The Arab Caliphs of Islam and Islamic Rulers of Spain in the Medieval Ages: Ancestors of Michael GregoryThe 4th Earl of Hereford, Humphrey VIII de Bohun and his wife, Elizabeth Plantagenet, were direct ancestors of Michael Gregory. The father of Elizabeth was King Edward I of England; her mother was Eleanor of Castile. This Royal couple were Michael Gregory’s 24th great grandparents1. Through Eleanor, a line can be traced back through the medieval Kings of Spain and Portugal, to the Arab Caliphs of Islam. Michael Gregory’s ancestors were Companions and relatives of Mohammed “The Prophet” of Islam. The genealogical record extends to pre-Islamic times. Medieval ancestors include Uthman bin Affan, the 3 rd

Righteous Caliph of Islam, and husband to two of the Prophet’s daughters. He was famous in the history of the early and turbulent years of Islam; Musa bin Nusair, the Conqueror of Spain in 711; and in later medieval times, “El Cid” features as a hero alongside many other relatives who were both famous as warriors and Kings, and some who were infamous as cruel rulers. This story does not dwell on the Christian Iberian rulers, providing an outline only of a few of their lives2. This history relates the life and times of Michael Gregory’s early Moslem and Arab ancestors.

It is sometimes believed that the Plantagenet family had a line of descent from Mohammed “The Prophet” of Islam. This is controversial, however, and has not been proven. There is a line, however, to a Sahaba or Companion of Mohammed. This is Uthman ibn Affan, who was born in ca 593. Uthman married several times, including two of Mohammed’s daughters, and it is through the marriage with Ruqqiya, the daughter of Mohammed that it is frequently mistakenly assumed there is a genealogical link. However, Ruqqiya died in 624 at the time of the Battle of Badr. She and Uthman did not leave any children who survived to have progeny of their own. Uthman and Umm Kulthum, another of Mohammed’s daughters who he married on the death of Ruqqiyah, also died childless. In fact, of Mohammed’s 11 wives and several concubines, he had no surviving sons, and his only children came from his marriage with Khadija. He had two sons from other wives, but both boys died young. The only daughter who survived his own death was Fatimah. She was the only one to have children. Therefore, it is only through her line of descent that a genealogical connection with Mohammed can be obtained. Even the parentage of his daughters Ruqiyyah and Umm Kulthum is questionable. The Shia branch of Islam vehemently deny that they were Mohammed’s offspring, and that they were stepdaughters, from one or other of Khadija’s earlier marriages, one in which she was widowed, and one in which she was divorced3.

However, this is not a treatise about the life of Mohammed, although clearly events in the lives of the early Caliphs were strongly influenced by the Prophet. Michael Gregory’s ancestor, Uthman, in fact, also shared a common ancestry with Mohammed. Their great grandfathers were brothers, and their great great grandfather was Abd Al Manaf ibn Qusai, a member of the Qureshi tribe of Mecca. Uthman was a close companion of the Prophet and became the 3 rd Caliph of Islam. Most Moslems regard anyone who knew or saw Mohammed to be a Sahaabi. Lists of prominent Companions run to 50 or 60 names, although there were many others who had contact with Mohammed. Many of them were identified by later scholars, and their names and biographies were recorded in religious texts such as Mohammed ibn Sa’ad’s early Kitah at-Tabaqat al-Kabir. It is important to identify the Companions because later scholars accepted their testimony (the Hadith, or Traditions) as to the words and deeds of Mohammed, the occasions on which the Q’uran was revealed, and various important matters of Islamic history and practice laid down. The testimony of the Companions, as it was passed down through chains of trusted narrators (Isnads), was the basis of the developing Islamic tradition. Uthman has a greater significance as not only was he married to two of Mohammed’s daughters, during his time as 3rd Caliph, he also wrote the definitive version of the Qur’an, an act that made him unpopular, but which was important in consolidating the revelations in that Holy Book.

Uthman bin Haffan was the 47th great grandfather of Michael Gregory. The name “Uthman” is the old Arabic style of the name. Sometimes, it can be found in translations to be spelt “Osman” or Othman”. The name of the old Turkish Ottoman Empire was derived from this name.

“May Allah be the guardian of the couple! After Lot, Usman is the first man who, with his wife, has given up the comfort of his home for the cause of Allah.”

Thus said the Holy Prophet when his son-in-law (married at that time to Ruqqiya) left Mecca for Abyssinia, to escape persecution at the hands of the Meccans. Uthman was born approximately six years after the birth of Mohammed. His father was Affan bin Abu al As. His mother’s name was Arwa (or Urwa), the daughter of Kariz (Kurayz ibn Rabi’ah ibn Abd Shams) from al-Bayda, daughter of Abd al Muttalib and the Prophet’s aunt. Uthman belonged to the Omayya branch of the Quraish. The Banu (tribe) Omayya were thought to be the equals of the Banu Hashim. The national flag of the Quraish were in their safekeeping.

Adb(dul) Mutallib came from an honorable family. His great grandfather was called Qusay, who was born around the year 400 into the tribe of Quraysh. He won great honour and fame for his tribe by his wisdom. He rebuilt the Kabaa which was in a state of disrepair, and he ordered the Arabs to rebuild their houses around it. He also built the “town hall” of Makkah (Mecca), the first one in Arabia. The leaders of the various clans gathered in this hall to ponder upon their social, political, commercial, and cultural problems. Qusay formulated laws for the supply of food and water to the pilgrims who came to pray in Mecca, and he persuaded the Arabs to pay a tax for their support. Qusay died in 480 and his son, Abd Manaf took charge of his duties. He too distinguished himself by his ability. He was noted for his generosity and good judgement. He was succeeded by his son Hashim.

1 Gregory, M.P., (2004), “The Bohun Family, Earls of Hereford”, Personal Family History Report.2 They are more fully dealt with in Gregory, M.P., (2006), “Rulers of Spain and Portugal in the Medieval Period: Ancestors of Michael Gregory”, Personal Family History Report [in progress].3 Khadija was about 15 years older than Mohammed. She was Mohammed’s second wife.

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It was this Hashim who gave his name to the clan which became famous in history as Banu Hashim. Hashim was an extraordinary man. It was he who made the Quraysh merchants and merchant princes. He was the first man who instituted the two caravan journeys of Quraysh, summer and winter, and the first to provide thareed (broth) to the Arabs. But for him, the Arabs might have remained shepherds forever.

When Uthman grew up, he became a cloth merchant. He was a successful businessman, with the strongest of reputations in Mecca. He often visited Syria in connection with his business. He held both wealth and position in his community. His reputation was of a kindly man, who looked upon his wealth as a means of helping others. He often gave money to relieve peoples’ suffering.

The tribe of Koreish, by fraud or force, had acquired the custody of the Kaaba (the sacerdotal office devolved through four lineal descents to the grandfather of Mohammed) and the family of the Hashemites. Mohammed’s (and Uthman’s by their shared ancestry) are legendary of course, and possibly doubtful. However, there are many generations of pure and genuine nobility: they shared a genealogical heritage from the tribe of Koreish and the family of Hashim, the most illustrious of the Arabs, the Princes of Mecca, and the legendary guardians of the Kaaba4. The Kaaba is a building inside the Mosque known as Masjid al Haram in Mecca. The Mosque has been built around the Kaaba (see illustration below). The Kaaba is the holiest place in Islam. It is a large masonry structure roughly the shape of a cube (in fact, the name Kaaba comes from the Arabic word meaning cube, as does the word cube). It is made of granite from the hills near Mecca. The structure is 50 feet high, 35 feet wide and 40 feet long. It is covered by a black silk cloth covered with gold-embroidered calligraphy. This cloth is known as the kiswah. It is replaced yearly.

One of the cornerstones of the Kaaba is the Hajar el Aswad (the sacred “Black Stone”), which is presumed by most sources to be a meteorite remnant. Inside the Kaaba there is a marble floor. The interior walls are clad with marble half-way to the roof. Tablets with Quranic inscriptions are inset in the marble. The top part of the walls is covered with a green cloth decorated with gold-embroidered Quranic verses. Lamps hang from a crossbeam. There is also a small table for incense burners. The building is otherwise empty. The caretakers perfume the marble cladding with scented oil, the same oil used to anoint the black stone outside.

The building is opened twice a year for a ceremony known as “the cleaning of the Kaaba”. This ceremony takes place roughly 15 days before the start of Ramadan and the same period of time before the start of the annual pilgrimage. The keys to the Kaaba are held by the Sheibani family. Members of the family greet visitors to the inside of the building on the occasion of the cleaning ceremony. A small number of dignitaries and foreign diplomats are invited to participate in the ceremony. The Governor of Mecca leads the honoured guests who ritually clean the structure, using simple brooms.

According to Islamic traditions, Allah (God) ordained a place of worship on earth to reflect a place in Heaven called Bait al Ma’amoor. It is believed that Adam was the first to build such a place of worship. According to the Quran, the Kaaba was built by the Prophet Ibrahim (Abraham) and his son Ismail (Ishmael)5.

At the time of Mohammed, his tribe, the Quraish was in charge of the Kaaba, which was at that time a shrine to numerous Arabian tribal Gods. Desert tribesmen, the Bedouin, and inhabitants of other cities would join in the annual pilgrimage, to worship and to trade. Caravan raiding, common during the rest of the year, was suspended during the pilgrimage.

Moslem sources describe Mecca as a rich and populous city, the centre of a thriving international trade, to which the religious status of the Kaaba was central. Some academics disagree with this, stating that there is no evidence that Mecca was anything but a centre of local trade and commerce and worship6.

