This data results from my personal research and is hopefully free from error. Please advise if you notice any mistakes.
The most ancient ancestor to whom I've been able to establish a link is Nicanor, King of Sicamber. He died about 169 BC. His lineage descends through Charlemagne to Hannah Lake to Frederick Larrabee (1760 - 1807).
Plantagenets
Henry IV 1366 - 1413
Henry IV was born at Bolingbroke in 1367 to John of Gaunt and Blanche of Lancaster. He married Mary Bohun in 1380, who bore him seven children before her death in 1394. In 1402, Henry remarried, taking as his bride Joan of Navarre. Henry was created Duke of Hereford in 1397. In 1398, however, the increasingly suspicious Richard banished him for ten years. John of Gaunt's death in 1399 prompted Richard to confiscate the vast Lancastrian estates; Henry invaded England while Richard was on campaign in Ireland, usurping the throne from the king.
The very nature of Henry's usurpation dictated the circumstances of his reign - incessant rebellion.
Two political blunders in the latter years of his reign diminished Henry's support. His marriage to Joan of Navarre (of whom it was rumored practiced necromancy) was highly unpopular - she was, in fact, convicted of witchcraft in 1419. Scrope and Thomas Mawbray were executed in 1405 after conspiring against Henry; the Archbishop's execution alarmed the English people, adding to his unpopularity. He developed a nasty skin disorder and epilepsy, persuading many that God was punishing the king for executing an archbishop. Henry, ailing from leprosy and epilepsy, watched as Prince Henry controlled the government for the last two years of his reign. In 1413, Henry died in the Jerusalem Chamber of Westminster Abbey. Henry left his eldest son an undisputed succession.
Phillippa Plantagenet 1360 - 1415
Queen of Portugal via marriage to John I'o Falso of Avis - King of Portugal. She died of the Plague. One of her sons was the noted Prince Henry the Navigator.
Henry "Cardinal" De Beaufort 1376 - 1447
Henry Beaufort was the grandson of King Edward III, being second son of John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster, by his mistress, Catherine Roet, the wife of Sir Hugh Swynford. He was born at Beaufort Castle in Anjou (France) around 1374, hence his surname. Henry's parents were eventually married some sixteen years later but, though his cousin, King Richard II, declared the four children of the union to be legitimate, they were barred from the Royal succession. Henry de Beaufort, I., Was made Cardinal and Lord Chancellor, Bishop of Lincoln 1397, Bishop of Winchester 1405, Cardinal of St. Eusebius 1426. This was the celebrated Cardinal Beaufort who crowned King Henry VI of France, in Paris, in 1431. He had a daughter Joan, by Alice, daughter of Richard Fitz-Alan, Earl of Arundel, Joan married Sir Edward Stradling, of Wales, which is the lineage connection to the Appelmans and Larrabees. Henry de Beaufort died April 11. 1447, and is buried in Winchester.
John "Of Gaunt" Plantagenet 1339 - 1397
John is our link to the Plantagenet 'dynasty' of English Royals. Fourth son of Edward III of England. He married (1359) Blance, heiress of Lancaster, and thru her became Earl (1361) and Duke (1362) of Lancaster. Lancaster holdings made him wealthiest and one of most influential nobles in England. Served under his brother (Edward the Black Prince) in the Hundred Years War and went (1367) on his campaign to aid Peter the Cruel of Castile. In 1396, John of Gaunt married Catherine Swynford, many years his mistress and had his children by her (under the name of Beaufort) declared legitimate. He died soon after the kind had exiled his eldest son (the duke of Hereford - later Henry IV, first of the royal line of Lancaster. John is also remembered as the patron of the poet Geoffrey Chaucer.
Edward III Plantagenet 1312 - 1377
Reigned 1327 - 1377. Tall - handsome - generous. Entertained on lavish scale. Won resounding battles over French on sea (Battle of Sluys) and land (Battle of Crecy). He gained huge tracts of territory and treated captured kings (David of Scotland and John of France) as honoured guests. His son/heir, the Black Prince, won a tremendous victory over the French at Poitiers. The French gradually regained much of the land he had taken; the Black Death brought economic disasters; the heir (the Black Prince) died in mid-life; and Edward became prematurely senile and a victim of his harpy mistress, Alice Perrers (lady in waiting to Queen Philippa), who stripped him of his jewels as he lay on his deathbed. His marriage to Philippa of Hainault was fruitful with 7 sons and 5 daughters.
