Abbot John Whethamstede’s Chronicle of the Abbey of St Albans
Abbot John Whethamstede's Register aka Chronicle of his second term at the Abbey of St Albans, 1451-1461, is a remarkable text that describes his first-hand experience of the beginning of the Wars of the Roses including the First and Second Battles of St Albans, 1455 and 1461, respectively, their cause, and their consequences, not least on the Abbey itself. His text also includes Loveday, Blore Heath, Northampton, the Act of Accord, Wakefield, and Towton, and ends with the Coronation of King Edward IV. In addition to the events of the Wars of the Roses, Abbot John, or his scribes who wrote the Chronicle, include details in the life of the Abbey such as charters, letters, land exchanges, visits by legates, and disputes, which provide a rich insight into the day-to-day life of the Abbey, and the challenges faced by its Abbot.
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COI 12.5% and Higher is in Coefficient of Inbreeding.
COI 12.5% and Higher. A child of: (1) uncle and niece (2) aunt and nephew (3) or half-siblings, has a COI of 12.5%.
On 14th June 1672 Louis François Bourbon was born to Louis "Sun King" XIV King France (age 33) and Maria Theresa of Spain Queen Consort France (age 33). Coefficient of inbreeding 17.28%. He died aged less than one years old.
On 5th August 1668 Philippe Charles Bourbon was born to Louis "Sun King" XIV King France (age 29) and Maria Theresa of Spain Queen Consort France (age 29). Coefficient of inbreeding 17.28%. He died aged two in 1671.
On 2nd January 1667 Marie Thérèse Bourbon was born to Louis "Sun King" XIV King France (age 28) and Maria Theresa of Spain Queen Consort France (age 28). Coefficient of inbreeding 17.28%. She died aged five in 1672.
On 16th November 1664 Marie Anne Bourbon was born to Louis "Sun King" XIV King France (age 26) and Maria Theresa of Spain Queen Consort France (age 26). Coefficient of inbreeding 17.28%. She died aged less than one years old.
On 18th November 1662 Anne Élisabeth Bourbon was born to Louis "Sun King" XIV King France (age 24) and Maria Theresa of Spain Queen Consort France (age 24). Coefficient of inbreeding 17.28%. She died aged less than one years old.
On 1st November 1661 Louis "Le Grand Dauphin" Bourbon Duke Burgundy was born to Louis "Sun King" XIV King France (age 23) and Maria Theresa of Spain Queen Consort France (age 23) at Palace of Fontainebleau, Fontainebleau, Seine et Marne. Coefficient of inbreeding 17.28%. He married 7th March 1680 his third cousin Maria Anna Victoria Wittelsbach Duchess Burgundy and had issue.
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 1736 Henry Dashwood aka Peyton 1st Baronet was born to George Dashwood of Hackney and Margaret Peyton. Coefficient of inbreeding 15.63%. He married 2nd December 1771 Frances Rous Lady Peyton, daughter of John Rous 5th Baronet and Judith Bedingfield, and had issue.
On 15th July 1637 Philip Augustus Habsburg Spain Archduke Austria was born to Ferdinand III Holy Roman Emperor (age 29) and Maria Anna of Spain Holy Roman Empress (age 30). Coefficient of inbreeding 15.19%. He died aged one in 1639.
On 22nd December 1634 Mariana of Austria Queen Consort Spain was born to Ferdinand III Holy Roman Emperor (age 26) and Maria Anna of Spain Holy Roman Empress (age 28). Coefficient of inbreeding 15.19%. She married 1649 her uncle Philip IV King Spain, son of Philip III King Spain and Margaret of Austria Queen Consort Spain, and had issue.
On 9th June 1640 Leopold Habsburg Spain I Holy Roman Emperor was born to Ferdinand III Holy Roman Emperor (age 31) and Maria Anna of Spain Holy Roman Empress (age 33). Coefficient of inbreeding 15.19%. He married (1) 1666 his niece Margaret Theresa Habsburg Holy Roman Empress, daughter of Philip IV King Spain and Mariana of Austria Queen Consort Spain, and had issue (2) before 1676 his second cousin Claudia Felicitas of Holy Roman Empress and had issue (3) 14th December 1676 his third cousin once removed Eleonore Magdalene of Neuburg and had issue.
On 8th September 1633 Ferdinand IV King of the Romans was born to Ferdinand III Holy Roman Emperor (age 25) and Maria Anna of Spain Holy Roman Empress (age 27) at Vienna [Map]. Coefficient of inbreeding 15.19%.
On 13th May 1646 Maria Habsburg Spain Archduchess Austria was born to Ferdinand III Holy Roman Emperor (age 37) and Maria Anna of Spain Holy Roman Empress (age 39). Maria Anna of Spain Holy Roman Empress died in childbirth. Coefficient of inbreeding 15.19%.
On 21st December 1638 Maximilian Thomas Habsburg Spain Archduke Austria was born to Ferdinand III Holy Roman Emperor (age 30) and Maria Anna of Spain Holy Roman Empress (age 32). Coefficient of inbreeding 15.19%. He died aged less than one years old.
In 1332 Ferdinand Ivrea was born to Alfonso "Avenger" XI King Castile (age 20) and Maria Burgundy Queen Consort Castile (age 19). Coefficient of inbreeding 14.45%. He died aged one in 1333.
