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1130-1154 Anarchy is in 12th Century Events.
16th April 1130. The 1130 Battle of Stracathro took place around three miles north of Brechin. The rebellion was led by two pretenders to the Scottish crown, Malcolm Mac Alexander illegitimate son of Alexander I of Scotland, and Angus of Moray who was the grandson of King Lulach who had been deposed and killed by David (age 46) taking advantage of King David I of Scotland being in England.
Anglo-Saxon Chronicle. 16th April 1130. This year was Angus slain by the army of the Scots, and there was a great multitude slain with him. There was God's fight sought upon him, for that he was all forsworn.
On 9th February 1132 Maredudd ap Bleddyn King Powys (age 85) died. His son Madog succeeded Prince Powys.
Chronicon ex Chronicis by Florence and John of Worcester. 1134. Robert (age 83), brother of king Henry, and formerly earl of Normandy, who was taken prisoner of war by the king when in Normandy, at the castle of Tinchebrai, and had been long confined in England, died at Cardiff [Map], and, being carried to Gloucester [Map], was buried with great honours in the pavement of the church before the altar.
The Ecclesiastical History of England and Normandy by Orderic Vitalis. In the year of our Lord, 1134, the twelfth indiction, Robert II duke of Normandy (age 83) died at Cardiff [Map] in Britain, in the month of February, twenty-eight years after he had been taken prisoner at Tinchebrai and immured in his brother's dungeon. He lies buried in the abbey of the monks of St. Peter at Gloucester [Map].
Around 3rd February 1134 Robert Curthose III Duke Normandy (age 83) died.
On 1st January 1136 a Welsh army defeated a Norman army between Loughor and Swansea. The Normans lost around 500 men.
Chronicon ex Chronicis by Florence and John of Worcester. Speedily after the death of king Henry on the fourth of the nones [the 2nd] of December a severe battle was fought in Gower1, between the Normans and the Welsh, on the calends [1st] of January, in which five hundred and sixteen of the two armies perished. Their bodies were horribly dragged about the fields and devoured by the wolves. Afterwards the Welsh made a desperate inroad, attended with the destruction, far and wide, of churches, vills, corn, and cattle, the burning of castles and other fortified places, and the slaughter, dispersion, and sale into captivity in foreign lands of countless numbers, both of the rich and poor.
Note 1. A district of South Wales, nearly corresponding with the county of Glamorgan. Neither Huntingdon nor Malmesbury mention this expedition; but the anonymous author of the "Gesta Stephani" describes it in some detail. 16. pp. 329–332.
Deeds of King Stephen. [1st January 1136] And first indeed they advanced into the maritime province which is called Gower, a region exceedingly delightful and overflowing with every fertility; and there, surrounding on every side a body of knights and foot soldiers, five hundred and sixteen1 in all, gathered into one company, they utterly slew them with the edge of the sword. Then, rejoicing exceedingly in the prosperous outcome of this their first rebellion, they poured themselves boldly over all the borders of Wales; prone to every crime, ready for every lawlessness, sparing no age, showing reverence to no rank, leaving no time or place free from outrage. When the fame of these rebellious outbreaks was carried to the ears of the king, he strove to restrain their unbridled insolence; and, hiring with great sums of his treasure both soldiers and archers, he sent them to subdue the Welsh. But some of these, after performing many notable exploits, were slain there; others, not enduring the fierce onslaught of the enemy, after much toil and expense, withdrew ingloriously.
Et primum quidem in maritimam provinciam, quæ vocatur Gver, delectabilem admodum omnique fertilitate redundantem promoverunt exercitum, militesque cum pedestri agmine usque ad quingentos et sexdecim, in unum contra cuneum conglobatos, undique circumvenientes, in ore gladii penitus prostraverunt. Deinde de primo dissensionis suæ eventu prospere peracto apprime collætantes, per omnes se Waloniæ fines audacter effuderunt; ad omne quoque facinus proni, ad omne illicitum perfaciles, non cuivis ætati parcere, non ordini cuipiam reverentiam exhibere, non tempore aut loco sceleris immunes existere. Hæc autem rebellii semina ad aures regis fama deferente, effrenam illorum temeritatem cohibere attentans, milites et sagittarios, plurima thesauri sui stipe conductos, ad eos edomandos transmisit. Sed alii, multis egregie perpetratis, ibi occisi, alii ferocem hostium non ferentes occursionem, post multa exercitia et impensas, inglorii recesserunt.
