Genealogy and Family History

House of Montpellier and Family of Komnene

Branching from Marie of Montpellier (generation 30)
and from Eudokia Komnene (generation 31)

The line Seltzer-Estes-Bates-Fleming-Graham-Keith-Gordon/Seton-Stewart-Beaufort/Plantagenet-Hainault-Valois/Capet-Aragon-Komnene
35 generations back to 1100 in Monpellier (France)
and
36 generations back to 1000 in Constantinople

Includes King Edward III of England

Includes King Philip III of France, King Robert II of France

Includes Kings of Aragon and Navarre (Pamplona)

Includes Byzantine Emperors John II and Alexios I Komnenos

 
Links from names go to Wikipedia www.wikipedia.org or The Peerage www.thepeerage.com

1 Adela Rose Seltzer b. Nov. 9, 2007

1 Lila Pearl Seltzer b. May 27, 2010

daughters of

2 Robert Richard Hartley Seltzer b. July 29, 1975 md.  Aug. 10, 2002 in Boston, MA Stacey Denenberg b. July 18, 1976
2 Heather Katherine Hartley Seltzer b. August 13, 1977
2 Michael Richard Hartley Seltzer b. June 14, 1980
2 Timothy Richard Hartley Seltzer b. Oct. 5, 1989

children of

3 Richard Warren (8) Seltzer, Jr.  (b. Feb. 23 1946 Clarksville, TN) md. (1) July 28, 1973 Boston, MA Barbara Ann Hartley (1950-2012), md. (2) Sept. 27, 2015 Marilyn Lender (b. Aug. 22, 1945, NY, NY)

Richard = son of

4 Helen Estes b. Jan. 31, 1920 md. June 5, 1944 in Philadelphia, PA Richard Warren Seltzer, Sr. b. June 5, 1923

Helen = daughter of

5 Smith William Estes  ( June 17, 1881 - Dec. 20, 1943) md. in Philadelphia, PA  1905 May Griffith (1883-1930)

Smith = son of

6 Louis Powhatan Estes (Nov. 22, 1849 - Sept. 6, 1902) md. Oct. 30, 1875 Lily Yates Moore (May 13, 1853 - March 8, 1929) (daughter of S.W. Moore and Mary Yates)

Louis = son of

7 Albert Monroe Estes (Nov. 19, 1804 in Bedford County, VA - Dec. 22, 1863 in Haywood County, TN) md. Nov. 17, 1848 Mildred Colman (daughter of Dr. Benjamin Colman and Mildred Wharton of New Jersey) (c. 1823- Nov. 30, 1849)

Albert = son of

8 Sarah Langhorne Bates (1781- 1825 near Brownsville, Haywood County, TN)  md. Oct. 13, 1801 in Chesterfield County, VA Joel Estes (1780-1833) (son of Benjamin Estes and Cecelia Rebecca Thorpe)

Sarah = daughter of

9 Daniel Bates (July 6, 1756 - c. 1801) md. May 21, 1776in Chesterfield County, VA  Elizabeth Cary Bell ( b. about 1758 in Virginia, d. 1825 in Kentucky) daughter of David Bell and Judith Cary

Daniel = son of

10 James Bates (March 7, 1721 - Nov. 9, 1786) md. Nov. 11, 1746 in Goochland County, St. James Wortham parish, VA Winnifred Grymes or Grimes or Hix (b. Jan. 18, 1729 in Goochland)

James = son of

11 Susannah Tarleton Fleming md. about 1709 John Bates (1685-1723)

Susannah = daughter of

12 Charles Fleming (b. 1667) (of New Kent County, VA) md. Susannah Tarleton (d. 1687) (daughter of Stephen Tarleton)

According to "My Ancestors and Relatives": "Colonel Charles was born on December 10th, 1659 in Of Charles Parish, York Co., Va.  Colonel Charles' father was John FLEMMING and his mother was Mrs. Mercy Or Mary FLEMING.  His paternal grandparents were Captain Alexander FLEMING and Elizabeth (Elspet) ANDERSON. He had four brothers and a sister, named William, Alexander, John, Tarleton and Lydia.  He died at the age of 57 on October 7th, 1717 in St. Peter's Parish, New Kent, Va.

"Susanna was born in Of St. Peter's Parish, New Kent, Va.  Susanna's father was Stephen TARLETON and her mother is Susanna. She had a sister named Judith.  She died after October 7th, 1717 in St.peters Parish, New Kent.

"Colonel Charles and Susanna were married in a religious ceremony in New Kent, Virginia.  They had two sons and eight daughters, named Colonel John, Tarleton, Susannah, Elizabeth, Judith, Ursula, Anne, Grace, Anne and Sarah.

Charles = son of

13 John Fleming (b. 1627 Cumbarnauld, Lanarkshire, Scotland d. April 27, 1686 in New Kent County, VA, St. Peter's Parish Register)

Cary-Estes Genealogy p. 86 indicates that according to "Fleming Family" by Lyon G. Tyler, William and MaryQuarterly Vol. 12, 1093, pp. 45-47, "I think he was the father of Charles Fleming who md. Susannah ___.  She was probably a daughter of Stephen Tarleton."  John Fleming, 493 acres in New Kent County on south side of Yorke River 2 march 1661 per page 397 Parent Book No. 4.

According to "My Ancestors and Relatives": "John was born in 1627 in Cumbarnauld, Lanarkshire, Scotland.  John's father was Captain Alexander FLEMING and his mother was Elizabeth (Elspet) ANDERSON.  His paternal grandparents were John FLEMING and Margaret LIVINGSTON; his maternal grandparents are William ANDERSON and MRS. ANDERSON. He had a brother and two sisters, named John, Elizabeth and Alexia.  He died at the age of 59 on April 27th, 1686 in Charles Parish, York Co., Virginia.  His burial was on April 30th, 1686 in St. Peter's Parish, New Kent, Va.

"Mrs. Mercy or Mary was born about 1637 in Of Charles Parish, York Co., Va.  She died in , New Kent, Va.

"John and Mrs. Mercy or Mary were married in a religious ceremony in , , , England.  They had five sons and a daughter, named Colonel Charles, William, Alexander, John, Tarleton and Lydia."

John = son of

14 Alexander Fleming (b. 1612 Cumbernauld, Lanarkshire, Scotland d. Dec. 30, 1668 Rappahannock Co., VA) md. Elizabeth (AKA Elspet) Anderson (b. 1614, Glasgow, Lanarkshire, Scotland d. Oct. 6, 1656 Rappahannock Co., VA)

According to "My Ancestors and Relatives": "Captain Alexander was born about 1612 in Cumbernauld, Lanarkshire, Scotland.  Captain Alexander's father was John FLEMING and his mother was Margaret LIVINGSTON.  His paternal grandparents were John 1St Earl Wigton FLEMING and Lillias Lilias GRAHAM; his maternal grandfather was Alexander LIVINGSTON and his maternal grandmother is Eleanor Or Helen HAY. He had two brothers and six sisters, named John, William, Eleanor, Ann, Jean, Lilias, Helen and Margaret.  He died on December 30th, 1668 in , Rappahannock Co., Va.

"Elizabeth (Elspet) was born about 1614 in Of Glasgow, Lanarkshire, Scotland.  Elizabeth (Elspet)'s father is William ANDERSON and her mother is MRS. ANDERSON.  Her paternal grandfather is John ANDERSON.  She was an only child.  She died on October 6th, 1656 in , Rappahannock Co., Va.

"Captain Alexander and Elizabeth (Elspet) were married in a religious ceremony about 1632 in Scotland.  They had two sons and two daughters, named John, John, Elizabeth and Alexia."

Alexander = son of

15 John Fleming (b. Dec. 9, 1589 Kincardine, Perth, Scotland d. May 7 1650 Cumbernauld, Lanarkshire, Scotland) md. Margaret Livingston (b. about 1587 Callendar, Stirlingshire, Scotland d. 1634)  (Her line)

According to "My Ancestors and Relatives": "John was born on December 9th, 1589 in Kincardine, Perth, Scot. and his baptism took place on December 9th, 1589 in Kincardine, Perthshire, Scotland.  John's father was John 1St Earl Wigton FLEMING and his mother was Lillias Lilias GRAHAM.  His paternal grandparents were John Fleming EARL and Elizabeth ROSS; his maternal grandfather is John GRAHAM and his maternal grandmother was Jean DRUMMOND. He had four brothers and eight sisters, named James, Alexander, FLEMING, Malcolm, Jean, Jean, Anne, Margaret, Sarah, Lillias, Mary and Rachel.  He died at the age of 60 on May 7th, 1650 in Cumbernauld, Lanarkshire, Scotland.  His burial was in Scotland.

"Margaret was born about 1587 in Of, Callendar, Stirlingshire, Scotland.  Margaret's father was Alexander LIVINGSTON and her mother is Eleanor Or Helen HAY.  Her paternal grandfather was William LIVINGSTONE and her paternal grandmother is Agnes FLEMING. She had three brothers and a sister, named Alexander, John, James and Anna.  She died in  1634.

"John and Margaret were married in a religious ceremony on February 20th, 1609 in Scotland.  They had three sons and six daughters, named John, Captain Alexander, William, Eleanor, Ann, Jean, Lilias, Helen and Margaret.

John = son of

16 Lilias Graham md.  Lord John Fleming (1567-1619) 6th Lord Fleming,  first Earl of Wigton in Scotland from 1606 [His line]

The Cary Estes Geneaology p. 86 quotes "Biggar and the House of Fleming" by William Hunter, F.S.a. Scot. Pages 551-552, 557:

"Lord Fleming married Lady Lilias Graham, a daughter of John, Earl of Montrose.  Her ladyship was distinguished for her piety and devotion and her zealous efforts to promote the principles of the Reformation.  Livingstone, in his 'Characterisitcs' says of her, 'When I was a child I have often seen her at my father's at the preachings and communions.  While dressing she read the Bible, and every day at that time shed more tears (said one) than ever I did in my life.'"

"The Earl died in April 1619 leaving three sons and five daughters and was succeeded by his eldest son John who warmly embraced his mother's ecclesiastical opinions and was as zealous of the cause of Presbyterianism as his forefathers had been in the maintenance of Popery.

"He [the son, the Second Earl of Wigton] married Margaret, daughter of Alexander Livingstone, first Earl of Linlithgow, a lady of amiable disposition and great piety who entered cordially into the religious views and schemes of her husband.  They not only attended the ministrations of the settled Protestant clergy, but for some time maintained a chaplain of their own family." (page 552)

Lilias = daughter of

17 John Graham, third Earl of Montrose (1548-1608), Chancellor of the University of St. Andrews 1599-1604  md.  Joan Drummond  [Her line]

According to Wikipedia: "John Graham, 3rd Earl of Montrose (1548 – 9 November 1608) was a Scottish peer and Chancellor of the University of St Andrews from 1599 to 1604. He was a natural great-grandson of King James IV of Scotland, his maternal grandmother, Janet Fleming, being a royal bastard."

