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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Paternal Family Tree: Obertenghi aka Welf
Maternal Family Tree: Magdalena Augusta Anhalt-Zerbst Duchess Saxe Gotha Altenburg
In 1764 [her father] Charles William Ferdinand Brunswick Bevern [aged 28] and [her mother] Princess Augusta Charlotte Hanover [aged 26] were married. She the daughter of [her grandfather] Frederick Louis Hanover Prince of Wales and [her grandmother] Augusta Saxe Coburg Altenburg [aged 44].
On 17th May 1768 Caroline of Brunswick Queen Consort England was born to [her father] Charles William Ferdinand Brunswick Bevern [aged 32] and [her mother] Princess Augusta Charlotte Hanover [aged 30]. She a great granddaughter of King George II of Great Britain and Ireland.
On 15th December 1785 [her future husband] King George IV of Great Britain and Ireland [aged 23] and Maria Anne Smythe aka "Mrs Fitzherbert" [aged 29] were married secretly in the drawing room of her house in Park Street, London; her third marriage, his first. The marriage was invalid under English civil law because his father had not given his consent. Her uncle Henry Errington and her brother John Smythe were witnesses. The ceremony was performed by one of the prince's Chaplains in Ordinary, the Reverend Robert Burt, whose debts of £500 were paid by the prince to release him from Fleet Prison [Map] to preside at the ceremony.. He the son of King George III of Great Britain and Ireland [aged 47] and Charlotte Mecklenburg Strelitz Queen Consort England [aged 41].
On 8th April 1795 King George IV of Great Britain and Ireland [aged 32] and Caroline of Brunswick Queen Consort England [aged 26] were married at Chapel Royal, St James's Palace. He the son of King George III of Great Britain and Ireland [aged 56] and Charlotte Mecklenburg Strelitz Queen Consort England [aged 50]. They were first cousins. She a great granddaughter of King George II of Great Britain and Ireland.
On 7th January 1796 [her daughter] Princess Charlotte Augusta Hanover was born to [her husband] King George IV of Great Britain and Ireland [aged 33] and Caroline of Brunswick Queen Consort England [aged 27] at Cartlon House. Coefficient of inbreeding 6.50%.
In 1798. Thomas Lawrence [aged 28]. Portrait of Caroline of Brunswick Queen Consort England [aged 29].
On 24th April 1799 [her brother-in-law] Edward Augustus Hanover 1st Duke Kent and Strathearn [aged 31] was created 1st Duke Kent and Strathearn.
In 1801 [her brother-in-law] Adolphus Hanover 1st Duke Cambridge [aged 26] was created 1st Duke Cambridge.
On 24th November 1801 [her brother-in-law] Prince Augustus Frederick Hanover 1st Duke Sussex [aged 28] was created 1st Duke Sussex. Augusta Murray Duchess Sussex [aged 33] by marriage Duchess Sussex.
On 10th November 1806 [her father] Charles William Ferdinand Brunswick Bevern [aged 71] died.
Henrici Quinti, Angliæ Regis, Gesta, is a first-hand account of the Agincourt Campaign, and subsequent events to his death in 1422. The author of the first part was a Chaplain in King Henry's retinue who was present from King Henry's departure at Southampton in 1415, at the siege of Harfleur, the battle of Agincourt, and the celebrations on King Henry's return to London. The second part, by another writer, relates the events that took place including the negotiations at Troye, Henry's marriage and his death in 1422.
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On 21st September 1808 Charles Cavendish-Bentinck [aged 28] and [her step-daughter] Georgiana Augusta Frederica Seymour [aged 26] were married. She the daughter of [her husband] King George IV of Great Britain and Ireland [aged 46] and Grace Elliott. He the son of William Cavendish-Bentinck 3rd Duke Portland [aged 70] and Dorothy Cavendish 3rd Duchess Portland.
Before 1813 Anne Hamilton [aged 46] was appointed Lady in Waiting to Caroline of Brunswick Queen Consort England [aged 44] which position she held until 1813.
On 23rd March 1813 [her mother] Princess Augusta Charlotte Hanover [aged 75] died.
On 10th December 1813 [her step-daughter] Georgiana Augusta Frederica Seymour [aged 31] died.