Note 1. The Chronicle of Florence of Worcester, p. 97, confirms this and gives dates: "Speedily after the death of king Henry on the fourth of the nones [the 2nd] of December a severe battle was fought in Gower, between the Normans and the Welsh, on the calends [1st] of January, in which five hundred and sixteen of the two armies perished. Their bodies were horribly dragged about the fields and devoured by the wolves. Afterwards the Welsh made a desperate inroad, attended with the destruction, far and wide, of churches, vills, corn, and cattle, the burning of castles and other fortified places, and the slaughter, dispersion, and sale into captivity in foreign lands of countless numbers, both of the rich and poor." An exact agreement as to numbers in early chronicles is so unusual as to leave suspicions as to a common source of information.
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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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In 1136 a battle, or skirmish, was fought at Maes Gwenllian [Map] between the Welsh forces of Gwenllian (age 36), wife of Gruffydd (age 55), with her two sons, and the Norman force of Maurice de Londres. Gwenllian and her two sons Morgan Dinefwr and Maelgwn Dinefwr were killed.
The Itinerary of Archbishop Baldwin through Wales: Book 1 Chapter 9. Thence we proceeded towards the river Lochor,86 through the plains in which Howel, son of Meredyth of Brecheinoc, after the decease of king Henry I., gained a signal victory over the English. Having first crossed the river Lochor, and afterwards the water called Wendraeth,87 we arrived at the castle of Cydweli [Map].88 In this district, after the death of king Henry, whilst Gruffydd son of Rhys, the prince of South Wales, was engaged in soliciting assistance from North Wales, his wife Gwenliana (like the queen of the Amazons, and a second Penthesilea) led an army into these parts [1136 Battle of Kidwelly]; but she was defeated by Maurice de Londres, lord of that country, and Geoffrey, the bishop's constable.89 Morgan, one of her sons, whom she had arrogantly brought with her in that expedition, was slain, and the other, Malgo, taken prisoner; and she, with many of her followers, was put to death. During the reign of king Henry I., when Wales enjoyed a state of tranquillity, the above-mentioned Maurice had a forest in that neighbourhood, well stocked with wild animals, and especially deer, and was extremely tenacious of his venison. His wife (for women are often very expert in deceiving men) made use of this curious stratagem. Her husband possessed, on the side of the wood next the sea, some extensive pastures, and large flocks of sheep. Having made all the shepherds and chief people in her house accomplices and favourers of her design, and taking advantage of the simple courtesy of her husband, she thus addressed him: "It is wonderful that being lord over beasts, you have ceased to exercise dominion over them; and by not making use of your deer, do not now rule over them, but are subservient to them; and behold how great an abuse arises from too much patience; for they attack our sheep with such an unheard-of rage, and unusual voracity, that from many they are become few; from being innumerable, only numerous." To make her story more probable, she caused some wool to be inserted between the intestines of two stags which had been embowelled; and her husband, thus artfully deceived, sacrificed his deer to the rapacity of his dogs.
Note 86. Lochor, or Llwchwr [Map], was the Leucarum mentioned in the Itineraries, and the fifth Roman station on the Via Julia. This small village is situated on a tide-river bearing the same name, which divides the counties of Glamorgan and Caermarthen, and over which there is a ferry. "Lochor river partith Kidwelli from West Gowerlande." - Leland, Itin. tom. v. p. 23. [The ferry is no more. The river is crossed by a fine railway bridge.]
Note 87. Wendraeth, or Gwen-draeth, from gwen, white, and traeth, the sandy beach of the sea. There are two rivers of this name, Gwendraeth fawr [Map], and Gwendraeth fychan, the great and the little Gwendraeth, of which Leland thus speaks: "Vendraeth Vawr and Vendraith Vehan risith both in Eskenning commote: the lesse an eight milys of from Kydwelli, the other about a ten, and hath but a little nesche of sand betwixt the places wher thei go into the se, about a mile beneth the towne of Kidwely."
Note 88. Cydweli [Map] was probably so called from cyd, a junction, and wyl, a flow, or gushing out, being situated near the junction of the rivers Gwendraeth fawr and fychan; but Leland gives its name a very singular derivation, and worthy of our credulous and superstitious author Giraldus. "Kidwely, otherwise Cathweli, i.e. Catti lectus, quia Cattus olim solebat ibi lectum in quercu facere:- There is a little towne now but newly made betwene Vendraith Vawr and Vendraith Vehan. Vendraith Vawr is half a mile of." - Leland, Itin. tom. v. p. 22.
