Biography of Sibylla Anjou Countess Essex 1112-1165

Paternal Family Tree: Anjou aka Plantagenet

Maternal Family Tree: Matilda Chateau Du Loir Countess Maine 1055-1109

In 1110 [her father] Fulk "Young" King Jerusalem [aged 21] and [her mother] Ermengarde of Maine Countess of Anjou were married. She by marriage Countess Anjou. She the daughter of [her grandfather] Elias I Count Maine and [her grandmother] 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.

Around 1112 Sibylla Anjou Countess Essex was born to [her father] Fulk "Young" King Jerusalem [aged 23] and [her mother] Ermengarde of Maine Countess of Anjou.

In 1123 William Clito Count Flanders [aged 20] and Sibylla Anjou Countess Essex [aged 11] were married. She the daughter of Fulk "Young" King Jerusalem [aged 34] and Ermengarde of Maine Countess of Anjou. He the son of Robert Curthose III Duke Normandy [aged 72] and Sybilla Conversano Duchess Normandy. They were fourth cousin once removed. He a grandson of King William "Conqueror" I of England.

In 1124 William Clito Count Flanders [aged 21] and Sibylla Anjou Countess Essex [aged 12] were divorced.

Anglo-Saxon Chronicle. After 26th March 1124. After this went the king [aged 56], and won all the castles of the Earl Waleram [aged 20] that were in Normandy, and all the others that his enemies held against him. All this hostility was on account of the son of the [her former father-in-law] Earl Robert [aged 73] of Normandy, named [her former husband] William [aged 21]. This same William had taken to wife the younger daughter [aged 12] of Fulke, Earl of Anjou [aged 35]: and for this reason the King of France [aged 42] and all the earls held with him, and all the rich men; and said that the king held his brother Robert wrongfully in captivity, and drove his son William unjustly out of Normandy.

In 1126 [her mother] Ermengarde of Maine Countess of Anjou died.

Anglo-Saxon Chronicle. 1127. And the King of France [aged 45] brought [her former husband] William [aged 24], the son of the [her former father-in-law] Earl of Normandy [aged 76], and gave him the earldom; and the people of that land accepted him. This same William had before taken to wife the daughter [aged 15] of the Earl of Anjou; but they were afterwards divorced on the plea of consanguinity. This was all through the King Henry [aged 59] of England. Afterwards took he to wife the sister¹ of the king's wife of France; and for this reason the king gave him the earldom of Flanders.

Note. Maternal half-sister; their mother Gisela Ivrea Countess Savoy [aged 57].

In 1127 [her former husband] William Clito Count Flanders [aged 24] and Joanna Monferrat Countess Essex and Flanders were married. She by marriage Countess Essex. She the daughter of Rainier Aleramici Marquis of Monferrat [aged 43] and Gisela Ivrea Countess Savoy [aged 57]. He the son of [her former father-in-law] Robert Curthose III Duke Normandy [aged 76] and Sybilla Conversano Duchess Normandy. They were third cousins. He a grandson of King William "Conqueror" I of England.

In 1128 [her future husband] Thierry Count Flanders [aged 29] succeeded Count Flanders. Swanhilde Countess Flanders by marriage Countess Flanders.

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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On 17th June 1128 [her brother] Geoffrey Plantagenet Duke Normandy [aged 14] and [her sister-in-law] Empress Matilda [aged 26] were married in Le Mans by the bishops of Le Mans and Séez. See : She the daughter of King Henry I "Beauclerc" England [aged 60] and Edith aka Matilda Dunkeld Queen Consort England. He the son of [her father] Fulk "Young" King Jerusalem [aged 39] and [her mother] Ermengarde of Maine Countess of Anjou. They were fourth cousin once removed.