In 1815 [her brother-in-law] Ernest Augustus King Hanover [aged 43] and Frederica Mecklenburg Strelitz Queen Consort Hanover [aged 36] were married. She by marriage Duchess Cumberland and Teviotdale. He the son of [her uncle] King George III of Great Britain and Ireland [aged 76] and [her mother-in-law] Charlotte Mecklenburg Strelitz Queen Consort England [aged 70]. They were first cousins.
On 22nd July 1816 William Frederick Hanover 2nd Duke Gloucester and Edinburgh [aged 40] and [her sister-in-law] Mary Hanover Duchess Gloucester and Edinburgh [aged 40] were married at St James's Palace [Map]. She by marriage Duchess Gloucester and Edinburgh. She the daughter of [her uncle] King George III of Great Britain and Ireland [aged 78] and [her mother-in-law] Charlotte Mecklenburg Strelitz Queen Consort England [aged 72]. He the son of William Henry Hanover 1st Duke Gloucester and Edinburgh and Maria Walpole Duchess Gloucester and Edinburgh. They were first cousins. He a great grandson of King George II of Great Britain and Ireland.
On 6th November 1817 [her daughter] Princess Charlotte Augusta Hanover [aged 21] died in childbirth at Claremont House Esher, Surrey. She buried at St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle [Map].
On 29th May 1818 [her brother-in-law] Edward Augustus Hanover 1st Duke Kent and Strathearn [aged 50] and Marie Luise Victoria Saxe Coburg Gotha Duchess Kent and Strathearn [aged 31] were married at Ehrenburg Palace. She by marriage Duchess Kent and Strathearn. She the daughter of Francis Saxe Coburg Gotha I Duke Saxe Coburg Gotha and Augusta Reuss Duchess Saxe Coburg Gotha [aged 61]. He the son of [her uncle] King George III of Great Britain and Ireland [aged 79] and [her mother-in-law] Charlotte Mecklenburg Strelitz Queen Consort England [aged 74]. They were third cousin once removed.
On 1st June 1818 [her brother-in-law] Adolphus Hanover 1st Duke Cambridge [aged 44] and Princess Augusta Hesse-Kassel Duchess Cambridge [aged 20] were married. She by marriage Duchess Cambridge. The difference in their ages was 23 years. He the son of [her uncle] King George III of Great Britain and Ireland [aged 79] and [her mother-in-law] Charlotte Mecklenburg Strelitz Queen Consort England [aged 74]. They were second cousins. She a great granddaughter of King George II of Great Britain and Ireland.
On 11th July 1818 [her brother-in-law] King William IV of the United Kingdom [aged 52] and Queen Adelaide of England [aged 25] were married at Kew, Surrey. She by marriage Duchess Clarence and St Andrews. The difference in their ages was 26 years. He the son of [her uncle] King George III of Great Britain and Ireland [aged 80].
1819. James Lonsdale [aged 41]. Portrait of Caroline of Brunswick Queen Consort England [aged 50].
1820. James Lonsdale [aged 42]. Portrait of Caroline of Brunswick Queen Consort England [aged 51].
On 23rd January 1820 [her brother-in-law] Edward Augustus Hanover 1st Duke Kent and Strathearn [aged 52] died at Woolbrook Cottage Sidmouth, Devon.
On 29th January 1820 [her uncle] King George III of Great Britain and Ireland [aged 81] died at Windsor Castle [Map]. His reign the third longest after Victoria and Elizabeth II. His son [her husband] George [aged 57] succeeded IV King Great Britain and Ireland. Caroline of Brunswick Queen Consort England [aged 51] by marriage Queen Consort England.
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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On 7th June 1820 Charles Cavendish Fulke Greville [aged 26] noted in his diary "The Queen [aged 52] arrived in London yesterday at seven o'clock ... She travelled in an open landau, Alderman Wood [aged 52] sitting by her side and Lady Anne Hamilton [aged 54] and another woman opposite. Everybody was disgusted at the vulgarity of Wood in sitting in the place of honour, while the Duke of Hamilton's [aged 52] sister was sitting backwards in the carriage"
On 19th July 1821 [her husband] King George IV of Great Britain and Ireland [aged 58] was crowned IV King Great Britain and Ireland.
King George IV of Great Britain and Ireland barred Caroline of Brunswick Queen Consort England [aged 53] from attending the Coronation. She attempted to attend but was turned away at the doors of Westminster Abbey. Refused entry at both the doors to the East Cloister and the doors to the West Cloister, Caroline attempted to enter via Westminster Hall, where many guests were gathered before the service began. A witness described how the Queen stood at the door fuming as bayonets were held under her chin until the deputy lord chamberlain had the doors slammed in her face. Henry Brougham recorded his distaste.1. She died three weeks later.