Note 89. The scene of the battle [1136 Battle of Kidwelly] fought between Gwenllian and Maurice de Londres is to this day called Maes Gwenllian [Map], the plain or field of Gwenllian; and there is a tower in the castle of Cydweli still called Tyr Gwenllian. [Maes Gwenllian [Map] is now a small farm, one of whose fields is said to have been the scene of the battle.]
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On 25th July 1137 Louis VII King of the Franks (age 17) and Eleanor of Aquitaine Queen Consort Franks and England (age 15) were married at the Cathedral of Saint-André, Bordeaux [Map] by Archbishop Geoffrey of Loroux. Her father William "Saint" Poitiers X Duke Aquitaine had died some three months previously leaving Eleanor of Aquitaine Queen Consort Franks and England as a ward of Louis's father Louis VI King of the Franks (age 55) who quickly married her to his son Louis with a view to the Duchy of Aquitaine becoming joined with the Kingdom of France. A week later Louis VI King of the Franks died and his son Louis and Eleanor became King and Queen of France. She the daughter of William "Saint" Poitiers X Duke Aquitaine and Aenor Chatellerault Duchess Aquitaine. He the son of Louis VI King of the Franks and Adelaide Savoy Queen Consort France. They were third cousin once removed.
Eleanor gave Louis a rock-crystal vase as a wedding gift which he subsequently gave to Abbot Suger of Saint-Denis. The vase is now in the Louvre.
Crystal vase, 'of Eleanor'. Crystal: Iran (?), 6th-7th century (?). Mounting: Saint-Denis, before 1147; 13th and 14th centuries. Rock crystal, nielloed and gilded silver, precious stones, pearls, champlevé enamels on silver. Originating from the treasury of the Abbey of Saint-Denis. Inscription: "+ HOC VAS SPONSA DEDIT A(ie)NOR-REGI LUDOVICO MITADOL(us) AVO MIHI REX S(an)C(tis)Q(ue) SUGER(ius)" (This vase, Eleanor, his spouse, gave it to King Louis, Mitadolus to his ancestor, the king to me, Suger, who have offered it to the saints).
Vase de cristal, "d'Aliénor". Cristal: Iran (?), VI-VII siécle (?). Monture: Saint-Denis, avant 1147; XIII et XIV siécles. Cristal de roche, argent niellé et doré, pierres pécieuses, perles, émaux champlevés sur argent Provient du trésor de I'abbaye de Saint-Denis. Inscription: "+ HOC VAS SPONSA DEDIT A(ie)NOR-REGI LUDOVICO MITADOL(us) AVO MIHI REX S(an)C(tis)Q(ue) SUGER(ius)". (ce vase, Aliénor, son épouse, l'a donné au roi Lous, Mitadolus a son aïeul, le roi à moi, Suger, qui l'ai offert aux saints).
Archbishop Geoffrey of Loroux: In 1137 he was appointed Archbishop of Bordeaux. On 18th July 1155 he died.
William "Saint" Poitiers X Duke Aquitaine: William "Saint" Poitiers X Duke Aquitaine and Aenor Chatellerault Duchess Aquitaine were married. She by marriage Duchess Aquitaine. He the son of William "Troubadour" Poitiers IX Duke Aquitaine and Philippa Rouerge Duchess Aquitaine. In 1099 he was born to William "Troubadour" Poitiers IX Duke Aquitaine and Philippa Rouerge Duchess Aquitaine at Toulouse. On 10th February 1127 William "Troubadour" Poitiers IX Duke Aquitaine died. His son William succeeded X Duke Aquitaine. On 9th April 1137 William "Saint" Poitiers X Duke Aquitaine died. His daughter Eleanor succeeded XI Duchess Aquitaine.
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On 25th December 1137 Eleanor of Aquitaine Queen Consort Franks and England (age 15) was crowned Queen Consort Franks.
On 2nd February 1141 the army of Empress Matilda (age 38) commanded by Robert Normandy 1st Earl Gloucester (age 42) defeated the army of King Stephen I England (age 47). Matilda's army included Ranulf Gernon 4th Earl Chester (age 42) and Madog ap Maredudd Mathrafal Prince Powys. King Stephen I England, Gilbert Gaunt 1st Earl Lincoln (age 15), William "The Younger" Peverell (age 61) and Ilbert Lacy 3rd Baron Pontefract were captured. William of Blois 1st Earl Albemarle 1st Earl York (age 40) fought for Stephen, his cousin.