John = son of

18 Robert Graham md. Margaret Fleming d. 1547 [Her line]

Robert = son of

19  Lady Janet Keith md. William Graham, second Earl of Montrose (1492-1571) [His line]

Janet = daughter of

20  Lady Elizabeth or Eliza Gordon md. William Keith 2nd Earl Marischal

Eliza = daughter of

21 Annabella Stewart (1433-1471) md. George Gordon, Earl of Huntly (before 1455-1501), Chancellor of Scotland (1498-1501) [His line]

According to Wikipedia: "Annabella of Scotland (ca 1433 – after 1471) was the daughter of James I and Joan Beaufort. Her first husband was Louis of Savoy, Count of Geneva whom she married in 1447 on either April 1 or December 14. However, in the year 1458 they separated, divorced and the marriage was annulled upon the request of Charles VII of France. Annabella returned to Scotland and married George Gordon, 2nd Earl of Huntly. Notwithstanding this alliance, her ill fate pursued her, and she was legally divorced from her second husband by a sentence pronounced in the year 1471 which proceeded on the ground of consanguinity with his first wife, Elizabeth Dunbar, 8th Countess of Murray, as the two ladies were within the third and fourth degrees of relation."

According to Wikipedia: "George Gordon, 2nd Earl of Huntly (before 1455 – Stirling Castle, June 8, 1501) was Chancellor of Scotland from 1498-1501. He married Elizabeth Dunbar, widowed Countess of Moray, on 20 May 1445. There were no children from the marriage, and the two were married for only a short time before he obtained a divorce in order to marry Princess Annabella (born c. 1433), Annabella of Scotland the daughter of King James I. The couple had at least one daughter, though some sources list them as having as many as six children. The Earl obtained an annulment, on 24 July 1471, on the basis of Annabella of Scotland's relationship with George's first wife, Elizabeth Dunbar (consanguinity). He then married his mistress, Elizabeth Hay, on 12 May 1476. Gordon fought on the King's side against the Douglases during the Douglas rebellion and helped secure a defeat at the Battle of Brechin. The 2nd Earl completed the building work that his father begun in constructing Huntly Castle."

Annabella = daughter of

22  Joan Beaufort (1404-1445) md. 1424  King James I of Scotland (Stewart) (1394-1437) [His line]

According to Wikipedia: "Joan Beaufort (c. 1404 - 15 July 1445), was Queen Consort of the Kingdom of Scotland from 1424 to 1437, being married to James I of Scotland. She was a daughter of John Beaufort, 1st Earl of Somerset and Margaret Holland. Her paternal grandparents were John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster and his mistress and later third wife Katherine Swynford. Her maternal grandparents were Thomas Holland, 2nd Earl of Kent and Alice Fitzalan. Alice was a daughter of Richard FitzAlan, 10th Earl of Arundel and Eleanor of Lancaster. On 2 February 1424 at Southwark Cathedral, Joan married James I, shortly before he was formally crowned. They were feasted at Winchester Palace that year by her uncle Henry Cardinal Beaufort. She is said to have been the inspiration of James's famous long poem, The Kingis Quair. They had eight children, including the future James II, and Margaret of Scotland, wife of Louis XI of France. After James I was assassinated in 1437, she took over the regency for her son.

"Issue with James I of Scotland:
    * Margaret Stewart, Princess of Scotland (1424-1445) married Louis XI of France
    * Isabella Stewart, Princess of Scotland (1426-1494) married Francis I, Duke of Brittany
    * Mary of Scotland, Countess of Buchan died 1465 married Wolfart VI van Borsselen
    * Joan of Scotland, Countess of Morton (c. 1428-1486) married James Douglas, 1st Earl of Morton
    * Alexander Stewart, Duke of Rothesay (born and died 1430); Twin of James
    * James II of Scotland (1430-1460)
    * Annabella Stewart, Princess of Scotland married and divorced 1. Louis of Savoy, and then married and divorced 2. George Gordon, 2nd Earl of Huntly
    * Eleanor Stewart, Princess of Scotland (1433-1484) married Sigismund, Archduke of Austria."

According to Wikipedia: "James I (December 10, 1394 – February 21, 1437) was nominal King of Scots from April 4, 1406, and reigning King of Scots from May 1424 until February 21, 1437.

"Born on December 10, 1394, the son of Robert III and Annabella Drummond, he had an eventful childhood. In 1402 his elder brother, David, starved to death in prison at Falkland in Fife.

"Before the death of his father in 1406 the authorities sent James to France for safety. During his journey to France, the English captured the young prince and handed him over to Henry IV of England, who imprisoned him and demanded a ransom. Robert III allegedly died from grief over the capture of James. James's uncle, Robert Stewart, 1st Duke of Albany, who became Regent on the death of Robert III, showed no haste in paying for his nephew's release. Albany secured the release of his own son Murdoch, captured at the Battle of Homildon Hill, but not so with James. So for the next 18 years James remained a prisoner/hostage in England. Henry IV had the young Scots King imprisoned and educated in Windsor Castle and in secure large country houses near London. Scholars believe that during his captivity James wrote The Kingis Quair, an allegorical romance, one of the earliest major works of Scottish literature.

"After the death of James's uncle in 1420, the Scots finally paid the ransom of £40,000, and in 1424 James returned to Scotland to find a country in chaos. He took his bride with him – he had met and fallen in love with Joan Beaufort, a cousin of King Henry VI of England, while imprisoned. He married her in London in February 2, 1423. They had eight children."

Joan = daughter of

23 John Beaufort, first Earl of Someset (1371-1410) md. Margaret Holland (1385-1439) (daughter of Thomas Holland, 2nd Earl of Kent, who was the son of Joan "the Fair Maid of Kent", granddaughter of Edward I of England, wife of Edward the Black Prince and mother of Richard II of England) [Her line]

According to Wikipedia: "John Beaufort, 1st Earl of Somerset (1373 – March 16, 1410) was the first of the four illegitimate children of John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster, and his mistress Katherine Swynford, later his wife. Beaufort was born in about 1371 and his surname probably reflects his father's lordship of Beaufort in Champagne, France.

"The family emblem was the portcullis which is shown on the reverse of a modern British 1p coin. John of Gaunt had his nephew Richard II of England declare the Beaufort children legitimate in 1390, Gaunt married their mother in January 1396. Despite being the grandchildren of Edward III of England, and next in the line of succession after the Lancasters, their father's legitimate children, by agreement they were barred from the succession to the throne.

"n 1396, after his parents' marriage, John and his siblings were legitimated by a papal bull. Early the next year, their legitimation was recognized by an act of Parliament, and then, a few days later, John was created Earl of Somerset (February 10, 1397).[4]

"That summer the new Earl was one of the noblemen who helped Richard II free himself from the power of the Lords Appellant. As a reward on September 29 he was created Marquess of Dorset, and sometime later that year he was made a Knight of the Garter and appointed Lieutenant of Ireland. In addition, two days before his elevation as a Marquess he married the King's niece, Margaret Holland, sister of the 3rd earl of Kent, another of the counter-appellants.[4]

"He remained in the King's favour even after his half-brother Henry (later Henry IV) was banished. In February 1397 he was appointed Admiral of the Irish fleet, as well as constable of Dover and Warden of the Cinque Ports. In May his Admiralty was extended to include the northern fleet.

"After King Richard II was deposed by Henry Bolingbroke in 1399, the new king rescinded the titles that had been given to the counter-appellants, and thus John Beaufort became merely Earl of Somerset again. Nevertheless, he proved loyal to his half-brother's reign, serving in various military commands and on some important diplomatic missions. It was he who was given the confiscated estates of the Welsh rebel leader Owain Glyndwr in 1400, although Beaufort could not effectively come into these estates until after 1415. In 1404 he was Constable of England.

"Somerset and his wife Margaret Holland, the daughter of the Earl of Kent, had six children; his granddaughter Lady Margaret Beaufort married a descendant of Catherine of Valois by Owen Tudor, creating a powerful branch of the Lancastrian family and enabling Henry VII to claim the throne in spite of the agreement barring the Beaufort family from the succession.

"Somerset died in the Hospital of St. Katherine-by-the-Tower. He was buried in St. Michael's chapel in Canterbury Cathedral."

John = son of

24 John of Gaunt (Plantagenet), First Duke of Lancaster (1340-1399) md. Katherine Swynford (1350-1403) (daughter of Payne de Roet a Flemish herald from Hainault) [John was born before they were married]

Richard II was his nephew
King Henry IV was his son

According to Wikipedia: "John of Gaunt, 1st Duke of Lancaster (second creation), 1st Duke of Aquitaine (6 March 1340 – 3 February 1399) was a member of the House of Plantagenet, the third surviving son of King Edward III of England and Philippa of Hainault. He gained his name "John of Gaunt" because he was born in Ghent (in today's Belgium), then called Gaunt in English. John exercised great influence over the English throne during the minority reign of his nephew, Richard II, and during the ensuing periods of political strife, but did not openly associate with opponents of the King.

"John of Gaunt's legitimate male heirs, the Lancasters, included Kings Henry IV, Henry V, and Henry VI.

"John's legitimate descendants also included his daughters Philippa of Lancaster, Queen consort of John I of Portugal and mother of King Edward of Portugal, known as "Duarte" in Portuguese. John was also the father of Elizabeth, Duchess of Exeter, the mother of John Holland, 2nd Duke of Exeter through his first wife, Blanche; and by his second wife, Constance, John was the father of Katherine of Lancaster, Queen consort of Henry III of Castile, granddaughter of Peter of Castile and mother of John II of Castile.

"John of Gaunt fathered five children outside marriage, one early in life by one of his mother's ladies-in-waiting, and four, surnamed "Beaufort," by Katherine Swynford, Gaunt's long-term mistress and third wife. The four Beaufort children, three sons and a daughter, were legitimized by royal and papal decrees after John married Katherine in 1396. Descendants of the marriage to Katherine Swynford included their son Henry Beaufort, Bishop of Winchester and eventually Cardinal; their granddaughter Cecily Neville, mother to Kings Edward IV and Richard III; and their great-grandson Henry Tudor, who became King of England after the Battle of Bosworth Field in 1485 and established the House of Tudor.

"When John of Gaunt died in 1399, his estates were declared forfeit to the crown, as King Richard II had exiled John's son and heir, Henry Bolingbroke, in 1398. Bolingbroke and Richard II were first cousins; their fathers were brothers. Bolingbroke returned from exile to reclaim his confiscated inheritance and deposed the unpopular Richard. Bolingbroke then reigned as King Henry IV of England (1399–1413), the first of the descendants of John of Gaunt to hold the throne of England.

