish Wars, Sluys, Crécy, the Black Death, Winchelsea and Poitiers. To quote Herbert Bruce 'it possesses a vigorous and characteristic style, and its value for particular events between 1303 and 1356 has been recognised by its editor and by subsequent writers'. The book provides remarkable detail about the events it describes. Baker's text has been augmented with hundreds of notes, including extracts from other contemporary chronicles, such as the Annales Londonienses, Annales Paulini, Murimuth, Lanercost, Avesbury, Guisborough and Froissart to enrich the reader's understanding. The translation takes as its source the 'Chronicon Galfridi le Baker de Swynebroke' published in 1889, edited by Edward Maunde Thompson.
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On 27th February 1654 [her son-in-law] William Wentworth 2nd Earl Strafford [aged 27] and Henriette Stanley Countess Strafford [aged 23] were married. She the daughter of James Stanley 7th Earl of Derby and Charlotte Thouars Countess Derby [aged 54]. He the son of Thomas Wentworth 1st Earl Strafford and Arabella Holles. They were fourth cousins. She a great x 4 granddaughter of King Henry VII of England and Ireland.
Before 1655 Charles Stanley 8th Earl of Derby [aged 26] and Dorothea Helena Kirkoven Countess Derby [aged 24] were married. She by marriage Countess Derby. She the daughter of Jehan Lord of Heenvliet [aged 60] and Katherine Wotton Countess Chesterfield [aged 45]. He the son of James Stanley 7th Earl of Derby and Charlotte Thouars Countess Derby [aged 55].
On 5th May 1659 [her son-in-law] John Murray 1st Marquess Atholl [aged 28] and Amelia Stanley Marchioness Atholl [aged 26] were married. She the daughter of James Stanley 7th Earl of Derby and Charlotte Thouars Countess Derby [aged 59]. He the son of John Murray 1st Earl Atholl and Jean Campbell Countess Atholl.
On 31st March 1664 Charlotte Thouars Countess Derby [aged 64] died.
[her son] Two sons Stanley was born to James Stanley 7th Earl of Derby and Charlotte Thouars Countess Derby. He a great x 4 grandson of King Henry VII of England and Ireland.
[her daughter] Charlotte Stanley was born to James Stanley 7th Earl of Derby and Charlotte Thouars Countess Derby. She a great x 4 granddaughter of King Henry VII of England and Ireland.
[her daughter] Catherine Stanley Marchioness Dorchester was born to James Stanley 7th Earl of Derby and Charlotte Thouars Countess Derby. She a great x 4 granddaughter of King Henry VII of England and Ireland. She married September 1652 her fifth cousin once removed Henry Pierrepont 1st Marquess Dorchester, son of Robert Pierrepont 1st Earl Kingston and Gertrude Talbot Baroness Pierrepont Holme Pierrepoint.
Kings Wessex: Great x 17 Grand Daughter of King Edmund "Ironside" I of England
Kings Godwinson: Great x 16 Grand Daughter of King Harold II of England
Kings England: Great x 10 Grand Daughter of King Henry III of England
Kings Scotland: Great x 16 Grand Daughter of King Duncan I of Scotland
Kings Franks: Great x 22 Grand Daughter of Charles "Charlemagne aka Great" King of the Franks King Lombardy Holy Roman Emperor
Kings France: Great x 9 Grand Daughter of Philip V King France I King Navarre
Kings Duke Aquitaine: Great x 20 Grand Daughter of Ranulf I Duke Aquitaine
Great x 4 Grandfather: Louis I de la Tremoille
Great x 3 Grandfather: Louis II de la Tremoille
Great x 2 Grandfather: Charles I de La Tremoille
Great x 1 Grandfather: François II de La Tremoille
GrandFather: Louis III de La Tremoille 1st Duke Thouars
Father: Claude de La Tremoille 2nd Duke Thouars 9 x Great Grand Son of King Edward I of England
Great x 2 Grandfather: William de Montmorency
Great x 1 Grandfather: Anne I Duke of Montmorency
GrandMother: Jeanne Montmorency 8 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward I of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Louis Savoy I Count Savoy 4 x Great Grand Son of King Edward I of England
Great x 3 Grandfather: Philip "Landless" Savoy II Duke Savoy 5 x Great Grand Son of King Edward I of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Anne Cyprus Countess Savoy
Great x 2 Grandfather: René of Savoy 6 x Great Grand Son of King Edward I of England
Great x 3 Grandmother: Libera Portoneri
Great x 1 Grandmother: Madeleine of Savoy 7 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward I of England
Great x 2 Grandmother: Anne Lascaris
Charlotte Thouars Countess Derby 10 x Great Grand Daughter of King Henry III of England
Great x 1 Grandfather: William "The Rich" I Count of Nassau Dillenburg
GrandFather: William "The Silent" Orange Nassau I Prince Orange
Mother: Charlotte Flandrina Orange Nassau 9 x Great Grand Daughter of King Henry III of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Louis Bourbon 1st Count Vendôme 1st Count Castres 
6 x Great Grand Son of King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England
Great x 3 Grandfather: John Bourbon VIII Count Vendôme 5 x Great Grand Son of King Henry III of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Jeanne Laval Countess Vendôme and Castres 4 x Great Grand Daughter of King Henry III of England
Great x 2 Grandfather: Louis Bourbon Prince of La Roche sur Yon 6 x Great Grand Son of King Henry III of England
Great x 3 Grandmother: Isabelle Beauvau Countess Vendôme
Great x 1 Grandfather: Louis Duke of Montpensier 7 x Great Grand Son of King Henry III of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Louis Bourbon 5 x Great Grand Son of King Henry III of England
Great x 3 Grandfather: Gilbert Bourbon Count of Monpensier 6 x Great Grand Son of King Henry III of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Gabrielle La Tour
Great x 2 Grandmother: Louise Bourbon Duchess of Monpensier 7 x Great Grand Daughter of King Henry III of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Frederico Gonzaga Marquess Mantua
Great x 3 Grandmother: Clara Gonzaga 9 x Great Grand Daughter of King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Margaret Wittelsbach 
8 x Great Grand Daughter of King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England
GrandMother: Charlotte Bourbon Princess Orange 8 x Great Grand Daughter of King Henry III of England
Great x 2 Grandfather: Jean IV de Longwy Seigneur de Givry
Great x 1 Grandmother: Jacqueline de Longwy 8 x Great Grand Daughter of King Henry III of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: John Valois Orléans 5 x Great Grand Son of King Henry III of England
Great x 3 Grandfather: Charles Valois Orléans Count Angoulême 6 x Great Grand Son of King Henry III of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Marguerite Rohan
Great x 2 Grandmother: Jeanne Valois 7 x Great Grand Daughter of King Henry III of England
Great x 3 Grandmother: Antoinette Polignac