Anglo-Saxon Chronicle. 1140. Thereafter died William, Archbishop of Canterbury; and the king (age 46) made Theobald (age 50) archbishop, who was Abbot of Bec. After this waxed a very great war betwixt the king and Randolph, Earl of Chester (age 41); not because he did not give him all that he could ask him, as he did to all others; but ever the more he gave them, the worse they were to him. The Earl held Lincoln against the king, and took away from him all that he ought to have. And the king went thither, and beset him and his brother William de Romare in the castle.
Chronicum Anglicanum by Ralph Coggeshall. In the year 1141, a battle took place between King Stephen and Robert, Earl of Gloucester. In this battle, the king [Stephen] was defeated and captured at Lincoln on the Feast of the Purification of Saint Mary, which fell on a Sunday, marked by the letter E in the calendar cycle, on the [2nd February]. However, he was released from captivity on the 18th day before the Kalends of October [14th September], after Earl Robert was captured by William of Ypres.
MCXLI. Bellum factum est inter Stephanum regem et Robertum comitem de Glocestre, in quo victus est rex et captus apud Lincolniam in Purificatione Sanctae Mariae, quae evenit in die Dominica per E litteram stantem, quarto nonas Februarii, et solutus est a carcere octavo decimo kalendas Octobris, capto comite Roberto a Willelmo de Ypra.
Chronicon ex Chronicis by Florence and John of Worcester. 2nd February 1141. Stephen made prisoner at the battle of Lincoln. Stephen, king of England, after long toils and sieges of castles, in which he had struggled during five years and six weeks for the peace of the kingdom, at last, on the day of the Purification of St. Mary [2nd February], which fell on Sexagesima Sunday, was, by the just judgment of God, outmaneuvred and taken prisoner at the siege of Lincoln castle by Robert, earl of Gloucester, his uncle's son, and Ranulph, earl of Cheser1, and, being first brought to Gloucester on Quinquagesima Sunday [9th February], was then conducted to the city of Bristol and placed in custody. Many of his adherents were taken with him and thrown into prison.
Note 1. The best account of the battle of Lincoln is given by Henry of Huntingdon, who was a canon of that church, and most probably resident there at the time of the battle. See his History, pp. 273–280, Antiq. Lib. The account in "Gesta Stephani" is singularly deficient in details, ibid, p. 378. Roger of Wendover's is rather more circumstantial, ibid, vol. i., p. 492.
In 1142 the forces of Louis VII King of the Franks (age 22) seized Vitry le François. Over 1000 residents were killed when the church in which they had sought protection was set on fire.
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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Between 1147 and 1150 the Second Crusade took place following the fall of Edessa.
Chronicum Anglicanum by Ralph Coggeshall. 1147. King Louis set out for Jerusalem with Queen Eleanor and the nobles of France, as did Frederick, Duke of Saxony, who later became emperor. They besieged Damascus, but just as the city was about to be taken, they were forced to abandon the siege, reportedly due to the Knights Templar, who were said to have accepted money from Nur ad-Din. In the same year, the city of Lisbon was captured.
MCLXVI. Rex Ludovicus, cum regina Alienor et cum proceribus regni Francorum, profectus est Ierosolymam, et dux Saxonum Frethericus postea imperator; et Damascum obsiderunt. Sed jam cum capienda esset civitas, ab obsidione remoti sunt per fratres Templi, ut dicitur, qui pecuniam a Noradino acceperant. Civitas Ulixisbona capta est.
In 1148 Renaud Count of Torrene (age 40) was killed during the Second Crusade.
On 29th June 1149 Raymond Poitiers (age 34) was beheaded at the Battle of Inab.
On 21st March 1152 the marriage of Louis VII King of the Franks (age 32) and Eleanor of Aquitaine Queen Consort Franks and England (age 30) was dissolved by Hugh Toucy Archbishop of Sens at the Château de Beaugency on the grounds of consanguinity. Both Louis and Eleanor were present as were the Archbishops of Rouen and Bordeaux. Samson Mauvoison Archbishop of Reims acted on behalf of Eleanor. In dissolving the marriage Louis lost control of the Duchy of Aquitaine which was to have far reaching consequences for the next three centuries.
After 21st March 1152 Theobald "Good" Blois V Count Blois (age 22) attempted to abduct Eleanor of Aquitaine Queen Consort Franks and England (age 30) from Blois. She fled in the middle of the night taking a barge to Tours.
Around 26th March 1152 Geoffrey Plantagenet Count Nantes (age 17) attempted to abduct Eleanor of Aquitaine Queen Consort Franks and England (age 30) from Port de Piles, Vienne where she intended to cross the River Creuse. Once again Eleanor escaped.