"John of Gaunt was buried alongside his first wife, Blanche of Lancaster, in the nave of Old St. Paul's Cathedral in an alabaster tomb designed by Henry Yevele (similar to that of his son in Canterbury Cathedral)."

According to Wikipedia: "Katherine Swynford (also spelled Synford), née (de) Roet (also spelled (de) Rouet or (de) Roelt (25 November 1350 – 10 May 1403), was the daughter of Payne (or Paen) de Roet, a Flemish herald from Hainault who was knighted just before his death in battle. His children included Katherine, her older sister Philippa, a son, Walter, and the eldest sister, Isabel de Roet, (who died Canoness of the convent of St. Waudru's, Mons, c. 1366). Katherine became the third wife of the English prince John of Gaunt Duke of Lancaster, and their descendants were the Beaufort family, which played a major role in the Wars of the Roses. Henry VII, who became King of England in 1485, derived his claim to the throne from his mother Lady Margaret Beaufort, who was a great-granddaughter of Katherine Swynford."

John = son of

25 Philippa of Hainault (1314-1369)  md.  King Edward III of England  (Nov. 13, 1312 - June 21, 1377) reigned 1327-1377 [His line]

According to Wikipedia: "Philippa of Hainault (June 24, 1311 – August 15, 1369) was the Queen consort of Edward III of England.

"Philippa was born in Valenciennes (then in Flanders, now France) and was the daughter of William I, Count of Hainaut and Jeanne of Valois, the granddaughter of Philip III of France.

"She married Edward at York Minster, on 24 January 1328, eleven months after his accession to the English throne and, unlike many of her predecessors, she did not alienate the English people by retaining her foreign retinue upon her marriage or bringing large numbers of foreigners to the English court.

"Philippa accompanied Edward on his expeditions to the Kingdom of Scotland (1333) and Flanders (1338-40), where she won acclaim for her gentleness and compassion. She is best remembered as the tender-hearted woman who interceded with her husband and persuaded him to spare the lives of the Burghers of Calais (1346) whom he had planned to execute as an example to the townspeople following his successful siege. She acted as a regent on several occasions when he was on the continent.

"Philippa had grown portly in her later years, and this added to the view most of her English subjects had of her as a friendly, homely, motherly woman whom the nation greatly loved. Philippa outlived 9 of her 14 children; two of whom were lost during the Black Death outbreak (1348).

"On 15 August 1369 Philippa died of an illness akin to dropsy in Windsor Castle, and was buried at Westminster Abbey. By all accounts, her 40 year marriage to Edward had been happy, despite his taking a mistress, Alice Perrers, during the later part of it."

According to Wikipedia: "Edward III (13 November 1312 – 21 June 1377) was one of the most successful English monarchs of the Middle Ages. Restoring royal authority after the disastrous reign of his father, Edward II, Edward III went on to transform the Kingdom of England into the most efficient military power in Europe. His reign saw vital developments in legislature and government—in particular the evolution of the English parliament—as well as the ravages of the Black Death. He remained on the throne for 50 years; no English monarch had reigned for as long since Henry III, and none would again until George III.

"Edward was crowned at the age of fourteen, following the deposition of his father. When he was only seventeen years old, he led a coup against his regent, Roger Mortimer, and began his personal reign. After defeating, but not subjugating, the Kingdom of Scotland, he declared himself rightful heir to the French throne in 1340, starting what would be known as the Hundred Years' War. Following some initial setbacks, the war went exceptionally well for England; the victories of Crécy and Poitiers led up to the highly favourable Treaty of Brétigny. Edward?s later years, however, were marked by international failure and domestic strife, largely as a result of his inertia and eventual bad health.

"Edward III was a temperamental man, but also capable of great clemency. He was, in most ways, a conventional king, mainly interested in warfare. Highly revered in his own time and for centuries after, Edward was denounced as an irresponsible adventurer by later Whig historians. This view has turned, and modern historiography credits him with many achievements."

Philippa = daughter of

26  Jeanne of Valois (1292-1342) md. 1305 William I Count of Hainault  (1286-1337) [His line]

According to Wikipedia: "Jeanne of Valois (c. 1294 Longpont, Aisne, France – 7 March 1342, Fontenelle, Yonne, France) was the second eldest daughter of Prince Charles of Valois and his first wife Marguerite of Anjou and Maine (1274–1299) and the sister of king Philip VI of France.

"Her paternal grandparents were Philip III of France and Isabella of Aragon. Her maternal grandparents were Charles II of Naples and Maria Arpad of Hungary. Joan was one of six children. In 1299, Joan's mother died, probably in childbirth and her father married his second wife, Catherine I of Courtenay, Titular Empress of Constantinople (1274-1308, by whom he had four more children. He would marry his third wife Mahaut of Chatillon in 1308 and by her he would sire a son and three daughters, among them were Isabella of Valois, who became Duchess of Bourbon and Blanche of Valois who married Charles IV, Holy Roman Emperor."

According to Wikipedia: "William I, Count of Hainaut (1286 – June 7, 1337) was Count William III of Avesnes, Count William III of Holland and Count William II of Zeeland from 1304 to his death. He was the son of John II, Count of Hainaut and Philippa of Luxembourg

Before becoming count, he was defeated by Guy of Namur at the battle on the island of Duiveland in 1304. Guy and Duke John II of Brabant then conquered most of Zeeland and Holland, but these territories were recovered again when William became the new count in the same year. William continued the war with Flanders until the peace of Paris in 1323, where the Count of Flanders denounced all claims on Zeeland.

William had occupied most of the bishopric of Utrecht and tried to conquer Friesland but was repelled by Hessel Martena. Many of his daughters married with important rulers of Europe and he was called the father in law of Europe. The King of England and the Holy Roman Emperor were married to his daughters, while he was married to the sister of the King of France. William tried to gain support of surrounding counties and duchies for an anti-French coalition.

Internally, William restored order and founded new institutions, like the treasury and the chancellory. The council of the count got more responsibilities."

Jeanne = daughter of

27 Charles of Valois (1270-1325) md. Marguerite of Anjou and Maine (1273-1299) [Her line]

their son became Philip VI King of France
their nephews became Louis X, Philip V, and Charles IV, kings of France

According to Wikipedia: "Charles of Valois (March 12, 1270–December 16, 1325) was the fourth son of Philip III of France and Isabella of Aragon. His mother was a daughter of James I of Aragon and Yolande of Hungary. He was a member of the House of Capet and founded the House of Valois. In 1284, he was created Count of Valois (as Charles I) by his father and, in 1297, he was created Count of Anjou (as Charles III) by his brother Philip IV.

"Charles was the father of Philip VI, and paternal uncle to three kings (Louis X, Phillip V, and Charles IV). In 1284, he was given the crown of Aragon by Pope Martin IV, who declared an Aragonese Crusade. In 1285, he gained the title of Count of Valois, and Count of Anjou and Maine in 1290.

"During his life, he unsuccessfully sought the rule of four other kingdoms: Aragon, Sicily, the Latin Empire and the Holy Roman Empire."

According to Wikipedia: "Marguerite of Anjou and Maine (1273– December 31, 1299), Countess of Anjou and Maine, was the first wife of Charles of Valois a son of Philip III of France.

"Marguerite was a daughter of Charles II of Naples and Maria of Hungary (1257-1323). She married Charles at Corbeil on August 16, 1290. Their children included:
    * Isabelle (1292-1309). Wife of John III, Duke of Brittany
    * Philip VI of France
    * Jeanne of Valois (1294-1342). Wife of William I, Count of Hainaut
    * Marguerite of Valois (1295-1342). Wife of Guy I of Blois-Châtillon
    * Charles II of Alençon (1297-1346)
    * Catherine of Valois (1299-?)"

Charles = son of

28 King Philip III "the Bold" of France (Capet) (1245-1285) Crusader, reigned 1270-1285 md. I Isabella of Aragon (1247-1271) [Her line]
[Overlaps another line]

According to Wikipedia: "Philip III (30 April 1245 – 5 October 1285), called the Bold (French: le Hardi), was the King of France, succeeding his father, Louis IX, and reigning from 1270 to 1285. He was a member of the House of Capet.

"Born in Poissy, to Louis IX (the later Saint Louis) and Marguerite of Provence, Philip was prior to his accession Count of Orleans. He accompanied his father on the Eighth Crusade to Tunisia in 1270. His father died at Tunis and there Philip was declared king at the age of 25. Philip was indecisive, soft in nature, timid, and apparently crushed by the strong personalities of his parents and dominated by his father's policies. He was called "the Bold" on the basis of his abilities in combat and on horseback and not his character. He was pious, but not cultivated. He followed the dictates of others, first of Pierre de la Broce and then of his uncle Charles I of Sicily.

"After his succession, he quickly set his uncle on negotiations with the emir to conclude the crusade, while he himself returned to France. A ten-year truce was concluded and Philip was crowned in France on 12 August 1271. On 21 August, his uncle, Alfonso, Count of Poitou, Toulouse, and Auvergne, died returning from the crusade in Italy. Philip inherited his counties and united them to the royal demesne. The portion of the Auvergne which he inherited became the "Terre royale d'Auvergne," later the Duchy of Auvergne. In accordance with Alfonso's wishes, the Comtat Venaissin was granted to the Pope Gregory X in 1274. Several years of negotiations yielded the Treaty of Amiens with Edward I of England in 1279. Thereby Philip restored to the English the Agenais which had fallen to him with the death of Alfonso. In 1284, Philip also inherited the counties of Perche and Alençon from his brother Pierre.

"Philip all the while supported his uncle's policy in Italy. When, after the Sicilian Vespers of 1282, Peter III of Aragon invaded and took the island of Sicily, the pope, Martin IV, excommunicated the conqueror and declared his kingdom (put under the suzerainty of the pope by Peter II in 1205) forfeit. He granted Aragon to Charles, Count of Valois, Philip's son. Philip intervened in the Navarrese succession after the death of Henry I of Navarre and married his son, Philip the Fair, to the heiress of Navarre, Joan I.

"In 1284, Philip and his sons entered Roussillon at the head of a large army. This war, called the Aragonese Crusade from its papal sanction, has been labelled "perhaps the most unjust, unnecessary and calamitous enterprise ever undertaken by the Capetian monarchy."[1] On 26 June 1285, Philip the Bold entrenched himself before Gerona in an attempt to besiege it. The resistance was strong, but the city was taken on 7 September. Philip soon experienced a reversal, however, as the French camp was hit hard by an epidemic of dysentery. Philip himself was afflicted. The French retreated and were handily defeated at the Battle of the Col de Panissars. The king of France himself died at Perpignan, the capital of his ally James II of Majorca, and was buried in Narbonne. He currently lies buried with his wife Isabella of Aragon in Saint Denis Basilica in Paris.
...