Mohammed, preaching the doctrine of monotheism and the threat of the Day of Judgement, did not at first have much success in the city of Mecca. The Quraish persecuted him continuously, and he and his followers eventually fled to Medina, in 622. After this pivotal flight, or Hijra, the Moslem community became a political and military force. In 630, Mohammed and his followers returned to Mecca as conquerors and the Kaaba was re-dedicated as an Islamic house of worship. Henceforth, the annual pilgrimage was to be a Moslem rite, the Hajj. It is in the direction of the Kaaba that Moslems supplicate themselves in prayer, although it should be noted that they do not worship it anymore than Christians worship a cross; it is simply a focal point for prayer.

Returning to the story of Uthman: he was one of the first converts to Islam, even though he and Mohammed were belonging to the two tribes of Banu Hashim and Banu Omayya and held respective rivalries by their familial loyalties. As a result, 4 See: Gibbons, “Decline & Fall of the Roman Empire”.5 Some academic scholars will only say it is a house of pre-Islamic Arab worship.6 See: Crone, P., (1987), “Meccan Trade and the Rise of Islam”, Blackwell.

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Mohammed gave him his daughter, Ruqiyyah in marriage. By becoming a Moslem, Uthman drew upon himself the anger of his relatives. His uncle, Hakam, tied his hands and feet and shut him in a darkened room. Uthman gladly underwent all kinds of tortures, but refused to give up his new faith. He did, however, lose the love of his tribe and relatives, and as a result, he became one of the first to leave Mecca and emigrated with his wife to Abyssinia, and later went to Medina.

Uthman fought at the side of the Prophet in all battles except that of the Battle of Al Badr. He could not go to Badr because Ruqqiyah was very ill. Mohammed told Uthman to stay back at Medina and attend to his ailing wife. Ruqiyyah died of this illness. Uthman took the death of his wife very badly. Mohammed saw this and married him to another of his daughters, Umm Kulthum. This earned for Uthman the title of “Zun-Noorain”, or the possessor of two lights”.

In the sixth year of Hijra (the Moslem calendar) the Treaty of Hudaibiya was signed. Uthman played an important part in the peace talks. It was he who was sent by Mohammed to contact the Quraish. The Quraish said they had no objection if Uthman alone visited the Kabaa, but they were unwilling to let the Messenger of Allah enter Mecca. To this Uthman replied: “It is unthinkable that I take preference over the Prophet. If he cannot visit the House of Allah, I too, will not visit it”. Uthman’s firm stand at last forced the Quraish to yield ground. In the meantime, a rumour got afoot. It was given out that Uthman had been killed by the Quraish. The report shocked the Prophet. He determined to avenge the death of Uthman. He stood under a tree and took a pledge from his followers. He struck his hand on each man’s hand and the man said, “I will fight unto death for the sake of Uthman”. This reflected the regard in which Uthman was held by the Prophet. However, the rumour proved to be untrue. Uthman came back safely.

When the first Moslem refugees arrived in Medina, they had great difficulty in obtaining drinking water. There was just one well, and it was owned by a Jew. The Jew would not allow the refugees to obtain water from it. So, the Holy Prophet asked who would buy the well from the Jew. Uthman came forward. He bought the well for twenty thousand dirhams and allowed the refugees to drink free from it. When the Moslems grew in numbers, the Prophet’s mosque became too small for them. The Holy Prophet asked who would spend money for its extension, and once again, Uthman came forward; he bought the adjoining piece of land for the extension.

In the ninth year of Hijra, reports reached Mohammed that the Emperor of Byzantium was preparing a march on Medina. These reports disturbed the Moslems. The Holy Prophet began counter preparations. He appealed to people to give whatever they could. Uthman gave one thousand camels, fifty horses and one thousand pieces of gold. Mohammed looked at the heap of gold and declared, “Whatever Uthman does from this day on, will do him no harm”.

Uthman was one of the scribes of the Prophet. He was one of the men who wrote portions of the Qur’an as they were revealed. He was also one of the ten Companions whom the Prophet gave the good news of the Kingdom of Heaven. Uthman was one of the advisors of Abu Bakr and Omar during their Caliphate.

Uthman was said to be ‘neither tall nor short, extremely handsome, brunet, large-jointed, wide-shouldered, with a large beard which he dyed yellow and long hair which reached to his shoulders, and gold-braced teeth’. Abd Allah bin Hazim said, “I saw Uthman and I never saw a man nor woman handsomer of face than him”.

He was elected to be 3rd Caliph of Islam after the assassination of Umer ibn Al Khattab (Caliph Omar) ca 644. Prior to his death, Omar appointed a group of six men to choose his successor from among them. Included in this group were Uthman and Ali (who later became Caliph). The group of six chose Uthman7.

Uthman reigned for 12 years, and during his rule, most of North Africa, the Caucasus and Cyprus were added to the Islamic Empire. In order to strengthen his control over the Empire, Uthman appointed many of his kinsmen to governor positions. This, however, caused many problems, and many people were angered by Uthman’s preferential treatment of his own kinsmen. This matter was not helped by the misrule by some of them.

Perhaps the one action which caused the most controversy for Uthman during his reign was his attempt to develop a definitive text of the Qur’an at the expense of all others. His aim was simply to establish one true text of the Revelation, in order for all Muslims to know what the Qur’an consisted of, what order it should be in, and how it should be written. Despite the controversy, Uthman was able to complete this task, which has been recognised as a significant achievement in Islamic history. However, the argument grew so intense that parties from Egypt and Iraq would convene in Medina to address their grievance to Uthman directly. Eventually, the parties grew impatient with Uthman and laid siege to his house for more than 20 days in 656. Despite the crowds outside his home, Uthman refused help from his old friends, and the siege ended when some members broke into the house and murdered him whilst he was reading the Qur’an. The actual details of Uthman’s death betray the horror and treachery involved. Uthman’s house was large. Hassan, Husein, Mohammed bin Talha and Abdallah bin Zubair stood guard at the main gate. The rioters had no wish to cross swords with these men as it would draw their kinsmen into the fight. To avoid this, a group of rioters stealthily jumped over the back wall of the house and rushed toward where the aged Caliph was. The guards at the main gate knew nothing about what was going on inside. Uthman was sitting with the Holy Book open before him. He was reciting the Qur’an. Muhammed bin Abu Baker was leading the party of assassins. He got hold of the Caliph’s beard and pulled it. “My dear nephew”, said the kindly Caliph, looking into Muhammed’s eyes, “if your father had been alive, he would not have liked this conduct of yours”.

The young man was cut to the quick and drew back. Then, another man hit the Caliph on the head with an axe. The third struck him with a sword. Naila, the faithful wife of Uthman, had her fingers cut off in trying to shield her husband. Then all the rioters fell upon the aged Caliph. They inflicted several wounds on his body. One of them, Amr bin Hamq by name, cut off his head.

7 It was after the murder of Uthman many years later that Islam schismed into the Shia and Sunni branches. 3

The news of Uthman’s murder came as a cruel shock to everyone. Ali, the son-in-law of Mohammed the Prophet and kinsman to Uthman by marriage, was stunned by it. He rushed to Medina and rebuked his sons, “where were you when the Commander of the Faithful was murdered?”

After killing Uthman, the rioters plundered his house. Then they rushed to the public treasury. Horror-stricken people looked on the orgy from behind closed doors. No one dared call a halt to it. Medina seemed to be at the mercy of the rioters. For three days, Uthman’s body laid unburied, although he was eventually interred in Medina, carried to his grave by 17 men.

Uthman married several times, firstly to Ruqqayah, daughter of Mohammed the Prophet and secondly to Umm Kultum, another of the Prophet’s daughters. Uthman had a child by one of his wives (unknown) called Aisha. Her mother was possibly Nayla bint Farafisa, although this is uncertain. Aisha married Marwan I bin Hakim al Qureshi, the 4 th Ummayid Caliph and a relative of Uthman. Marwan I and Aisha were direct ancestors of Michael Gregory. Marwan I was born in 623 and died in 685. He took over the dynasty after Muawiya II gave up the title in 684. Marwan’s ascension pointed to a shift in the lineage of the Ummayad dynasty from descendants of Abu Sufyan to those of Hakam, both of whom were grandsons of Umayya (for whom the Ummayad dynasty is named). Hakam was a first cousin of Uthman ibn Affan. During Uthman’s reign, the Islamic empire spread rapidly and with spectacular success, as the chart on the next page illustrates.

During the reign of Uthman, Marwan took advantage of his relationship to the Caliph and was appointed governor of Medina. However, he was removed from this position by Ali, only to be reappointed by Muawiya I. Marwan was eventually removed from the city when Abdullah ibn Zubayr rebelled against Yazid I. From here, Marwan went to Damascus, where he was made the Caliph after Muawiyah II abdicated.

Marwan’s short reign was marked by a civil war among the Ummayads as well as a war against Abdullah bin Zuhayr who continued to rule over the Hejaz, Iraq, Egypt and parts of Syria. Marwan was able to win the Ummayad civil war, the result of which was a new Marwanid line of Ummayad Caliphs. He was also able to recapture Egypt and Syria from Abdullah, but was not able to completely defeat him. Marwan’s full name was Marwan ben Hakim Al Qureshi. He was born in 623. He died in Damascus, Syria of the plague in 685. He married Aisha, Uthman’s daughter before 659. Their daughter, Amina, was born in 659. Amina married Musa bin Nusair “El Bekir” [The Conqueror] of Spain. This pair were direct ancestors of Michael Gregory. Musa ibn Nusair was a Yemeni General. He led the conquest on the Iberian Peninsula in 711. Musa was born in 640 and died in 714. In 698, he was made the Viceroy of North Africa and was responsible for putting down a large Berber rebellion. He also had to deal with constant harassment from the Byzantine navy, and he built a navy that would go on to conquer the islands of Ibiza, Majorca and Minorca.