Flowers of History by Roger of Wendover 1152. 21st March 1152. The same year, Louis king of France was divorced from his queen Eleanor; for they were connected with one another in the fourth degree of consanguinity.
William of Worcester's Chronicle of England
William of Worcester, born around 1415, and died around 1482 was secretary to John Fastolf, the renowned soldier of the Hundred Years War, during which time he collected documents, letters, and wrote a record of events. Following their return to England in 1440 William was witness to major events. Twice in his chronicle he uses the first person: 1. when writing about the murder of Thomas, 7th Baron Scales, in 1460, he writes '… and I saw him lying naked in the cemetery near the porch of the church of St. Mary Overie in Southwark …' and 2. describing King Edward IV's entry into London in 1461 he writes '… proclaimed that all the people themselves were to recognize and acknowledge Edward as king. I was present and heard this, and immediately went down with them into the city'. William’s Chronicle is rich in detail. It is the source of much information about the Wars of the Roses, including the term 'Diabolical Marriage' to describe the marriage of Queen Elizabeth Woodville’s brother John’s marriage to Katherine, Dowager Duchess of Norfolk, he aged twenty, she sixty-five or more, and the story about a paper crown being placed in mockery on the severed head of Richard, 3rd Duke of York.
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Chronica Majora by Matthew Paris. 21st March 1152. In the same year, the divorce between Louis, King of France, and Queen Eleanor was celebrated during Lent. At the same time, the earls and barons of England swore fealty and allegiance to Eustace, the son of King Stephen. Louis and Eleanor were related in the fourth degree of consanguinity; moreover, Eleanor was accused of adultery, even with an unbeliever, one said to be of the devil's lineage.
Eodem anno celebratum est divortinm inter Lodowicum regem Francorum et Alienor reginam susm, in Quadragesima in qua comites et barones Angliæ fecerunt ligantiam et fidelitatem Eustachio filio regis Stephani; erant enim consanguinei in quarto gradu; præterea diffamata est de [ad]ulterio, etiam cum infideli, et qui genere fuit diaboli.
Images of Histories by Ralph Diceto. 21st March 1152. The divorce was finalized between the King of France and Queen Eleanor.
Celebratum est divortium inter regem Francorum et reginam Alienor.
Annals of Waverley. [21st March 1152] A quarrel having arisen between King Louis of France and his wife Eleanor, a gathering of religious persons was held during Lent at Beaugency. There, with an oath taken before archbishops and bishops affirming that they were related by blood, they were separated by the authority of the Church.
Orta simultate inter regem Francorum Ludovicum ct uxorem ejus Alienor, congregatis religiosis personis in Quadragesimam apud Balgenceium, dato sacramcnto coram archiepiscopis et episcopis quod consanguine essent, separati sunt auctoritate Christianitatis.
Chronicum Anglicanum by Ralph Coggeshall. Not long after, King Louis repudiated his wife, Eleanor1, citing their consanguinity as the reason.
Nec multo post rex Ludovicus repudiavit Alienoridem conjugem suam, linea consanguinitatis inter eos jurata.
Note 1. King Louis and Eleanor of Aquitaine's marriage was annulled on 21st March 1152. Louis and Eleanor Aquitaine were third cousins once-removed. Their common ancestors were King Robert II of France and Queen Constance of Arles.
On 18th May 1152 Whit Sunday King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England (age 19) and Eleanor of Aquitaine Queen Consort Franks and England (age 30) were married at Poitiers Cathedral [Map]. They were more closely related than Eleanor and her previous husband Louis VII King of the Franks (age 32). The marriage would bring the Kingdom of England, and the Duchies of Normandy and Aquitaine under the control of King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England. She the daughter of William "Saint" Poitiers X Duke Aquitaine and Aenor Chatellerault Duchess Aquitaine. He the son of Geoffrey Plantagenet Duke Normandy and Empress Matilda (age 50). They were half third cousins. He a grandson of King Henry I "Beauclerc" England.
Flowers of History by Roger of Wendover 1152. 18th May 1152. Henry duke of Normandy married queen Eleanor, divorced the year before from king Louis, by which marriage, in addition to his duchy of Normandy and county of Anjou, he acquired the duchy of Aquitaiiie and county of Poictou. When king Louis heard of this, he was greatly incensed against duke Henry, for he had two daughters already by the aforesaid Eleanor, who would be disinherited if she should bear a son by any other husband.
Chronicum Anglicanum by Ralph Coggeshall. Without delay, Henry, Duke of Normandy, took Eleanor as his wife1, along with the County of Aquitaine.