"In the Divine Comedy, Dante sees Philip's spirit outside the gates of Purgatory with a number of other contemporary European rulers. Dante does not name Philip directly, but refers to him as 'the small-nosed' and 'the father of the Pest of France.'"

According to Wikipedia: "Isabella of Aragon (1247 – 28 January 1271), infanta of Aragon, was, by marriage, Queen consort of France in the Middle Ages from 1270 to 1271.

She was the daughter of King James I of Aragon and his second wife Violant of Hungary, daughter of Andrew II of Hungary.

"In Clermont on 28 May 1262, she married the future Philip III of France, son of king Louis IX and Marguerite of Provence. They had four sons:
   1. Louis (b. 1265 - d. 1276).
   2. Philip IV "the Fair" (b. 1268 - d. 1314), King of France.
   3. Robert (b. 1269 - d. 1271).
   4. Charles of Valois (b. 1270 - d. 1325).

"She accompanied her husband on the Eighth Crusade against Tunis. On their way home, they stopped in Cosenza, Calabria. Six months pregnant with her fifth child, on 11 January 1271 she suffered a fall from her horse after they had resumed the trip back to France. Isabella gave birth to a premature stillborn son.[1] She never recovered from her injuries and the childbirth, and died seventeen days later, on 28 January. Her husband took her body and their stillborn son and, when he finally returned to France, buried her in Saint Denis Basilica. Her tomb, like many others, was desecrated during the French Revolution in 1793."

Isabella = daughter of

29 James I of Aragon, the Conqueror (Feb. 2, 1208 - July 1276) almost a Crusader md. Violant or Yolanda (c. 1212 - 1253)  daughter of Andrew II of Hungary [Her line]

According to Wikipedia: "James I the Conqueror (Catalan: Jaume el Conqueridor, Aragonese: Chaime lo Conqueridor, Spanish: Jaime el Conquistador, Occitan: Jacme lo Conquistaire; 2 February 1208 – 27 July 1276) was the King of Aragon, Count of Barcelona, and Lord of Montpellier from 1213 to 1276. His long reign saw the expansion of the Crown of Aragon on all sides: into Valencia to the south, Languedoc to the north, and the Balearic Islands to the east. By a treaty with Louis IX of France, he wrested the county of Barcelona from nominal French suzerainty and integrated it into his crown. His part in the Reconquista was similar in Mediterranean Spain to that of his contemporary Ferdinand III of Castile in Andalusia.

"As a legislator and organiser, he occupies a high place among the Spanish kings. James compiled the Libre del Consulat de Mar,[1] which governed maritime trade and helped establish Aragonese supremacy in the western Mediterranean. He was an important figure in the development of Catalan, sponsoring Catalan literature and writing a quasi-autobiographical chronicle of his reign: the Llibre dels fets.

"James was born at Montpellier as the only son of Peter II and Mary, heiress of William VIII of Montpellier and Eudokia Komnene. As a child, James was a pawn in the power politics of Provence, where his father was engaged in struggles helping the Cathar heretics of Albi against the Albigensian Crusaders led by Simon IV de Montfort, Earl of Leicester, who were trying to exterminate them. Peter endeavoured to placate the northern crusaders by arranging a marriage between his son James and Simon's daughter. He entrusted the boy to be educated in Montfort's care in 1211, but was soon forced to take up arms against him, dying at the Battle of Muret on 12 September 1213. Montfort would willingly have used James as a means of extending his own power had not the Aragonese and Catalans appealed to Pope Innocent III, who insisted that Montfort surrender him. James was handed over, at Carcassonne, in May or June 1214, to the papal legate Peter of Benevento.

"James was then sent to Monzón, where he was entrusted to the care of William of Montredon, the head of the Knights Templar in Spain and Provence; the regency meanwhile fell to his great uncle Sancho, Count of Roussillon, and his son, the king's cousin, Nuño. The kingdom was given over to confusion until, in 1217, the Templars and some of the more loyal nobles brought the young king to Zaragoza.[2]

"In 1221, he was married to Eleanor, daughter of Alfonso VIII of Castile and Leonora of England. The next six years of his reign were full of rebellions on the part of the nobles. By the Peace of Alcalá of 31 March 1227, the nobles and the king came to terms.[3]

"In 1228, James faced the sternest opposition from a vassal yet. Guerau IV de Cabrera had occupied the County of Urgell in opposition to Aurembiax, the heiress of Ermengol VIII, who had died without sons in 1208. While Aurembiax' mother, Elvira, had made herself a protegée of James' father, on her death (1220), Guerao had occupied the county and displaced Aurembiax, claiming that a woman could not inherit.

"James intervened on behalf of Aurembiax, whom he owed protection. He bought Guerau off and allowed Aurembiax to reclaim her territory, which she did at Lleida, probably also becoming one of James' earliest mistresses.[4] She surrendered Lleida to James and agreed to hold Urgell in fief from him. On her death in 1231, James exchanged the Balearic Islands for Urgell with her widower, Peter of Portugal.

"From 1230 to 1232, James negotiated with Sancho VII of Navarre, who desired his help against his nephew and closest living male relative, Theobald IV of Champagne. James and Sancho negotiated a treaty whereby James would inherit Navarre on the old Sancho's death, but when this did occur, the Navarrese nobless instead elevated Theobald to the throne (1234), and James disputed it. Pope Gregory IX was required to intervene.[5] In the end, James accepted Theobald's succession.

"James endeavoured to form a state straddling the Pyrenees, to counterbalance the power of France north of the Loire. As with the much earlier Visigothic attempt, this policy was victim to physical, cultural, and political obstacles. As in the case of Navarre, he was too wise to launch into perilous adventures. By the Treaty of Corbeil, signed in May 1258, he frankly withdrew from conflict with Louis IX of France and was content with the recognition of his position, and the surrender of antiquated and illusory French claims to the overlordship of Catalonia.

"After his false start at uniting Aragon with the Kingdom of Navarre through a scheme of mutual adoption, James turned to the south and the Mediterranean Sea, where he conquered Majorca on 10 September in 1229 and the rest of the Balearic Islands; Minorca 1232; Ibiza 1235) and where Valencia capitulated 28 September 1238.

"During his remaining two decades after Corbeil, James warred with the Moors in Murcia, on behalf of his son-in-law Alfonso X of Castile. On 26 March 1244, the two monarchs signed the Treaty of Almizra to determine the zones of their expansion into Andalusia so as to prevent squabbling between them. Specifically, it defined the borders of the newly-created Kingdom of Valencia. James signed it on that date, but Alfonso did not affirm it until much later. According to the treaty, all lands south of a line from Biar to Villajoyosa through Busot were reserved for Castile.

"Crusade of 1269
"The "khan of Tartary" (actually the Ilkhan) Abaqa corresponded with James in early 1267, inviting him to join forces with the Mongols and go on Crusade.[6] James sent an ambassador to Abaqa in the person of Jayme Alaric de Perpignan, who returned with a Mongol embassy in 1269.[7] Pope Clement IV tried to dissuade James from Crusading, regarding his moral character as sub-par, and Alfonso X did the same. Nonetheless, James, who was then campaigning in Murcia, made peace with Mohammed I ibn Nasr, the Sultan of Granada, and set about collecting funds for a Crusade. After organising the government for his absence and assembling a fleet at Barcelona in September 1269, he was ready to sail east. The troubadour Olivier lo Templier composed a song praising the voyage and hoping for its success. A storm, however, drove him off course and he landed at Aigues-Mortes. According to the continuator of William of Tyre, he returned via Montpellier por l'amor de sa dame Berenguiere ("for the love his lady Berengaria") and abandoned any further effort at a Crusade. I

"James' bastard sons Pedro Fernández and Fernán Sánchez, who had been given command of part of the fleet, did continue on their way to Acre, where they arrived in December. They found that Baibars, the Mameluke sultan of Egypt, had broken his truce with the Kingdom of Jerusalem and was making a demonstration of his military power in front of Acre. During the demonstration, Egyptian troops hidden in the bushes ambushed a returning Frankish force which had been in Galilee. James' sons, initially eager for a fight, changed their minds after this spectacle and returned home via Sicily, where Fernán Sánchez was knighted by Charles of Anjou."

According to Wikipedia: "Violant of Hungary (Esztergom, Kingdom of Hungary, c. 1216 – 1253) was Queen consort of James I of Aragon. She is also called Jolánta in Hungarian, Iolanda or Violant d'Hongria in Catalan and Yolanda or Violante de Hungría in Spanish. Violant was a daughter of Andrew II of Hungary and Violant of Courtenay."

James = son of

30 Peter II of Aragon   (1174- Sept. 12, 1213) [His line]  md. Marie of Montpellier (1182 - April 18, 1213)

According to Wikipedia: "Peter II of Aragon (1174 – September 12, 1213), surnamed the Catholic, was the king of Aragon (as Pedro II) and count of Barcelona (as Pere I) from 1196 to 1213.

"He was the son of Alfonso II of Aragon and Sancha of Castile. In 1205 he acknowledged the feudal supremacy of the Papacy and was crowned in Rome by Pope Innocent III, swearing to defend the Catholic faith (hence his surname, "the Catholic"). He was the first king of Aragon to be crowned by the Pope.

"On June 15, 1204 he married (as her third husband) Marie of Montpellier, daughter and heiress of William VIII of Montpellier by Eudocia Comnena. She gave him a son, James, but Peter soon discarded her. Marie was popularly venerated as a saint for her piety and marital suffering, but was never canonized; she died in Rome in 1213.

"He participated in the Battle of Las Navas de Tolosa in 1212 that marked the turning point of Arab domination on the Iberian peninsula.

"Peter returned from Las Navas in autumn 1212 to find that Simon de Montfort had conquered Toulouse, exiling Count Raymond VI of Toulouse, who was Peter's brother-in-law and vassal. Peter crossed the Pyrenees and arrived at Muret in September 1213 to confront Montfort's army. He was accompanied by Raymond of Toulouse, who tried to persuade Peter to avoid battle and instead starve out Montfort's forces. This suggestion was rejected.

"The Battle of Muret began on September 12, 1213. The Aragonese forces were disorganized and disintegrated under the assault of Montfort's squadrons. Peter himself was caught in the thick of fighting, and died as a result of a foolhardy act of bravado. He was thrown to the ground and killed. The Aragonese forces broke in panic when their king was slain and the crusaders of Montfort won the day.

"Upon Peter's death the kingdom passed to his only son by Marie of Montpellier, the future James the Conqueror."

According to Wikipedia: "Marie of Montpellier (adapted from Occitan: Maria de Montpelhièr) (1182 – 18 April 1213) was the daughter of William VIII of Montpellier and Eudokia Komnene. A condition of the marriage was that the firstborn child, boy or girl, would succeed to the lordship of Montpellier on William's death.

