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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Paternal Family Tree: Stewart
Maternal Family Tree: Gersenda II Sabran Countess Provence 1180-1242
1625 Proxy Marriage of Charles I and Henrietta Maria of France
On 1st May 1625 [her father] King Charles I of England, Scotland and Ireland [aged 24] and [her mother] Henrietta Maria Bourbon Queen Consort England [aged 15] were married by proxy at Notre Dame de Paris Cathedral [Map]. She by marriage Queen Consort England. She the daughter of [her grandfather] Henry IV King France and [her grandmother] Marie de Medici Queen Consort France [aged 50]. He the son of King James I of England and Ireland and VI of Scotland and Anne of Denmark Queen Consort Scotland England and Ireland. They were third cousin once removed.
John Evelyn's Diary. 1631. There happened now an extraordinary dearth in England, corn bearing an excessive price; and, in imitation of what I had seen my father do, I began to observe matters more punctually, which I did use to set down in a blank almanac. The Lord of Castlehaven's [aged 38] arraignment for many shameful exorbitances was now all the talk, and the birth of the Princess Mary, afterward Princess of Orange.
On 4th November 1631 Mary Stewart Princess Orange was born to [her father] King Charles I of England, Scotland and Ireland [aged 30] and [her mother] Henrietta Maria Bourbon Queen Consort England [aged 21].
In May 1638 George Stewart 9th Seigneur D'Aubigny [aged 19] and Catherine Howard Countess Newburgh were married. They married in secret against the wishes of [her father] King Charles I of England, Scotland and Ireland [aged 37]. She the daughter of Theophilus Howard 2nd Earl Suffolk [aged 55] and Elizabeth Home Countess Suffolk. He the son of Esmé Stewart 3rd Duke Lennox and Katherine Clifton Duchess Lennox. They were half fifth cousin once removed.
In 1641 Elizabeth Darcy 1st Countess Rivers [aged 60] was created 1st Countess Rivers for life by King Charles I of England, Scotland and Ireland [aged 40] since she had been passed over when her father's Earldom Countess Rivers passed from her father to her eldest son John Savage 2nd Earl Rivers [aged 37].
In 1641 Alexander Leslie 1st Earl Leven [aged 61] was created 1st Earl Leven by [her father] King Charles I of England, Scotland and Ireland [aged 40].
John Evelyn's Diary. On the 27th April 1641, came over out of Holland the young [her future husband] Prince of Orange [aged 14], with a splendid equipage, to make love to his [her father] Majesty's [aged 40] eldest daughter [aged 9], the now Princess Royal.
On 2nd May 1641 William Orange Nassau II Prince Orange [aged 14] and Mary Stewart Princess Orange [aged 9] were married. She the daughter of King Charles I of England, Scotland and Ireland [aged 40] and Henrietta Maria Bourbon Queen Consort England [aged 31].
On 14th October 1642 Richard Newport 1st Baron Newport [aged 55] was created 1st Baron Newport of High Ercall in Shropshire; by [her father] King Charles I of England, Scotland and Ireland [aged 41] in return for having provided £6000 for the purchase of artillery before the Battle of Edge Hill.
On 23rd October 1642 the Battle of Edge Hill was fought at Edge Hill [Map]. The Royal army was commanded by [her father] King Charles I of England, Scotland and Ireland [aged 41] (with his son [her brother] King Charles II of England Scotland and Ireland [aged 12] present), Prince Rupert Palatinate Simmern 1st Duke Cumberland [aged 22] and Richard Spencer [aged 49] commanded the army that included Maurice Palatinate Simmern [aged 21], Richard Byron 2nd Baron Byron [aged 36], Lucius Carey 2nd Viscount Falkland [aged 32], Charles Cavendish [aged 22], Henry Newton aka Puckering 3rd Baronet [aged 24], Spencer Compton 2nd Earl of Northampton [aged 41], Thomas Salusbury 2nd Baronet [aged 30], John Byron 1st Baron Byron [aged 43] and William Feilding 1st Earl Denbigh [aged 55].
George Stewart 9th Seigneur D'Aubigny [aged 24] was killed.
Of the Parliamentary army Basil Feilding 2nd Earl Denbigh [aged 34] and Robert Devereux 3rd Earl Essex [aged 51]. Oliver St John 5th Baron St John [aged 39] was wounded.
Samuel Sandes [aged 27] commanded a troop of horse.
Richard Sandes [aged 26] was killed.
Thomas Strickland [aged 20] was knighted on the field for his gallantry.