... quam sine mora Henricus dux Normanniæ accepit in uxorem cum comitatu Aquitaniæ.
Note 1. King Henry and Eleanor of Aquitaine were married on the 18th May 1152; they were half-third cousins. Despite her earlier marriage to Louis having been annulled on the basis of consanguinity Henry and Eleanor were more closely related than Louis and Eleanor.
Annals of Waverley. 18th May 1152. In the same year, around Pentecost, Henry, Duke of Normandy, married Eleanor, Countess of Poitou, whom King Louis had shortly before dismissed due to consanguinity. When King Louis heard of this, he was deeply angered at the duke. He had two daughters by Eleanor and did not want her to bear sons by another, lest his daughters be disinherited by Eleanor's new offspring ...
Eodem anno circa Pentecosten Henricus dux Normannorum duxit Alienor comitissam Pictavensem, quam paulo ante rex Ludowicus propter consanguinitatem dimiserat. Quo audito rex Ludovicus commotus est contra eundem ducem. Habebat autem duas filias de ca, et non volebat ut aliquo ilia filios exciperet, unde prjjedictas filial exhæredarentur ...
Jean de Waurin's Chronicle of England Volume 6 Books 3-6: The Wars of the Roses
Jean de Waurin was a French Chronicler, from the Artois region, who was born around 1400, and died around 1474. Waurin’s Chronicle of England, Volume 6, covering the period 1450 to 1471, from which we have selected and translated Chapters relating to the Wars of the Roses, provides a vivid, original, contemporary description of key events some of which he witnessed first-hand, some of which he was told by the key people involved with whom Waurin had a personal relationship.
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Chronica Majora by Matthew Paris. 18th May 1152. In the year of our Lord 1152, Henry, Duke of Normandy, took as his wife Eleanor, formerly Queen of the Franks, whom King Louis had dismissed the previous year on account of consanguinity and the aforementioned reasons. Thus, Henry became Duke of Aquitaine and Count of Poitou, who had already been Duke of Normandy and Count of Anjou.
Anno Domini MCLI. Dux Normannorum Henricus duxit Alienor quondam [Francorum] reginam, quam Lodowicus rex anno præterito propter consanguinitatem et propter prætactas causas dimiserat, et sic factus est dux Aquitanniæ et comes Pictaviæ, qui prius fuerat dux Normannorum et consul Andegavorum.
Images of Histories by Ralph Diceto. 18th May 1152. Henry took as his wife Eleanor, the widow of the King of France. Aquitaine abounds in the wealth of all things.
Henricus relictam regis Francorum Alienor duxit uxorem. Aquitannia rerum affluit opulentiis.
Before January 1153 King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England (age 19) visited his mother Empress Matilda (age 50) in Rouen, France [Map] to seek funds for his impending invasion of England.
In January 1153 King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England (age 19) sailed from Barfleur to England, arriving the next day, with a fleet of twenty-six ships, and an army, to bring King Stephen I England (age 59) submit to Henry's authority.
In July 1153 King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England (age 20) arrived at Wallingford Castle [Map] to relieve the siege that King Stephen I England (age 59) had commenced in 1152.
On 17th August 1153 King Stephen's eldest son Eustace Blois IV Count Boulogne (age 23) died at Bury St Edmunds [Map]. Probably from food poisoning, possibly murdered for having sacked the Abbey. His brother William (age 16) succeeded I Count Boulogne.
Around August 1153 King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England (age 20) and King Stephen I England (age 59) agreed the Treaty of Wallingford aka Winchester aka Westminster by which King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England would inherit the throne on the death of King Stephen I England. The Treaty was ratified by Archbishop Theobald of Bec (age 63) at Westminster [Map] in Christmas 1153.
Around March 1154 King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England (age 20) returned to Rouen, France [Map] and met with his mother Empress Matilda (age 52), and his brothers. Eleanor of Aquitaine Queen Consort Franks and England (age 32) joined them to celebrate Easter with their first son William Plantagenet IX Count Poitiers who met his father for the first time aged around eight months.
In 1154 Louis VII King of the Franks (age 34) and Constance of Castile Queen of the Franks (age 14) were married in Orléans. She by marriage Queen of the Franks. Somewhat curiously they were more closely related than Louis and his first wife Eleanor of Aquitaine (age 32) whose marriage had been annulled on account of consanguinity. The difference in their ages was 20 years. She the daughter of Alfonso VII King Castile VII King Leon (age 48) and Berenguela Barcelona Queen Consort Castile and Leon. He the son of Louis VI King of the Franks and Adelaide Savoy Queen Consort France. They were second cousins.
