The History of William Marshal was commissioned by his son shortly after William’s death in 1219 to celebrate the Marshal’s remarkable life; it is an authentic, contemporary voice. The manuscript was discovered in 1861 by French historian Paul Meyer. Meyer published the manuscript in its original Anglo-French in 1891 in two books. This book is a line by line translation of the first of Meyer’s books; lines 1-10152. Book 1 of the History begins in 1139 and ends in 1194. It describes the events of the Anarchy, the role of William’s father John, John’s marriages, William’s childhood, his role as a hostage at the siege of Newbury, his injury and imprisonment in Poitou where he met Eleanor of Aquitaine and his life as a knight errant. It continues with the accusation against him of an improper relationship with Margaret, wife of Henry the Young King, his exile, and return, the death of Henry the Young King, the rebellion of Richard, the future King Richard I, war with France, the death of King Henry II, and the capture of King Richard, and the rebellion of John, the future King John. It ends with the release of King Richard and the death of John Marshal.
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Earl Berkshire is in Earldoms of England Alphabetically.
Earl Berkshire is also in Earldoms of England Chronologically, Extinct Earldoms of England.
Summary
28th January 1621. Francis Norreys 1st Earl Berkshire [aged 41] created.
29th January 1622. Elizabeth Norreys 3rd Baroness Norreys Rycote [aged 19] extinct.
On 28th January 1621 Francis Norreys 1st Earl Berkshire [aged 41] was created 1st Earl Berkshire, 1st Viscount Thame. Bridget Vere Baroness Norreys Rycote [aged 36] by marriage Countess Berkshire.
On 29th January 1622 Francis Norreys 1st Earl Berkshire [aged 42] shot himself with a crossbow at Rycote, Oxfordshire [Map]; probably deliberately in view of his having a year before been imprisoned for attaching Emmanuel Scrope [aged 37] at the House of Lords in front of the future King Charles. He died two days later.. He was buried at Dorchester Abbey, Oxfordshire [Map]. His daughter Elizabeth [aged 19] succeeded 3rd Baroness Norreys of Rycote. Earl Berkshire and Viscount Thame extinct. Francis Rose [aged 13] inherited the manors of Weston-on-the-Green and Yattendon. Elizabeth Norreys 3rd Baroness Norreys Rycote inherited the Rycote and Wytham estates.
Earl Berkshire is also in Earldoms of England Chronologically, Extant Earldoms of England.
Summary
7th February 1626. Thomas Howard 1st Earl Berkshire [aged 38] created.
16th July 1669. Son Charles Howard 2nd Earl Berkshire [aged 54] succeeded.
April 1679. Brother Thomas Howard 3rd Earl Berkshire [aged 59] succeeded.
12th April 1706. Great Nephew Henry Bowes Howard 4th Earl Berkshire 11th Earl Suffolk [aged 20] succeeded.
21st March 1757. Grandson Henry Howard 12th Earl Suffolk 5th Earl Berkshire [aged 17] succeeded.
7th March 1779. Son Henry Howard 13th Earl Suffolk 6th Earl Berkshire succeeded.
10th August 1779. Great Uncle Thomas Howard 14th Earl Suffolk 7th Earl Berkshire [aged 58] succeeded.
23rd February 1783. Son John Howard 15th Earl Suffolk 8th Earl Berkshire [aged 43] succeeded.
23rd January 1820. Fourth Cousin Thomas Howard 16th Earl Suffolk 9th Earl Berkshire [aged 43] succeeded.
4th December 1851. Son Charles Howard 17th Earl Suffolk 10th Earl Berkshire [aged 46] succeeded.
14th August 1876. Son Henry Charles Howard 18th Earl Suffolk 11th Earl Berkshire [aged 42] succeeded.
31st March 1898. Son Henry Molyneux Paget Howard 19th Earl Suffolk 12th Earl Berkshire [aged 20] succeeded.
21st April 1917. Son Charles Howard 20th Earl of Suffolk, 13th Earl Berkshire [aged 11] succeeded. See Battle of Istabulat.
12th May 1941. Son Michael Howard 21st Earl of Suffolk, 14th Earl Berkshire [aged 6] succeeded.
5th August 2022. Son Alexander Howard 22nd Earl of Suffolk 15th Earl of Berkshire [aged 48] succeeded.
On 7th February 1626 Thomas Howard 1st Earl Berkshire [aged 38] was created 1st Earl Berkshire. Elizabeth Cecil Countess Berkshire [aged 30] by marriage Countess Berkshire.
On 16th July 1669 Thomas Howard 1st Earl Berkshire [aged 81] died. His son Charles [aged 54] succeeded 2nd Earl Berkshire, 2nd Viscount Andover in Hampshire, 2nd Baron Howard of Charlton in Wiltshire. Dorothy Savage Countess Berkshire by marriage Countess Berkshire.
In April 1679 Charles Howard 2nd Earl Berkshire [aged 64] died. His brother Thomas [aged 59] succeeded 3rd Earl Berkshire, 3rd Viscount Andover in Hampshire, 3rd Baron Howard of Charlton in Wiltshire.
On 12th April 1706 Thomas Howard 3rd Earl Berkshire [aged 86] died. His great nephew Henry [aged 20] succeeded 4th Earl Berkshire, 4th Viscount Andover in Hampshire, 4th Baron Howard of Charlton in Wiltshire. Catherine Graham Countess Berkshire and Suffolk by marriage Countess Berkshire.