Henry Hunloke 1st Baronet [aged 24] was knighted by King Charles I of England, Scotland and Ireland.
William Dugdale [aged 37] witnessed the battle and subsequently surveyed the battlefield.
John Hinton [aged 38] was present.
Edward Verney [aged 52] was killed.
John Assheton [aged 29] was killed.
Robert Bertie 1st Earl Lindsey [aged 59] was killed. His son Montagu [aged 34] succeeded 2nd Earl Lindsey, 15th Baron Willoughby de Eresby.
William Pennyman 1st Baronet [aged 35] commanded a regiment, of which he served as Colonel, which he led for the King.
Edward Stradling 2nd Baronet [aged 42] fought for the King, was captured imprisoned for seven months, and died a month after his release.
On 20th September 1643 the First Battle of Newbury was fought at Newbury, Berkshire [Map] with [her father] King Charles I of England, Scotland and Ireland [aged 42] commanding the Royalist army and Robert Devereux 3rd Earl Essex [aged 52] commanding the victorious Parliamentary army. For King Charles I of England, Scotland and Ireland John Byron 1st Baron Byron [aged 44] fought with distinction.
Henry Bertie was killed.
Robert Dormer 1st Earl Carnarvon [aged 33] was killed. His son Charles [aged 10] succeeded 2nd Earl Carnarvon, 3rd Baron Dormer of Wyng in Buckinghamshire, 3rd Baronet Dormer of Wyng in Buckinghamshire.
William Villiers 2nd Viscount Grandison [aged 29] was killed. His brother John succeeded 3rd Viscount Grandison.
Edward Villiers [aged 23] fought.
Lucius Carey 2nd Viscount Falkland [aged 33] was killed. His son Lucius [aged 11] succeeded 3rd Viscount Falkland.
Richard Neville [aged 28] served under the Earl Carnarvon. Carnarvon was killed and Neville took up the command as a Colonel of Horse.
Major General Charles Fleetwood [aged 25] was wounded.
In 1644 Prince Rupert Palatinate Simmern 1st Duke Cumberland [aged 24] was created 1st Duke Cumberland, 1st Earl Holderness by [her father] King Charles I of England, Scotland and Ireland [aged 43].
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 23rd May 1644 Alice Leigh 1st Duchess Dudley [aged 66] was created 1st Duchess Dudley by [her father] King Charles I of England, Scotland and Ireland [aged 43] for life. Her husband Robert Dudley [aged 69] had claimed to be the legitimate son of Robert Dudley 1st Earl of Leicester but the Star Chamber found against him. King Charles I of England, Scotland and Ireland disagreed with their verdict and, in compensation of her subsequent treatment, awarded her the Dukedom... See Patent of Creation.
In November 1644 George Goring 1st Earl Norwich [aged 59] was created 1st Earl Norwich by King Charles II of England Scotland and Ireland [aged 14] for his support during the Civil War. The last Earl Norwich of the previous creation was his uncle Edward Denny 1st Earl Norwich brother of his mother Anne Denny [aged 77].
On 3rd January 1645 [her father] King Charles I [aged 44] rewarded his supporters with Baronies...
John Brooke 1st Baron Cobham [aged 69] was created 1st Baron Cobham. Frances Bampfield Baroness Cobham by marriage Baroness Cobham.
John Lucas 1st Baron Lucas Shenfield [aged 38] was created 1st Baron Lucas of Shenfield with special remainder to the male issue of his brother Thomas Lucas [aged 66].
On 8th July 1645 Francis Hawley 1st Baron Hawley [aged 37] was created 1st Baron Hawley of Donsmore by [her father] King Charles I of England, Scotland and Ireland [aged 44].
In 1646 Elizabeth Capell [aged 54] died in the Channel Islands [Map] to where her husband had travelled with [her brother] King Charles II of England Scotland and Ireland [aged 15].
On 14th March 1647 [her father-in-law] Frederick Henry Orange Nassau II Prince Orange [aged 63] died. His son [her husband] William [aged 20] succeeded II Prince Orange. Mary Stewart Princess Orange [aged 15] by marriage Princess Orange.
In 1648 King Charles II of England Scotland and Ireland [aged 17] travelled to where his sister Mary Stewart Princess Orange [aged 16] and brother in law William Orange Nassau II Prince Orange [aged 21] were living at The Hague.
On 30th January 1649 [her father] Charles I [aged 48] was beheaded with one clean stroke outside the Banqueting House, Whitehall Palace [Map]. He put his head on the block and, after saying a prayer, he signalled the executioner when he was ready by stretching out his hands.