On 19th December 1154 King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England (age 21) was crowned II King of England at Westminster Abbey [Map]. Eleanor of Aquitaine Queen Consort Franks and England (age 32) was crowned Queen Consort England. Archbishop Theobald of Bec (age 64) presided.
Croyland Chronicle 1154. In the year from the Incarnation of our Lord, 1155, Henry the Second, duke of Normandy, was crowned by Theobald, archbishop of Canterbury, on the seventeenth day before the calends of January [16th December 1154].
Flowers of History by Roger of Wendover 1154. On the 7th of December he landed in England, and was received with much joy, both by the clergy and the laity, and on the 19th of December [1154], being the Sunday next before Christmas day, he was saluted king with universal acclamation, and crowned at Westminster by Theobald archbishop of Canterbury, in the presence of the archbishops, bishops, and barons of both England and Normandy. As soon as he was made king, he began to resume possession of the cities, castles, and towns which belonged to the crown, to destroy the rebellious castles, to expel the foreigners, and principally Flemings, from the kingdom, and to depose the pseudo-earls, on whom Stephen had lavishly bestowed almost all the proceeds of his exchequer.
Jean de Waurin's Chronicle of England Volume 6 Books 3-6: The Wars of the Roses
Jean de Waurin was a French Chronicler, from the Artois region, who was born around 1400, and died around 1474. Waurin’s Chronicle of England, Volume 6, covering the period 1450 to 1471, from which we have selected and translated Chapters relating to the Wars of the Roses, provides a vivid, original, contemporary description of key events some of which he witnessed first-hand, some of which he was told by the key people involved with whom Waurin had a personal relationship.
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Annals of Oseney by Thomas Wykes. 1155. Duke Henry, having heard of the death of King Stephen, immediately came from Normandy into England; and, being honorably received by the clergy and the people, he was solemnly crowned at Westminster by Theobald, then archbishop of Canterbury, on the fourteenth day before the Kalends of July [19th December 1154]. In the same year Pope Anastasius died, and was succeeded by Nicholas, an Englishman by birth, born at St Albans.
MCLV. Dux Henricus audita morte regis Stephani statim de Normannia venit in Angliam, et honorifice susceptus a clero et populo, solemniter coronatus est apud Westmonasterium a Theobaldo tune Cantuariensi archiepiscopo xiv. kal. Julii. Eodem anno obiit Anastasius Papa; cui successit Nicolaus natione Anglicus, natus apud Sanctum Albanum.
Chronicum Anglicanum by Ralph Coggeshall. He was succeeded in the kingdom by Henry, the son of the Empress, duke of Normandy and count of Aquitaine and Anjou. He was consecrated king at Westminster by Archbishop Theobald in the same year, on the Sunday before Christmas [19th December 1154]. From his wife Eleanor he begot four sons: William, who died in childhood; Henry, who became king; Richard of Poitou, who also became king; Geoffrey, count of Brittany; and John, king, formerly count of Gloucester and Mortain. He also had by her three daughters: one was given in marriage to William, king of Sicily; another to the king of "Little Spain"1; the third to Henry, duke of Saxony, who later, rebelling against his uncle the emperor Frederick, lost his duchy, though his son afterward recovered it.
Cui successit in regnum Henricus filius imperatricis, dux Normanniæ et comes Aquitaniæ et Andegaviæ; consecratusque est in regem apud Westmonasterium a Theobaldo archiepiscopo eodem anno, Dominica ante Natale Domini. Qui ex Alienoride conjuge sua genuit quatuor filios, videlicet Willelmum, qui in puerili ætate mortuus est, Henricum regem, Ricardum Pictavinum et regem, Galfridum comitem Britonum, Johannem regem, prius comitem Gloecestriæ, et Moretanniæ. Habuit etiam ex ea tres filias, quarum una tradita est Willelmo regi Siciliæ, alia regi Petit Hispaniæ, tertia Henrico duci Saxoniæ, qui dux postmodum rebellans contra imperatorem Frethericum avunculum suum, ducatum amisit; sed filius ejus postea recuperavit.
Note 1. Eleanor, 1161-1214, who married Alfonso, King of Castile.
Annals of Tewkesbury. 1154. Pope Anastasius died. Adrian of England succeeded him. King Stephen of England died on the 31st of October, and in December, Henry, Duke of Normandy, was consecrated as king [19th December 1154]. Bishop William of York died, and Roger, the archdeacon, succeeded him.
