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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Biography of Gilbert de Clare 8th Earl Gloucester 7th Earl Hertford 1291-1314

Paternal Family Tree: Norman

Maternal Family Tree: Etienette Countess Provence and Arles

1266 Dictum of Kenilworth

1307 Marriage of Piers Gaveston and Margaret de Clare

1308 de Clare and de Burgh Double Marriage

1311 Council of Ordainers

1314 Battle of Bannockburn

Dictum of Kenilworth

On 31st October 1266 the Dictum of Kenilworth was issued. The Dictum was a peace agreement between King Henry III of England [aged 59] and the rebels who were besieged in the impregnable Kenilworth Castle [Map]. The committee included: Bishop Walter Branscombe [aged 46], Archbishop Walter Giffard [aged 41], Bishop Nicholas Ely, Gilbert de Clare 8th Earl Gloucester 7th Earl Hertford, Humphrey Bohun 2nd Earl Hereford 1st Earl Essex [aged 62], Philip Basset [aged 82], John Balliol [aged 58], Robert Walerand, Alan Zouche [aged 63], Roger Somery 2nd Baron Dudley [aged 76], and Warin Bassingbourne.

Robert Ferrers 6th Earl of Derby [aged 27] and Henry Hastings [aged 31] were fined seven times their annual income. The Dictum, however, required the rebels to pay their fines before being restored to their lands; something of a Catch-22 since if they weren't restored to their lands, they would have no income to pay the fine.

On 2nd May 1290 [his father] Gilbert "Red Earl" Clare 7th Earl Gloucester 6th Earl Hertford [aged 46] and [his mother] Joan of Acre Countess Gloucester and Hertford [aged 18] were married at Clerkenwell [Map]. She by marriage Countess Gloucester, Countess Hertford. The difference in their ages was 28 years. She the daughter of [his grandfather] King Edward I of England [aged 50] and [his grandmother] Eleanor of Castile Queen Consort England [aged 49]. He the son of Richard de Clare 6th Earl Gloucester 5th Earl Hertford and Maud Lacy Countess Gloucester and Hertford. They were half fifth cousins. He a great x 4 grandson of King Henry I "Beauclerc" England.

Arounnd 10th May 1291 Gilbert de Clare 8th Earl Gloucester 7th Earl Hertford was born to [his father] Gilbert "Red Earl" Clare 7th Earl Gloucester 6th Earl Hertford [aged 47] and [his mother] Joan of Acre Countess Gloucester and Hertford [aged 19]. He a grandson of King Edward I of England.

On 7th December 1295 [his father] Gilbert "Red Earl" Clare 7th Earl Gloucester 6th Earl Hertford [aged 52] died at Monmouth Castle [Map]. He buried at Tewkesbury Abbey [Map]. His son Gilbert [aged 4] succeeded 8th Earl Gloucester, 7th Earl Hertford, 8th Lord Clare, 4th Lord Glamorgan.

In January 1297 [his step-father] Ralph Monthermer 1st Earl of Gloucester and Hertford [aged 27] and [his mother] Joan of Acre Countess Gloucester and Hertford [aged 24] were married in secret greatly offending her father [his grandfather] King Edward I of England [aged 57] who had been planning to marry her to Amadeus V "Great" Savoy [aged 47] in March. Ralph Monthermer 1st Earl of Gloucester and Hertford was imprisoned at Bristol Castle, Gloucestershire [Map]; he was released in August 1297. She the daughter of King Edward I of England and [his grandmother] Eleanor of Castile Queen Consort England.

In August 1297 [his step-father] Ralph Monthermer 1st Earl of Gloucester and Hertford [aged 27] was created 1st Earl Gloucester, 1st Earl Hertford. There is some uncertainty as to whether these creations existed, or were created for life only, since they do appear to have been inherited, or whether there is confusion around his having been married to [his mother] Joan of Acre Countess Gloucester and Hertford [aged 25], the widow of the seventh Earl of the first creation [his father] Gilbert "Red Earl" Clare 7th Earl Gloucester 6th Earl Hertford.