On 4th November 1650 [her son] King William III of England, Scotland and Ireland was born to [her husband] William Orange Nassau II Prince Orange [aged 24] and Mary Stewart Princess Orange [aged 19]. He a grandson of King Charles I of England, Scotland and Ireland. He married 4th November 1677 his first cousin Mary Stewart II Queen England Scotland and Ireland, daughter of King James II of England Scotland and Ireland and Anne Hyde Duchess of York.
On 6th November 1650 [her husband] William Orange Nassau II Prince Orange [aged 24] died. His son William succeeded III Prince Orange.
On 1st January 1651 [her brother] King Charles II of England Scotland and Ireland [aged 20] was crowned II King Scotland at Scone Abbey [Map].
Before 1656 Gerrit van Honthorst [aged 63]. Portrait of Mary Stewart Princess Orange [aged 24].
In 1656 Adriaen Hanneman [aged 53]. Portrait of Mary Stewart Princess Orange [aged 24].
In 1656 John Middleton 1st Earl Middleton [aged 48] was created 1st Earl Middleton by [her brother] King Charles II of England Scotland and Ireland [aged 25] whilst in exile. Grizel Durham Countess Middleton by marriage Countess Middleton.
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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Around 1658 Adriaen Hanneman [aged 55]. Portrait of Mary Stewart Princess Orange [aged 26].
In 1659 Thomas Allen 1st Baronet [aged 26] was appointed Lord Mayor of London in which role he welcomed [her brother] King Charles II of England Scotland and Ireland [aged 28] into the City of London on 29th May 1660; an important step to his Restoration.
On 13th May 1659 [her brother] Henry Stewart 1st Duke Gloucester [aged 18] was created 1st Duke Gloucester, 1st Earl Cambridge by [her father] King Charles I of England, Scotland and Ireland.
In 1660 Thomas Howard 5th Duke of Norfolk [aged 32] was restored 5th Duke Norfolk by [her father] King Charles I of England, Scotland and Ireland in response to a petition by Parliament it having previously been forfeited in 1572 by his great-great-grandfather Thomas Howard 4th Duke of Norfolk who had been executed for his involvement in the Ridolphi Plot.
Samuel Pepys' Diary. 14th May 1660. In the morning when I woke and rose, I saw myself out of the scuttle close by the shore, which afterwards I was told to be the Dutch shore; the Hague was clearly to be seen by us. My Lord went up in his nightgown into the cuddy1, to see how to dispose thereof for himself and us that belong to him, to give order for our removal to-day. Some nasty Dutchmen came on board to proffer their boats to carry things from us on shore, &c., to get money by us. Before noon some gentlemen came on board from the shore to kiss my Lord's hands. And by and by Mr. North [aged 24] and Dr. Clerke went to kiss the Queen of Bohemia's' hands, from my Lord, with twelve attendants from on board to wait on them, among which I sent my boy, who, like myself, is with child to see any strange thing. After noon they came back again after having kissed the [her aunt] Queen of Bohemia's [aged 63] hand, and were sent again by my Lord to do the same to the [her son] Prince of Orange [aged 9]2.
Note 1. "A sort of cabin or cook-room, generally in the fore-part, but sometimes near the stern of lighters and barges of burden".-Smyth's Sailor's Word-Book.
Note 2. Son of the [her former husband] Prince of Orange and Mary [aged 28], eldest daughter of Charles I afterwards William III He was then in his tenth year, having been born in 1650.
Samuel Pepys' Diary. 16th May 1660. Soon as I was up I went down to be trimmed below in the great cabin, but then come in some with visits, among the rest one from Admiral Opdam1, who spoke Latin well, but not French nor English, to whom my Lord made me to give his answer and to entertain; he brought my Lord a tierce of wine and a barrel of butter, as a present from the Admiral. After that to finish my trimming, and while I was doing of it in comes Mr. North very sea-sick from shore, and to bed he goes. After that to dinner, where Commissioner Pett was come to take care to get all things ready for the King on board. My Lord in his best suit, this the first day, in expectation to wait upon the King. But Mr. Edw. Pickering [aged 42] coming from the King brought word that the King would not put my Lord to the trouble of coming to him; but that he would come to the shore to look upon the fleet to-day, which we expected, and had our guns ready to fire, and our scarlet waistcloathes out and silk pendants, but he did not come. My Lord and we at ninepins this afternoon upon the Quarterdeck, which was very pretty sport. This evening came Mr. John Pickering on board, like an ass, with his feathers and new suit that he had made at the Hague. My Lord very angry for his staying on shore, bidding me a little before to send to him, telling me that he was afraid that for his father's sake he might have some mischief done him, unless he used the General's name. To supper, and after supper to cards. I stood by and looked on till 11 at night and so to bed. This afternoon Mr. Edwd. Pickering told me in what a sad, poor condition for clothes and money the King was, and all his attendants, when he came to him first from my Lord, their clothes not being worth forty shillings the best of them2. And how overjoyed the King was when Sir J. Greenville brought him some money; so joyful, that he called the Princess Royal [aged 28] and [her brother] Duke of York [aged 26] to look upon it as it lay in the portmanteau before it was taken out. My Lord told me, too, that the Duke of York is made High Admiral of England.