MCLIV. Anastasius Papa obiit. Successit Adrianus Anglicus. Obiit Stephanus rex Angliæ ii. kal. Novembris, et in Decembri Henricus dux Normanniæ consecratur in regem. Obiit Willelmus episcopus Eboraci. Successit Rogerus archidiaconus.
Chronicle of Gervase of Canterbury. After gathering together his companions whom the sea had dispersed, he came to Winchester, and there received the oaths of loyalty of the nobles who flocked to him. Then he made for London, to be crowned on the Sunday immediately before the Nativity of the Lord. Accordingly, on the sixteenth day before the Kalends of January1 [17th December 1154], Henry, son of the Empress Matilda, was crowned king by Theobald, archbishop of Canterbury, primate of all England and legate of the Apostolic See, at Westminster, with two archbishops, fourteen bishops, counts and barons both English and overseas, and an innumerable multitude of the people standing by and taking part. Queen Eleanor also, repudiated by King Louis of France, was crowned together with him.
Congregatis vero quos mare disperserat sociis, Wintoniam pervenit, ibique confluentium ad se principum fidelitates accepit. Deinde Londoniam petiit, proxima Dominica ante Nativitatem Domini coronandus. Igitur sextodecimo kalendas Januarii coronatus est rex Henricus filius Matildis imperatricis a Theodbaldo Cantuariensi archiepiscopo totius Angliæ primate et apostolicæ sedis legato, apud Westmonasterium, astantibus et cooperantibus archiepiscopis duobus, episcopis xiiii, comitibus et baronibus [Anglicanis et] transmarinis, et innumera multitudine plebis. Regina quoque Alianor, a rege Francorum Lodovico repudiata, cum ipso coronata est.
Note 1. The 'the Sunday immediately before the Nativity of the Lord' is the 19th December 1154.
Chronicle of John Brompton King Henry II. This King Henry, son of Geoffrey, count of Anjou, and of the Empress Matilda, in the year mentioned above, coming from Normandy into England, was consecrated king of England at Westminster on the feast day of Saint Leodegar1 or, according to some, on the fourteenth day before the Kalends of January [19th December 1154], on a Sunday, as has been stated above. And this Henry was called Henry the Second. In that same year Thomas Becket of London was made archdeacon of Canterbury and chancellor of the king.
Iste rex Henricus filius Galfridi Comitis Andegaviæ & Matildis imperatricis, anno quo supra de Normannia in Angliam veniens, die sancti Leodegarii vel secundum quosdam xiv. kal. Januarii die Dominico apud Westmonasterium in regem Angliæ ut præmittitur consecratur. Et iste Henricus dictus est Henricus secundus. Quo anno Thomas Beket de Londonia Cantuariensis archdiaconus factus est Regis Cancellarius.
Note 1. The Feast Day of St Leodegar is 2nd October.
Annals of Margam. 1154. King Stephen died on the 25th of October, and Henry the Second succeeded to the throne, crowned on the 19th of December.
MCLIV. Stephanus rex obiit viii. kal. Novembris, et Henricus secundus successit in regnum, coronatus xiv. kal. Januarii.
On 10th January 1156 King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England (age 22) crossed from Dover, Kent [Map] to Wissant [Map]. Richard "The Loyal" Lucy (age 67) was appointed Regent in Henry's absence. Eleanor of Aquitaine Queen Consort Franks and England (age 34) was placed in the care of Archbishop Theobald of Bec (age 66) and Bishop John of Salisbury (age 38). Her party included her sister Petronilla Poitiers (age 31).
On 5th February 1156 King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England (age 22) paid homage to Louis VII King of the Franks (age 36) for his lands in Normandy [Map], Anjou and Aquitaine.
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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Before 29th August 1156 King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England (age 23) and Eleanor of Aquitaine Queen Consort Franks and England (age 34) were reunited in Saumur [Map].
On 13th November 1160 Louis VII King of the Franks (age 40) and Adèle Queen of the Franks were married a month or so after his second wife (deceased) had died in childbirth; Louis needed an heir. She by marriage Queen of the Franks. She the daughter of Theobald Blois II Count Champagne IV Count Blois and Matilda Carinthia Countess Champagne and Blois. He the son of Louis VI King of the Franks and Adelaide Savoy Queen Consort France. They were third cousin once removed. She a great granddaughter of King William "Conqueror" I of England.
In October 1161 King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England (age 28) and Louis VII King of the Franks (age 41) met at Fréteval [Map] and made peace.