In Spain, there was internal fighting among the Visigoths. Among the factions were the sons of a recently deceased King who felt that they had been unfairly stripped of power. They appealed to Musa to intervene in their civil war, and Musa obliged. He sent his Deputy, Tariq bin Zayid, to Spain, whose armies landed at Gibraltar on 30 April 711, from whence they proceeded to take most of Spain. Their major victory came in September of the same year when the Muslim armies defeated Roderic at the Guadalete River (see below).

Musa joined Tariq in 712 and led armies into southern France, where he annexed some land. Musa was planning an invasion of the rest of Europe when he was recalled to Damascus by Al Waleed. Al Waleed would die soon after and Musa would be jailed by his successor, Suleiman, who would have Musa executed in 716. The reasoning behind this was that Suleiman saw Musa as a threat; but it could have been a personal vendetta. According to American writer, Washington Irving, in the “Legend of the Subjugation of Spain”, a part of his 1835 Legends of the Conquest of Spain, Musa (Muza) and Tariq (Taric) feuded because each regarded the other as stealing his rightful glory. Their conflict reached the ear of the Caliph al Waleed (Waleed Al Manzor). Both North African leaders were therefore summoned by the Caliph to Damascus. Tariq arrived first. But then the Caliph took ill. So the Caliph’s brother, Suleiman ben Abdelmelec, asked Musa, who was arriving with a cavalcade of soldiers and spoils, to delay his grand entry into the city until Waleed recovered. But Musa dismissed this request, triumphally entering Damascus anyway, and brought his case before the ailing Waleed. After hearing from both Musa and Tariq, the Caliph concluded that Musa, as Emir, had wronged his subordinate general, Tariq, by taking all the credit. Waleed then died a few days later and was succeeded by his brother Suleiman, who soon demanded that Musa deliver up all his spoils. When Musa complained, Suleiman stripped him of his rank, confiscated his possessions, had him publicly scourged, and threw him in prison.

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Musa and Amina had a son, Abdul Al Aziz (Aboalli)8 who married Egilon[a], the widow of the last King of the Visigoths, Rodrigo de Balthes. He had been killed in the Battle of Guadalete where she was subsequently captured by the Moors led by Abdul Al Aziz. The Emir fell in love with her and in 717 she agreed to be his wife. Egilona was a Christian of course. She became one of the most influential people in this time and was able to exert enough urging that the Emir considered converting to Christianity. He showed much clemency to Christian prisoners; and it was this that led to his eventual murder at the instigation of the Ummayid Caliph Sullayman ibn Abd Al Malik. Egilona and Abdul Al Aziz were Michael Gregory’s direct ancestors through their child, Aisha.

The Battle of Guadalete (see image below) took place on 19 July 711, at the Guadalete River (or La Janda Lake) in the southern extreme of the Iberian Peninsula. It was a decisive defeat for the Visigoth King Roderic (or Rodrigo), who disappeared and was likely killed, and an important victory for the Muslim forces that defeated him. These were about 7,000 Yemenis, and Berbers, led by Tariq ibn Zayad. It has been conjectured that most of the prominent members of the Visigothic establishment, including the Royal Court, were also killed along with the King. This may explain the absolute lack of organised resistance to the invaders after the battle by the Visigothic state. Only scanty remainders of the Visigothic army escaped the massacre and sheltered in Ecija, near Seville. Shortly after, the city was put under siege and it capitulated. Musa ibn Nusayr, as indicated above, entered the Iberian Peninsula himself the next year with a further 18,000 troops. The Moors proceeded to conquer most of the Iberian Peninsula within the next five years.

Pelayo of Asturias, a low level official of the Visigoth state, escaped the Moors and went on to found the Kingdom of Asturias, resisting Muslim overlordship from the northwest corner of the Peninsula. It is not clear whether Pelayo fought at Guadalete, however, most historians believe he was not present. Pelayo is credited with beginning the Reconquista at the Battle of Covadonga.

Aisha bint Abdul was born ca 715. She married Fortun ibn Cassio, Governor of Saragoza. He was the son of Cassio “Banu Qasi”. Their child, Musa ibn Fortun was the direct ancestor of Michael Gregory. His wife is not known. Musa ibn Fortun died in 781 and his son, Musa ibn Musa, who was born in 785, became Governor of Saragoza. He died in 863. He had a brother, Lope. Musa’s wife was Assona Iniquez de Pampalune, daughter of King Eneco Aritza, whose father and mother were Inigo Jiminez and Oreca Velasquez.

King Eneco Aritza (Inigo Iniguez Arista, in Basque Eneko Aritza) was born ca 781 and died in 852. He was the first King of Navarre in the 9th century. He was apparently also Count of Bigorre and Sobrarbe. Eneko’s elder brother or kinsman, Garcia Jiminez held a veritable principality in Vasconia, the original Navarre. After the death of his father, his mother married, secondly, Musa ibn Fortun, Lord of Banu Qasi, Muslim King of Tudela, who was one of the Lords of the Valley of Ebro. This marriage made Eneko influential over large territories in the Pyrenean valleys. Additionally, the Clan of Banu Qasi controlled a long stretch of the fertile valley of the River Ebro.

The family of Valasco was a rival of Eneko and the Banu Qasi and the nucleus of the pro-French army in northern Spain. In 799, the pro-French party assassinated Mutarrif ibn Musa, Governor of Pamplona, who belonged to the family of Banu Qasi. A Velasco became Governor and the French controlled Navarrese territories.

In 824 French Counts Elbe and Aznar made another expedition against Pamplona. This led Eneko to overthrow the Franks and pronounce the Kingdom of Pamplona. Eneko was a “Christicolae princeps” (Christian Prince), according to Eulogio de Cordoba. This Kingdom contained both Muslims and Christians to maintain independence against outside powers.

Abd Al Rahman II of Cordoba made some reprisals against Pamplona.

In 841 Eneko fell victim to paralysis. His son Garcia Iniguez acted as Regent. Eneko died in 851 or 852, and apparently was succeeded by his kinsman Jimeno Garces, Lord holder of Alava, apparently simultaneous ruler in Vasconia, now also King of Pamplona, thus uniting the two independent Basque territories. Eneko, however, also left a son, Garcia Iniguez, who managed to become the sole King ca 860. The Basque dynasty (in the form of the Jiminez line) ruled Navarre from the 9 th century to 1234. Eneko’s own male line lost the Throne in 905. Later Kings of Pamplona were Eneko’s descendants through the female line.

Eneko married Oneca Velasquez, the daughter of Don Velasco, Lord of Pamplona, and had the following children: Assona Iniguez, wife of Musa ibn Musa ibn Fortun, Lord of Tudela and Huesca [ this pair being the ancestors of

Michael Gregory] Garcia Iniguez (also the ancestor of Michael Gregory) Galindo Iniguez of Pamplona, who was the father of Musa ibn Galindo, Wali of Huesca who was assassinated in 870

in Cordoba Nunila, the wife of Count Garcia “el Malo” (the Bad) of Aragon

8 He also had a brother, Tariq, who was the 1st Emir of Spain (711-714).6

The son of Musa ibn Musa and Assona was Lope ibn Musa ibn Musa. He married Ayab Al Bulatiya. These ancestors of Michael Gregory had a daughter, Auria (Aurea) bint Lope. Around 845 she married Fortun Garces “El Monje” [The Monk], King of Navarre. He died in 905. Their daughter, Onega (b. ca 847) was Michael Gregory’s direct ancestor. She had firstly married Abdallah, Emir of Spain and they had a son, Zayd. Secondly, she married Aznar Sanchez de Larron in 880, and it was their daughter, Toda Aznarez de Larron who became Michael Gregory’s ancestor.

Toda married Sancho Garces (Sancho I), King of Pamplona. He died in 925 and it was their son Garcia Sanches III, King of Navarre, who provides the ancestry of Michael Gregory. Sancho Garces I was a son of Garcia Jiminez, who was Regent of Pamplona 870-880 and apparently co-King of Pamplona from 860 up to 882. Sancho also may have been co-King during the reign of Fortun I of Pamplona. The elderly Sancho succeeded King Fortun Garces when the latter was deposed by his enemies in 905. Sancho’s first wife, Urraca, daughter of the Count of Aragon, did not have surviving children. Thus, Sancho’s heirs were his children from his second marriage with Queen Toda Aznarez. They were born in his last decade of life, when he was an old man. Their minority led to special arrangements in the succession. Sancho I Garces fought against the Moors with repeated success and joined Ultra-Puertos, or Basse-Navarre, to his own dominions, also extending its territory as far as Najera. As a thank-offering for his victories, he founded, in 924, the Convent of Albreda. Before his death, all Moors had been driven from the country. King Sancho Garces was succeeded by his brother Jimeno, but his young son Garcia Sanchez also received the Royal Title, and after Jimeno’s death in 931, the young Garcia became the sole King. This Garcia was born in 919 and died in 970. He married Andregoto Galindez, the daughter of Count Galindo II Aznarez of Aragon. However, he divorced her. Their son was Sancho II Garces Abarca, King of Navarre. He died in 994. He married Urraca Fernandez in 962. Their son, and the ancestor of Michael Gregory, was Garcia IV “The Tremulous” of Pamplona. He died in the year 1000. He married Jimena Fernandez, the daughter of Fernandez Vermundez, Count of Cea, out of Elvira.

In 975, Sancho II was defeated by the Moors at San Esteban de Gormaz, and in 981 at Rueda, a dozen kilometres from Tordesillas, the Christians suffered another humiliating defeat. Because he could not vanquish Al Manzor by arms, Sancho II went to Cordoba as an ambassador for his own Kingdom, bringing many gifts for the victorious Al Manzor, making a pact with him and agreeing to give the Muslim his daughter in marriage.