William Cavendish 6th Duke Devonshire [aged 31] carried the Orb at Westminster Abbey [Map].
Kenneth Alexander Howard 1st Earl of Effingham [aged 53] attended as Deputy Earl Marshal as a result of Henry Howard-Molyneux-Howard [aged 54].
See Creevy Papers.
Creevey Papers. Henry Brougham, M.P., to Mr. Creevey (at Cantley1) 26th July [1821].
Dear C,
The Queen [aged 53] certainly goes to Scotland. . I should not wonder if she were to go thro' the manufacturing districts. Possibly Birmingham (where the K. refused to go) may be in her way. It is on the cards that she should be found in the W. Riding and in Lancashire. For aught I know H. M. may then pass across towards Durham and Newcastle. Indeed the great towns are peculiarly interesting to a person of her contemplative cast. One whose mind is improved by foreign travel naturally loves tracts of country where the population is much crowded, and it is worthy of H. M.'s enlightened mind to patronise the ingenuous artizan. The coal trade, too, is highly interesting. I only hope she may not call at Howick on her way .... The time of her setting out is not fixed, depending naturally upon her beloved husband's motions .... The Chamberlain's place is not yet given away. The Ministers are believed to have resolved to bear this no longer, and to have agreed on a remonstrance to the K. about the Green Ribbons2. He will, of course, say something civil that means little — make some promise that means less — let them name to one place, name to the other himself— and so settle matters as to enable him to go over to Ireland .... The Queen has lost incalculably by getting out of her carnage and tramping about; going and being refused, and damaging the Coronation, was all very well, but the way of doing it was very bad ...."
Note 1. Michael Angelo Taylor's place in Yorkshire,
Note 2. The King had been creating Knights of the Thistle without taking the advice of his Ministers.
On 1st August 1821 at 10:25 p.m Caroline of Brunswick Queen Consort England [aged 53] died at Brandenburgh House, Hammersmith. She was buried at Brunswick Cathedral [Map].
In 1823. George Hayter [aged 30]. The Trial of Caroline of Brunswick Queen Consort England.
On 26th June 1830 [her former husband] King George IV of Great Britain and Ireland [aged 67] died. His brother [her former brother-in-law] William [aged 64] succeeded IV King Great Britain and Ireland. Duke Clarence and St Andrews merged with the Crown. Queen Adelaide of England [aged 37] by marriage Queen Consort England.
He was attended by Jonathan Wathen Phipps aka Waller 1st Baronet [aged 60].
Kings Wessex: Great x 22 Grand Daughter of King Edmund "Ironside" I of England
Kings Gwynedd: Great x 19 Grand Daughter of Owain "Great" King Gwynedd
Kings Seisyllwg: Great x 25 Grand Daughter of Hywel "Dda aka Good" King Seisyllwg King Deheubarth
Kings Powys: Great x 20 Grand Daughter of Maredudd ap Bleddyn King Powys
Kings Godwinson: Great x 21 Grand Daughter of King Harold II of England
Kings England: Great Grand Daughter of King George II of Great Britain and Ireland
Kings Scotland: Great x 21 Grand Daughter of King Duncan I of Scotland
Kings Franks: Great x 28 Grand Daughter of Charles "Charlemagne aka Great" King of the Franks King Lombardy Holy Roman Emperor
Kings France: Great x 12 Grand Daughter of Charles "Beloved Mad" VI King France
Kings Duke Aquitaine: Great x 26 Grand Daughter of Ranulf I Duke Aquitaine
Great x 4 Grandfather: Henry Duke of Brunswick-Dannenberg 11 x Great Grand Son of King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England
Great x 3 Grandfather: Augustus II Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg 12 x Great Grand Son of King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England
Great x 2 Grandfather: Ferdinand Albert I Duke of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel-Bevern 13 x Great Grand Son of King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England
Great x 1 Grandfather: Ferdinand Albert II Duke of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel 14 x Great Grand Son of King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England
GrandFather: Charles I Duke of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel 15 x Great Grand Son of King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Augustus II Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg 12 x Great Grand Son of King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England
Great x 3 Grandfather: Anthony Ulrich Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg 13 x Great Grand Son of King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England
Great x 2 Grandfather: Louis Rudolph 14 x Great Grand Son of King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England