Note 1. The admiral celebrated in Lord Dorset's ballad,
To all you ladies now at land.
Should foggy Opdam chance to know
Our sad and dismal story;
The Dutch would scorn so weak a foe,
And quit their fort at Goree
For what resistance can they find
. From men who've left their hearts behind? B.
Note 2. Andrew Marvell alludes to the poor condition, for clothes and money, in which the King was at this time, in "A Historical Poem":-
At length, by wonderful impulse of fate,
The people call him back to help the State;
And what is more, they send him money, too,
And clothe him all from head to foot anew.
Samuel Pepys' Diary. 17th May 1660. Up early to write down my last two days' observations. Dr. Clerke came to me to tell me that he heard this morning, by some Dutch that are come on board already to see the ship, that there was a Portuguese taken yesterday at the Hague, that had a design to kill the King. But this I heard afterwards was only the mistake upon one being observed to walk with his sword naked, he having lost his scabbard. Before dinner Mr. Edw. Pickering [aged 42] and I, W. Howe, Pim, and my boy [aged 12], to Scheveling, where we took coach, and so to the Hague, where walking, intending to find one that might show us the King incognito, I met with Captain Whittington (that had formerly brought a letter to my Lord from the Mayor of London) and he did promise me to do it, but first we went and dined at a French house, but paid 16s. for our part of the club. At dinner in came Dr. Cade, a merry mad parson of the [her brother] King's [aged 29]. And they two after dinner got the child and me (the others not being able to crowd in) to see the King, who kissed the child very affectionately. Then we kissed his, and the Duke of York's, and the Princess Royal's hands. The King seems to be a very sober man; and a very splendid Court he hath in the number of persons of quality that are about him, English very rich in habit. From the King to the Lord Chancellor1, who did lie bed-rid of the gout: he spoke very merrily to the child and me. After that, going to see the Queen of Bohemia, I met with Dr. Fullers whom I sent to a tavern with Mr. Edw. Pickering, while I and the rest went to see the [her mother] Queen [aged 50], who used us very respectfully; her hand we all kissed. She seems a very debonaire, but plain lady. After that to the Dr.'s, where we drank a while or so. In a coach of a friend's of Dr. Cade we went to see a house of the Princess Dowager's [aged 28]2 in a park about half-a-mile or a mile from the Hague, where there is one, the most beautiful room for pictures in the whole world. She had here one picture upon the top, with these words, dedicating it to the memory of her husband:-"Incomparabili marito, inconsolabilis vidua".
Note 1. On January 29th, 1658, Charles II entrusted the Great Seal to Sir Edward Hyde [aged 51], with the title of Lord Chancellor, and in that character Sir Edward accompanied the King to England.
Note 2. Mary, Princess Royal, eldest daughter of [her father] Charles I, and widow of William of Nassau, Prince of Orange. She was not supposed to be inconsolable, and scandal followed her at the court of Charles II, where she died of small-pox, December 24th, 1660.
On 3rd September 1660 [her brother] James, Duke of York [aged 26] and [her sister-in-law] Anne Hyde [aged 23] were married in secret. She by marriage Duchess York. She gave birth to their son [her nephew] Charles Stewart seven weeks later. She the daughter of Edward Hyde 1st Earl Clarendon [aged 51] and Frances Aylesbury Countess Clarendon [aged 43]. He the son of [her father] King Charles I of England, Scotland and Ireland and [her mother] Henrietta Maria Bourbon Queen Consort England [aged 50].
On 13th September 1660 [her brother] Henry Stewart 1st Duke Gloucester [aged 20] died of smallpox. Duke Gloucester and Earl Cambridge extinct. He was buried at Westminster Abbey [Map] in the same vault as Mary Queen of Scots.