Edward II Plantagenet 1284 - 1327
Reigned 1307 - 1327. He was 23 when he assumed the throne and was openly gay. Initially, with the "insufferably vain and grasping Piers Gaveston" and later (after the barons - finally having enough of the public kissing and embracing - trapped Gaveston and "ran him through with swords and decapitated him.") with a father/son duo, the Dispensers. Still, he married the child bride Isabella and had 4 children. Eventually, he pushed his wife too far - she forced him to abdicate and eventually was murdered by having a red hot poker thrust up his anus. During his reign, Scotland asserted its independence by inflicting a resounding defeat upon Edward at the Battle of Bannockburn in 1314. (He was one of the later personages in Mel Gibson's movie "Braveheart.")
Isabella's father was King Philippe IV of France.
Edward I "Longshanks" Plantagenet 1239 - 1367
Reigned 1272 - 1307. Before he became king, he enjoyed an adventurous time in the Holy Land, travelling with his Spanish wife, who nursed him back to health after an assassin's attack. Edward and Eleanor of Castile formed a great partnership. Nicknamed "Longshanks" due to his height and stature. Most successful of the medieval monarchs. He made great strides in reforming government, consolidating territory, and defining foreign policy. At times unscrupulously aggressive, ruled with general welfare of his subjects in mind. In 1296, Edward invaded Scotland and defeated Scots under Baliol who abdicated. Scottish barons did homage to Edward. William Wallace incited rebellion in 1297, defeated English army Stirling, and harassed England's northern counties. Edward defeated Wallace at Battle of Falkirk (1298) but encountered continued resistance until Wallaces' capture and execution in 1304. Robert Bruce, grandson to a claimant to the throne in 1290, instigated another revolt in 1306 and would ultimately defeat Edward II at Banncockburn. Edward's campaigns in Scotland were ruthless and aroused in the Scots a hatred of England that would endure for generations. (His Scottish campaigns were the theme of Mel Gibson's movie "Braveheart.")
His wife, Eleanor Princess de Leon, on the way to join him while on a campaign in Scotland became ill and died in the little Nottinghamshire village of Harby. She had to be taken back to Westminster in stages - he ordered a beautiful memorial cross to be erected in each of the stopping places. The most famous is Charing Cross - the last stop before Westminster.
Henry III Plantagenet 1206 - 1272
Reign 1216 - 1272. Nine years old when crowned and had no interest or skill in making war - a peaceful and arts-loving king. Spent a lot of time enlarging and beautifying Westminster Abbey. When he asked for more money, the barons rebelled at his costly reign, so he was forced to sign a set of guide-lines called the Provisions of Oxford - he had to submit to a form of Parliament summoned by baron's ring leader, Simon de Montfort, Earl of Leicester.
John "Lackland" Plantagenet 1166 - 1216
Reign of 1199 to 1216. Reputed to have been treacherous, cruel, untrustworthy, greedy, lustful, unlucky. Gained the nickname "Lackland" since there was no territory to give him. He gained wealth by marrying a rich heiress. When he was king, he fell desperately in love with a 12 yearold, Isabella of Angouleme and ditched his first wife without qualm. Isabella gave him 5 children - he also had 5 bastards by various other mistresses.
Richard I (King at the time) was out of country a lot - Henry helped himself to whatever he could. Richard named John his successor even though a younger Nephew (Andrew) was closer in line. John imprisoned the 16 yo at the first opportunity. It was alleged that John murdered Andrew personally by tying a stone to him and throwing him into the river Seine. One noblewoman's wife was starved to death in Windsor Castle's dungeon for daring to suggest that John was responsible.
Wars with France lost John much of his territory in France: Normandy, Anjou, Poitou, Maine, Touraine. Quarrels with the Church led the Pope to excommunicate John. The Pope "gave" England to France - when the French forces landed to collect "their" kingdom, John abjectly surrendered the kingdom to the Pope, agreeing to hold England as his vassal.
He signed the Magna Carta in June of 1215.
Scots invaded deep into England. John could find no one to fight for him, so he imported mercenaries and travelled with all his treasure - not trusting to leave it anywhere. Carelessly, he lost most of it (including many many jewelry pieces of royal ancestors) in soggy marshes.
Note: Some of his "bad press" may not have been earned. Early historians were monks who may have maligned him due to differences with the Church. Modern historians are not so quick to condemn.