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 21st March 1757 Henry Bowes Howard 4th Earl Berkshire 11th Earl Suffolk [aged 71] died. He was buried at All Saints Church, Charlton-All-Saints [Map]. His grandson Henry [aged 17] succeeded 12th Earl Suffolk, 5th Earl Berkshire, 5th Viscount Andover in Hampshire, 5th Baron Howard of Charlton in Wiltshire.
On 14th August 1777 Henry Howard 12th Earl Suffolk 5th Earl Berkshire [aged 38] and Charlotte Finch Countess Suffolk and Berkshire [aged 23] were married. She by marriage Countess Suffolk, Countess Berkshire. She the daughter of Heneage Finch 3rd Earl Aylesford and Charlotte Seymour Countess Aylesford [aged 46]. They were first cousins.
On 7th March 1779 Henry Howard 12th Earl Suffolk 5th Earl Berkshire [aged 39] died at Bath, Somerset [Map]. He was buried at All Saints Church, Charlton-All-Saints [Map]. On 8th August 1779 his postumous son His son Henry succeeded 13th Earl Suffolk, 6th Earl Berkshire, 6th Viscount Andover in Hampshire, 6th Baron Howard of Charlton in Wiltshire although he died two days later.
On 10th August 1779 Henry Howard 13th Earl Suffolk 6th Earl Berkshire, who had been born posthumously, died two days old. His great uncle Thomas [aged 58] succeeded 14th Earl Suffolk, 7th Earl Berkshire, 7th Viscount Andover in Hampshire, 7th Baron Howard of Charlton in Wiltshire.
On 23rd February 1783 Thomas Howard 14th Earl Suffolk 7th Earl Berkshire [aged 61] died. His son John [aged 43] succeeded 15th Earl Suffolk, 8th Earl Berkshire, 8th Viscount Andover in Hampshire, 8th Baron Howard of Charlton in Wiltshire.
On 23rd January 1820 John Howard 15th Earl Suffolk [aged 80] died. His son Thomas [aged 43] succeeded 16th Earl Suffolk, 9th Earl Berkshire, 9th Viscount Andover in Hampshire, 9th Baron Howard of Charlton in Wiltshire. Elizabeth Jane Dutton Countess Suffolk and Berkshire [aged 45] by marriage Countess Suffolk, Countess Berkshire.
On 4th December 1851 Thomas Howard 16th Earl Suffolk 9th Earl Berkshire [aged 75] died. His son Charles [aged 46] succeeded 17th Earl Suffolk, 10th Earl Berkshire, 10th Viscount Andover in Hampshire, 10th Baron Howard of Charlton in Wiltshire. Isabella Catherine Mary Howard-Molyneux-Howard Countess Suffolk and Berkshire [aged 45] by marriage Countess Suffolk, Countess Berkshire.
On 14th August 1876 Charles Howard 17th Earl Suffolk 10th Earl Berkshire [aged 70] died. His son Henry [aged 42] succeeded 18th Earl Suffolk, 11th Earl Berkshire, 11th Viscount Andover in Hampshire, 11th Baron Howard of Charlton in Wiltshire. Mary Eleanor Coventry Countess Suffolk and Berkshire [aged 28] by marriage Countess Suffolk, Countess Berkshire.
On 31st March 1898 Henry Charles Howard 18th Earl Suffolk 11th Earl Berkshire [aged 64] died. His son Henry [aged 20] succeeded 19th Earl Suffolk, 12th Earl Berkshire, 12th Viscount Andover in Hampshire, 12th Baron Howard of Charlton in Wiltshire.
On 21st April 1917 Henry Molyneux Paget Howard 19th Earl Suffolk 12th Earl Berkshire [aged 39] was killed in action when a piece of shrapnel entered his heart. His son Charles [aged 11] succeeded 20th Earl Suffolk, 13th Earl Berkshire.
In March 1934 Charles Howard 20th Earl of Suffolk, 13th Earl Berkshire [aged 27] and Minnie "Mimi" Forde-Pigott Countess of Suffolk and Berkshire [aged 36] were married. She by marriage Countess Suffolk, Countess Berkshire. He the son of Henry Molyneux Paget Howard 19th Earl Suffolk 12th Earl Berkshire and Margaret Hyde "Daisy" Leiter [aged 55].
On 12th May 1941 Charles Howard 20th Earl of Suffolk, 13th Earl Berkshire [aged 35] was killed. He had successfully defused thirty-four bombs. The thirty-fifth exploded at Erith Marshes, Kent bomb cemetery. The 250kg bomb, dropped six months earlier, contained a Zus 40 booby trap that detonated when the Type 17 fuse was withdrawn. The explosion killed fourteen people: the Earl, his chauffeur Fred Hards, his secretary Eileen Beryl Morden (who died in the ambulance), and eleven other people who were nearby.
Michael Howard 21st Earl of Suffolk, 14th Earl Berkshire [aged 6] succeeded 21st Earl Suffolk, 14th Earl Berkshire, 13th Viscount Andover in Hampshire, 13th Baron Howard of Charlton in Wiltshire.
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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On 5th August 2022 Michael Howard 21st Earl of Suffolk, 14th Earl Berkshire [aged 87] died. His son Alexander [aged 48] succeeded 22nd Earl Suffolk, 15th Earl Berkshire, 14th Viscount Andover in Hampshire, 14th Baron Howard of Charlton in Wiltshire.