John Evelyn's Diary. 27th September 1660. The [her brother] King [aged 30] received the merchant's addresses in his closet, giving them assurances of his persisting to keep Jamaica, choosing Sir Edward Massey Governor [aged 41]. In the afternoon, the Danish Ambassador's condolences were presented, on the death of the Duke of Gloucester [deceased]. This evening, I saw the Princess Royal [aged 28], mother to the Prince of Orange, now come out of Holland in a fatal period.
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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Samuel Pepys' Diary. 20th December 1660. All day at home with my workmen, that I may get all done before Christmas. This day I hear that the Princess Royal [aged 29] has the small pox.
Samuel Pepys' Diary. 21st December 1660. To my Lady's, and dined with her: she told me how dangerously ill the Princess Royal [aged 29] is and that this morning she was said to be dead. But she hears that she hath married herself to young Jermyn, which is worse than the [her brother] Duke of York's [aged 27] marrying the Chancellor's daughter, which is now publicly owned.
John Evelyn's Diary. 21st December 1660. This day died the Princess of Orange [aged 29], of the smallpox, which entirely altered the face and gallantry of the whole Court.
John Evelyn's Diary. 22nd December 1660. The marriage of the Chancellor's [aged 51] [her sister-in-law] daughter [aged 23] being now newly owned, I went to see her, she being Sir Richard Browne's [aged 55] intimate acquaintance when she waited on the Princess of Orange [aged 29]; she was now at her father's, at Worcester House, in the Strand. We all kissed her hand, as did also my Lord Chamberlain [aged 58] (Manchester) and Countess of Northumberland [aged 37]. This was a strange change-can it succeed well?-I spent the evening at St. James's, whither the Princess Henrietta [aged 16] was retired during the fatal sickness of her sister, the Princess of Orange, now come over to salute the King [aged 30] her brother. The Princess gave my wife [aged 25] an extraordinary compliment and gracious acceptance, for the "Character" she had presented her the day before, and which was afterward printed.
On 24th December 1660 Mary Stewart Princess Orange [aged 29] died of smallpox. Her brother Henry Stewart 1st Duke Gloucester had also died of smallpox a few weeks before; she was buried in the same vault in the King Henry VII Chapel, Westminster Abbey [Map] on 2nd January 1661.
Samuel Pepys' Diary. 24th December 1660. To the office again in the afternoon till night, and so home, and with the painters till 10 at night, making an end of my house and the arch before my door, and so this night I was rid of them and all other work, and my house was made ready against to-morrow being Christmas day. This day the Princess Royal [aged 29] died at Whitehall.
John Evelyn's Diary. 25th December 1660. Preached at the Abbey [Map], Dr. Earle [aged 59], Clerk of his Majesty's Closet, and my dear friend, now Dean of Westminster Abbey, on Luke II 13, 14, condoling the breach made in the public joy by the lamented death of the Princess [deceased].
John Evelyn's Diary. 28th July 1664. Came to see me Monsieur Zuylichen [aged 67], Secretary to the Prince of Orange, an excellent Latin poet, a rare lutinist, with Monsieur Oudart.
John Evelyn's Diary. 4th November 1670. Saw the [her son] Prince of Orange [aged 20], newly come to see the [her brother] King [aged 40], his uncle; he has a manly, courageous, wise countenance, resembling his mother and the Duke of Gloucester, both deceased.
Grammont. The necessity of affairs had exposed [her brother] Charles II from his earliest youth to the toils and perils of a bloody war. The fate of the king his father had left him for inheritance nothing but his misfortunes and disgraces. They overtook him everywhere; but it was not until he had struggled with his ill-fortune to the last extremity that he submitted to the decrees of Providence.
All those who were either great on account of their birth or their loyalty had followed him into exile; and all the young persons of the greatest distinction having afterwards joined him, composed a court worthy of a better fate.
Plenty and prosperity, which are thought to tend only to corrupt manners, found nothing to spoil in an indigent and wandering court. Necessity, on the contrary, which produces a thousand advantages whether we will or no, served them for education; and nothing was to be seen among them but an emulation in glory, politeness, and virtue.
With this little court, in such high esteem for merit, the King of England returned two years prior to the period we mention, to ascend a throne which, to all appearances, he was to fill as worthily as the most glorious of his predecessors. The magnificence displayed on thus occasion was renewed at his coronation.
The death of the Duke of Gloucester, and of the Princess Royal, which followed soon after, had interrupted the course of this splendour by a tedious mourning, which they quitted at last to prepare for the reception of the Infanta of Portugal.
Anne Boleyn. Her Life as told by Lancelot de Carle's 1536 Letter.