Richard I ("The Lionheart") 1157 - 1199
Reigned 1189 - 1199: One of the worst kings. He was in England for only a few months of his 10 year reign. He openly admitted he would have sold the whole of London if he had found a buyer.
He was a brilliant soldier. He was only 16 when he first campaigned with his brothers against his father, Henry II, in France. Encouraged by his mother, Eleanor, he continued to battle against his father, allying himself with King Philip of France. They eventually forced Henry to surrender.
After coronation, he went on his crusade to free the Holy Land from Turks under Saladin. Left with his gay friend Philip. They quarreled when they got to Sicily, partly because Richard refused to marry Philip's sister, Alys. Richard's mother turned up with an alternate marriage (Berengaria of Navarre) whom she brought from Spain.
He sent mother home, and took his fiancee on the crusade, still unmarried. They were married in Cyprus (after Richard conquered the island). She was crowned Queen of England and Cyprus.
After victories, but not able to conquer Jerusalem, he negotiated a peace with Saladin. He sent wife home choosing to travel home by land. He was captured by the Duke of Austria who sold him to Emperor Henry VI for 150,000 marks. Back in England, it took a quarter of every man's income for a whole year to raise the ransom.
He got home, but spent most of his time in France trying to recapture the lands his ex-friend Philip confiscated in his absence. His Queen never set foot in England again. They reconciled a bit but had no children.
Richard was shot in the shoulder by an archer during a seige of an insignificant little castle at Chalus in France. Gangrene set in. Richard pardoned the archer and then died. (Bertram - the archer - was flayed and hung anyway.)
Had one bastard son, but was largely homosexual. His principal gay lover was Phillip Augustus, King of France. One of Henry II's clerks wrote that they "ate at the same table, fed from the same plate, and at night the bed did not separate them."
Henry II Plantagenet 1132 - 1189
Reign 1154-1189. Came to throne with largest empire in Europe after acquiring lands of Anjou from his father and Aquitaine from his wife (Eleanore Princess Aquitaine). Always travelling to keep an eye on his territories, only in England 13 years out of his 34 year reign. Henry declared that the Church was subject to the law of the land, but Thomas Becket, Archbishop of Canterbury told him the Church was above it. The collision course was inevitable and Henry - with his temper - finally uttered the famous "Isn't there anyone who'll get rid of this wretched priest?" Four knights took the hint, galloped off to Canterbury, cracked open Becket's skull, and prised out his brains.
Becket thus made a martyr, Henry walked barefoot to Canterbury wearing nothing but a shirt, prayed, allowed himself to be flogged by 80 monks and all the bishops/abbots.
Kept a mistress in Woodstock in Oxfordshire named Rosamund Clifford, the "Fair Rosamund."
Only 2 of Henry's sons survived him - Richard and John. His son Henry was actually crowned (it was custom to crown the successor to ensure a smooth transition) and proved to be a great vexation. THere was a lot of friction, but Young Henry died of dysentery when he was 28.
Henry's other sons conspired against him towards the end of his life, helped by his wife Eleanor who eventually became enraged by Henry's mistress Rosamund. Henry put Eleanor under house arrest for 16 years - she was released on his death.
Geoffrey Plantagenet Count of Anjou 1113 - 1151
More significant than Geoffrey, was his wife Matilda (Maud) Empress of Germany. She "Reigned" Feb-Nov of 1141.
Matilda was - for a time - for all intents and purposes, Queen of England. She was never crowned, so she was given the title "Domina" or "Lady of the English."
Born in London and married to the Holy Roman Emperor Henry V at age 12. She learned German and went to live in Germany. Because of the marriage, she is often referred to as the "Empress Matilda." Her Emperor husband died in 1125 so she married again - this time to Geoffrey ('The Handsome'), Count of Anjou, by whom she had 3 sons - one became Henry II of England.
Although she was unpopular and never managed to became a true Queen of England, she was the mother of the Plantagenets, a dynasty that remained in power for 350 years ending only with the Tudor victory at the Battle of Bosworth.
Other Royals
Edmund "Crouchback" King of England 1243 - 1296
The Lancaster House of royal family of England - The line was founded by the second son of HENRY III, Edmund Crouchback, 1245-96, who became earl of Lancaster in 1267. His nickname Crouchback, or crossed back, refers to the fact that he went on crusade and was entitled to wear the cross.
