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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In 1105 Melisende Queen of Jerusalem was born to [her father] Baldwin II King Jerusalem [aged 30].
On 14th April 1109 Fulk "Réchin" Anjou 4th Count Anjou [aged 66] died. In 1109 His son [her future husband] Fulk [aged 20] succeeded V Count Anjou.
In 1110 [her future husband] Fulk "Young" King Jerusalem [aged 21] and Ermengarde of Maine Countess of Anjou were married. She by marriage Countess Anjou. She the daughter of Elias I Count Maine and Matilda Chateau Du Loir Countess Maine. He the son of Fulk "Réchin" Anjou 4th Count Anjou and Bertrade Montfort Queen Consort France [aged 40]. They were third cousin twice removed.
On 2nd April 1118 Baldwin I King Jerusalem [aged 60] died. [her father] Baldwin II King Jerusalem [aged 43] succeeded King Jerusalem.
In 1129 [her future husband] Fulk "Young" King Jerusalem [aged 40] travelled to Jerusalem [Map] on pilgrimage. His son [her future step-son] Geoffrey Plantagenet Duke Normandy [aged 15] was appointed Count Anjou.
On 2nd June 1129 Fulk "Young" King Jerusalem [aged 40] and Melisende Queen of Jerusalem [aged 24] were married at Jerusalem [Map]. She by marriage Countess Anjou. Her father [aged 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 Fulk "Réchin" Anjou 4th Count Anjou and Bertrade Montfort Queen Consort France.
In 1130 [her son] Baldwin III King Jerusalem was born to [her husband] Fulk "Young" King Jerusalem [aged 41] and Melisende Queen of Jerusalem [aged 25].
On 21st August 1131 [her father] Baldwin II King Jerusalem [aged 56] died. [her husband] Fulk "Young" King Jerusalem [aged 42] succeeded King Jerusalem. Melisende Queen of Jerusalem [aged 26] by marriage Queen Consort Jerusalem.
After 1132 Thierry Count Flanders [aged 33] and [her step-daughter] Sibylla Anjou Countess Essex [aged 20] were married. She by marriage Countess Flanders. She the daughter of [her husband] Fulk "Young" King Jerusalem [aged 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.
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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In 1136 [her son] Almaric I King Jerusalem was born to [her husband] Fulk "Young" King Jerusalem [aged 47] and Melisende Queen of Jerusalem [aged 31]. He married (1) 1157 his third cousin Agnes Courtenay Queen Jerusalem, daughter of Joscelin Courtenay II Count Edessa, and had issue (2) 1167 Maria Komnenos Queen Jerusalem and had issue.
A History of Deeds Done Beyond the Sea by William of Tyre Book 15 Chapter 27. [13th November 1143]. It happened, however, in those days that, when the lord king [[her husband] Fulk "Young" King Jerusalem [aged 54]], along with the lady queen [Melisende Queen of Jerusalem [aged 38]], after autumn had passed, was staying in the city of Acre, the queen wished, to relieve her boredom, to go out of the city to certain suburban places, irrigated by springs, for the sake of recreation; whereupon the lord king, so that the queen might not lack company, decided also himself, with his usual retinue, to set forth. And while they were going along, it happened by chance that the boys who were going before the ranks and retinue stirred up a hare lying in the furrows, which, as it fled, was pursued by the clamor of all. The king, however, seizing a lance, in order to pursue this same hare, driven by a stroke of bad luck, began to urge his horse toward those parts, and to press on the chase vigorously. Finally, as the horse rushed forward heedlessly, it was driven headlong; and falling to the ground, threw the king headlong, and to the one lying there, stunned by the pain of the fall, the saddle crushed his head, so that the brain was emitted both through his ears and even through his nostrils. At this accident, the entire retinue, both those going before and those following, terrified by the harshness of the event, turned around, and wanting to bring help to the one lying there, found him lifeless, for he had neither voice nor sense.
Accidit autem illis diebus, quod cum dominus rex, una cum domina regina transcurso autumno, in civitate Acconense moram faceret, voluit regina, sublevandi gratia fastidii, extra urbem ad loca quaedam suburbana, fontibus irrigua, causa recreationis exire: quo dominus rex, ut solatium reginae non deesset, adjecit etiam ipse, cum solito comitatu proficisci. Dumque inter eundum esset, accidit casu ut qui agmina et comitatum praeibant pueri, leporem in sulcis jacentem excitarent, quem fugientem clamor prosecutus est universorum. Rex autem, arrepta lancea, ut eumdem leporem insectaretur, sinistro actus casu, equum ad illas coepit urgere partes, et cursui vehementer instare. Tandem inconsulte festinans equus in praeceps agitur; corruensque in terram, regem dedit praecipitem, jacentique prae casus dolore attonito, sella caput obtrivit, ita ut cerebrum tam per aures, quam per nares etiam emitteretur. Ad hunc casum, universus qui praeibat et qui sequebatur, facti acerbitate perterritus, conversus est comitatus, et jacenti opem ferre volentes, exanimem reperiunt, cui neque vox erat, neque sensus.
On 13th November 1143 [her husband] Fulk "Young" King Jerusalem [aged 54] died in a hunting accident. His wife Melisende Queen of Jerusalem [aged 38] continued to reign in her own right with their son Baldwin III King Jerusalem [aged 13].
In 1157 Almaric I King Jerusalem [aged 21] and Agnes Courtenay Queen Jerusalem [aged 21] were married. She by marriage Queen Jerusalem. She the daughter of Joscelin Courtenay II Count Edessa. He the son of Fulk "Young" King Jerusalem and Melisende Queen of Jerusalem [aged 52]. They were third cousins.
On 11th September 1161 Melisende Queen of Jerusalem [aged 56] died. Her son Baldwin [aged 31] succeeded King Jerusalem.
GrandFather: Hugh I Count of Rethel
Father: Baldwin II King Jerusalem
Great x 1 Grandfather: Guy I of Montlhéry
GrandMother: Melisende of Crécy
Great x 1 Grandmother: Hodierna of Gometz