The son of Garcia IV and Jimena was Sancho III, “The Great” of Navarre. He was born in 985 and died on 18 October 1035. He was the Count of Aragon and King of Navarre from 1001 until his death and King of Castile from 1029 until he died. During his lifetime, he was the most important Christian Monarch of Spain. Having gone further than any of his predecessors in uniting the divided Kingdoms of Spain, his life’s work was undone when he divided his domains shortly before his death to provide for each of his sons.

Sancho III was born around 985. Although he inherited the Kingdom of Navarre and the Kingdom of Aragon, he later profited from the difficulties of Sobrade-Ribagorza, and annexed that Kingdom in 1016-1019 by using his rights as a descendant of Dadildis of Pallars. He also forced Berengar Raymond I of Barcelona to become his vassal.

With his nephew Alphonso V of Leon (later of Castile) and Garcia II of Castile, Jimena led a combined attack against al-Mansur ibn Abi Aamir, conquering further territories in the south. After the crisis in the Caliphate, initiated by the death of Al Mansur and leading to fragmented principalities, so-called Taifa Kingdoms, Sancho aspired to unify the Christian principalities. However, relations between the three Christian entities soured after the assassination of Count Garcia of Castile in 1027. He had been betrothed to Sancha of Leon, with Alphonso V of Leon gaining from Castile lands between River Cea and Pisuerga as his price for approving the pact. As Garcia arrived in Leon for his wedding, he was killed by sons of a noble he had expelled from his lands. Sancho III had opposed the wedding and the ensuing Leonese expansion and got his chance to act after Garcia’s death. As the late Count’s brother-in-law, he immediately occupied Castile and was soon engaged in full-scale war with Leonese forces under King Bermudo. The combined Castilean and Navarrese armies quickly overran Bermudo’s Kingdoms, occupying Astorga and even the city of Leon in 1034, where he had himself crowned. This was the height of Sancho’s rule which now extended from the borders of Galicia in the west to the county of Barcelona in the east and he styled himself Rex Hispaniarum, “King of the Spains”.

Taking residence in Najera instead of the traditional capital of Pamplona, as his realm grew larger, he considered himself a European monarch, establishing relations on the other side of the Pyrenees with the Duchy of Gascony.

Sancho was married to Muna Mayor Sanchez, daughter of Count Sancho I of Castile out of Urraca. Besides four legitimate sons he also fathered one by his mistress Sancha de Aybar, named Ramiro, who was eldest of the sons, but as an illegitimate issue, not entitled to succeed. Before his death in 1035, Sancho divided his possessions among his sons. Fernando received Castile and the High Kingship, Garcia received Navarre and the Basque country and Gonzalo received Sobrabe and Ribagorza. The illegitimate son, Ramiro, obtained the county of Aragon, which was elevated to a Kingdom, though very small as it was at that era; hence Ramiro was known as “the petty King”.

The son of Sancho I and Munia was Ferdinand I of Castile. He, and his wife, Sancha of Leon (the daughter of Alfonso V, King of Leon by Geloria) were the direct ancestors of Michael Gregory. Ferdinand I was born in 1030 and died on 24 June 1065. He was known as “El Magno” [The Great]. He was barely in his teens when he was put in possession of Castile in 1028 with his father’s backing, on the murder of the last Count, as the heir of his mother Munia, daughter of a previous Count of Castile and sister of the deceased Count. The Count, Don Garcia, was about to be married to Dona Sancha, sister of Bermudo, King of Leon, but was assassinated as he was entering the Church of St John Baptist in Leon by a party of Christian nobles, exiles from their own land, who had taken refuge in Leon.

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Ferdinand now married Sancha of Leon instead. He reigned in Castile with the title of King from 1033. His father King Sancho died in 1035, and Ferdinand became the “High King” of the dynasty. In 1038, when his brother-in-law Bermudo was killed in battle with Ferdinand at Tamaron, Ferdinand took possession of Leon as well, by right of his wife who was the heiress presumptive of Bermudo. He overran the Moorish section of Galacia, and set up his vassal as Count in what is now northern Portugal. With northern Spain consolidated, Ferdinand, in 1039, declared himself Emperor of Hispania. The use of the title was resented by the Emperor Henry III, Holy Roman Emperor and Pope Victor in 1055, as implying a claim to the headship of Christendom, and as a usurpation on the Holy Roman Empire. It did not, however, mean more than that the sovereign of Leon was the chief of the Princes of the Peninsula, and that Spain was independent of the Holy Roman Empire. Ferdinand’s brothers, Garcia V of Navarre and Ramiro I of Aragon opposed his power, but were killed in ensuing battles.

Ferdinand died on the Feast of St John the Evangelist, 24 June 1065, in Leon, with many manifestations of ardent piety, having laid aside his Crown and Royal Mantle, dressed in the robe of a monk and lying on a bier covered with ashes, which was placed before the altar of Saint Isidore. At his death, Ferdinand divided up his Kingdom between his three sons, Sancho, Alfonso and Garcia, and his two daughters, Elvira and Urraca. By giving them his dominion, he wanted them to abide by the split in the Kingdom and respect his wishes. However, Sancho (born 1030), being the oldest, believed that he deserved more of the Kingdom, and therefore sought to gain possession of the divided parts of the Kingdom that had been given to his siblings.

It was the second son of Ferdinand I who was the ancestor of Michael Gregory. This individual was Alfonso VI, “The Brave”. He was born before June 1040 and died on 1 July 1109. He was King of Leon from 1065 to 1109 and King of Castile since 1072 after his brother’s death. As he was the first Alfonso to be King of Castile, he is sometimes referred to as Alfonso I of Castile. In 1077, he proclaimed himself “Emperor of all Spain”. Much romance has gathered around his name. As the favourite son of King Ferdinand I, Alfonso was allotted Castile, while Leon was given to the eldest son, Sancho and Galicia to the youngest son, Garcia. Sancho died in 1072, and Garcia was dethroned and imprisoned for life the following year.

Alfonso VI stands out as a strong man fighting as a King whose interest was law and order, and who was the leader of the nation in the reconquest. He impressed himself on the Arabs as a very fierce and astute enemy, but as a keeper of his words. A story of Muslim origin, which is probably no more historical than the oath of Santa Gadea, tells of how he allowed himself to be tricked by Ibn Ammar, the favourite of Al Mutamid, the King of Seville. They played chess for an extremely beautiful table and set of men, belonging to ibn Ammar. Table and men were to go to the King if he won. If ibn Ammar gained he was to name the stake. The latter did win and demanded that the Christian King should spare Seville. Alfonso kept his word.

Whatever truth may lie behind the romantic tales of Christian and Muslim, it is known that Alfonso represented in a remarkable way the two great influences then shaping the character and civilization of Spain.

Alfonso married at least five times, had two mistresses and one fiancée. His first wife was Agnes, daughter of William VII of Aquitaine. They had no children and were divorced due to consanguity. The second wife was Constance of Burgundy; their daughter was Urraca of Castile. Prior to this he was betrothed to Agatha, one of the daughters of William I of England. Two later wives, Beatrice and Bertha, are of unknown origin. By his mistress Jimena Munoz, the daughter of the Count of Asturias, he had two illegitimate daughters, Teresa of Leon and Elvira of Castile.

At the instigation, it is said, of his wife, Constance, he brought the Cistercian Order into Spain, established them in Sahagun, chose a French Cistercian as the first Archbishop of Toledo after the reconquest on 25 May 1085, married his daughters, Urraca of Castile, the legitimate and Teresa of Leon, the illegitimate, to French princes, and in every way forwarded the spread of French influence – then the greatest civilizing force in Europe. He also drew Spain nearer to the Papacy, and it was his decision which established the Roman ritual in place of the old missal of St Isidore – the Mozarabic rite.

On the other hand, he was very open to Arab influence. He protected the Muslims among his subjects and struck coins with inscriptions in Arabic letters. After the death of Constance he perhaps married and he certainly lived with Zaida, said to have been a daughter-in-law of Al Mutamid, Muslim King of Seville. Alfonso’s wife, Isabel, who bore him the only son, Sancho, among his many children, may have been this Zaida, who became a Christian under the name of Maria or Isabel. Isabel also bore him two daughters, Elvira (who married Roger of Sicily) and Sancha (the wife of Rodrigo Gonzalez de Lara).

It was the daughter of Alfonso VI and Constance of Burgandy, Urraca (see image below), who was the direct ancestor of Michael Gregory. Urraca was born in 1082 and died on 8 March 1126. She became heiress to her father’s Kingdom after her only brother was killed at the Battle of Ucles in 1108.

She had been married as a child to Raymond of Burgundy, who died in September 1107. They had two children: Alfonso Raimundez (born 1104) and Sancha. Now a widow, Urraca was ruler of Galicia. She was also her father’s only surviving legitimate child, and now the heiress to Castile. King Alfonso VI selected a new husband for her, and his choice fell on Alfonso I of Aragon, who he hoped would safeguard the Kingdom. Urraca and Alfonso were related within the forbidden degrees, and Bernard, Archbishop of Toledo, objected to the marriage on these grounds. Nevertheless, Urraca and Alfonso were married in October 1109 at Monzon. The marriage was condemned as consanguineous.

Alfonso was renowned as a great warrior, according to the chronicler Ibn Al Athir. He is reputed to have declared that a real soldier lives with men, not with women. Urraca accused him of being physically abusive to her, and their inability to produce a child created a further

rift between them. She took a lover, Count Gomez Gonzalez, and the Royal couple were separated by 1111.