Marie married Barral of Marseille in 1192 or shortly before, but was widowed in that year. Her second marriage, in 1197, was to Bernard IV of Comminges, and her father now insisted on her giving up her right to inherit Montpellier. Marie had two daughters by Bernard, Mathilde and Petronille. The marriage was, however, notoriously polygamous, Bernard having two other living wives. It was annulled (some say on Marie's insistence, some say on that of Peter II of Aragon) and the annulment meant that she was once more heir to Montpellier.

"William had died in 1202. Marie's half-brother, William's son by Agnes of Castile, William, had taken control of the city, but Marie asserted her right to it. On 15 June 1204 she married Peter II and was recognised as Lady of Montpellier. Her son by Peter, James, the future James the Conqueror, was born on 1 February 1208. Peter immediately attempted to divorce her, hoping both to marry Maria of Montferrat, Queen of Jerusalem, and to claim Montpellier for himself. Marie's last years were spent in combating these political and matrimonial manoeuvres. Pope Innocent III finally decided in her favour, refusing to permit the divorce. Both Marie and Peter died in 1213; James inherited Aragon and Montpellier."

Marie = daughter of

31 William VIII of Monpellier (d. 1202)  md. Eudokia Komnene (c. 1150 or 1152 - c. 1203) [See her line below]

According to Wikipedia: "William VIII of Montpellier (died 1202) was Lord of Montpellier, the son of William VII. He married Eudoxie or Eudokia Komnene, niece of the Byzantine emperor Manuel I Komnenos. A condition of the marriage was that the firstborn child, boy or girl, would succeed to the lordship of Montpellier on William's death. Wiiliam VIII was a patron of troubadours. Arnaut de Mareuil came to his court after fleeing from the entourage of Azalais of Toulouse, and at least one of Arnaut's poems is addressed to him. William died in 1202. He and Eudoxie had no sons, and it was their daughter Marie of Montpellier who was to benefit from the terms of the marriage agreement."

According to Wikipedia: "William VIII of Montpellier (died 1202) was Lord of Montpellier, the son of William VII. He married Eudoxie or Eudokia Komnene, niece of the Byzantine emperor Manuel I Komnenos. A condition of the marriage was that the firstborn child, boy or girl, would succeed to the lordship of Montpellier on William's death. Wiiliam VIII was a patron of troubadours. Arnaut de Mareuil came to his court after fleeing from the entourage of Azalais of Toulouse, and at least one of Arnaut's poems is addressed to him. William died in 1202. He and Eudoxie had no sons, and it was their daughter Marie of Montpellier who was to benefit from the terms of the marriage agreement."

According to Wikipedia: "Eudocia Comnena  (c. 1150 or 1152 – c. 1203) was a niece of Byzantine Emperor Manuel I Komnenos, and wife of William VIII of Montpellier.

"Eudokia was a daughter of the sebastokrator Isaac Komnenos by his second wife, Irene Synadene. Her father was a son of Emperor John II Komnenos and Piroska of Hungary, the daughter of King Ladislaus I of Hungary. Her sister Theodora Komnene married King Baldwin III of Jerusalem and was afterwards the lover of Andronikos I Komnenos. Her older half-sister Maria Komnene married King Stephen IV of Hungary.

"Eudokia Komnene was sent to Provence by Manuel in 1174 to be betrothed to King Alfonso II of Aragon, but, on her arrival, she found that he had just married Sancha of Castile. As the troubadour Peire Vidal put it, he had preferred a poor Castilian maid to the emperor Manuel's golden camel. After much indecision she married William VIII of Montpellier in 1179, having made it a condition (to which all male citizens of Montpellier were required to swear) that their firstborn child, boy or girl, would succeed him in the lordship of Montpellier.

"Eudokia was sometimes described by contemporaries, including the troubadours Folquet de Marselha and Guiraut de Bornelh, as an empress (Occitan emperairitz) and was commonly said to be a daughter of the emperor Manuel, which has led to some confusion among modern authors about her family links. Other sources, such as Guillaume de Puylaurens, correctly identify her as Manuel's niece.

"William and Eudokia had one daughter, Marie of Montpellier, born in 1181 or 1182. In 1187 William divorced her (because she encouraged the advances of Folquet de Marselha, according to the Biographies des Troubadours; because William wanted a male heir, according to documents likely to be more reliable). Eudokia was thereafter held at the monastery of Aniane. She died about 1203, shortly before her daughter's third marriage to King Peter II of Aragon."

William = son of

32 William VII of Monpellier (d. c. 1172) md. Matilda of Burgundy, daughter of Hugh II, Duke of Burgundy reigned 1103-1143, who was son of Eudes I of Burgundy (1058 - March 23, 1103) eigned 1079 to 1103 Crusader, who was son of Henry of Burgundy (1035 - c. 1071), who was son of Robert I Duke of Burgundy (1011- March 21, 1076), son of King Robert II of France    [Overlapping lines]

According to Wikipedia: "William VII of Montpellier was the eldest son of William VI and of his wife Sibylle. Aged around 15, he inherited the lordship of Montpellier from his father in 1146 under the tutelage of his grandmother, Ermessende of Melgueil. In 1156 he married Matilda of Burgundy, daughter of Hugh II, Duke of Burgundy. He fell ill in 1171 and made his will on St Michael's day (29 September 1171), appointing his brother Gui Guerrejat and John of Montlaur, bishop of Maguelonne, as joint guardians of his young sons. He probably died in 1172."

According to Wikipedia: "Hugh II of Burgundy (1084–1143) was duke of Burgundy between 1103 and 1143. Hugh was son of Eudes I, Duke of Burgundy. He married about 1115 to Felicia-Matilda of Mayenne, daughter of Gauthier, Count of Mayenne and Adelina de Presles."

According to Wikipedia: "Eudes I, surnamed Borel and called the Red, (1058–23 March 1103) was Duke of Burgundy between 1079 and 1103. Eudes was the second son of Henry of Burgundy and grandson of Robert I. He became the duke following the abdication of his older brother, Hugh I, who retired to become a Benedictine monk. Eudes married Sibylla of Burgundy (1065 - 1101), daughter of William I, Count of Burgundy.

"They had:
    * Florine of Burgundy 1083-1097
    * Helie of Burgundy 1080-1141 wife of Bertrand of Toulouse and William III of Ponthieu
    * Hugh II of Burgundy
    * Henry d.1131

"An interesting incident is reported of this robber baron by an eyewitness, Eadmer, biographer of Anselm of Canterbury. While Saint Anselm was progressing through Eudes's territory on his way to Rome in 1097, the bandit, expecting great treasure in the archbishop's retinue, prepared to ambush and loot it. Coming upon the prelate's train, the duke asked for the archbishop, whom they had not found. Anselm promptly came forward and took the duke by surprise, saying "My lord duke, suffer me to embrace thee." The flabbergasted duke immediately allowed the bishop to embrace him and offered himself as Anselm's humble servant.

"He was a participant in the ill-fated Crusade of 1101."

According to Wikipedia: "Henry of Burgundy (1035 – c. 1071) was the son and heir of Robert I, duke of Burgundy. He died shortly before his father and failed to succeed in Burgundy. The name of his wife is unknown (that it was Sibil has been discredited) as is her origin, although a connection to the Counts of Barcelona has been hypothesized."

According to Wikipedia: "Robert I Capet (1011 – March 21, 1076) was duke of Burgundy between 1032 to his death. Robert was son of King Robert II of France and brother of Henry I.

"In 1025, with the death of his eldest brother Hugh Magnus, he and Henry rebelled against their father and defeated him, forcing him back to Paris. In 1031, after the death of his father the king, Robert participated in a rebellion against his brother, in which he was supported by his mother, Queen Constance d'Arles. Peace was only achieved when Robert was given Burgundy (1032).

"Throughout his reign, he was little more than a robber baron who had no control over his own vassals, whose estates he often plundered, especially those of the Church. He seized the income of the diocese of Autun and the wine of the canons of Dijon. He burgled the abbey of St-Germain at Auxerre. In 1055, he repudiated his wife, Helie of Semur, and assassinated her brother Joceran and murdered her father, his father-in-law, Lord Dalmace I of Semur, with his own hands. In that same year, the bishop of Langres, Harduoin, refused to dedicate the church of Sennecy so as not "to be exposed to the violence of the duke."

"His first son, Hugh, died in battle at a young age and his second son, Henry, also predeceased him. He was succeeded by Henry's eldest son, his grandson, Hugh I."

William = son of

33 William VI of Montpellier (d. after 1161) md. Sibylle

According to Wikipedia: "William VI of Montpellier was the elder son of William V and his wife Ermessende (daughter of Peter of Melgueil). William succeeded his father in the lordship of Montpellier; he inherited it in 1120, while still a minor, under his mother's guardianship. William of Aumelas was his brother.

William VI's wife was named Sibylle, but her origin is uncertain. According to documents adduced at the annulment of the marriage of Marie of Montpellier, her great-granddaughter, she was the daughter of Boniface del Vasto and therefore the sister of Manfred I of Saluzzo, but this cannot be confirmed.

Inconsolable at the recent death of Sibylle, William VI made his will in 1146 and took holy orders, entering the Cistercian monastery of Grandselve in the diocese of Toulouse[1] in early 1147. He died at some date after 1161, having settled, in that year, an inheritance dispute between his sons William (VII) and Gui.

William = son of

34 William V of Montpellier  (1075-1121) Crusader md. Ermessende, daughter of Peter Count of Mauguio

According to Wikipedia: "William V or Guilhem V (1075 – 1121) was the Lord of Montpellier from an early age until his death. He was the son of Bernard William IV.

"Soon after his father's death, his mother, Ermengarde, quit Montpellier to marry the Lord of Anduze. William IV had confided the tutelage of his son to the child's grandmother, Beliarde, and to his nearest relatives: William Arnold, Raymond Stephen, and William Aymoin. After a short conflict with the bishop of Maguelonne, William V rendered homage to the bishop on 10 December 1090 and was recognised as lord of Montpellier.

"At the call of Pope Urban II, William took up the cross of the First Crusade under the banner of Raymond IV of Toulouse. He served notable at the capture of the small Syrian village of Maara in 1098. After the fall of Jerusalem in 1099, William remained in the Holy Land for a while. He remained at the side of Godfrey de Bouillon and accompanied him to the Battle of Arsuf in December. He did not return to Montpellier until 1103, bringing with him a relic of Saint Cleopas.

"When William returned, he found that the Aimoin brothers to whom he had confided the administration of the lordship in his absence had usurped many seigniorial rights and that he was obligated to recognise much of their newfound authority, which diminished his own, in order to retain his position.

