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Coronation Chair, Westminster Abbey
The chair was commissioned in 1296 by King Edward I to contain the coronation stone of Scotland — known as the Stone of Scone — which he had captured from the Scots who had kept it at Scone Abbey. The...
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Eulogy for Edward III
"This King Edward was of surpassing goodness, and very full of grace even by comparison with all the worthy men of the world: for by his virtue and the grace given to him by God, he surpassed and shone...
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What It Means To Remember: Or, Why I Do Genealogy
Florence Mary Wiltse 1905-1957Big Moose Lake, New York, 1950Descendant of kings, fishermen, and farmers What does it mean to remember? It is to live in more than one world, to prevent the past from...
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Geoffrey V of Anjou
Founder of the House of "Plantagenet"This surname comes from the Latin, "planta genista." Dynasty founder Geoffrey V, count of Anjou [1113-1151], had, according to tradition, the habit of wearing a...
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Will of Henry II of England, 1133-1189
Henry, by the grace of God, King of England, Duke of Normandy and Aquitaine, Count of Anjou, to King Henry, to Richard, Geoffrey, and John, my sons, to Archbishops, Bishops, Abbots, Archdeacons, Deans,...
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Matilda (Maud) the Empress, 1102-1167
To Thomas [Becket] archbishop of Canterbury, Matilda the empress. 1165.My lord Pope sent to me, enjoining me, for the remission of my sins, to interfere to renew peace and concord between you and the...
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Description of Henry II
Peter of Blois: Description of Henry II, 1177 To Walter, by the grace of God archbishop of Palermo, once associate, now lord and dearest friend in Christ, Peter of Blois sends greeting and wished...
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Last Testament of Joan, "Fair Maid of Kent," 1328-1385
Beauty is as perennial as the grass, and just as transitory...Joan of Kent [1328-1385], commonly called the "Fair Maid of Kent," was the daughter of Edmund of Woodstock, earl of Kent, the latter who...
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Coronation of Edward II, 25 February 1308
Example of a 14th-century coronationThe Oath:The archbishop of Canterbury put the questions before the king was crowned; and, after he had given his oral responses, he personally swore on the altar...
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Household Ordinance of Edward II, 1318
Here's a fascinating glimpse into the daily comings and goings of the king's household. This ordinance (here considerably abridged) was drawn up at Edward's request by the steward, the chamberlain, the...
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Henry III's Elephant
Matthew Paris, c1255. Parker Library, Corpus Christi College, Cambridge, UKAn African elephant arrived at Whitsand, on the coast of England, in late November 1254, a gift from the king of France, Louis...
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The Lady Margaret Holand and the Poet's Muse
The tomb of the Lady Margaret Holand (1385-1439) and her two husbands, John Beaufort, duke of Somerset (d. 1410) to her left and on her right, Thomas, duke of Clarence (d. 1421). This Canterbury tomb...
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Elizabeth de Burgh, Lady of Clare
Pictured: Caerphilly Castle, South Wales, seat of the Clare family in Wales. Built 1270 by Gilbert de Clare, son-in-law of Edward I and father of Elizabeth de Burgh, the castle became the inheritance...
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Thomas, Lord Berkeley (1353-1417)
Image credit: Nigel SaulMonumental brass (1392) of Thomas, Lord Berkeley and his wife, Margaret Lisle. Purbeck marble tomb chest in the north aisle of the church of St. Mary the Virgin,...
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A Mother's Lament: Alienor of Aquitaine, 1122-1204
Alienor with her son, John "Lackland" (Chapelle Sainte Radegonde de Poitiers)Alienor, queen of England, widow of Henry II, to Pope Celestine III (1193):To the reverend Father and Lord Celestine, by the...
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The Murder of Thomas of Woodstock, 1397
Thomas of Woodstock, duke of Gloucester:“Orgueilleux & presompteux de maniere” **Proud and presumptuous of manner [J. Froissart, Chronicles]Beginnings Thomas, 1st Duke of Gloucester, was born 7...
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Richard of York Anticipates a Crown, 1460
Richard Plantagenet (1411-1460), duke of York and regal hopeful, son of the disgraced Richard of Conisbrough and grandson of Edmund of Langley, was also a lineal descendant of Lionel of Clarence...
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The Body of a Prince: Edmund of Langley, 1st Duke of York, 1341-1402
By his will, dated 25th November 1400, Edmund of Langley directed his interment in the Church of the Friary of Langley, near the remains of Isabel, his first consort, who had died in 1392. The tomb of...
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Richard II, Dining with the Dukes of York, Gloucester and Ireland. Circa 1386
Clockwise:Edmund of Langley, uncle of the King, created 1st Duke of York in 1385Thomas of Woodstock, another uncle of the King, created Duke of Gloucester about that same timeRichard IIRobert de Vere,...
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The Lady and the Unicorn
"The Lady and the Unicorn" (French: La Dame à la licorne), also called the Tapestry Cycle, is the title of a series of six Flemish tapestries depicting the senses. They are estimated to have been woven...
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A Letter to Their Father, from the Sons of Richard, Duke of York
Ludlow Castle in Shropshire. Residence of the family of Richard, Duke of York [1411-1460]. The stairs in the foreground lead to the Great Hall.Edward the Fourth when Earl of Marche, and his brother...
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The Last Days of Queen Isabella (c1295-1358)
Isabella returns to England from FranceThe following account of the final days of Isabella is taken from John Timbs, “Nooks and corners of English life, past and present,”Second edition, London (1867):...
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The penalty of poaching the King’s deerorThe Fine of the White HartKing Henry III coming to hunt in a forest (since called White Hart) in Dorsetshire, took several deer. Finding a most beautiful and...
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The Reburial of Richard IIIBy now, many of you are undoubtedly aware that human remains found buried underneath a car park last September in the city of Leicester, England have been confirmed this week...
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The Last Will of Lionel, Duke of Clarence (1338-1368)
Illustrated from the tomb of Edward IIIFirst duke of Clarence, second surviving son of Edward III. Rumored to have been poisoned, it is more likely that Lionel died as a result of too much good...
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