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Her reign was disturbed by strife among the powerful nobles and especially by constant warfare with her husband, who had seized her lands. Their marriage was annulled in 1114, and Urraca never remarried, though she took several lovers. Another thorn in her side was her brother-in-law, Henry, the husband of her half-sister Teresa of Leon. He alternatively allied with Alfonso I of Aragon, and then betrayed Alfonso when a better offer came from Urraca’s court. After his death in 1112 his widow still contested ownership of the lands with Urraca. With the aid of her son, Alfonso Raimundez, Urraca was able to win back much of her domain and ruled successfully for many years. According to the Chronicon Compostellanum, Urraca died in childbirth in 1126. The father was her lover, Count Pedro Gonzalez of Lara. She was succeeded by her legitimate son, Alfonso VII, the direct ancestor of Michael Gregory. Besides her two legitimate children by Raymond of Burgundy, Urraca also had an illegitimate son by her lover, Pedro Gonzalez de Lara. She recognised their son, Fernando Pedro Furtado, in 1123.

Alfonso VII was born on 1 March 1104 and died on 21 August 1157. He was nicknamed “The Emperor”, and was the King of Castile and Leon since 1126. Alfonso was a dignified and somewhat enigmatic figure. A vague tradition has always assigned the title of Emperor to the sovereign who held Leon. This sovereign was always considered the most direct representative of the Visigoth Kings, who were themselves the representatives of the Roman Empire. But though given in Charters, and claimed by Alfonso VI of Castile and Alfonso I of Aragon, the title had been little more than a flourish of rhetoric.

In November 1128, Alfonso VII married Berenguela of Barcelona, daughter of Ramon Berengeur III, Count of Barcelona. She died in 1149. Their children were:

Sancho III of Castile (1134-1158) Ferdinand II of Leon (1137-1188) Sancha (1137-1179), who married Sancho VI of Navarre Constanza (1141-1160), who married Louis VII of France

Alfonso remarried in 1152 to Richeza of Poland, the daughter of Wladislaus II the Exile of Poland. Their daughter was Sancha (1155-1208), the wife of Alfonso II of Aragon. By his mistress, an Asturian noblewoman named Guntrada, he had an illegitimate daughter, Urraca, who married Garcia IV of Navarre.

In Leon, Alfonso VII was crowned “Emperor of all Spain” in 1135 after the death of Alfonso I. The weakness of Aragon enabled him to make his superiority effective. He appears to have striven for the formation of a national unity, which Spain had never possessed since the fall of the Visigoth Kingdom. The elements he had to deal with could not be welded together. Alfonso was at once a patron of the church, and a protector, if not a supporter, of the Muslims, who formed a large part of his subjects. His reign ended in an unsuccessful campaign against the rising power of the Almohades. Though he was not actually defeated, his death in the pass of Muradel in the Sierra Morena, while on his way back to Toledo, occurred in circumstances which showed that no man could be what he claimed to be – “King of the men of the two religions”. Arnaldo, Bishop of Astorga, wrote an account of Alfonso VII’s life and reign known as Chronica Adefonsi Imperatoris.

It was Sancho III who was Michael Gregory’s ancestor. He was born in 1134 and died on 30 August 1158. He was called el Deseado [the Desired], and was King of Castile for one year, from 1157 to 1158. His father’s will had partitioned the Kingdom between his two sons: Sancho inherited Castile, and Fernando inherited Leon. The two brothers had just signed a Treaty before Sancho’s sudden death in the summer of 1158. He left an only son and heir, Alfonso VIII of Castile, by his wife, Blanca of Navarre. Michael Gregory is descended from Alfonso VIII.

Alfonso VIII was born on 11 November 1155 and died on 5 October 1214. He was King of Castile. He is a great name in Spanish history, for he led the coalition of Christian Princes and foreign crusaders who broke the power of the Almohades at the Battle of Navas de Tolosa in 1212.

His personal history is that of many medieval Kings. He succeeded to the throne in infancy on the death of his father, Sancho III. Though proclaimed King, he was regarded as a mere name by the unruly nobles to whom a minority was convenient. Also, his mother was dead, thus he did not have closer relatives than his uncle Ferdinand, King of Leon, who wanted power in Castile. The devotion of a squire of his household, who carried him on the pommel of his saddle to the stronghold of San Esteban de Gormaz, probably saved him from falling into the hands of the contending factions of Castro and Lara, or of his uncle Ferdinand of Leon, who claimed the Regency.

The loyalty of the town of Avila protected his youth. He was barely fifteen when he came forth to do a man’s work by restoring his Kingdom to order. It was only by a surprise that he recovered his capital Toledo from the hands of the Laras. His marriage with Eleanor (Leonora) of England, the daughter of King Henry II of England and Eleanor of Aquitaine (Aquitaine having old ties with Castile), brought him under the influence of the greatest governing intellect of his time. Alfonso VIII was the founder of the first Spanish university, the Studium Generale of Palencia which, however, did not survive him.

During his reign, Castile annexed the Province of Logrono.

In 1176, Alfonso married Leonora of England and Aquitaine and they had 12 children: Berenguela (or Berengaria), Queen of Castile (1180-1246). She was betrothed to Conrad of Hohenstaufen, Duke of

Swabia, and then to Alfonso IX, King of Leon. She succeeded her brother, Henry I Sancho, Prince of Castile (1181) Sancha, Princess of Castile (1182-1184) Urraca, Princess of Castile (1186-1220). She married Alfonso II of Portugal Blanche (1188-1252), married to Louis VII of France

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Ferdinand, Prince of Castile (1189-1211) Mafalda, Princess of Castile (1191-1204) Henry, Prince of Castile (1192-1190’s) Eleanor, Princess of Castile (1202-1244), married to James I of Aragon Henry I of Castile (1204-1217) succeeded his father Constance (Constanza), Princess of Castile (?-1243). She was Abbess of Las Huelgas

It was Berenguela who was Michael Gregory’s ancestor, through the child of her marriage with Alfonso IX, Saint Fernando III.

Berenguela was born in 1180 and died on 8 November 1246. She was briefly Queen of Castile and Leon. She was engaged for a short while to Conrad II, Duke of Swabia, but he was murdered in 1197 before they could be married.

She married Alfonso IX in 1198, but this was annulled in 1204 by Pope Innocent III because they were cousins. Berenguela and Alfonso had five children, including one who died in infancy, and when she returned to her father’s court in Castile, she brought her children with her. She often found herself politically at odds with her former husband. Alfonso had two daughters, Sancha and Dulce, by an earlier wife, and wished to disinherit Berenguela’s children in favour of these daughters. To this end, he invited John of Brienne to marry his eldest daughter and thus inherit his Kingdom. Berenguela sabotaged this plan by convincing John of Brienne to marry her own daughter, also named Berenguela, instead. Later, in 1230 when Alfonso died, Berenguela and Fernando acted to set aside the rights of Sancha and Dulce, and seized the Leonese throne.

When her brother Henry died by accident in 1217, Berenguela renounced her rights to the throne, in favour of her son, Fernando. Thereafter she served as the King’s mother; according to the Chronica Latina, her “total intent and desire being to procure honour for her son in every way possible”. Berenguela helped quell the rebellious nobles, and then arranged for Fernando to marry a high-born wife, Elizabeth of Swabia.

Berenguela maintained strong connections with her sister Blanca, who was Queen of France. It was Blanche who suggesting Jeanne of Ponthieu as a bride for Fernando after his first wife’s death.

Alfonso IX of Leon was born 14 August 1171 and died around 23 September 1230. He ruled from 1188-1230. He was the first cousin of Alfonso VIII of Castile and numbered next to him as being a junior member of the family. He is said by Ibn Khaldun to have been called the Baboso or “Slobberer”, because he was subject to fits of rage during which he foamed at the mouth.

Alfonso was the only son of King Ferdinand II of Leon and Urraca of Portugal. Though he took part in the work of the reconquest, the King is chiefly remembered by the difficulties into which the successive marriages led him with the Pope. He was first married to his cousin Teresa of Portugal, who bore him two daughters and a son who died young. The marriage was declared null by the Pope, to whom Alfonso paid no attention till he presumably tired of his wife. It cannot have been his conscience which constrained him to leave Teresa for his next step was to marry Berenguela of Castile in 1197, who was his second cousin. For this act of contumacy the King and Kingdom were placed under Papal Interdict. The Pope was, however, compelled to modify his measures by the threat that if the people could not obtain the services of religion they could not support the clergy, and that heresy would spread. The King was left under interdict personally, but to that he showed himself indifferent, and he had the support of his clergy. Berenguela left him after the birth of their five children, and the King returned to Teresa, to whose daughters he left his Kingdom by will.

Alfonso’s children by Teresa of Portugal were: Sancha (ca 1192-1270) Dulce, also called Aldonza (ca 1195-1243) Fernando (1204-August 1214)

His eldest daughter, Sancha, was engaged to her cousin King Henry I of Castile, but Henry died in 1217 before the marriage could be solemnized. Wanting to disinherit his eldest son, Fernando, King Alfonso invited John of Brienne to marry his daughter, but as noted above, this was defeated by Berenguela. Sancha, the sister of Fernando was later beatified.

Alfonso’s children by Berenguela of Castile were: Leonor (1198/99-31 October 1210) King Fernando III (1200-1252) Berenguela (1201-1237) who married John of Brienne Alfonso, Lord of Molina (1203-1272) Constanza (1205-7 September 1242), became a nun at Las Huelgas

Fernando (Ferdinand) III of Castile married Jeanne Danmartin, his second wife. It was this pair who were Michael Gregory’s ancestors. Ferdinand III was called el Santo “The Saint”. He was canonised by Pope Clement X in 1671. Several places named San Fernando were founded across the Spanish Empire. He spent much of his time fighting the Moors. He captured the towns of Cordoba in 1236, Jaen in 1246, and Seville in 1248. He occupied Murcia in 1243, thereby completing the reconquest of Spain excepting Granada, whose King nevertheless did homage to Fernando.

