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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Paternal Family Tree: Orange
Maternal Family Tree: Antoinette Polignac 1460
On 6th July 1551 [her father] William "The Silent" Orange Nassau I Prince Orange [aged 18] and Anna Egmond Princess Orange were married. She by marriage Princess Orange.
On 25th August 1561 [her father] William "The Silent" Orange Nassau I Prince Orange [aged 28] and [her step-mother] Anna of Saxony [aged 16] were married. She by marriage Princess Orange. They had two sons, one of which died in infancy, and three daughters.
On 24th June 1575 [her father] William "The Silent" Orange Nassau I Prince Orange [aged 42] and [her mother] Charlotte Bourbon Princess Orange [aged 28] were married. She by marriage Princess Orange.
On 31st March 1576 Electress Louise Juliana of the Palatine Rhine was born to [her father] William "The Silent" Orange Nassau I Prince Orange [aged 42] and [her mother] Charlotte Bourbon Princess Orange [aged 29].
On 5th May 1582 [her mother] Charlotte Bourbon Princess Orange [aged 35] died.
On 24th April 1583 [her father] William "The Silent" Orange Nassau I Prince Orange [aged 50] and Louise Coligny Princess Orange were married. She by marriage Princess Orange.
On 22nd October 1583 Louis VI Elector Palatine [aged 44] died. His son [her future husband] Frederick [aged 9] succeeded IV Elector Palatine Rhine.
On 10th July 1584 [her father] William "The Silent" Orange Nassau I Prince Orange [aged 51] died. His son [her half-brother] Philip [aged 29] succeeded William I Prince Orange.
Before 16th July 1594 Frederick IV Elector Palatine [aged 20] and Electress Louise Juliana of the Palatine Rhine [aged 18] were married. She by marriage Electress Palatine Rhine. He the son of Louis VI Elector Palatine.
On 16th July 1594 [her daughter] Luise Juliane Palatinate Simmern was born to [her husband] Frederick IV Elector Palatine [aged 20] and Electress Louise Juliana of the Palatine Rhine [aged 18].
On 10th June 1595 [her daughter] Katharina Sofie Palatinate Simmern was born to [her husband] Frederick IV Elector Palatine [aged 21] and Electress Louise Juliana of the Palatine Rhine [aged 19].
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 26th August 1596 [her son] Frederick Palatinate Simmern V Elector Palatine Rhine was born to [her husband] Frederick IV Elector Palatine [aged 22] and Electress Louise Juliana of the Palatine Rhine [aged 20]. He married 14th February 1613 his fourth cousin once removed Princess Elizabeth Stewart Queen Bohemia, daughter of King James I of England and Ireland and VI of Scotland and Anne of Denmark Queen Consort Scotland England and Ireland, and had issue.
After 1597 [her brother-in-law] Claude de La Tremoille 2nd Duke Thouars [aged 31] and [her sister] Charlotte Flandrina Orange Nassau [aged 17] were married. She by marriage Duchess Thouars. He the son of Louis III de La Tremoille 1st Duke Thouars and Jeanne Montmorency.
On 19th November 1597 [her daughter] Elisabeth Charlotte Palatinate Simmern was born to [her husband] Frederick IV Elector Palatine [aged 23] and Electress Louise Juliana of the Palatine Rhine [aged 21]. She married 1616 George William Hohenzollern and had issue.
On 4th January 1599 [her daughter] Anna Eleonore Palatinate Simmern was born to [her husband] Frederick IV Elector Palatine [aged 24] and Electress Louise Juliana of the Palatine Rhine [aged 22]. She died aged one in 1600.
On 5th August 1600 [her son] Louis William Palatinate Simmern VI Elector Palatine Rhine was born to [her husband] Frederick IV Elector Palatine [aged 26] and Electress Louise Juliana of the Palatine Rhine [aged 24]. He died aged less than one years old.
On 10th October 1600 [her son] Louis William Palatinate Simmern VI Elector Palatine Rhine died.
On 10th October 1600 [her daughter] Anna Eleonore Palatinate Simmern [aged 1] died .
On 18th September 1601 [her son] Maurice Christian Palatinate Simmern was born to [her husband] Frederick IV Elector Palatine [aged 27] and Electress Louise Juliana of the Palatine Rhine [aged 25]. He died aged three in 1605.
On 23rd November 1602 [her son] Louis Philip Palatinate Simmern was born to [her husband] Frederick IV Elector Palatine [aged 28] and Electress Louise Juliana of the Palatine Rhine [aged 26].
On 28th March 1605 [her son] Maurice Christian Palatinate Simmern [aged 3] died.
On 19th September 1610 [her husband] Frederick IV Elector Palatine [aged 36] died.
On 14th February 1613 Frederick Palatinate Simmern V Elector Palatine Rhine [aged 16] and Princess Elizabeth Stewart Queen Bohemia [aged 16] were married at Chapel Royal, Whitehall Palace. She the daughter of King James I of England and Ireland and VI of Scotland [aged 46] and Anne of Denmark Queen Consort Scotland England and Ireland [aged 38]. He the son of Frederick IV Elector Palatine and Electress Louise Juliana of the Palatine Rhine [aged 36]. They were fourth cousin once removed.
A grand occasion that saw more royalty than ever visit the court of England. The marriage was an enormously popular match and was the occasion for an outpouring of public affection with the ceremony described as "a wonder of ceremonial and magnificence even for that extravagant age".