After 1302 [his half-sister] Joan Clare Countess Fife [deceased] died.

After 14th July 1306 [his brother-in-law] Hugh "Younger" Despencer 1st Baron Despencer [aged 20] and [his sister] Eleanor Clare Baroness Zouche Mortimer [aged 13] were married. She the daughter of [his father] Gilbert "Red Earl" Clare 7th Earl Gloucester 6th Earl Hertford and [his mother] Joan of Acre Countess Gloucester and Hertford [aged 34]. He the son of Hugh "Elder" Despencer 1st Earl Winchester [aged 45] and Isabella Beauchamp. They were third cousin once removed. He a great x 5 grandson of King Henry I "Beauclerc" England. She a granddaughter of King Edward I of England.

On 23rd April 1307 [his mother] Joan of Acre Countess Gloucester and Hertford [aged 35] died at Clare, Suffolk [Map].

Marriage of Piers Gaveston and Margaret de Clare

On 2nd November 1307 [his brother-in-law] Piers Gaveston 1st Earl Cornwall [aged 23] and [his sister] Margaret Clare Countess Gloucester were married. Arranged by [his uncle] King Edward II of England [aged 23]. Margaret Clare Countess Gloucester grand-daughter of Edward I through his daughter [his mother] Joan and, as such, significantly higher than Gaveston in the nobility. She the daughter of [his father] Gilbert "Red Earl" Clare 7th Earl Gloucester 6th Earl Hertford and Joan of Acre Countess Gloucester and Hertford.

de Clare and de Burgh Double Marriage

On 29th September 1308 (possibly 30th) in a Siblings Marriage de Clare siblings married de Burgh siblings at Waltham Abbey, Essex [Map] in the presence of King Edward II of England [aged 24].

John Burgh [aged 22] and Elizabeth Clare Lady Verdun [aged 13] were married. She the daughter of Gilbert "Red Earl" Clare 7th Earl Gloucester 6th Earl Hertford and Joan of Acre Countess Gloucester and Hertford. He the son of Richard "Red Earl" Burgh 2nd Earl of Ulster [aged 49] and Margaret Burgh Countess Ulster. They were sixth cousins. She a granddaughter of King Edward I of England.

Gilbert de Clare 8th Earl Gloucester 7th Earl Hertford [aged 17] and Matilda Burgh Countess Gloucester and Hertford [aged 20] were married. She by marriage Countess Gloucester, Countess Hertford. She the daughter of Richard "Red Earl" Burgh 2nd Earl of Ulster and Margaret Burgh Countess Ulster. He the son of Gilbert "Red Earl" Clare 7th Earl Gloucester 6th Earl Hertford and Joan of Acre Countess Gloucester and Hertford. They were sixth cousins. He a grandson of King Edward I of England.

Adam Murimuth's Continuation and Robert of Avesbury’s 'The Wonderful Deeds of King Edward III'

This volume brings together two of the most important contemporary chronicles for the reign of Edward III and the opening phases of the Hundred Years’ War. Written in Latin by English clerical observers, these texts provide a vivid and authoritative window into the political, diplomatic, and military history of fourteenth-century England and its continental ambitions. Adam Murimuth Continuatio's Chronicarum continues an earlier chronicle into the mid-fourteenth century, offering concise but valuable notices on royal policy, foreign relations, and ecclesiastical affairs. Its annalistic structure makes it especially useful for establishing chronology and tracing the development of events year by year. Complementing it, Robert of Avesbury’s De gestis mirabilibus regis Edwardi tertii is a rich documentary chronicle preserving letters, treaties, and official records alongside narrative passages. It is an indispensable source for understanding Edward III’s claim to the French crown, the conduct of war, and the mechanisms of medieval diplomacy. Together, these works offer scholars, students, and enthusiasts a reliable and unembellished account of a transformative period in English and European history. Essential for anyone interested in medieval chronicles, the Hundred Years’ War, or the reign of Edward III.