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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On 30th August 1334 Peter "Cruel" I King Castile was born to Alfonso "Avenger" XI King Castile (age 23) and Maria Burgundy Queen Consort Castile (age 21). Coefficient of inbreeding 14.45%. He married July 1353 his third cousin once removed Blanche Bourbon Queen Consort Castile, daughter of Peter Bourbon Duke Bourbon and Isabella Valois Duchess Bourbon.
On 25th December 1584 Margaret of Austria Queen Consort Spain was born to Charles Habsburg Spain II Archduke Austria (age 44) and Maria Anna Wittelsbach (age 33) at Graz. Coefficient of inbreeding 13.84%. She married 18th April 1599 her first cousin once removed Philip III King Spain, son of Philip "The Prudent" II King Spain and Anna of Austria Queen Consort Spain, and had issue.
On 9th July 1578 Ferdinand of Spain II Holy Roman Emperor was born to Charles Habsburg Spain II Archduke Austria (age 38) and Maria Anna Wittelsbach (age 27). Coefficient of inbreeding 13.84%. He married his first cousin Maria Anna Wittelsbach Holy Roman Empress, daughter of William Wittelsbach V Duke Bavaria and Renata Lorraine Duchess Bavaria, and had issue.
On 9th October 1586 Leopold Habsburg Spain V Archduke Austria was born to Charles Habsburg Spain II Archduke Austria (age 46) and Maria Anna Wittelsbach (age 35). Coefficient of inbreeding 13.84%. He married in or before 1627 Claudia Medici and had issue.
On 18th May 1475 Afonso Aviz was born to John II King Portugal (age 20) and Eleanor Viseu Queen Consort Portugal (age 17). Coefficient of inbreeding 13.18%. He married 1490 his second cousin Isabella Trastámara Queen Consort Portugal, daughter of Ferdinand II King Aragon and Isabella Queen Castile.
On 4th October 1585 Anna of Austria Holy Roman Empress was born to Ferdinand Habsburg Spain II Archduke Austria (age 56) and Anna Caterina Gonzaga Archduchess Austria (age 19). Coefficient of inbreeding 13.08%. She married 4th December 1611 her first cousin Matthias I Holy Roman Emperor, son of Maximilian Habsburg Spain II Holy Roman Emperor and Maria of Spain Holy Roman Empress.
Around 1510 Anne Huddlestone was born to Richard Huddlestone (age 29) and Margery Smythe at Sawston [Map]. Coefficient of inbreeding 12.62%. She married before 3rd September 1562 John Bowes and had issue.
Lucy Huddlestone was born to Richard Huddlestone and Margery Smythe at Sawston [Map]. Coefficient of inbreeding 12.62%.
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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Around 1535 Richard Huddlestone was born to Richard Huddlestone (age 54) and Margery Smythe. Coefficient of inbreeding 12.62%. He married Isabel Williams, daughter of John Williams 1st Baron Williams and Elizabeth Bledlow Baroness Williams.
Maredudd Aberffraw was born to Cadwaladr ap Gruffudd Aberffraw and Tangwystl ferch Cadwallon. Coefficient of inbreeding 12.60%.
Cadwgan Aberffraw was born to Cadwaladr ap Gruffudd Aberffraw and Tangwystl ferch Cadwallon. Coefficient of inbreeding 12.60%.
Cadwallon Aberffraw was born to Cadwaladr ap Gruffudd Aberffraw and Tangwystl ferch Cadwallon. Coefficient of inbreeding 12.60%.
In 1573 Giles Brydges 1st Baronet was born to Charles Brydges (age 47) and Jane Carne at Wilton Castle, Herefordshire [Map]. Coefficient of inbreeding 12.52%. He married 16th January 1620 Mary Scudamore Lady Bridges and had issue.
On 22nd June 1734 James Cocks was born to John Cocks of Castleditch in Eastnor in Herefordshire and Mary Cocks. Coefficient of inbreeding 12.50%.
Norfolk Salusbury was born to Colonel Thomas Salusbury of Bach-y-graig in Denbighshire and Lucy Salusbury. Coefficient of inbreeding 12.50%.
Thomas Salusbury of Bach-y-graig in Denbighshire was born to Colonel Thomas Salusbury of Bach-y-graig in Denbighshire and Lucy Salusbury. Coefficient of inbreeding 12.50%.
Chronicle of Walter of Guisborough
A canon regular of the Augustinian Guisborough Priory, Yorkshire, formerly known as The Chronicle of Walter of Hemingburgh, describes the period from 1066 to 1346. Before 1274 the Chronicle is based on other works. Thereafter, the Chronicle is original, and a remarkable source for the events of the time. This book provides a translation of the Chronicle from that date. The Latin source for our translation is the 1849 work edited by Hans Claude Hamilton. Hamilton, in his preface, says: 'In the present work we behold perhaps one of the finest samples of our early chronicles, both as regards the value of the events recorded, and the correctness with which they are detailed; Nor will the pleasing style of composition be lightly passed over by those capable of seeing reflected from it the tokens of a vigorous and cultivated mind, and a favourable specimen of the learning and taste of the age in which it was framed.'
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On 29th June 1725 Charles Cocks 1st Baron Somers was born to John Cocks of Castleditch in Eastnor in Herefordshire and Mary Cocks. Coefficient of inbreeding 12.50%. He married (1) 8th August 1759 Elizabeth Eliot and had issue (2) 20th May 1772 Anne Pole and had issue.
On 3rd December 1737 Thomas Somers-Cocks was born to John Cocks of Castleditch in Eastnor in Herefordshire and Mary Cocks. Coefficient of inbreeding 12.50%.