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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Paternal Family Tree: Auvergne
Before 1362 [her future husband] John Valois 1st Duke Berry [aged 21] and Joanne Armagnac Duchess Berry [aged 15] were married. She by marriage Duchess Berry. She the daughter of John I Count Armagnac [aged 50] and Beatrice Clermont Countess Armagnac [aged 51]. He the son of King John "The Good" II of France [aged 42] and Bonne Luxemburg Queen Consort France. They were third cousins. He a great x 5 grandson of King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England. She a great x 5 granddaughter of King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England.
In or before 1378 [her father] John II Count Auvergne and [her mother] Aliénor de Comminges were married. He the son of [her grandfather] John I Count of Auvergne.
In 1378 Joan II Countess of Auvergne Duchess Berry was born to [her father] John II Count Auvergne and [her mother] Aliénor de Comminges.
On 24th March 1386 [her grandfather] John I Count of Auvergne died. His son [her father] John succeeded II Count Auvergne and Count Boulogne.
In 1389 John Valois 1st Duke Berry [aged 48] and Joan II Countess of Auvergne Duchess Berry [aged 11] were married. She by marriage Duchess Berry. The difference in their ages was 37 years. She the daughter of John II Count Auvergne and Aliénor de Comminges. He the son of King John "The Good" II of France and Bonne Luxemburg Queen Consort France.
In 1390 [her step-son] John Valois [aged 27] and Anne Bourbon Duchess Bavaria [aged 10] were married. She the daughter of Jean Bourbon I Count La Marche [aged 46] and Catherine Vendome. He the son of [her husband] John Valois 1st Duke Berry [aged 49] and Joanne Armagnac Duchess Berry. They were third cousins.
On 27th January 1393 Philip Artois Count of Eu [aged 36] and [her step-daughter] Marie Valois I Duchess Auverge [aged 18] were married. She by marriage Countess Eu. She the daughter of [her husband] John Valois 1st Duke Berry [aged 52] and Joanne Armagnac Duchess Berry. He the son of John "Sans Terre" Artois 1st Count of Eu and Isabeau Melun Countess Eu. They were second cousin once removed. He a great x 3 grandson of King Henry III of England.
On 29th January 1393 the Bal de Ardents (aka Ball of the Burning Men or Ball of the Wild Men) was a masquerade ball held at the Hôtel Saint Pol, Paris [Map] by Charles "Beloved Mad" VI King France [aged 24] who performed with five members of the French nobility. The performers were dressed as wild men of the woods; four were killed when their costumes caught fire.
Charles "Beloved Mad" VI King France was rescued by his aunt Joan II Countess of Auvergne Duchess Berry [aged 15] who smothered him in her dress.
Sieur de Nantouillet jumped into an open vat of wine and remained there until the flames were extinguished.
Count de Joigny died. Yvain de Foix, son of Gaston Fébus, Count of Foix, and Aimery Poitiers, son of the Count of Valentinois died after two days. Huguet de Guisay died after three days.
In 1394 [her father] John II Count Auvergne died. His daughter Joan [aged 16] succeeded Countess Auvergne and Countess Boulogne.
In 1400 John Bourbon I Duke Bourbon [aged 19] and [her step-daughter] Marie Valois I Duchess Auverge [aged 25] were married at Paris [Map]. She by marriage Duchess Bourbon. She the daughter of [her husband] John Valois 1st Duke Berry [aged 59] and Joanne Armagnac Duchess Berry. He the son of Louis Bourbon II Duke Bourbon [aged 62] and Anne Auvergne Duchess Bourbon [aged 42]. They were half second cousin once removed. He a great x 4 grandson of King Henry III of England.
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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In 1402 [her step-son] John Valois [aged 39] died.
On 27th April 1404 [her brother-in-law] Philip "Bold" Valois II Duke Burgundy [aged 62] died. His son John [aged 32] succeeded Duke Burgundy. Margaret Wittelsbach Duchess Burgundy [aged 41] by marriage Duchess Burgundy.
On 15th October 1404 [her sister-in-law] Marie Valois Duchess Bar [aged 60] died.
On 15th June 1416 [her husband] John Valois 1st Duke Berry [aged 75] died. Duke Berry extinct. His daughter [her step-daughter] Marie [aged 41] succeeded I Duchess Auvergne.
After 15th June 1416 Georges de La Trémoille [aged 34] and Joan II Countess of Auvergne Duchess Berry [aged 38] were married. She the daughter of John II Count Auvergne and Aliénor de Comminges.
Around 1424 Joan II Countess of Auvergne Duchess Berry [aged 46] died. Her half first cousin once removed Marie [aged 47] succeeded Countess Auvergne and Countess Boulogne.
In or after 1424 [her former husband] Georges de La Trémoille [aged 42] and Catherine de L'Isle-Bouchard were married.
On 6th May 1446 [her former husband] Georges de La Trémoille [aged 64] died.
Kings Franks: Great x 20 Grand Daughter of Charles "Charlemagne aka Great" King of the Franks King Lombardy Holy Roman Emperor
Kings France: Great x 13 Grand Daughter of Hugh I King of the Franks
Kings Duke Aquitaine: Great x 17 Grand Daughter of Ranulf I Duke Aquitaine
Great x 4 Grandfather: William Auvergne X Count Auvergne
Great x 3 Grandfather: Robert V Auvergne Count Auvergne
Great x 2 Grandfather: Robert VI Auvergne Count Auvergne
Great x 1 Grandfather: Robert VII Auvergne XII Count Auvergne
GrandFather: John I Count of Auvergne
Father: John II Count Auvergne
Joan II Countess of Auvergne Duchess Berry
Mother: Aliénor de Comminges