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Close Rolls Edward II 1307-1313. On 16th January 1310 [his uncle] King Edward II of England [aged 25]. Stamford [Map]. To the Sheriff of York. Order to proclaim that the king does not intend to change the money current in the Kingdom in the late King's time, as had been rumoured, and to forbid anyone from thinking little of it, whereby victuals and other necessaries may be sold more dearly.

The like to all the Sheriffs of England [Ibid].

Enrolment of deed of [his brother-in-law] Peter de Gavaston [aged 26], knight, surrendering to the king the castle, manor, and honour of Knaresborough [Map], with the free chase of Knaresborough, and the manors of Routheclyve and Auldburgh, lately granted to him by the King for his lifetime. Witnesses: Gilbert de Clare 8th Earl Gloucester 7th Earl Hertford [aged 18], Henry Lacy 4th Earl Lincoln, Earl Salisbury [aged 59], John Warenne 7th Earl of Surrey [aged 23], John de Brittania, Earl of Richmond, Hugh "Elder" Despencer 1st Earl Winchester [aged 48], Henry Percy 9th and 1st Baron Percy [aged 36], Robert son of Walter, Robert son of Payn, William de Burford, William Inge. Dated at Stamford [Map] July 26, 3 Edward II.

Enrolment of like surrender by the said Peter of the county of Gaure and the castles of Talanon, Tantalon, and Mauleon, the provostships (preposituras) and Camparian(um) called 'la Cointal' and of the city of Bayonne, the manor of Erebafaveyra, Born, Comtad, Salmun, Dagenes, and the island of Oleron, and the lands of Marempne and of Lancras in Saintogne, and all rights, appurtenances, etc., etc., thereto pertaining to the king, which the king lately granted him for life. Witnesses as above. Dated August 4, 3 Edward II.

Memorandum, that this deed was delivered to the king in his chamber in the House of the Friars Preachers, Stamford [Map] at Stamford, by the hands of the said Peter and the king delivered the said deed to J his chancellor, to be enrolled in the chancery, and it was afterwards delivered to Ingelard de Warle, keeper of the King's Wardrobe to be kept in the king's wardrobe, but the king's charters that the said Peter hereof were not then restored.[CONTINUES].

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Council of Ordainers

Around 19th March 1311 the nobility attempt to constrain [his uncle] King Edward II of England [aged 26] by imposing a Council of Ordainers upon him. The Council included twenty-one signatories including:

Guy Beauchamp 10th Earl Warwick [aged 39].

Robert Clifford 1st Baron Clifford [aged 36].

Thomas Plantagenet 2nd Earl of Leicester, 2nd Earl Lancaster, Earl of Salisbury and Lincoln [aged 33].

Gilbert de Clare 8th Earl Gloucester 7th Earl Hertford [aged 19].

Henry Lacy 4th Earl Lincoln, Earl Salisbury.

John Capet 4th Earl Richmond [aged 45].

William Marshal 1st Baron Marshal [aged 33], and.

Aymer de Valence 2nd Earl Pembroke [aged 36].

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On 3rd November 1311 [his brother-in-law] Piers Gaveston 1st Earl Cornwall [aged 27] exiled by "The New Ordinances", a series of regulations imposed upon King Edward II by the peerage and clergy of the Kingdom of England to restrict the power of the English monarch. The twenty-one signatories, consisting of eight earls, seven bishops and six barons, of the Ordinances are referred to as the Lords Ordainers:

Earls:

John Capet 4th Earl Richmond [aged 45]

Henry Lacy 4th Earl Lincoln, Earl Salisbury

Guy Beauchamp 10th Earl Warwick [aged 39]

Gilbert de Clare 8th Earl Gloucester 7th Earl Hertford [aged 20]

Aymer de Valence 2nd Earl Pembroke [aged 36]

Bishops:

Archbishop Robert Winchelsey [aged 66]

Barons:

Hugh de Vere 1st Baron Vere [aged 54]

Hugh Courtenay, Baron of Okehampton [aged 35].

William Marshal 1st Baron Marshal [aged 34]

Robert Clifford 1st Baron Clifford [aged 37]

Article 20 describes at length the offences committed by Gaveston; he was once more condemned to exile and was to abjure the realm by 1 November.