In 1536, two weeks after the execution of Anne Boleyn, her brother George and four others, Lancelot du Carle, wrote an extraordinary letter that described Anne's life, and her trial and execution, to which he was a witness. This book presents a new translation of that letter, with additional material from other contemporary sources such as Letters, Hall's and Wriothesley's Chronicles, the pamphlets of Wynkyn the Worde, the Memorial of George Constantyne, the Portuguese Letter and the Baga de Secrets, all of which are provided in Appendices.
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Grammont. It was in the height of the rejoicings they were making for this new queen, in all the splendour of a brilliant court, that the Chevalier de Grammont arrived to contribute to its magnificence and diversions.
Accustomed as he was to the grandeur of the court of France, he was surprised at the politeness and splendour of the court of England. The [her brother] king was inferior to none, either in shape or air; his wit was pleasant; his disposition easy and affable; his soul, susceptible of opposite impressions, was compassionate to the unhappy, inflexible to the wicked, and tender even to excess; he showed great abilities in urgent affairs, but was incapable of application to any that were not so: his heart was often the dupe, but oftener the slave, of his engagements.
The character of the Duke of York was entirely different he had the reputation of undaunted courage, an inviolable attachment for his word, great economy in his affairs, hauteur, application, arrogance, each in their turn: a scrupulous observer of the rules of duty and the laws of justice; he was accounted a faithful friend, and an implacable enemy.
His morality and justice, struggling for some time with prejudice, had at last triumphed, by his acknowledging for his wife Miss Hyde, maid of honour to the Princess Royal, whom he had secretly married in Holland. Her father, from that time prime minister of England, supported by this new interest, soon rose to the head of affairs, and had almost ruined them: not that he wanted capacity, but he was too self-sufficient.
Grammont. The beau Sydney, less dangerous than he appeared to be, had not sufficient vivacity to support the impression which his figure made; but little Jermyn was on all sides successful in his intrigues.
The old Earl of St. Albans, his uncle, had for a long time adopted him, though the youngest of all his nephews. It is well known what a table the good man kept at Paris, while the King his master was starving at Brussels, and the [her mother] Queen Dowager, his mistress, lived not over well in France.
Jermyn, supported by his uncle's wealth, found it no difficult matter to make a considerable figure upon his arrival at the court of the Princess of Orange: the poor courtiers of the king her brother could not vie with him in point of equipage and magnificence; and these two articles often produce as much success in love as real merit: there is no necessity for any other example than the present; for though Jermyn was brave, and certainly a gentleman, yet he had neither brilliant actions, nor distinguished rank, to set him off; and as for his figure, there was nothing advantageous in it. He was little; his head was large and his legs small; his features were not disagreeable, but he was affected in his carriage and behaviour. All his wit consisted in expressions learnt by rote, which he occasionally employed either in raillery or in love. This was the whole foundation of the merit of a man so formidable in amours.
Grammont. The queen's court was always very numerous; that of the duchess was less so, but more select. This princess had a majestic air, a pretty good shape, not much beauty, a great deal of wit, and so just a discernment of merit, that, whoever of either sex were possessed of it, were sure to be distinguished by her: an air of grandeur in all her actions made her be considered as if born to support the rank which placed her so near the throne. The [her mother] queen dowager returned after the marriage of the Princess Royal, and it was in her court that the two others met.
Grammont. The Princess Royal was the first who was taken with him: Miss Hyde seemed to be following the steps of her mistress: this immediately brought him into credit, and his reputation was established in England before his arrival. Prepossession in the minds of women is sufficient to find access to their hearts: Jermyn found them in dispositions so favourable for him, that he had nothing to do but to speak.
It was in vain they perceived that a reputation so lightly established, was still more weakly sustained: the prejudice remained: the Countess of Castlemaine, a woman lively and discerning, followed the delusive shadow; and though undeceived in a reputation which promised so much, and performed so little, she nevertheless continued in her infatuation: she even persisted in it, until she was upon the point of embroiling herself with the king; so great was this first instance of her constancy.