History of the Dukes of Normandy by William of Jumieges. So then, to the aforementioned Robert, Count of Flanders, Henry, king of the Saxons and emperor of the Romans, granted the County of Cambrai, and Robert did homage to him for it. This Robert begot two sons, Robert and Philip. Robert, who was called the Jerusalemite because he was present when Jerusalem was taken by the Christians, begot Baldwin, who succeeded him. But Baldwin died from a wound that he had received in a certain battle near the castle of Auc in Normandy. After him, Charles his kinsman succeeded. And when this Charles was treacherously killed, as has already been said, [her former husband] William [aged 25], the son of Robert, Duke of Normandy, received the county of Flanders, as stated above. But he lived only a short time afterward, for while assaulting a certain town he was struck by a mortal wound. He died on the sixth day before the Kalends of August [27th July], in the year of the Lord 1128¹. He was buried in the church of Saint Bertin the Confessor, and Thierry [aged 29] of Alsace, a kinsman of the preceding counts, succeeded him. To this Thierry, Henry, king of the English, gave in marriage the sister [Sibylla²] of Geoffrey Martel, Count of Anjou.

Igitur prædicto Roberto comiti Flandriæ Henricus rex Saxonum et imperator Romanorum, dedit comiD talum Cameracensem et ipse fecit ei inde fidelitatem. Genuit autem idem Robertus duos filios, Robertum et Philippum. Robertus vero Hierosolymitanus cognominatus, quia interfuit, dum Hierusalem a Christianis caperetur, genuit Balduinum qui ei successit. Eodem vero Balduino mortuo ex vulnere, quod in conflicta quodam apud Aucum castrum quoddam Northmanniæ acceperat, Carolus cognatus ipsius ei successit Quo per traditionem occiso, sicut jam dictum est, cumdem comitatum Flandriæ, sicut superius diximus, Willelmus filius Roberti ducis Northmanniæ habuit. Sed parvo tempore supervixit, in cujusdam oppidi assultu appetitus lethali vulnere. Decessit vero 6 Kal. Aug. anno ab incarnatione Domini 1188. Sepultus est autem in ecclesia Sancti Bertini confessoris et successit ei Terricus de Avseis, congnatus præcedentium comitum. Huic Henricus rex Anglorum copulavit sororem Gaufridi Martelli comitis Andegavorum.

Note 1. The manuscript here has erroneously 1188.

Note 2. Sibylla [aged 16], around 1112-1165, daughter of Fulk of Anjou and Ermengarde de la Flèche. Her brother was Geoffrey, Count of Anjou, father of King Henry II of England; he is not known to have been given the nickname 'Martel' i.e. 'Hammer' although he is referred to as such in this text. Her uncle Geoffrey, Count of Anjou, who was known as 'Martel'. She married 1 in 1123 William "Clito", annulled 1124, and 2 in 1134 Thierry, Count of Flanders.

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In 1129 [her father] Fulk "Young" King Jerusalem [aged 40] travelled to Jerusalem [Map] on pilgrimage. His son [her brother] 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.

On 21st August 1131 Baldwin II King Jerusalem [aged 56] died. [her father] Fulk "Young" King Jerusalem [aged 42] succeeded King Jerusalem. [her step-mother] Melisende Queen of Jerusalem [aged 26] by marriage Queen Consort Jerusalem.

After 1132 Thierry Count Flanders [aged 33] and Sibylla Anjou Countess Essex [aged 20] were married. She by marriage Countess Flanders. She the daughter of 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.

On 14th January 1139 [her brother-in-law] Simon Metz I Duke Lorraine [aged 63] died. His son Matthias [aged 20] succeeded I Duke Lorraine.

In 1143 [her son] Philip I Count of Flanders was born to [her husband] Thierry Count Flanders [aged 44] and Sibylla Anjou Countess Essex [aged 31]. He married (1) his fourth cousin Theresa Burgundy Duchess Burgundy, daughter of Afonso "Conqueror Founder Great" I King Portugal and Malfada Savoy Queen Consort Portugal (2) his third cousin once removed Elizabeth Capet, daughter of Ralph I Capet I Count Vermandois and Petronilla Poitiers.