"William participated in the army of Raymond Berengar III of Barcelona which captured Majorca from the Moors in 1114. The rest of his reign was marked by the important acquisition of nearby territories, which greatly recouped his power: Montarnaud, Cournonsec, Montferrier, Frontignan, Aumelas, Montbazin, Popian.

"By his marriage to Ermensenda, daughter of the Peter, Count of Mauguio, he had six children."

William = son of

35 Bernard William IV of Monpellier

 

31 Eudokia Komnene = daughter of

32 Isaac Komnenos (c. 1113 - after 1154) md. Irene Synadene

Acording to Wikipedia: "Isaac Komnenos or Comnenus (c. 1113 – after 1154), was the third son of Emperor John II Komnenos by Piroska of Hungary.

"Shortly before his death in 1143, John II Komnenos designated his fourth son Manuel as his heir, although the third son, Isaac, was still alive. At the time Isaac was conducting the body of his eldest brother, the co-emperor Alexios Komnenos, back to Constantinople.

"Consequently Manuel made sure that his men took control of the capital before Isaac learned of his father's death and made his bid for the throne. Although some of the clergy, the people and the military thought that Isaac was better fit to rule, he had to resign himself to his younger brother's accession.

"In 1145–1146 he campaigned with him against the Seljuk Turks in Anatolia. Although the relationship between the brothers remained uneasy, there was never an open conflict, and Isaac enjoyed the court dignity of sebastokrator. The marriages of Isaac's daughters served as useful tools of Manuel's foreign policy.

"By his first wife, Theodora, Isaac had five children:
    * Alexios Komnenos.
    * Irene Komnene, who married an unnamed Doukas Kamateros and became the mother of Isaac Komnenos of Cyprus.
    * John Komnenos.
    * Anna Komnene, who married Constantine Makrodoukas.
    * Maria Komnene, who married King Stephen IV of Hungary.

"By his second wife, Irene Synadene, Isaac had two daughters:
    * Theodora Komnene, who married King Baldwin III of Jerusalem.
    * Eudokia Komnene, who married William VIII of Montpellier."

Isaac = son of

33 Byzantine Emperor John II Komnenos (Sept. 13, 1087 - April 8, 1143) reigned 1118 to 1143md. Piroska of Hungary AKA Saint Irene, (1088 - Aug. 13, 1134) daughter of King Ladislaus I of Hungary [Her line]

According to Wikipedia: "John II Komnenos or Comnenus  (September 13, 1087 – April 8, 1143) was Byzantine emperor from 1118 to 1143. Also known as Kaloï?ann?s ("John the Beautiful"), he was the eldest son of emperor Alexios I Komnenos and Irene Doukaina. The second emperor of the Komnenian restoration of the Byzantine Empire, John was a pious and dedicated emperor who was determined to undo the damage his empire had suffered at the battle of Manzikert, half a century earlier.

"In the course of his twenty-five year reign, John made alliances with the Holy Roman Empire in the west, decisively defeated the Pechenegs in the Balkans, and personally led numerous campaigns against the Turks in Asia Minor. John's campaigns fundamentally changed the balance of power in the east, forcing the Turks onto the defensive and restoring to the Byzantines many towns, fortresses and cities right across the peninsula. In the southeast, John extended Byzantine control from the Maeander in the west all the way to Cilicia and Tarsus in the east. In an effort to demonstrate the Byzantine emperor's role as the leader of the Christian world, John marched into the Holy Land at the head of the combined forces of Byzantium and the Crusader states; yet despite the great vigour with which he pressed the campaign, John's hopes were disappointed by the treachery of his Crusader allies, who deliberately failed to fight against the Muslim enemy at the crucial moment. Also under John, the empire's population recovered to about 10 million people.

"The Latin historian William of Tyre described John as short and unusually ugly, with eyes, hair and complexion so dark he was known as 'the Moor'. Yet despite his physical appearance, John was known as Kaloioannes, "John the Handsome" or "John the Beautiful". The epithet referred not to his body but to his soul. Both his parents had been unusually pious and John surpassed them. Members of his court were expected to restrict their conversation to serious subjects only. The food served at the emperor's table was very frugal and John lectured courtiers who lived in excessive luxury. Despite his austerity, John was loved. His principles were sincerely held and his integrity great.

"John was famed for his piety and his remarkably mild and just reign. He is an exceptional example of a moral ruler, at a time when cruelty was the norm. He never condemned anyone to death or mutilation. Charity was dispensed lavishly. For this reason, he has been called the Byzantine Marcus Aurelius. By the personal purity and piety of his character he effected a notable improvement in the manners of his age. Gifted with great self control and personal courage, John was an excellent strategist and an expert imperator in the field, and through his many campaigns he devoted himself to the preservation of his empire.

"He succeeded his father in 1118, but had already been proclaimed co-emperor by Alexios I on September 1, 1092. Niketas Choniates alone tells of the actions by which John II secured his own succession. Alexios I had favoured John to succeed him over his wife Irene's favourite, the kaisar (Caesar) Nikephoros Brynennios, who was married to their daughter Anna Komnene. Alexios resorted to dissimulation in order to avert Irene's criticism of his choice and her demands that Nikephoros should succeed. As Alexios lay on his deathbed in the monastery of the Mangana on 15 August 1118, John, consorting with relatives whom he could trust, among whom was his brother, the sebastokrat?r Isaac Komnenos, stole into the monastery and removed the imperial signet ring from his dying father. Then, taking up arms, he rode to the Great Palace, gathering the support of the citizenry who acclaimed him emperor. Irene was taken by surprise and was unable either to persuade her son to desist, or to induce Nikephoros to act against him. Although the palace guard at first refused to admit John without proof of his father's wishes, the mob surrounding the new emperor simply forced entry.

"Alexios died the following night. John refused to join the funeral procession, in spite of his mother's urging, because his hold on power was so tenuous. However, in the space of a few days, his position was secure. In 1119, John II uncovered a conspiracy to overthrow him which implicated his mother and sister, who were duly relegated to monasteries. To safeguard his own succession, John crowned his own young son Alexios co-emperor in 1122.

"These political intrigues probably contributed to John's style of rule, which was to appoint men from outside the imperial family to help him govern the empire. John's closest adviser was his closest friend, John Axuch, a Turk who had been given as a gift to John's father. Alexios had thought him a good companion for John, and so he had been brought up alongside John, who immediately appointed him as Grand Domestic upon his accession. The Grand Domestic was the commander in chief of the Byzantine armies. This was an extraordinary move, and a departure from the nepotism that had characterised the reign of his father Alexios. The imperial family harboured some degree of resentment at this decision, which was reinforced by the fact that they were required to make obeisance to John Axouch whenever they met him. Yet the emperor had complete confidence in his appointees, many of whom had been chosen on merit rather than their relation to him by blood. John's unwillingness to allow his family to interfere too much in his government was to remain constant for the rest of his reign.

"After his accession, John II had refused to confirm his father's 1082 treaty with the Republic of Venice, which had given the Italian republic unique and generous trading rights within the Byzantine Empire. Yet the change in policy was not motivated by financial concerns. An incident involving the abuse of a member of the imperial family by Venetians led to a dangerous conflict, especially as Byzantium had depended on Venice for its naval strength. After a Byzantine retaliatory attack on Kerkyra, John exiled the Venetian merchants from Constantinople. But this produced further retaliation, and a Venetian fleet of 72 ships plundered Rhodes, Chios, Samos, Lesbos, Andros and captured Kefalonia in the Ionian Sea.[2] Eventually John was forced to come to terms; the war was costing him more than it was worth, and he was not prepared to transfer funds from the imperial land forces to the navy for the construction of new ships. John re-confirmed the treaty of 1082. Nevertheless, this embarrassment was not entirely forgotten, and it seems likely that it played a part in inspiring John's successor (Manuel I Komnenos) to re-establish a powerful Byzantine fleet some years later.

"In 1119–1121 John defeated the Seljuk Turks, establishing his control over southwestern Anatolia. However, immediately afterwards, in 1122, John quickly transferred his troops to Europe to fight off a Pecheneg invasion into Moesia. These invaders had been auxiliaries of the Prince of Kiev. John surrounded the Pechenegs as they burst into Thrace, tricked them into believing that he would grant them a favourable treaty, and then launched a devastating surprise attack upon their larger camp. The ensuing Battle of Beroia was hard fought, but by the end of the day John's army of 20,000 men had won a crushing victory. This put an end to Pecheneg incursions into Byzantine territory, and many of the captives were settled as foederati within the Byzantine frontier.

"John then launched a punitive raid against the Serbs, many of whom were rounded up and transported to Nicomedia in Asia Minor to serve as military colonists. This was done partly to cow the Serbs into submission (Serbia was, at least nominally, a Byzantine protectorate), and partly to strengthen the Byzantine frontier in the east against the Turks. However, John's marriage to the Hungarian princess Piroska involved him in the dynastic struggles of the Kingdom of Hungary. Giving asylum to a blinded claimant to the Hungarian throne (called Álmos), John aroused the suspicion of the Hungarians, and was faced with an invasion in 1128. The Hungarians attacked Belgrade, Brani?evo, Nish, Sofia, and penetrated south as far as the outskirts of Philippopolis. After a challenging campaign lasting two years, the emperor managed to defeat the Hungarians at the fortress of Haram and their Serbian allies, and peace was restored.

"John was then able to concentrate on Asia Minor, which became the focus of his attention for most of his remaining years. The Turks were pressing forward against the Byzantine frontier in western Asia Minor, and John was determined to drive them back. In 1119, the Seljuks had cut off Antalya from the empire, John II led an army to capture Laodicea and Sozopolis, therefore reestablishing the land links to the city.[4] He undertook a campaign against the Danishmendid emirate in Malatya on the upper Euphrates from 1130 to 1135. Thanks to John's energetic campaigning, Turkish attempts at expansion in Asia Minor were halted, and John prepared to take the fight to the enemy. In order to restore the region to Byzantine control, John led a series of well planned and executed campaigns against the Turks, one of which resulted in the reconquest of the ancestral home of the Komneni at Kastamonu, then he left a garrison of 2,000 men at Gangra.[5] John quickly earned a formidable reputation as a wall-breaker, taking stronghold after stronghold from his enemies. Regions which had been lost to the empire ever since the Battle of Manzikert were recovered and garrisoned. Yet resistance, particularly from the Danishmends of the north-east, was strong, and the difficult nature of holding down the new conquests is illustrated by the fact that Kastamonu was recaptured by the Turks even as John was in Constantinople celebrating its return to Byzantine rule. John persevered, however, and Kastamonu soon changed hands once more. John advanced into north eastern Anatolia, provoking the Turks to attack his army. Yet once again John's forces were able to maintain their cohesion, and the Turkish attempt to inflict a second Manzikert on the emperor's army backfired when the Sultan, discredited by his failure to defeat John, was murdered by his own people. In 1139, the Emperor marched one final time against the Danishmend Turks, his army marched along the southern coast of the Black Sea through Bithynia, and Paphlagonia. Turning south at Trebizond, he besieged but failed to take the city of Neocaesarea.