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On 16th August 1312 Thomas Fitzgerald 2nd Earl of Kildare and [his sister-in-law] Joan Burgh Countess Kildare [aged 12] were married at Greencastle, County Down. She by marriage Countess Kildare. She the daughter of [his father-in-law] Richard "Red Earl" Burgh 2nd Earl of Ulster [aged 53] and Margaret Burgh Countess Ulster. He the son of John Fitzgerald 1st Earl of Kildare [aged 62] and Blanche La Roche Countess Kildare [aged 57].

Before 23rd June 1314 Usk Castle, Monmouthshire [Map] was held by Gilbert de Clare 8th Earl Gloucester 7th Earl Hertford [aged 23].

Battle of Bannockburn

On 24th June 1314 the Scottish army of King Robert the Bruce I of Scotland [aged 39] including, James "Black" Douglas [aged 28], heavily defeated the English army led by [his uncle] King Edward II of England [aged 30] at the Battle of Bannockburn.

Gilbert de Clare 8th Earl Gloucester 7th Earl Hertford [aged 23] was killed. Earl Gloucester, Earl Hertford extinct.

John Comyn 4th Lord Baddenoch [aged 20], Robert Felton 1st Baron Felton [aged 44] and William Vesci were killed.

William Marshal 1st Baron Marshal [aged 36] was killed. His son John [aged 22] succeeded 2nd Baron Marshal.

Robert Clifford 1st Baron Clifford [aged 40] was killed. His son Roger [aged 14] succeeded 2nd Baron de Clifford.

John Lovell 2nd Baron Lovel [aged 25] was killed. His son John succeeded 3rd Baron Lovel of Titchmarsh.

Henry Bohun was killed by King Robert the Bruce I of Scotland. He was buried in Llanthony Secunda Priory, Gloucestershire [Map].

Walter Fauconberg 2nd Baron Fauconberg [aged 50] possilby died although his death is also reported as being on 31 Dec 1318.

Bartholomew Badlesmere 1st Baron Badlesmere [aged 38], Humphrey Bohun 4th Earl Hereford 3rd Earl Essex [aged 38], Goronwy ap Tudur Hen Tudor, Henry Beaumont Earl Buchan [aged 35], Aymer de Valence 2nd Earl Pembroke [aged 39] and Robert Umfraville 8th Earl Angus [aged 37] fought.

Pain Tiptoft 1st Baron Tibetot [aged 34] was killed. His son John succeeded 2nd Baron Tibetot.

John Montfort 2nd Baron Montfort [aged 23] was killed. Peter Montfort 3rd Baron Montfort [aged 23] succeeded 3rd Baron Montfort.

Thomas Grey [aged 34] undertook a suicidal charge that contributed to the English defeat and subsequently blemished his career.

William Latimer 2nd Baron Latimer of Corby [aged 38] was captured.

Michael Poynings [aged 44] was killed.

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Adam Murimuth Continuation. In this year of our Lord 1314, though the reckoning had changed, on the feast of the Nativity of Saint John the Baptist [24th June], a great battle was fought near Stirling between the king of England with his army and the Scots. In it the earl of Gloucester, Gilbert [aged 23], was killed, and many others on the king's side; the earl of Hereford [aged 38] was captured, along with many other nobles; and the king of England and others scarcely escaped.

Hoc anno Domini MCCCXIIII, mutato tamen, in festo Nativitatis sancti Johannis baptistæ, fuit magnum prœlium prope Strivelyn inter regem Anglie et exercitum suum et Scotos; in quo fuit occisus comes Gloucestriæ, Gilbertus, et multi alii de parte regis, et comes Herefordiæ captus, et multi alii nobiles, et rex Angliæ et ali vix evaserunt.

In 1320 [his former wife] Matilda Burgh Countess Gloucester and Hertford [aged 32] died.