In 1143 [her half-brother] Baldwin III King Jerusalem [aged 13] was appointed III King Jerusalem.

On 13th November 1143 [her father] Fulk "Young" King Jerusalem [aged 54] died in a hunting accident. His wife [her step-mother] Melisende Queen of Jerusalem [aged 38] continued to reign in her own right with their son [her half-brother] Baldwin III King Jerusalem [aged 13].

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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In 1144 [her brother] Geoffrey Plantagenet Duke Normandy [aged 30] by conquest Duke Normandy. [her sister-in-law] Empress Matilda [aged 41] by marriage Duchess Normandy.

In 1144 [her sister-in-law] Gertrude Metz Countess Holland died.

On 7th September 1151 [her brother] Geoffrey Plantagenet Duke Normandy [aged 38] died at Château du Loir [Map]. He was buried at St Julien's Cathedral [Map].

Around 1155 [her son-in-law] Humbert Savoy III Count Savoy [aged 21] and Gertrude Metz Countess Savoy were married. She by marriage Countess Savoy. She the daughter of Thierry Count Flanders [aged 56] and Sibylla Anjou Countess Essex [aged 43]. He the son of Amadeus Savoy III Count Savoy and Mahaut Albon Countess Savoy. They were fifth cousin once removed.

In 1157 [her half-brother] Almaric I King Jerusalem [aged 21] and [her sister-in-law] 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 [her father] Fulk "Young" King Jerusalem and [her step-mother] Melisende Queen of Jerusalem [aged 52]. They were third cousins.

In 1160 Matthew Metz Count Boulogne and Marie Blois I Countess Boulogne [aged 24] were married. She the daughter of King Stephen I England and Matilda Flanders. He the son of Thierry Count Flanders [aged 61] and Sibylla Anjou Countess Essex [aged 48]. They were third cousins.

On 11th September 1161 [her step-mother] Melisende Queen of Jerusalem [aged 56] died. Her son [her half-brother] Baldwin [aged 31] succeeded King Jerusalem.

Baldwin III King Jerusalem Dies Almaric I King Jerusalem Succeeds

On 10th February 1163 [her half-brother] Baldwin III King Jerusalem [aged 33] died at Beirut. His brother Almaric [aged 27] succeeded I King Jerusalem.

In 1165 Sibylla Anjou Countess Essex [aged 53] died.

On 17th January 1168 [her former husband] Thierry Count Flanders [aged 69] died.

[her son] Matthew Metz Count Boulogne was born to Thierry Count Flanders and Sibylla Anjou Countess Essex. He married (1) 1160 his third cousin Marie Blois I Countess Boulogne and had issue.

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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[her son] Peter Metz Bishop Cambrai was born to Thierry Count Flanders and Sibylla Anjou Countess Essex.

Thierry Count Flanders and Swanhilde Countess Flanders were married. He the son of Theodoric "Valiant" Metz II Duke Lorraine and Gertrude Flanders Duchess Lorraine.

[her daughter] Matilda Metz Abbess Fontevraud was born to Thierry Count Flanders and Sibylla Anjou Countess Essex.

[her daughter] Gertrude Metz Countess Savoy was born to Thierry Count Flanders and Sibylla Anjou Countess Essex. She married 1155 her fifth cousin once removed Humbert Savoy III Count Savoy, son of Amadeus Savoy III Count Savoy and Mahaut Albon Countess Savoy.

[her daughter] Margaret Metz Countess Hainaut and Flanders was born to Thierry Count Flanders and Sibylla Anjou Countess Essex. She married (1) her third cousin Baldwin Flanders V Count Hainaut, son of Baldwin Flanders IV Count Hainaut and Alice Namur Countess Hainault, and had issue (2) her half third cousin once removed Ralph Capet II Count Vermandois, son of Ralph I Capet I Count Vermandois and Petronilla Poitiers.