"The emperor then directed his attention to the Levant, where he sought to re-inforce Byzantium's suzerainty over the Crusader States. In 1137 he conquered Tarsus, Adana, and Mopsuestia from the Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia, and in 1138 Prince Levon I of Armenia and most of his family were brought as captives to Constantinople. This opened the route to the Principality of Antioch, where Prince Raymond of Poitiers recognized himself the emperor's vassal in 1137, and John arrived there in triumph in 1138. There followed a joint campaign as John led the armies of Byzantium, Antioch and Edessa against Muslim Syria. Although John fought hard for the Christian cause in the campaign in Syria, his allies Prince Raymond of Antioch and Count Joscelin II of Edessa sat around playing dice instead of helping John to press the siege of Shaizar. These Crusader Princes were suspicious of each other and of John, and neither wanted the other to gain from participating in the campaign, while Raymond also wanted to hold on to Antioch, which he had agreed to hand over to John if the campaign was successful in capturing Aleppo, Shaizar, Homs, and Hama. While the emperor was distracted by his attempts to secure a German alliance against the Normans of Sicily, Joscelin and Raymond conspired to delay the promised handover of Antioch's citadel to the emperor.

"John planned a new expedition to the East, including a pilgrimage to Jerusalem on which he planned to take his army with him. King Fulk of Jerusalem, fearing an invasion, begged the emperor to only bring an army of 10,000 men with him. This resulted in John II deciding not to go. However, on Mount Taurus in Cilicia, on April 8, 1143, he was accidentally infected by a poisoned arrow while out hunting. The poison set in, and shortly afterwards he died. John's final action as emperor was to choose his youngest son Manuel Komnenos to be his successor. John cited two main reasons for choosing Manuel over his older surviving son Isaac Komnenos: these were Isaac's irascibility, and the courage that Manuel had shown on campaign at Neocaesareia. Another theory alleges that the reason for this choice was the AIMA prophecy which foretold that John's successor should be one whose name began with an "M". John's eldest son, the co-emperor Alexios, had died in the summer of 1142.

"Historian J. Birkenmeier has recently argued that John's reign was the most successful of the Komnenian period. In The development of the Komnenian army 1081-1180, he stresses the wisdom of John's approach to warfare, which focused on siege warfare rather than risky pitched battles. Birkenmeier argues that John's strategy of launching annual campaigns with limited, realistic objectives was a more sensible one than that followed by his son Manuel I. According to this view, John's campaigns benefited the Byzantine Empire because they protected the empire's heartland from attack while gradually extending its territory in Asia Minor. The Turks were forced onto the defensive, while John kept his diplomatic situation relatively simple by allying with the Western Emperor against the Normans of Sicily.

"Overall, what is clear is that John II Komnenos left the empire a great deal better off than he had found it. Substantial territories had been recovered, and his successes against the invading Pechenegs, Serbians and Seljuk Turks, along with his attempts to establish Byzantine suzerainty over the Crusader States in Antioch and Edessa, did much to restore the reputation of his empire. His careful, methodical approach to warfare had protected the empire from the risk of sudden defeats, while his determination and skill had allowed him to rack up a long list of successful sieges and assaults against enemy strongholds. By the time of his death he had earned near universal respect, even from the Crusaders, for his courage, dedication and piety. His early death meant his work went unfinished — his last campaign might well have resulted in real gains for Byzantium and the Christian cause.

"John II Komnenos married Princess Piroska of Hungary (renamed Eirene), a daughter of King Ladislaus I of Hungary in 1104; the marriage was intended as compensation for the loss of some territories to King Coloman of Hungary. She played little part in government, devoting herself to piety and their large brood of children. Eirene died on August 13, 1134 and was later venerated as Saint Eirene. John II and Eirene had 8 children:
   1. Alexios Komnenos, co-emperor from 1122 to 1142
   2. Maria Komnene (twin to Alexios), who married John Roger Dalassenos
   3. Andronikos Komnenos (died 1142)
   4. Anna Komnene, who married Stephanos Kontostephanos
   5. Isaac Komnenos (died 1154)
   6. Theodora Komnene, who married Manuel Anemas
   7. Eudokia Komnene, who married Theodoros Vatazes
   8. Manuel I Komnenos (died 1180)"

According to Wikipedia: "Piroska of Hungary (1088 – 13 August 1134) was a daughter of Ladislaus I of Hungary and Adelaide of Swabia. Her maternal grandparents were Rudolf of Rheinfeld and his second wife Adelheid of Savoy. Adelheid was a daughter of Otto of Savoy and Adelaide of Turin.

She was born in Esztergom of the modern Komárom-Esztergom administrative county. Her mother died in 1090 when Piroska was about two years old. Her father died on 29 July 1095. Ladislaus was succeeded by his nephew Coloman of Hungary who apparently was the new guardian of orphaned Piroska.

In an effort to improve relations with Alexios I Komnenos of the Byzantine Empire, Coloman negotiated the marriage of Piroska to John II Komnenos. John II was the eldest son of Alexios I and Irene Doukaina. He was already co-ruler of his father since 1 September 1092 and was expected to succeed him. The negotiations were successful and Piroska married John in 1104. The marriage was recorded by Joannes Zonaras and John Kinnamos.

Following her conversion to the Eastern Orthodox Church and settlement in Constantinople, Piroska was renamed Irene. She and John had eight children. The primary source about their order of births is the chronicle of Niketas Choniates:

   1. Alexios Komnenos (February, 1106 - 1142), co-emperor from 1122 to 1142. His birth is recorded in the Alexiad by Anna Komnene.
   2. Maria Komnene (twin to Alexios), who married John Roger Dalassenos.
   3. Andronikos Komnenos (died 1142).
   4. Anna Komnene, married Stephanos Kontostephanos.
   5. Isaac Komnenos (died 1154).
   6. Theodora Komnene (d. 12 May 1157). , who married Manuel Anemas.
   7. Eudokia Komnene, who married Theodoros Vatatzes.
   8. Manuel I Komnenos (died 1180).

Irene played little part in government, devoting herself to piety and their many children. Irene died on August 13, 1134 and was later venerated as Saint Irene."

John = son of

34 Byzantine Emperor Alexios I Komnenos (1048 - Aug. 15, 1118) reigned 1081 to 1118 md. Irene Doukaina   (c. 1066 - Feb. 19, 1123 or 1133), daughter of Andronikos Doukas (d. Oct. 14, 1077) md. Maria of Bulgaria, who was daughter of Troian of Bulgaria, who was son of Emperor Ivan Vladislav of Bulgaria   reigned Aug. or Sept. 1015 to Feb. 1018, who as son of Aron of Bulgaria, who was son of Comita Nikola, Duke of Sofia md. Ripsimia of Armenia

According to Wikipedia: "Irene Doukaina or Ducaena (c. 1066 – February 19, 1123 or 1133) was the wife of the Byzantine emperor Alexios I Komnenos, and the mother of the emperor John II Komnenos and of the historian Anna Komnene.

"Irene was born in 1066 to Andronikos Doukas and Maria of Bulgaria, granddaughter of Ivan Vladislav of Bulgaria. Andronikos was a nephew of Emperor Constantine X and a cousin of Michael VII.

"Irene married Alexios in 1078, when she was still eleven years old. For this reason the Doukas family supported Alexios in 1081, when a struggle for the throne erupted after the abdication of Nikephoros III Botaneiates. Alexios' mother, Anna Dalassene, a lifelong enemy of the Doukas family, pressured her son to divorce the young Irene and marry Maria of Alania, the former wife of both Michael VII and Nikephoros III. Irene was in fact barred from the coronation ceremony, but the Doukas family convinced the Patriarch of Constantinople, Kosmas I, to crown her as well, which he did one week later. Anna Dalassene consented to this but forced Cosmas to resign immediately afterwards; he was succeeded by Eustathios Garidas.

"Alexios' mother Anna continued to live in the imperial palace and to meddle in in her son's affairs until her death 20 years later; Maria of Alania may have also lived in the palace, and there were rumours that Alexios carried on an affair with her. Anna Komnene vociferously denied this, although she herself was not born until December 1, 1083, two years later.

"Anna may have been whitewashing her family history; she has nothing but praise for both of her parents. She describes her mother in great detail:  "She stood upright like some young sapling, erect and evergreen, all her limbs and the other parts of her body absolutely symmetrical and in harmony one with another. With her lovely appearance and charming voice she never ceased to fascinate all who saw and heard her. Her face shone with the soft light of the moon; it was not the completely round face of an Assyrian woman, nor long, like the face of a Scyth, but just slightly oval in shape. There were rose blossoms on her cheeks, visible a long way off. Her light-blue eyes were both gay and stern: their charm and beauty attracted, but the fear they caused so dazzled the bystander that he could neither look nor turn away...Generally she accompanied her words with graceful gestures, her hands bare to the wrists, and you would say it was ivory turned by some craftsman into the form of fingers and hand. The pupils of her eyes, with the brilliant blue of deep waves, recalled a calm, still sea, while the white surrounding them shone by contrast, so that the whole eye acquired a peculiar lustre and a charm which was inexpressible."

"It "would not have been so very inappropriate," Anna writes, to say that Irene was "Athena made manifest to the human race, or that she had descended suddenly from the sky in some heavenly glory and unapproachable splendour."

"Irene was shy and preferred not to appear in public, although she was forceful and severe when acting officially as empress (basileia). She preferred to perform her household duties, and enjoyed reading hagiographic literature and making charitable donations to monks and beggars. Although Alexios may have had Maria as a mistress early in his reign, during the later part of his reign he and Irene were genuinely in love (at least according to their daughter Anna). Irene often accompanied him on his expeditions, including the expedition against Prince Bohemund I of Antioch in 1107 and to the Chersonese in 1112. On these campaigns she acted as a nurse for her husband when he was afflicted with gout in his feet. According to Anna she also acted as a sort of guard, as there were constant conspiracies against Alexios. Alexios' insistence that Irene accompany him on campaigns may suggest that he did not fully trust her enough to leave her in the capital. When she did remain behind in Constantinople, she acted as regent, together with Nikephoros Bryennios, Anna's husband, as a counselor.

"Irene frequently suggested that Alexios name Nikephoros and Anna as his heirs, over their own younger son John. According to Niketas Choniates, who depicts her more as a nagging shrew than a loving wife, she "...threw her full influence on the side of her daughter Anna and lost no opportunity to calumniate their son John... mocking him as rash, pleasure-loving, and weak in character." Alexios, preferring to create a stable dynasty through his own son, either ignored her, pretended to be busy with other matters, or, at last, lost his temper and chastized her for suggesting such things.