Kings Wessex: Great x 17 Grand Daughter of King Edmund "Ironside" I of England
Kings Gwynedd: Great x 14 Grand Daughter of Owain "Great" King Gwynedd
Kings Seisyllwg: Great x 20 Grand Daughter of Hywel "Dda aka Good" King Seisyllwg King Deheubarth
Kings Powys: Great x 15 Grand Daughter of Maredudd ap Bleddyn King Powys
Kings Godwinson: Great x 16 Grand Daughter of King Harold II of England
Kings England: Daughter of King Charles I of England, Scotland and Ireland
Kings Scotland: Great x 16 Grand Daughter of King Duncan I of Scotland
Kings Franks: Great x 23 Grand Daughter of Charles "Charlemagne aka Great" King of the Franks King Lombardy Holy Roman Emperor
Kings France: Grand Daughter of Henry IV King France
Kings Duke Aquitaine: Great x 21 Grand Daughter of Ranulf I Duke Aquitaine
Great x 4 Grandfather: Matthew Stewart 2nd Earl Lennox 
11 x Great Grand Son of King John of England
Great x 3 Grandfather: John Stewart 3rd Earl Lennox 5 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Elizabeth Hamilton Countess Lennox 4 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England
Great x 2 Grandfather: Matthew Stewart 4th Earl Lennox 4 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: John Stewart 1st Earl Atholl 2 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 3 Grandmother: Isabel or Elizabeth Stewart Countess Lennox 3 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Eleanor Sinclair Countess Atholl 7 x Great Grand Daughter of King John of England
Great x 1 Grandfather: Henry "Lord Darnley" Stewart Great Grand Son of King Henry VII of England and Ireland
Great x 4 Grandfather: George Douglas 
9 x Great Grand Son of King John of England
Great x 3 Grandfather: Archibald Douglas 6th Earl Angus 10 x Great Grand Son of King John of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Elizabeth Drummond m Douglas
Great x 2 Grandmother: Margaret Douglas Countess Lennox Grand Daughter of King Henry VII of England and Ireland
Great x 4 Grandfather: King Henry VII of England and Ireland 
3 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 3 Grandmother: Margaret Tudor Queen Scotland Daughter of King Henry VII of England and Ireland
Great x 4 Grandmother: Elizabeth York Queen Consort England Daughter of King Edward IV of England
GrandFather: King James I of England and Ireland and VI of Scotland 2 x Great Grand Son of King Henry VII of England and Ireland
Great x 4 Grandfather: King James III of Scotland 
3 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 3 Grandfather: King James IV of Scotland 4 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Margaret Oldenburg Queen Consort Scotland 
Great x 2 Grandfather: King James V of Scotland Grand Son of King Henry VII of England and Ireland
Great x 4 Grandfather: King Henry VII of England and Ireland 3 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 3 Grandmother: Margaret Tudor Queen Scotland Daughter of King Henry VII of England and Ireland
Great x 4 Grandmother: Elizabeth York Queen Consort England Daughter of King Edward IV of England
Great x 1 Grandmother: Mary Queen of Scots Great Grand Daughter of King Henry VII of England and Ireland
Great x 4 Grandfather: René Lorraine II Duke Lorraine Duke of Bar 7 x Great Grand Son of King Henry III of England
Great x 3 Grandfather: Claude Lorraine 1st Duke Guise 7 x Great Grand Son of King Edward I of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Philippa Egmont Duchess of Bar Duchess Lorraine 6 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward I of England
Great x 2 Grandmother: Mary of Guise Queen Consort Scotland 6 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Francis Bourbon Count Vendôme and Soissons 
6 x Great Grand Son of King Henry III of England
Great x 3 Grandmother: Antoinette Bourbon Duchess of Guise 5 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Marie Luxemburg Countess Vendôme and Soissons 
4 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England
Father: King Charles I of England, Scotland and Ireland 
Son of King James I of England and Ireland and VI of Scotland
Great x 4 Grandfather: Christian I King of Denmark
Great x 3 Grandfather: King Frederick I of Denmark
Great x 4 Grandmother: Dorothea of Brandenburg
Great x 2 Grandfather: Christian III King of Denmark 10 x Great Grand Son of King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: John "Cicero" Hohenzollern Elector Brandenburg
Great x 3 Grandmother: Anna of Brandenburg 9 x Great Grand Daughter of King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Margaret of Thuringia 8 x Great Grand Daughter of King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England
Great x 1 Grandfather: Frederick II King of Denmark 11 x Great Grand Son of King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England
Great x 2 Grandmother: Dorothea of Saxe Lauenburg Queen Consort Denmark and Norway
GrandMother: Anne of Denmark Queen Consort Scotland England and Ireland 12 x Great Grand Daughter of King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Magnus II Duke of Mecklenburg
Great x 3 Grandfather: Albrecht VII Duke Mecklenburg
Great x 2 Grandfather: Ulrich Mecklenburg-Schwerin 11 x Great Grand Son of King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Joachim "Nestor" Hohenzollern Elector Brandenburg 9 x Great Grand Son of King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England