He founded the Cathedral of Burgos and the University of Salamanca.

In 1219, Ferdinand married the daughter of the German King Philip of Swabia, Elizabeth, called Beatriz in Spain. There children were:

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King Alfonso X of Castile (23 November 1221-1284) Fadrique (September 1223-1277), secretly put to death by his brother Alfonso Fernando (March 1225-1243/48) Leonor (1227-died young) Berenguela, a nun at Las Huelgas (1228-ca 1288) Enrique “El Senador” (March 1230-August 1304) Felipe (December 1231-1274) Sancho, Archbishop of Toledo and Seville (1233-1261) Juan Manuel (1234-November 1283) Maria, died an infant in November 1235

The children with Jeanne Danmartin, Countess of Ponthieu were: Fernando, Count of Aumule (1239-1269 Eleanor of Castile (1241-1290), the wife of King Edward I of England [the ancestors of Michael Gregory] Luis (1243-1269) Ximen (1244) died young and buried in a monastery in Toledo Juan (1245) died young and buried at the Cathedral in Cordoba

It was, of course, the child Eleanor who married England’s King Edward I who produced their child, Princess Elizabeth, who married Humphrey VIII de Bohun, and were the ancestors of Michael Gregory with whom this report began.

Returning to Alphonso IX: his parents were King Ferdinand II of Leon and Urraca of Portugal. Urraca, his mother, was born in Coimbra in 1151. She died in 1188. She was a Portuguese Princess, the daughter of Afonso I, King of Portugal. She married Ferdinand II of Leon around 1165, and was repudiated by him in 1179.

Afonso I (see image, right) was born on 26 July 1139 and died on 6 December 1185. He married Maud of Savoy (b.1125; d.1157). He was of the Royal House of Burgundy. His parents, and therefore Michael Gregory’s ancestors also, were Henry, Count of Portugal (1066-1093) and Teresa of Leon (1080-1130). Afonso I of Portugal (in English Alphonso), more commonly known as Afonso Henriques, was born on 26 July 1139. He died on 6 December 1185 in Coimbra. He was the first King of Portugal, declaring his independence from Leon.

He was the son of Henry of Burgundy, Count of Portugal and Teresa of Lean. He was proclaimed King on 26 July 1139, immediately after the Battle of Ourique.

At the end of the 11th Century, the Iberian Peninsula political agenda was mostly concerned with the Reconquista, the driving out of the Muslim successor-states to the Caliphate of Cordoba after its collapse. With European military aristocracies focused on the Crusades, Alfonso VI called for the help of the French nobility to deal with the Moors. In exchange, he was to give the hands of his daughters in wedlock to the leaders of the expedition and bestow Royal privileges to the others. Thus, the Royal heiress, Urraca of Castile, wedded Raymond of Burgundy, younger son of the Count of Burgundy, and her half-sister, Princess Teresa of Leon wedded her cousin, another French crusader, Henry of Burgundy, younger brother of the Duke of Burgundy, whose mother was the daughter of the Count of Barcelona. Henry was made Count of Portugal, a burdensome Earldom south of Galicia, where Moorish incursions and attacks were to be expected. With his wife as co-ruler of Portugal, Henry withstood the ordeal and held the lands for his father-in-law.

From this wedlock several sons were born, but only one Afonso Henriques (meaning “Afonso, son of Henry”) thrived. The boy followed his father as Count of Portugal in 1112, under the tutelage of his mother. The relations between Teresa and her son Afonso proved difficult. Only 11 years old, Afonso already had his own political ideas, greatly different from his mother’s. In 1120, the young Prince took the side of the Archbishop of Braga, a political foe of Teresa, and both were exiled by her orders. Afonso spent the next years away from his own country, under the watch of the Bishop. In 1122 Afonso became fourteen, the adult age in the 12 th century. He made himself a Knight on his own account in the Cathedral of Zamora, raised an army, and proceeded to take control of his lands. Near Guimaraes, at the Battle of Sao Mamede (1128) he overcame the troops under his mother’s lover and ally Count Fernando Peres de Trava of Galicia, making her his prisoner and exiling her forever to a monastery in Leon. Thus the possibility of incorporating Portugal into a Kingdom of Galicia was eliminated and Afonso became sole ruler (Dux of Portugal) after demands for independence from the County’s people, church and nobles. He also vanquished Alfonso VII of Castile and Leon, another of his mother’s allies, and thus freed the County from political dependence on the Crown of Leon and Castile. On 6 April 1129, Afonso Enriques dictated the writ in which he declared himself Prince of Portugal.

Afonso then turned his arms against the everlasting problem of the Moors in the south. His campaigns were successful and, on 26 July 1139, he obtained an overwhelming victory in the Battle of Ourique, and straight after was unanimously proclaimed King of Portugal by his soldiers. This meant that Portugal was no longer a vassal-county of Leon-Castile, but an independent

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Kingdom in its own right. Next, he assembled the first assembly of the estates-general at Lamego, where he was given the Crown from the Bishop of Braganca, to confirm the independence.

Independence, however, was not a thing a land could choose on its own. Portugal still had to be acknowledged by the neighbouring lands and, most importantly, by the Catholic Church and the Pope. Afonso married Mafalda of Savoy, daughter of Count Amadeo III of Savoy, and sent Ambassadors to Rome to negotiate with the Pope. In Portugal he built several monasteries and convents and bestowed important privileges to religious orders. In 1143, he wrote to Pope Innocent II to declare himself and the Kingdom servants of the Church, swearing to pursue driving the Moors out of the Iberian Peninsula. Bypassing any King of Leon or Castile, Afonso declared himself the direct liegeman of the Papacy. Thus, Afonso continued to distinguish himself by his exploits against the Moors, from whom he wrested Santarem and following a Siege, Lisbon in 1147). He also conquered an important part of the land to the south of the Tagus River, although this was lost again to the Moors in the following years.

Meanwhile, King Alfonso VII of Castile (Afonso’s cousin) regarded the independent ruler of Portugal as nothing but a rebel. Conflict between the two was constant and bitter in the following years. Afonso became involved in a war, taking the side of the Aragonese King, an enemy of Castile. To ensure the alliance, his son Sancho was engaged to Dulce Berenguer, sister of the Count of Barcelona, and Princess of Aragon. Finally, in 1143, the Treaty of Zamora established peace between the cousins and the recognition by the Kingdom of Castile and Leon that Portugal was an independent Kingdom.

In 1169, Afonso was disabled in an engagement near Badajoz by a fall from his horse, and made prisoner by the soldiers of the King of Leon. Portugal was obliged to surrender as his ransom almost all the conquests Afonso had made in the previous years.

In 1179 the privileges and favours given to the Catholic Church were compensated. In a Papal Bull, Pope Alexander III acknowledged Afonso as King and Portugal as an independent land with the right to conquer lands from the Moors. With this Papal blessing, Portugal was at last secured as a country and safe from any Castilian attempts of annexation.

In 1184, in spite of his great age, Afonso still had sufficient energy to relieve his son Sancho, who was besieged in Santarem by the Moors. He died shortly after, in 1185.

The Portuguese revere him as a hero, both on account of his personal character and as the founder of their nation. Afonso was the only son to survive his parents, Henry of Burgundy (b.1066; d.1112) [see image, left] and Teresa of Leon. Henry was Count of Portugal from 1093 to his death. He was the son of Henry of Burgundy, who was heir of Robert I, Duke of Burgundy and brother of Eudes I, Duke of Normandy. As a younger son, Henry had little chances of acquiring fortune and titles by inheritance, thus he joined the Reconquista against the Moors in the Iberian Peninsula. He helped King Alphonso VI of Castile conquer modern Galicia and the north of Portugal and was rewarded when he married his daughter, Teresa of Leon in 1093. With the marriage, Henry also became Count of Portugal, then a fiefdom of the Kingdom of Leon.

Countess Teresa of Portugal (of Leon) was born in 1080 and died 11 November 1130. She was the illegitimate daughter of King Alfonso VI of Castile and Leon. As outlined above, she was exiled by her son, Afonso to a convent.

Robert, the father of Henry was born in 1040 and killed in 1113. He was the third son of Robert I Capet, the Duke of Burgundy. The elder Robert was Duke of Burgundy from 1032 until his death. Robert was the son of King Robert II of France and brother of Henry I. In 1031, after the death of his father the King, Robert participated in a rebellion against his brother Henry. He was supported by his mother, Queen Constance d’Arles. Peace was achieved when Robert was given Burgundy. He married his first wife Helie of Semur (the mother of Robert jnr and therefore the ancestor of Michael Gregory) in 1033. He repudiated her in 1055, the same year in which he also murdered her father, Dalmace I of Semur. Robert and Helie had five children:

Hugh (1034-1059), killed in battle Henry (1035-ca 1074) Robert (1040-1113), killed Simon (1045-1087) Constance (1046-1093), married Alfonso VI of Castile

From his second wife, Ermengarde of Anjou, daughter of Fulk III of Anjou, he had one daughter: Hildegard (ca 1056-1104), married Duke William VIII of Aquitaine

As stated above, the Castilian descendancy of Michael Gregory came through the marriage of Eleanor of Castile (see image, below) to King Edward I of England and their daughter, Princess Elizabeth. The lives of these Plantaganet ancestors are more fully dealt with in The Plantagenet Family History”9. Eleanor of Castile was born in 1241 and died on 28 November 1290. She was the first Queen Consort of King Edward I of England. She was born in Spain, the daughter of Fernando III, King of Castile and Jeanne, Countess of Ponthieu. Her given name was Leonor (she was called Eleanor in England). Her birth date is uncertain, but it is known that she was the second of the three children born to Fernando and Jeanne. Her elder brother Fernando was born 1239/40 and her younger brother Luis was born 1242/43. For the ceremonies in 1291 marking the first anniversary of Eleanor’s death, 49 candle-bearers appear, each candle commemorating one year of her life. This would place her birth in 1241.