Gilbert de Clare 8th Earl Gloucester 7th Earl Hertford 1291-1314 appears on the following Descendants Family Trees:

Royal Ancestors of Gilbert de Clare 8th Earl Gloucester 7th Earl Hertford 1291-1314

Kings Wessex: Great x 8 Grand Son of King Edmund "Ironside" I of England

Kings England: Grand Son of King Edward I of England

Kings Scotland: Great x 7 Grand Son of King Duncan I of Scotland

Kings Franks: Great x 14 Grand Son of Charles "Charlemagne aka Great" King of the Franks King Lombardy Holy Roman Emperor

Kings France: Great x 9 Grand Son of Hugh I King of the Franks

Kings Duke Aquitaine: Great x 12 Grand Son of Ranulf I Duke Aquitaine

Ancestors of Gilbert de Clare 8th Earl Gloucester 7th Earl Hertford 1291-1314

Great x 4 Grandfather: Richard de Clare

Great x 3 Grandfather: Roger Clare 2nd Earl Hertford

Great x 4 Grandmother: Alice Gernon

Great x 2 Grandfather: Richard Clare 3rd Earl Hertford

Great x 3 Grandmother: Maud St Hilary Countess Hertford

Great x 1 Grandfather: Gilbert Clare 5th Earl Gloucester 4th Earl Hertford 2 x Great Grand Son of King Henry I "Beauclerc" England

Great x 4 Grandfather: Robert Normandy 1st Earl Gloucester Son of King Henry I "Beauclerc" England

Great x 3 Grandfather: William Fitzrobert 2nd Earl Gloucester Grand Son of King Henry I "Beauclerc" England

Great x 4 Grandmother: Mabel Fitzhamon Countess Gloucester

Great x 2 Grandmother: Amice Fitzrobert Countess Hertford Great Grand Daughter of King Henry I "Beauclerc" England

Great x 4 Grandfather: Robert Beaumont 2nd Earl of Leicester

Great x 3 Grandmother: Hawise Beaumont Countess Gloucester

Great x 4 Grandmother: Amice Gael Countess Leicester

GrandFather: Richard de Clare 6th Earl Gloucester 5th Earl Hertford 3 x Great Grand Son of King Henry I "Beauclerc" England

Great x 4 Grandfather: Gilbert Giffard

Great x 3 Grandfather: John Fitzgilbert

Great x 2 Grandfather: William Marshal 1st Earl Pembroke

Great x 3 Grandmother: Sybil of Salisbury

Great x 4 Grandmother: Sybilla Chaworth Baroness Chitterne

Great x 1 Grandmother: Isabel Marshal Countess Cornwall, Gloucester and Hertford

Great x 2 Grandmother: Isabel Clare Countess Pembroke

Great x 4 Grandfather: Diarmait Macmurrough

Great x 3 Grandmother: Aoife ni Diarmait Macmurrough Countess Pembroke and Buckingham

Father: Gilbert "Red Earl" Clare 7th Earl Gloucester 6th Earl Hertford 4 x Great Grand Son of King Henry I "Beauclerc" England

Great x 3 Grandfather: John Fitzrichard 6th Baron Halton

Great x 4 Grandmother: Albreda Lissours

Great x 2 Grandfather: Roger Lacy 6th Baron Pontefract 7th Baron Halton

Great x 4 Grandfather: Ralph Essex

Great x 3 Grandmother: Alice Essex

Great x 4 Grandmother: Alice Vere Baroness Warkworth

Great x 1 Grandfather: John Lacy Earl Lincoln

Great x 2 Grandmother: Maud Clere Baroness Lacy Baroness Warkworth

GrandMother: Maud Lacy Countess Gloucester and Hertford 4 x Great Grand Daughter of King Henry I "Beauclerc" England

Great x 4 Grandfather: Robert Quincy

Great x 3 Grandfather: Saer Quincy 1st Earl Winchester

Great x 2 Grandfather: Robert Quincy Earl Lincoln

Great x 1 Grandmother: Margaret Quincy 3rd Countess Lincoln and Pembroke 3 x Great Grand Daughter of King Henry I "Beauclerc" England