Philippe IV King France 1268 - 1314
Father of Isabella, wife of Edward II
Margaret Queen Scotland 1240 - 1273
Fernando III King of Castile/Leon ("The Saint") 1201 - 1252
Father of Eleanor, wife of Edward I
Philippe III King France 1245 - 1285
Eleanore Princess of Aquitaine 1121 - 1204
Wife of Henry II - brought up in South of France where poetry and arts were more sophisticated. She was beautiful and very rich. She had been Queen of France and, when her husband King Louis went to the Holy Land on 2nd Crusade, she went as well and led a special "ladies" crusade. Louis went home, but Eleanor stayed for a passionate love affair with her uncle as well as a young Saracen emir. She was 12 years older than Henry when they met, but she quickly divorced Louis (boring .. dull) and married Henry 6 weeks later. She was 5 months pregnant. Two years later, they were crowned. Eventually, the marriage fell apart - especially as their sons grew up. She sided with them against their father, so Henry imprisoned her in Winchester for the last 16 years of his life. She was 67 when Henry died and she could be released. Her favorite son - Richard the Lionheart - was now king. He was mostly gone, so Eleanor virtually ran the country passing popular laws, pardoning prisoners, etc. Richard was being held ransom in Europe, but she raised the huge sum (everyone in England a quarter of a year's pay).
Henry I "Beauclerc" King 1068 - 1135
Reign: 1100 - 1135. His brother - Robert Curthose - was the rightful claiment to the throne. But he was out of country when Henry took the royal castle and treasury claiming to be the rightful heir. He knew he would have to face Robert - so he worked to settle himself firmly on the throne. He married Princess Matilda of Scotland (pleasing the Scots and Saxon English). Re-established laws of William the Conqueror, repealed unpopular laws of King Rufus, got rid of undesirable nobles, and recalled Anselm, Archbishop of Canterbury. He holds the royal record for illegitimate children. He had 3 legitimate kids but many mistresses (about 12) and about 21 bastards. He was reportedly a good parent to all. One bastard daughter became Queen of Scotland on marrying Alexander I King of the Scots, another married Rotrou, Count of Perchie; another married Conan III, Duke of Brittany. Bastard Robert became Earl of Gloucester and Rainald became Earl of Cornwall.
His 2 legitimate sons were drowned - both aboard a brand-new ship called "The White Ship" sailing back to England separately from their father. A large cargo of wine was onboard so the princes, passengers, and sailors were drunk. On its maiden voyage, the "White Ship" struck a rock and sank with only one survivor out of 300 (a butcher named Berold).
His wife the Scottish Matilda had already died, so he married Adela of Louvain, deperate for a male heir. He was 53, she was 18. No heir came, so he made plans to hand the throne to his daughter, Matilda, upon his death.
William I "The Conqueror" of Normandie 1024 - 1087
Reign: 1066 - 1087. Illegitimate son of Robert the Devil, Duke of Normandy and Arlette, the teenage daughter of a local tanner in Falaise, France. Arlette reared William. Robert went on a pilgramage never to return, so Williams became Duke of Normandy when 7 or 8 years old. He married his cousin Matilda of Flanders and had 4 sons and 5 daughters. He was actually faithful to her.
On a visit to England in 1051, Edward the Confessor, King, supposedly told William that he would make him his heir. William invaded England and won the day in the Battle of Hastings, 1066. William was crowned King on Christmas Day of 1066 ending the Saxon rule of Alfred the Great and his successors.
Towards the end of his rule, he encountered rebellions of his eldest son Robert. Matilda, his wife, actually supported Robert against her husband. She finally retired to Normandy, where she died.
While "quarrelling with King Philip of France (who had taunted William for being so fat - a trait he acquired in later years), William was marching on Paris. After devasting the little town of Mantes beside the River Seine, his horse reared (hot coals) and threw William on the iron handle of his saddle. It took 6 weeks of pain for him to die from the internal injuries.
Malcolm III "Longneck" King of Scotland 1033 - 1093
Succeeded Macbeth as King of Scotland - makes the final speech in Shakespeare's Play.