9 Gregory, M.P., (2005), “The Plantagenets: Ancestors of Michael Gregory”, Personal Family History Report, Forthcoming.

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She married Edward, the son of Henry III of England, in October 1254 at Burgos. Their marriage was a political arrangement between Henry III and her older half-brother Alfonso X of Castile who were at war over the possession of Gascony; Henry had demanded the marriage as proof of Alfonso’s good intentions at the end of the war.

Eleanor became Queen in 1272 when his father died and he became King. Theirs was one of the most successful royal marriages of all times, and she often accompanied her husband on his military campaigns, giving birth to his fourth son (later King Edward

II of England) at Caernarvon in 1284, immediately after the conquest of Wales. Michael Gregory’s ancestor, Elizabeth, was born in 1281 at Rhuddlen, Wales. In all, she gave birth to 15 children, six of whom survived into adulthood, but only four of whom outlived their parents.

Eleanor is remembered warmly by history as the Queen who inspired the Eleanor crosses. She was not loved, however, in her own time. Her English subjects considered her to be too foreign and greedy. Walter of Gainsborough preserves the following poem:

“The King desires to get our gold/the Queen, our manors to hold…”

She and Edward seem to have been more devoted to one another than to their offspring. Their daughter Joan was left to be raised by her grandmother in Ponthieu for much of her childhood. When their son Henry lay dying at Guildford, neither of the Royal parents undertook the short journey from London to see him.

Eleanor died on 28 November 1290 at Nottingham (believed actually Harby, Nottinghamshire, rather than the city), and her body was returned to London for burial at Westminster Abbey. Such was Edward’s devotion to her that he erected memorial crosses at each overnight stop. Three of these “Eleanor Crosses” are still landmarks today, although the

most famous at Charing Cross (from which its name derives) is a copy. He did not remarry for nine years, to Marguerite of France, in 1299. The locations of the 12 crosses were as follows: Lincoln, Grantham, Stamford, Geddington, Northampton, Stony Stratford, Woburn, Dunstable, St Albans, Waltham, Westcheap and Charing.

Edward I, the King of England (see image, right) from whom Michael Gregory has a line of descent, was born on 17 June 1239. He died on 7 July 1307. He was popularly known as “Longshanks” because of his six feet two inch frame and as “Hammer of the Scots” for his fame as the Monarch who kept conquered Wales and kept Scotland under English domination. He reigned from 1272 to 1307, ascending the throne of England on 21 November 1272 after the death of his father, King Henry III of England. His mother was Eleanor of Provence. Edward was an impatient man and displayed considerable military prowess in defeating Simon de Montfort at the Battle of Evesham in 1265. He gained a reputation for treating rebels and other foes with great savagery. He relentlessly pursued the surviving members of the de Montfort family, his cousins.

In 1270, Edward, then a Prince, traveled to Tunis, intending to fight in the Eighth Crusade alongside Louis IX of France, who died before Edward arrived. Edward instead traveled to Acre, in the Ninth Crusade. While in the Holy Land, his father died. Edward returned to England, arriving back in 1274.

Some historians believe Edward was inspired by the design of the castles he saw while on crusade and incorporated similar features into the castles he built to secure portions of Wales, such as Caernarvon castle.

One of Edward’s early achievements was the conquest of Wales. Under the 1267 Treaty of Montgomery, Llywelyn ap Gruffydd had extended Welsh territories southwards into what had been the lands of the English Marcher Lords, and gained the title Prince of Wales although he still owed homage to the English monarch as overlord. Edward refused to recognise the Treaty which had been concluded by his father. In 1275, pirates in Edward’s pay intercepted a ship carrying Eleanor de Montfort, Simon de Montfort’s only daughter, from France (where the family had lived in exile) to Wales, where she expected to marry Llywelyn. The parties’ families had arranged the marriage previously, when an alliance with Simon de Montfort still counted politically. However, Llywelyn wanted the marriage largely to antagonize his long-standing enemy, Edward. With the hijacking of the ship, Edward gained possession of Eleanor and imprisoned her at Windsor. After Llywelyn repeatedly refused to pay homage to Edward in 1274-75, Edward raised an army and launched his first campaign against the Welsh Prince in 1276-77. After this campaign Llywelyn was forced to pay homage to Edward and was stripped of all but a rump of territory in Gwynedd. But Edward allowed Llywelyn to retain the title of Prince of Wales, and the marriage with Eleanor de Montford went ahead.

However, Llywelyn’s younger brother, Dafydd (who had briefly been an ally of the English) started another rebellion in 1282. Llywelyn died shortly afterwards in a skirmish. Subsequently, Edward destroyed the remnants of resistance, capturing, brutally torturing and executing Dafydd in the following year. To consolidate his conquest, he commenced construction of a string of massive stone castles encircling the principality, of which Caernarvon Castle provides a notable surviving example. Wales became incorporated into England under the Statute of Rhuddlan in 1284 and in 1301 Edward created his eldest son Edward Prince of Wales, since which time the eldest son of each English monarch has borne the same title.

Edward then turned his attention to Scotland and on 19 May 1291 Scottish nobles recognised the authority of Edward I. He had planned to marry off his son to the child Queen, Margaret of Scotland (called ‘The Maid of Norway’) but when Margaret died the

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Scottish nobles agreed to have Edward select her successor from the various claimants to the throne, and he chose John Balliol over other candidates. Edward was anxious to impose his overlordship on Scotland and hoped that John Balliol would prove the most biddable candidate. Indeed, Edward summoned John Balliol to do homage to him in Westminster in 1293 and made it clear that he expected John’s military and financial support against France. But this was too much for Balliol, who concluded a pact with France and prepared an army to invade England. Edward, however, was victorious and subdued the Scots. Freeholders in Scotland were required to swear an oath of homage.

Edward died in 1307 and was buried in Westminster Abbey.

One of the most shameful acts of Edward’s reign concerned his treatment of the Jews. To help finance his war against Wales, Edward I taxed the Jewish money-lenders. However, the cost of Edward’s ambitions soon drained the money-lenders dry. When the Jews could no longer pay, the State accused them of disloyalty. Already restricted to a limited number of occupations, Edward furthermore abolished their right to lend money at interest with the Statute of Jewry. He eventually restricted their extracurricular movements and activities. He decreed that all Jews wear a yellow patch in the shape of a star attached to their outer clothing to identify them in public. In the course of King Edward’s persecution of the Jews, he arrested all the heads of Jewish households. The authorities took over 300 of them to the Tower of London and executed them, while killing others in their homes. Finally, in 1290, the King banished all Jews from the country.

Date of Report: 4 December 2007

14

The Ancestors of Uthman Affan, the 3rd Righteous Caliph, who was an Ancestor of Michael Gregory

Qusai ibn Kilab ibn Murrah = Hubai bint Hulailb. ca 400d. ca 480

Abd al Manaf ibn Qusai = Atikah bint Murrah A member of the Quraish tribe of Mecca

Abd Shabs ibn al Manaf = Abis Hashim ibn Abd al Manaf = [-?-] from the Tribe of YathribFounder of the Banu Hashim tribe

Ummaya ibn abd Shams = Amina Abdul Mutallib = [-?-]Founder of the Ummayid family b. 500

d. 579

Wa’il ibn Umayya aka Abu al As = Ruqiyyah Abdallah = Aminah bint Am’rDied 2 weeks before b. 555Mohammed’s birth d. ca 576

Affan ibn Abu Al As = Urwa bint Kariz Mohammed “The = Khadija bint KhuwailidAbu Al Hakim ibn Wa’il Prophet” of Islam b. 556; m.595; d.633A’as ibn Wa’il b. ca 570

d. ca 632 Medina, possibly poisoned

Hakim ibn Abdallah = Amina bint Al Kama Al Kinaniyya Uthman ibn Affan = (3) (Nayla bint Farafisa?)b. ca 593 = (1) Ruqayyah, dau of Mohammed, established official “The Prophet of Islam” d.624version of the Holy Koran = (2) Umm Kulthum, dau of Mohammed d. 17 Jun 656 “The Prophet of Islam”(Murdered in Medina)

Marwan I ben Hakim al Qureshi = (2) Aisha bint Uthman ibn Affan = (1) Aisha bint Mauwiya ibn Al Mughira Abdallah4th Ummayid Caliph b. ca 617 m. Bef 646 died aged 2b. 623 m. Bef 659d.685 (of plague), in Damascus, Syria1st cousin of Uthnan ibn Affan, the3rd CaliphFought in the Battle of theCamels, Basra (658)

See below

15

The Line of Michael Gregory from Uthman Affan, 3rd Caliph of Islam

Hakim ibn Abdallah = Amina bint Al Kama Al Kinaniyya Uthman ibn Affan = (3) (Nayla bint Farafisa?)b. ca 593 = (1) Ruqayyah, dau of Mohammed, “The Prophet of established official Islam”version of the Holy Koran = (2) Umm Kulthum, dau of Mohammed “The d. 17 Jun 656 Prophet of Islam”(Murdered in Medina)

Marwan I ben Hakim al Qureshi = (2) Aisha bint Uthman ibn Affan = (1) Aisha bint Mauwiya ibn Mughira Abdallah4th Ummayid Caliph b. ca 617 m. Bef 646 died young fromb. 623 m. Bef 659 septicemiad.685 (of plague), in Damascus, Syria1st cousin of Uthnan ibn Affan, the3rd Caliph

Musa bin Nusair “El Bekir” = Amina[The Conqueror] of Spain (711) b. ca 659

Abdul Al Aziz (Aboalli) = Egilon(a), widow of Rodrigo de Balthes Tariq, 1st Emir of SpainEmir of Spain & Governor A Visigoth Princess, dau of King Rodrigo (711-714)Of Egyptb. ca 670d. ca 717

Fortun ibn Cassio, Governor of Saragoza = Aisha bint Abdul of EgyptSon of Cassio “Banu Qasi” b. ca 715

Inigo Jiminez = Oreca Musa ibn Fortun = [---?---] Velasquez Governor of Saragoza d.788

King Eneco Aritza = [?]