Great x 4 Grandfather: Ranulf Gernon 4th Earl Chester

Great x 3 Grandfather: Hugh de Kevelioc Gernon 5th Earl Chester Great Grand Son of King Henry I "Beauclerc" England

Great x 4 Grandmother: Matilda Fitzrobert Countess Chester Grand Daughter of King Henry I "Beauclerc" England

Great x 2 Grandmother: Hawise Gernon 2nd Countess Lincoln 2 x Great Grand Daughter of King Henry I "Beauclerc" England

Great x 3 Grandmother: Bertrade Montfort Countess Chester

Great x 4 Grandmother: Mathilde Unknown Countess Évreux

Gilbert de Clare 8th Earl Gloucester 7th Earl Hertford Grand Son of King Edward I of England

Great x 4 Grandfather: Geoffrey Plantagenet Duke Normandy

Great x 3 Grandfather: King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England Grand Son of King Henry I "Beauclerc" England

Great x 4 Grandmother: Empress Matilda Daughter of King Henry I "Beauclerc" England

Great x 2 Grandfather: King John of England Son of King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England

Great x 3 Grandmother: Eleanor of Aquitaine Queen Consort Franks and England

Great x 4 Grandmother: Aenor Chatellerault Duchess Aquitaine

Great x 1 Grandfather: King Henry III of England Son of King John of England

Great x 2 Grandmother: Isabella of Angoulême Queen Consort England

Great x 4 Grandfather: Peter Courtenay

Great x 3 Grandmother: Alice Courtenay Countess Angoulême

Great x 4 Grandmother: Elizabeth Courtenay

GrandFather: King Edward I of England Son of King Henry III of England

Great x 4 Grandfather: Alfonso II King Aragon

Great x 3 Grandfather: Alfonso Barcelona II Count Provence

Great x 4 Grandmother: Sancha Ivrea Queen Consort Aragon

Great x 2 Grandfather: Raymond IV Count Provence

Great x 4 Grandfather: Rainou of Sabran

Great x 3 Grandmother: Gersenda II Sabran Countess Provence

Great x 1 Grandmother: Eleanor of Provence Queen Consort England

Great x 4 Grandfather: Humbert Savoy III Count Savoy

Great x 3 Grandfather: Thomas Savoy I Count Savoy

Great x 4 Grandmother: Beatrice Macon Countess Savoy

Great x 2 Grandmother: Beatrice Savoy Countess Provence

Great x 4 Grandfather: William I Count Geneva

Great x 3 Grandmother: Margaret Geneva Countess Savoy

Mother: Joan of Acre Countess Gloucester and Hertford Daughter of King Edward I of England

Great x 2 Grandfather: Alfonso IX King Leon

Great x 1 Grandfather: Ferdinand III King Castile III King Leon Great Grand Son of King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England

Great x 4 Grandfather: Sancho III King Castile

Great x 3 Grandfather: Alfonso VIII King Castile

Great x 4 Grandmother: Blanche Ramirez Queen Consort Castile

Great x 2 Grandmother: Berengaria Ivrea I Queen Castile Grand Daughter of King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England

Great x 4 Grandfather: King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England Grand Son of King Henry I "Beauclerc" England

Great x 3 Grandmother: Eleanor Plantagenet Queen Consort Castile Daughter of King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England

GrandMother: Eleanor of Castile Queen Consort England 2 x Great Grand Daughter of King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England

Great x 3 Grandfather: Alberic Dammartin

Great x 2 Grandfather: Simon Dammartin

Great x 3 Grandmother: Mathilde Clermont

Great x 4 Grandmother: Adelaide I Countess Vermandois

Great x 1 Grandmother: Joan Dammartin Queen Consort Castile and Leon

Great x 4 Grandfather: John Montgomery I Count Ponthieu

Great x 3 Grandfather: William Montgomery IV Count Ponthieu

Great x 4 Grandmother: Beatrice St Pol Countess Ponthieu

Great x 2 Grandmother: Marie Montgomery Countess Ponthieu

Great x 4 Grandfather: Louis VII King of the Franks

Great x 3 Grandmother: Alys Capet Countess Ponthieu