Duncan I King Scotland 1013 - 1040
Killed by Macbeth
Hugh Capet King of France 939 - 996
King of France (987-96), first of the Capetians. He was the son of Hugh the Great, to whose vast territories he succeeded in 956. After the death of Louis V, last Carolingian king of France, the nobles and prelates elected him king, setting aside the last Carolingian claimant, Charles I of Lower Lorraine. In order to secure the succession, Hugh took as his associate his son Robert (later King Robert II); he gave away much of his land to secure the dynasty. He spent much of his reign fighting Charles and later became involved in a controversy with the papacy-unsettled at his death-over deposition of the Carolingian archbishop of Reims.
Yaroslav I "The Wise" - Grand Duke of Kiev: 980 - 1054
Vladimir I "The Great" - Grand Duke of Kiev: 960 - 1015
Olaf III "Skotkonung" Eriksson - King of Sweden: Abt 950 - 1022. Wife Astrid, Princess of the Obotrites (born Abt 979)
Erik VIII "Victorious" Bjornsson - King of Sweden: Abt 930 - 994. Wife Swietoslava, Queen of Sweden, Norway, Denmark. (born Abt 970) Her ancestors are are royals from Poland (Mieszko I and Ziemonmysl Prince of Poland) and Bohemia (Dbubravka, Princess and Boleslav I, Duke).
Bjorn "The Old" Eriksson - King Sweden: Abt 867 - Abt 950
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Henry The Fowler 876 - 936
Emperor of Germany
Charles III 879 - 929
Charles III (Holy Roman Empire), called The Fat (839-888), Holy Roman Emperor (881-887), king of the East Franks, or Germans (876-887), and as Charles II, King of the West Franks, or French (884-887). He was the son of Emperor Louis II and the great-grandson of Charlemagne. Charles was deposed from his thrones in 887 by his nephew, Arnulf, Duke of Karnten (Corinthia). His Deposition marked the dissolution of the Frankish Empire.
Louis II 843 - 879
King of France ("The Stammerer") Louis II (Holy Roman Empire), Holy Roman Emperor (855-875) and king of Italy (844-875), the eldest son of Holy Roman Emperor Lothair I. Louis was coemperor with his father from 850 to 855, when he became sole emperor, but his authority was in fact confined to his Italian kingdom. Although he was successful in some campaigns against the Saracen invaders of Italy, he was constricted by the jealousies of local Italian princes. He acquired much of Provence on the death of his brother Charles, but he was a weak ruler and his empire declined.
Charles II 823 - 877
Charles II (Holy Roman Empire) called The Bald (823-877), Holy Roman Emperor (875-877), and, as Charles I, King of France, born in Frankfurt am Main, Germany. He was the 4th son of Holy Roman Emperor Louis I; his mother, Louis' second wife was Judith of Bavaria. Judith's determination to secure a kingdom for her only son led to civil war with Louis' other two surviving sons, Holy Roman Emperor Lothair I and King Louis II of Germany. The war ended with the signing of the treaty of Verdun in 843. Charles received the western portion of the empire. Charles was a weak ruler; the great nobles were rapidly becoming independent, and the Vikings pillaged the country without meeting much resistance from Charles who preferred to buy them off. When Louis II died in 875, Charles received the imperial crown though the favor of Pope John VIII. Charles was succeeded as king of France by his son, Louis II.
Louis I 778 - 840
Louis "The Pious" of Aquitaine. During Louis's reign, the imperial bureaucracy was given great uniformity. Louis saw the empire, above all, as a religious ideal, and in 816 the imperial coronation, originally a secular ceremony, was complemented by a religious ceremony, the anointment, at which the pope presided. At the same time Louis the Pious took steps to regulate the succession so as to maintain the unity of the empire (Ordinatio Imperii, 817). His oldest son, Lothair I, was to be sole heir to the empire, but within it three dependent kingdoms were maintained: Louis's younger sons, Pepin and Louis, received Aquitaine and Bavaria, respectively; his nephew Bernard was given Italy.
The remarriage of Louis the Pious to Judith of Bavaria and the birth of a fourth son, Charles II the Bald, upset this project. In spite of opposition from Lothair, who had the support of a unity faction drawn from the ranks of the clergy, the emperor's principal concern was to create a kingdom for Charles the Bald. These divergent interests led to conflicts that weakened imperial prestige (in 833, abandoned by his followers at the Field of Lies, Louis the Pious was forced to make public penance at the church of Notre-Dame at Compiègne). The question of Aquitaine arose at the death of Pepin I, ruler there since 814; the emperor gave this subordinate kingdom to Charles, but the magnates rose up and proclaimed Pepin II, the son of the dead king.
Charlemagne 742 - 813
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