Great x 3 Grandmother: Anna Hohenzollern Duchess Mecklenburg 10 x Great Grand Daughter of King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England
Great x 1 Grandmother: Sophie Mecklenburg-Schwerin Queen Consort Denmark 12 x Great Grand Daughter of King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England
Mary Stewart Princess Orange Daughter of King Charles I of England, Scotland and Ireland
Great x 4 Grandfather: John Bourbon VIII Count Vendôme 5 x Great Grand Son of King Henry III of England
Great x 3 Grandfather: Francis Bourbon Count Vendôme and Soissons 6 x Great Grand Son of King Henry III of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Isabelle Beauvau Countess Vendôme
Great x 2 Grandfather: Charles Bourbon Duke Vendôme 5 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Peter Luxemburg II Count Saint Pol and Soissons 3 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 3 Grandmother: Marie Luxemburg Countess Vendôme and Soissons 4 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Margaret Savoy Countess Saint Pol 5 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward I of England
Great x 1 Grandfather: Antoine King Navarre 6 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: John Valois II Duke Alençon 4 x Great Grand Son of King Henry III of England
Great x 3 Grandfather: Rene Valois Duke Alençon 5 x Great Grand Son of King Henry III of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Marie Armagnac Duchess Alençon 6 x Great Grand Daughter of King Henry III of England
Great x 2 Grandmother: Françoise Valois Countess Vendôme 6 x Great Grand Daughter of King Henry III of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Frederick Lorraine Count Vaudémont 9 x Great Grand Son of King Stephen I England
Great x 3 Grandmother: Margaret Lorraine Duchess Alençon 7 x Great Grand Daughter of King Henry III of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Yolande Valois Anjou 6 x Great Grand Daughter of King Henry III of England
GrandFather: Henry IV King France 7 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Alain "Great" Albret 9 x Great Grand Son of King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England
Great x 3 Grandfather: Jean III King Navarre 6 x Great Grand Son of King Henry III of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Francois Chatillon 5 x Great Grand Daughter of King Henry III of England
Great x 2 Grandfather: King Henry II of Navarre 7 x Great Grand Son of King Henry III of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Gaston V Count Foix 7 x Great Grand Son of King Henry III of England
Great x 3 Grandmother: Catherine Grailly I Queen Navarre 7 x Great Grand Daughter of King Henry III of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Magdalena Valois Countess Foix 6 x Great Grand Daughter of King Henry III of England
Great x 1 Grandmother: Jeanne Albret III Queen Navarre 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: Marguerite Valois Orléans Queen Consort Navarre 7 x Great Grand Daughter of King Henry III of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Philip "Landless" Savoy II Duke Savoy 5 x Great Grand Son of King Edward I of England
Great x 3 Grandmother: Louise of Savoy Countess Angoulême 6 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward I of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Margaret Bourbon 5 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward I of England
Mother: Henrietta Maria Bourbon Queen Consort England 7 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Giovanni de' Medici
Great x 3 Grandfather: Lodovico de Medici aka Giovanni delle Bande Nere
Great x 2 Grandfather: Cosimo I de Medici Grand Duke of Tuscany
Great x 1 Grandfather: Francesco I de Medici Grand Duke of Tuscany
GrandMother: Marie de Medici Queen Consort France 6 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Maximilian Habsburg I Holy Roman Emperor 3 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 3 Grandfather: Philip "Handsome Fair" King Castile 4 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Mary Valois Duchess Burgundy 3 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England
Great x 2 Grandfather: Ferdinand I Holy Roman Emperor 4 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Ferdinand II King Aragon 
8 x Great Grand Son of King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England
Great x 3 Grandmother: Joanna "The Mad" Trastámara Queen Castile 3 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Isabella Queen Castile 2 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England
Great x 1 Grandmother: Joanna of Austria Grand Duchess Tuscany 5 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Casimir IV King Poland
Great x 3 Grandfather: Vladislaus II King Hungary 8 x Great Grand Son of King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Elisabeth Habsburg Queen Consort Poland 7 x Great Grand Daughter of King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England
Great x 2 Grandmother: Anne Jagiellon 8 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward I of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Gaston de Foix 2nd Earl Kendal 6 x Great Grand Son of King Edward I of England
Great x 3 Grandmother: Anna Foix Queen Consort of Hungary and Bohemia 7 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward I of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Catherine of Foix Countess Kendal 7 x Great Grand Daughter of King Henry III of England