I"rene nursed Alexios on his deathbed on 1118, while at the same time still scheming to have Nikephoros and Anna succeed him. Alexios had already promised the throne to John, and when John took his father's signet ring Irene accused him of treachery and theft. When Alexios finally died, she felt genuine grief, and wore the mourning clothes of her daughter Eudokia, whose own husband had died previously. However, she soon conspired with Anna against John, but their plots were unsuccessful and both Irene and Anna were then forced into exile at the monastery of Kecharitomene, which Irene had founded a few years previously. It was not a harsh exile, and Irene lived there in peace, distributing food to the poor and educating young orphan girls. Irene may have inspired the history written by her son-in-law Nikephoros Bryennios and corresponded with or patronized several important literary figures, including Theophylact of Ohrid and Michael Italikos.

"Irene died on February 19, in either 1123 or 1133, most likely the latter. With Alexios I Komnenos she had nine children:
    * Anna Komnene (1083-1153)
    * Maria Komnene
    * John II Komnenos (1087-1143)
    * Andronikos Komnenos
    * Isaac Komnenos
    * Eudokia Komnene
    * Theodora Komnene, who married Constantine Angelos. Among their children were John Doukas (who took his grandmother's surname) and Andronikos Angelos, father of the emperors Alexios III Angelos and Isaac II Angelos.
    * Manuel Komnenos
    * Zoe Komnene"

According to Wikipedia: "Andronikos Doukas or Andronicus Ducas  (died 14 October 1077) was a protovestiarios and protoproedros of the Byzantine Empire.

"Andronikos Doukas was son of the Caesar John Doukas and Eirene Pegonitissa. His father was a brother of Emperor Constantine X Doukas. His maternal grandfather was Niketas Pegonites. Andronikos himself was a first cousin of Michael VII Doukas.

"In 1071 Andronikos was the commander of a section of the Byzantine army in the campaign of Romanos IV Diogenes against the Seljuk Turks of Alp Arslan. Commanding the rearguard of the army during the Battle of Manzikert, Andronikos announced that the emperor had been cut down and deserted from the battlefield. He was widely blamed for causing the crushing defeat of the Byzantine forces and the subsequent capture of Romanos IV by the enemy.

"In 1072, after Romanos had been released by Alp Arslan, Andronikos and his brother Constantine were sent out by Michael VII and their father the Caesar John to intercept him. They defeated Romanos and hunted him down in Cilicia. It was Andronikos who finally obtained Romanos' surrender and conducted him towards Constantinople. In spite of his former hatred for the deposed emperor, Andronikos is said to have opposed his blinding on June 29, 1072.

"In 1074, together with his father, Andronikos commanded the imperial army against the rebel mercenaries led by Roussel de Bailleul. Both were captured by the rebels, who released the badly wounded Andronikos to allow him to seek proper medical treatment in Constantinople. There he recovered for a few years, but in October 1077 died of an edema.

"Andronikos Doukas married Maria of Bulgaria, daughter of Troian. Troian was a son of Emperor Ivan Vladislav of Bulgaria. They had at least five children:
    * Michael Doukas.
    * John Doukas.
    * Irene Doukaina, who married Emperor Alexios I Komnenos.
    * Anna Doukaina, who married George Palaiologos.
    * Theodora Doukaina, a nun."

According to Wikipedia: "Maria of Bulgaria (d. after 1081), protovestiaria, was the wife of protovestiarios Andronikos Doukas and mother of Irene Doukaina.

"Maria was a daughter of Troian of Bulgaria by an unnamed Byzantine noblewoman descended from the families of Kontostephanos and Phokas. Her paternal grandparents were Ivan Vladislav of Bulgaria and his wife Marija. Her paternal uncles included Presian II of Bulgaria and Alusian of Bulgaria.

"Maria married Andronikos Doukas well before 1066. Her husband was a son of the Caesar John Doukas and Eirene Pegonitissa. He was also a nephew of Constantine X and first cousin of Michael VII.

"Maria was endowed with an inheritance of vast land holdings around Lake Ohrid, and her considerable income was used to support her husband's lavish lifestyle and political ambitions.

"Her prominent marriage is another evidence to the integration of descendants of the Kometopouloi into the court nobility in Constantinople.

"As mother of the Empress Irene Doukaina, Maria was a woman of some influence in the early years of the reign of Alexios I Komnenos. Her granddaughter Anna Komnene praises her beauty and wisdom in the Alexiad."

According to Wikipedia: "Ivan Vladislav ruled as emperor (tsar) of Bulgaria from August or September 1015 to February 1018. The year of his birth is unknown, but he was born at least about a decade before 987.

"He was the ancestor of the Aaronios family.

"Ivan Vladislav was the son of Aron, the brother of Emperor Samuel (Samuil) of Bulgaria. In 987 Samuel ordered his brother Aron executed for treason together with his entire family. The massacre was survived only by Aron's son Ivan Vladislav, who was saved through the intercession of his cousin, Samuel's son Gabriel Radomir.

"What happened with Ivan Vladislav during the subsequent decades is unknown, but in 1015 he was induced by Byzantine agents to murder his cousin Gabriel Radomir, while the latter was hunting near Ostrovo (Arnissa), and seize the Bulgarian throne. Ivan Vladislav took steps to ensure his positions against potential rivals, and in 1016 lured and murdered Prince Vladimir of Zeta, who was married to Gabriel Radomir's sister Theodora (Kosara).

"Although Ivan Vladislav had entered into negotiations with the Byzantine Emperor Basil II, he quickly began to follow the determined policy of his predecessors to resist the ongoing Byzantine conquest. Ivan Vladislav restored the fortifications of Bitola in 1015 and survived an assassination plot undertaken by Byzantine agents. Although the Byzantines sacked Ohrid, they failed to take Pernik, they were defeated in the battle of Bitola and received troubling intelligence that Ivan Vladislav was attempting to induce the Pechenegs to come to his aid, following up the general practice of his predecessors.

"While Byzantine armies had penetrated deep into Bulgaria in 1016, Ivan Vladislav was able to rally his forces. In 1017 the Bulgarians were defeated in the battle of Setina but the war ended only when Vladislav was killed before the walls of Dyrrhachium in the winter of 1018. After his death much of the Bulgarian nobility and court, including his widow Maria, submitted to the advancing Basil II in exchange of guarantees for the preservation of their lives, status, and property. A faction of the nobles and the army rallied around Ivan Vladislav's eldest sons and continued to resist for several months until it was forced to submit.

"By his wife Marija, Ivan Vladislav had several children, including:
   1. Presian II, who briefly succeeded as emperor of Bulgaria 1018
   2. Aron, Byzantine general
   3. Alusian, who was briefly emperor of Bulgaria in 1041
   4. Troian (Trojan). Father of Maria of Bulgaria, who married Andronikos Doukas.
   5. Catherine (Ekaterina), who married the future Byzantine Emperor Isaac I Komnenos."

According to Wikipedia: "Aron was a Bulgarian noble, brother of Emperor Samuil of Bulgaria and third son of Comita Nikola, Duke of Sofia. After the fall of the eastern parts of the country under Byzantine occupation in 971, he and his three brothers David, Moses and Samuil continued the resistance to the west. They were called Comutopuli and ruled the country together, as the rightful heir to the throne, Boris II and Roman were imprisoned in Constantinople. The residence of Aron was Sofia situated on the main road between Constantinople and Western Europe. He had to defend the area from enemy invasions and attack the Byzantine territories in Thrace.

"In 976 in the beginning the major campaign against the Byzantine Empire, the two eldest brothers David and Moses perished but the Bulgarians achieved great successes including the return of north-eastern Bulgaria. During that time, the Byzantine Emperor Basil II had to fight both the Bulgarians and the dangerous rebellion under Bardas Skleros and he turned the customary means of the Byzntine policy: conspiracy.

"His attention concentrated to Aron, who was more dangerous at the time due to the proximity of his seat to Thrace; and because of his ambition to rule over Bulgaria alone which made an eventual peace profitable for both Aron and Basil. The Bulgarian nobel asked for the Emperor's sister hand and Basil agreed but he tried to deceive Aron and sent him the wife of one of his nobles and the bishop of Sevast. However the attempted deceit was revealed and the bishop was killed, but the negotiations continued nonetheless. In the end Samuil learned of the secret negotiations and on 14 June 976 Aron together with all of his kin were executed in the vicinity of Dupnitsa. Only his eldest son Ivan Vladislav, who eventually became the last Emperor of the Empire was spared due to the vindication of Samuil's son Gavril Radomir. Ironically, Ivan Vladislav murderred his saviour 39 years later."

According to Wikipedia: "Nikola was a Bulgarian nobleman and father of counts David, Moses and Aron, and of tsar Samuil of Bulgaria. He ruled Serdica. He was a governor of regions in the wwestern part of the First Bulgarian Empire.His son Samuel ruled as emperor of the First Bulgarian Empire from 996 to 1014."

According to Wikipedia: "Ripsimia (also known as Hripsime Bagratuni) was an Armenian, wife of Comita Nikola, probably governor of Sofia and had four sons, counts David, Moses and Aron, and tsar Samuil of Bulgaria. Her children and grandchildren ruled Bulgaria until 1018."

Alexios = son of

35 Ioannis Komnenos md. Anna Dalassena (1025-1102), daughter of Alexius Charon md. Adriana Dalassena

Acccording to Wikipedia: "Anna Dalassena (1025-1102) was an important Byzantine noblewoman who rose to the position of an Empress-Mother during the reign of her son Alexios I Komnenos. Anna was the daughter of Alexius Charon, the Imperial lieutenant in Italy, and the daughter of Adriana Dalassena. As her mother's family was more illustrious then her father's, Anna retained her mother's family name throughout her life, even after she had married.

"Anna married Johannes Komnenos, whose brother Isaac became Emperor in 1057. Her younger son Alexios I Komnenos rose to the throne after vicissitudes of politics. Alexius was for many years under the strong influence of her éminence grise. She is described as a wise and immensely able politician and acted as regent during the absences of her son.

"After acceeding to the throne, Alexios crowned his mother Empress Augusta, an honour commonly given to the Emperor's wife, Irene Doukaina in this case.

"Anna was the effective administrator of the Empire during the long absences of Alexios in war campaigns: she was constantly at odds with her daughter-in-law Irene and had assumed total responsibility for the upbringing and education of her granddaughter Anna Komnene."

36 Manuel Erotikos Komnenos, an officer of Emperor Basil II

According to Wikipedia: "Manuel Erotikos Komnenos, an officer of Emperor Basil II who in 978 defended Nicaea against Bardas Skleros, and one of his two wives, whose names are unknown, and who on his deathbed in 1020 commended his two surviving sons Isaakios and Ioannes to the emperor's care."

 

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