It was celebrated with lavish and sophisticated festivities both in London and Heidelberg, including mass feasts and lavish furnishings that cost nearly £50,000, and nearly bankrupted King James. Among many celebratory writings of the events was John Donne's [aged 41] "Epithalamion, Or Marriage Song on the Lady Elizabeth, and Count Palatine being married on St Valentine's Day".
In 1616 [her son-in-law] George William Hohenzollern [aged 20] and Elisabeth Charlotte Palatinate Simmern [aged 18] were married. She the daughter of Frederick IV Elector Palatine and Electress Louise Juliana of the Palatine Rhine [aged 39].
On 28th June 1626 [her daughter] Katharina Sofie Palatinate Simmern [aged 31] died.
On 29th November 1632 [her son] Frederick Palatinate Simmern V Elector Palatine Rhine [aged 36] died.
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 16th April 1640 [her sister] Charlotte Flandrina Orange Nassau [aged 60] died.
On 28th April 1640 [her daughter] Luise Juliane Palatinate Simmern [aged 45] died.
On 15th March 1644 Electress Louise Juliana of the Palatine Rhine [aged 67] died.
Kings Wessex: Great x 16 Grand Daughter of King Edmund "Ironside" I of England
Kings Godwinson: Great x 15 Grand Daughter of King Harold II of England
Kings England: Great x 9 Grand Daughter of King Henry III of England
Kings Scotland: Great x 15 Grand Daughter of King Duncan I of Scotland
Kings Franks: Great x 21 Grand Daughter of Charles "Charlemagne aka Great" King of the Franks King Lombardy Holy Roman Emperor
Kings France: Great x 16 Grand Daughter of Hugh I King of the Franks
Kings Duke Aquitaine: Great x 19 Grand Daughter of Ranulf I Duke Aquitaine
Frederick Palatinate Simmern V Elector Palatine Rhine [1]
Frederick William "Great Elector" Hohenzollern Elector Brandenburg [1]
Charlotte Amalie Hesse-Kassel Queen Consort Denmark and Norway [1]
Marie Sophie Hesse-Kassel Queen Consort Denmark and Norway [2]
Queen Louise Hesse-Kassel of Denmark [2]
King Christian IX of Denmark [2]
Queen Sophia of Sweden and Norway [2]
Maria Christina of Austria Queen Consort Spain [2]
Victoria Mary Teck Queen Consort England [4]
GrandFather: William "The Rich" I Count of Nassau Dillenburg
Electress Louise Juliana of the Palatine Rhine 9 x Great Grand Daughter of King Henry III of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Jean Bourbon I Count La Marche 
5 x Great Grand Son of King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England
Great x 3 Grandfather: Louis Bourbon 1st Count Vendôme 1st Count Castres 6 x Great Grand Son of King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Catherine Vendome
Great x 2 Grandfather: John Bourbon VIII Count Vendôme 5 x Great Grand Son of King Henry III of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Guy Montfort Baron Laval
Great x 3 Grandmother: Jeanne Laval Countess Vendôme and Castres 4 x Great Grand Daughter of King Henry III of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Anne 13th de Laval Baroness Laval 3 x Great Grand Daughter of King Henry III of England
Great x 1 Grandfather: Louis Bourbon Prince of La Roche sur Yon 6 x Great Grand Son of King Henry III of England
Great x 2 Grandmother: Isabelle Beauvau Countess Vendôme
GrandFather: Louis Duke of Montpensier 7 x Great Grand Son of King Henry III of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: John Bourbon I Duke Bourbon 4 x Great Grand Son of King Henry III of England
Great x 3 Grandfather: Louis Bourbon 5 x Great Grand Son of King Henry III of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Marie Valois I Duchess Auverge 6 x Great Grand Daughter of King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England
Great x 2 Grandfather: Gilbert Bourbon Count of Monpensier 6 x Great Grand Son of King Henry III of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Bertrand V of La Tour
Great x 3 Grandmother: Gabrielle La Tour
Great x 4 Grandmother: Jacquette du Peschin Dame de Banassat
Great x 1 Grandmother: Louise Bourbon Duchess of Monpensier 7 x Great Grand Daughter of King Henry III of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Ludovico III Marquis of Mantua
Great x 3 Grandfather: Frederico Gonzaga Marquess Mantua
Great x 4 Grandmother: Barbara of Brandenburg Marquise of Mantua
Great x 2 Grandmother: Clara Gonzaga 9 x Great Grand Daughter of King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Albert Wittelsbach III Duke Bavaria 
7 x Great Grand Son of King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England
Great x 3 Grandmother: Margaret Wittelsbach 8 x Great Grand Daughter of King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Anna Brunswick Grubenhagen Duchess Bavaria 8 x Great Grand Daughter of King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England
Mother: Charlotte Bourbon Princess Orange 8 x Great Grand Daughter of King Henry III of England
Great x 1 Grandfather: Jean IV de Longwy Seigneur de Givry
GrandMother: Jacqueline de Longwy 8 x Great Grand Daughter of King Henry III of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Louis Valois I Duke Orléans 4 x Great Grand Son of King Henry III of England
Great x 3 Grandfather: John Valois Orléans 5 x Great Grand Son of King Henry III of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Valentina Visconti Duchess of Orleans 6 x Great Grand Daughter of King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England
Great x 2 Grandfather: Charles Valois Orléans Count Angoulême 6 x Great Grand Son of King Henry III of England
Great x 3 Grandmother: Marguerite Rohan
Great x 1 Grandmother: Jeanne Valois 7 x Great Grand Daughter of King Henry III of England
Great x 2 Grandmother: Antoinette Polignac