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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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Peter Paul Rubens is in Painters.
On 28th June 1577 Peter Paul Rubens was born.
1605-1615. Peter Paul Rubens (age 27). Portrait of Vincenzo Gonzaga II Duke of Mantua (age 10).
Vincenzo Gonzaga II Duke of Mantua: On 8th February 1594 he was born to Vincenzo Gonzaga III Duke Mantua and Eleanor de Medici Duchess Mantua. Coefficient of inbreeding 6.51%. On 29th October 1626 Ferdinando Gonzaga Duke of Mantua died. His brother Vincenzo succeeded Duke Mantua. On 25th December 1627 Vincenzo Gonzaga II Duke of Mantua died.
Around 1607. Peter Paul Rubens (age 29). "Marchesa Maria Serra Pallavicino". acquired by William Bankes (1786–1855) in 1840 as a portrait of the Marchesa Isabella Grimaldi. It would appear that the identification of the sitter had been made by the Grimaldi family, which had latterly owned it. When first referred to, in Ratti's guide to Genoa of 1780, the sitter was anonymous. New research into the heraldic motifs of the curtain drawn up above the sitter's head has identified her as Maria Serra, the wife of Niccolò Pallavicino, banker and host to Rubens' employer, Duke Vincenzo Gonzaga I of Mantua.
Around 1607. Peter Paul Rubens (age 29). "Marchesa Maria Grimaldi, and Her Dwarf".
1608-1609. Peter Paul Rubens (age 30). "Cain Slaying Abel".
1609. Peter Paul Rubens (age 31). Self-portrait known as 'The Honeysuckle Bower'.
1614. Peter Paul Rubens (age 36). "St. Sebastian".
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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1616. Peter Paul Rubens (age 38). "The Tiger Hunt".
1617-1618. Peter Paul Rubens (age 39). "Head of Medusa".
1622-25. Peter Paul Rubens (age 44). "Le Chapeau de Paille". Portrait of Susanna Lunden(?) née Fourment (1599–1628), the older sister of Rubens' future second wife Helena Fourment.
1623. Peter Paul Rubens (age 45). Self-portrait.
Around 1625. Peter Paul Rubens (age 47). Portrait of Anne of Austria Spain Queen Consort France (age 23) in her coronation robes.
Around 1625. Peter Paul Rubens (age 47). Portrait of Anne of Austria Spain Queen Consort France (age 23).
1627-28. Peter Paul Rubens (age 49). Portrait of Anthony Van Dyck (age 27).
1628. Peter Paul Rubens (age 50). "Allegory of War".
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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Around 1629 Peter Paul Rubens (age 51). Portrait of Thomas Howard 14th or 21st Earl of Arundel 4th Earl of Surrey 1st Earl Norfolk (age 43).
1630. Peter Paul Rubens (age 52). "Teresa of Avila's Vision of the Dove".
1630-1609. Peter Paul Rubens (age 52). "Baldassare Castiglione".
1630. Peter Paul Rubens (age 52). "Joan of Arc".
On 30th May 1640 Peter Paul Rubens (age 62) died.
John Evelyn's Diary. 4th October 1641. The lodgings here are very handsome and convenient. I lost little time; but, with the aid of one Mr. Lewkner, our conductor, we visited divers churches, colleges, and monasteries. The Church of the Jesuits is most sumptuous and magnificent; a glorious fabric without and within, wholly incrusted with marble, inlaid and polished into divers representations of histories, landscapes, and flowers. On the high altar is placed the statue of the Blessed Virgin and our Saviour in white marble, with a boss in the girdle set mth very fair and rich sapphires, and divers other stones of price. The choir is a glorious piece of architecture; the pulpit supported by four angels, and adorned with other carvings, and rare pictures by Rubens, now lately dead, and divers votive tables and relics. Hence, to the Vrou Kirk, or N6tre Dame of Antwerp: it is a very venerable fabric, built after the Gothic manner, especially the tower, which I ascended, the better to take a view of the country adjacent; which, happening on a day when the sun shone exceedingly bright, and darted his rays without any interruption, afforded so bright a reflection to us who were above, and had a full prospect of both land and water about it, that I was much confirmed in my opinion of the moon's being of some such substance as this earthly globe. Perceiving all the subjacent country, at so small an horizontal distance, to repercuss such a light as I could hardly look against, save where the river and other large water within our view, appeared of a more dark and uniform colour, resembling those spots in the moon supposed to be seas there, according to Hevelius, and as they appear in our late telescopes. I numbered in this church thirty privileged altars, that of St. Sebastian adorned with a painting of his martyrdom.
John Evelyn's Diary. 8th October 1641. By an accident, we could not see the library. There is a fair terrace which looks to the vineyard, in which, on Pedestals, are fixed the statues of all the Spanish kings of the house of Austria. The opposite walls are painted by Rubens, being an history of the late tumults in Belgia: in the last piece, the Archduchess shuts a great pair of gates upon Mars, who is coming out of hell, armed, and in a menacing posture; which, with that other of the Infanta taking leave of Don Philip the Fourth, is a most incomparable table.
John Evelyn's Diary. 8th October 1641. Being the morning I came away, I went to see the Prince's Court, an ancient, confused building, not much unlike the Hofft, at the Hague: there is here likewise a very large Hall, where they vend all sorts of wares. Through this we passed by the chapel, which is indeed rarely arched, and in the middle of it was the hearse, or catafalco, of the late Archduchess, the wise and pious Clara Eugenia. Out of this we were conducted to the lodgings, tapestried with incomparable arras, and adorned with many excellent pieces of Rubens, old and young Breugel, Titian, and Stenwick, with stories of most of the late actions in the Netherlands.
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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1650. Peter Paul Rubens. Portrait of George Villiers 2nd Duke of Buckingham (age 21).
John Evelyn's Diary. 21st June 1693. I saw a great auction of pictures in the Banqueting house, Whitehall [Map]. They had been my Lord Melford's (age 42), now Ambassador from King James (age 59) at Rome, and engaged to his creditors here. Lord Mulgrave (age 45) and Sir Edward Seymour (age 60) came to my house, and desired me to go with them to the sale. Divers more of the great lords, etc., were there, and bought pictures dear enough. There were some very excellent of Vandyke, Rubens, and Bassan. Lord Godolphin (age 48) bought the picture of the Boys, by Murillo the Spaniard, for 80 guineas, dear enough; my nephew Glanville, the old Earl of Arundel's head by Rubens, for £20. Growing late, I did not stay till all were sold.