Great x 1 Grandmother: Princess Antoinette of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel 15 x Great Grand Daughter of King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England
Father: Charles William Ferdinand Brunswick Bevern 16 x Great Grand Son of King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England
Caroline of Brunswick Queen Consort England Great Grand Daughter of King George II of Great Britain and Ireland
Great x 4 Grandfather: George Hanover Duke Brunswick-Lüneburg 
Great x 3 Grandfather: Ernest Augustus Hanover Elector Brunswick-Lüneburg 13 x Great Grand Son of King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Anne Eleonore Hesse Darmstadt Duchess Brunswick-Lüneburg 12 x Great Grand Daughter of King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England
Great x 2 Grandfather: King George I Great Grand Son of King James I of England and Ireland and VI of Scotland
Great x 4 Grandfather: Frederick Palatinate Simmern V Elector Palatine Rhine 
10 x Great Grand Son of King Henry III of England
Great x 3 Grandmother: Electress Sophia Palatinate Simmern 
Grand Daughter of King James I of England and Ireland and VI of Scotland
Great x 4 Grandmother: Princess Elizabeth Stewart Queen Bohemia 
Daughter of King James I of England and Ireland and VI of Scotland
Great x 1 Grandfather: King George II of Great Britain and Ireland 2 x Great Grand Son of King James I of England and Ireland and VI of Scotland
Great x 4 Grandfather: George Hanover Duke Brunswick-Lüneburg
Great x 3 Grandfather: George Wilhelm Hanover Duke Brunswick-Lüneburg 13 x Great Grand Son of King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Anne Eleonore Hesse Darmstadt Duchess Brunswick-Lüneburg 12 x Great Grand Daughter of King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England
Great x 2 Grandmother: Sophia Dorothea of Celle 14 x Great Grand Daughter of King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England
Great x 3 Grandmother: Eleonore Esmier D'Olbreuse Duchess Brunswick-Lüneburg
GrandFather: Frederick Louis Hanover Prince of Wales Son of King George II of Great Britain and Ireland
Great x 4 Grandfather: Joachim Ernst Hohenzollern 12 x Great Grand Son of King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England
Great x 3 Grandfather: Albert Hohenzollern 13 x Great Grand Son of King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England
Great x 2 Grandfather: John Frederick Hohenzollern 14 x Great Grand Son of King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England
Great x 1 Grandmother: Caroline Hohenzollern Queen Consort England 15 x Great Grand Daughter of King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England
Mother: Princess Augusta Charlotte Hanover Grand Daughter of King George II of Great Britain and Ireland
Great x 4 Grandfather: Johann Wettin II Duke Saxe Weimar 12 x Great Grand Son of King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England
Great x 3 Grandfather: Ernest "The Pious" Saxe Gotha I Duke Saxe Gotha 13 x Great Grand Son of King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Dorothea Maria Anhalt
Great x 2 Grandfather: Frederick Saxe Coburg Altenburg I Duke Saxe Gotha Altenburg 10 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Johann Philipp Wettin Duke Saxe Altenburg 8 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 3 Grandmother: Elisabeth Sophie Saxe Altenburg Duchess Saxe Gotha 9 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Elisabeth of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel Duchess of Saxe-Altenburg 13 x Great Grand Daughter of King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England
Great x 1 Grandfather: Frederick Saxe Coburg Altenburg II Duke Saxe Gotha Altenburg 10 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: John George Elector Saxony 12 x Great Grand Son of King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England
Great x 3 Grandfather: Augustus Duke of Saxe Weissenfels 8 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Magdalene Sibylle of Prussia 7 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England
Great x 2 Grandmother: Duchess Magdalena Sibylle of Saxe Gotha Altenburg 9 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Duke Adolphus Frederick I of Mecklenburg-Schwerin 12 x Great Grand Son of King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England
Great x 3 Grandmother: Anna Maria of Mecklenburg-Schwerin 13 x Great Grand Daughter of King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Anna Maria of Ostfriesland 12 x Great Grand Daughter of King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England
GrandMother: Augusta Saxe Coburg Altenburg 11 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England
Great x 1 Grandmother: Magdalena Augusta Anhalt-Zerbst Duchess Saxe Gotha Altenburg