Assona Iniquez de Pampalune = Musa ibn Musa, Governor of Saragoza Lope b. 785; d.863

Iniguez Garcia = Uracca Lope (ibn Musa ibn Musa) = Ayab al Bulatiya Galindo Iniquez = [-?-]King of Pamplona Nunila

Fortun Garces “el Monje” = Auria (Aurea) bint Lope Musa ibn Galindoof Pampelune m. ca 845 Wali of Huesca from 860[“The Monk”] d. 870 (assassinated)King of Navarred.905

(2) Aznar Sanchez de Larron = Onega = (1) Abdallah, Emir of Spainm.880 b. ca 847son of Garcia Jiminez of Pamplona

Sancho Garces = Toda Aznarez de Larron Zayd Count Galindo II Aznarez of Aragon = [-?-]King of Pamplonad.925

Garcia Sanches III = Andregoto GalindezKing of Navarreb.919; d.970

Sancho II Garces Abarca King of = Urraca Fernandez Fernandez Vermudez, Count of Cea = ElviraNavarre m.962d.994

Garcia IV “The Tremulous” = Jimena Fernandez Count Sancho I of Castile = Urracaof Pamplonad.1000

Sancho III “The Great” = Munia Mayor Sanchez of Navarreb. ca 965d.1035

Ferdinand I of Castile = Sancha of Leon Garcia Sanchez Bernado Sanchez de Navarreb.1030 dau of Alphonso V Gonzalez Sanchezd. 24 Jun 1065 King of Leon by Geloria d.1038

Alphonso VI “The Brave” = (2) Constance of Burgundy = (1) Agnes, dau of William VII of AquitaineKing of Castile & Leon (3) Agatha, dau of William I of Englandb. ca 1040 (4) Beatrice;(5) Berthad. 1 Jul 1109 (6) Jimena Munoz (mistress) dau of the Count of Austuria

See A (7) Zaida, became a Catholic and assumed the name Isabel,by whom she had a son, Sancho, and daughters, Elvira who married Roger of Sicily and Sancha

16

A

Count Raymond of Burgundy = Urraca of Castile Ramon Berenguer III = [---?---]

b.1082 Count of Barcelonad. 8 Mar 1126

Alphonso VII, = (1) Berenguela of BarcelonaKing of Castile & Leon m. Nov 1128 b. 1 Mar 1104 d.1149d. 21 Aug 1157

Sancho III “The Desired” of Castile = Blanca of Navarre Fernando King Henry II of England = Alienor (Eleanor) b.1134 Inherited Leon of Aquitaine d. 30 Aug 1158 b.1137; d.1188

Sancha = Sancho IV of Navarre b.1137; d.1179 Constanza = Louis VII of France b.1141; d1160

Alphonso VIII of Castile = Leonora of Aquitaine, Queen of Castile William, Count of Poitiersb. 11 Nov 1155 b. 13 Oct 1162 (Domfront Castle, Normandy) Henryd. 5 Oct 1214 d. 31 Oct 1214 Matilda of EnglandLed in the Battle of the Navas m. At 8 years of age (1170) Richard I of EnglandDe Tolosa (1212) Geoffrey II, Duke of Brittany

King John of EnglandJoan

6

Alphonso IX of Leon = Berenguela of Castile Blanca = King Louis VIII Urraca = King AlphonsoSon of King Ferdinand II of b. 1180 of France of PortugalLeon by Urraca of Portugal m. 1198 (Annulled in 1204) Sancha Fernandob. 15 Aug 1171 d. 8 Nov 1246 b.1181 b. 1189d. Sep 1230 Mafalda d.1211

b.ca1183 Constanced. 1204 died young

Leonor = King James I of AragonConstanzaA nun

St Fernando III of Castile = Jeanne Danmartin, Countess of Ponthieu Henry I, King of Castileb.1198 2nd wife b.1204; d.1217d.30 May 1252united Castile & Leon (1231)founded University of SalamancaCanonized (1671)

King Edward I of England = (1) Eleanor of Castile = (2) Marguerite of France Fernando Luisb. 17 June 1239 b. 1241 b. 1282 b. ca 1239 b. ca 1242(Palace of Westminster) m. Oct 1254 (Burgos) m.1299Crowned 19 Aug 1274 d. 28 Nov 1290 d.1317d. 7 July 1307 (Burgh by Sands, dau of King Phillipe III of FranceCumberland)Bur. Westminster

Humphrey VIII de Bohun = Princess Elizabeth (Plantagenet) Daughter Joan Edward of 4th Earl of Hereford dau of King Edward 1st of England and Eleanor of Castile stillborn May 1255 b. Jan 1265 Caernarvonb. 1276 (Pleshey Castle) b. 7 Aug 1282 (Rhuddland Castle, Caernavon) Katherine b. 25 Apr 1284d. 13 Mar 1321 (Battle of m. 14 Nov 1302 d. 5 Sep 1264 d. 21 Sep 1327Boroughbridge) d. ca 5 May 1316 (Quendon, Essex) Eleanor = (1) Alphonso Alphonso

bur. Walden Abbey b. 18 Jun 1264 III of Aragon MargaretJohn Berenguelab. 13 Jul 1266d. 3 Aug 1271Henryb. 6 May 1268d. 16 Oct 1274Joan of Acre = Gilbert de Clareb. May 1271 7th Earl of Hertfordd. 1 Apr 1307

William de Bohun = Elizabeth de Badlesmere John de Bohun Sir Humphrey IX de Bohun

Earl of Northampton m. 1338 Earl of Hereford Earl of Hereford b. 1310 d. 1356 b. 24 Nov 1305 b. ca 1305 Crecy (1346) Bur Walden Abbey d. 15 Oct 1361 unmarried d. 15 Oct 1361 unmarriedCommander of the Agnes Sir John de Bohun Battle of Morlaix b. Nov 1309 Caldecott Eleanor = James Butler Earl of Ormonde

(1342) Margaret = Hen Courteney b. 1304 m. 17 Oct 1326 d. 16 Sep 1366 b. 3 Apr 1311 d. 7 Oct Son of Sir Edmund

17

Bur Walden Abbey d.11 Dec 1391 1363 Butler and Joan FitzGerald

B C

B C

Richard FitzAlan = (1) Philippa de Mortimer11th Earl of Arundelb. 1346 = (2) Elizabeth de Bohun Alianore = James Butlerd. 21 Sep 1397 b. 1350 Derbyshire 1st Earl of Ormond

m. 28 Sep 1365 d. 3 Apr 1385

Robert Goushill = Elizabeth FitzAlan Joan Fitzalan = William Beauchamp Edward de Weever = [?]b. Heveringham, Nott’s. b. ca 1366 Derbyshire 1st Baron Abergavenny

m. ca 1384 Arundel Castle, Sussexd. 8 Jul 1425, Heveringham, Nott’s. Sir Robert Wingfield = Elizabeth Russell Sir Thomas = Eliz.

b. ca 1370; d. 3 May 1409 Weever b. ca 1419

Thomas Stanley = Joan Goushill Elizabeth Goushill = Sir Robert Wingfieldb. Latham, Lanc’s b. Haveringham, Notts. b. 1403

m. ca 1401 d. 1454 (Letheringham)

John Stanley = Elizabeth Weeverb. Weever b. 1445 (Weever)

m. 1471d. 1512

Thomas Venables = Cicely Stanleyb. 1469, Golborne b. Weever, Cheshired. 1513 Battle of Flodden Field

William Venables = Ellen Cottonb. Kinderton b. Kinderton

John Massey = Catherine Venablesb. ca 1496, Puddington b. ca 1498, Puddingtond. 15 July 1551, m. ca 1496, PuddingtonBurton-in-Wirral,Cheshire

Arthur Glegge = Eleanor Masseyb. ca 1522, Puddington, Cheshirem. 23 Nov 1538 in Burton-in-Wirral,Cheshired. Gayton

See: Gregory PedigreeGlegg(e) FamilyThomas FamilyBlake FamilyGregory family

18

Arthur Glegg, who Married Eleanor Massey (Reproduced from Ormerod’s History of Cheshire, p.492) and his Line of Descent

ARTHUR GLEGGE of Gayton = ELEANOR, daughter esq, finally heir to his nephew of John Massy of William Glegg, living [13 Puddington, esq Hen. 8, and] 1566

THOMAS GLEGG, second ELIZABETH, eldest WILLIAM GLEGG = MARY, daughter and coheiress KATHERINE GLEGG.Son, bur. At Heswall, daughter, o.s.p. of Gayton, esq. of Edward Plankeney, of ELIZABETH, wife of JohnJan 18, 1616 [MARGERY] wife bur. At Heswall, Chester, buried at Prescot, Aldersey, alderman of theEDWARD GLEGG, third of Peter Bold of Dec 6 1629 co. Lancaster, May 12, 1597. City of Chester.Son Upton, gent ELEANOR GLEGG.

MARY GLEGG, ELIZABETH GLEGG, baptized EDWARD GLEGG of Gayton, = ISABELLA, dau of Robert JOHN GLEGG, 2d son, bapt atBaptized at at Heswall, Sep 14, 1576. esq. bapt. At Heswall, Aug. Mainwaring of Merton Heswall, Jul 14, 1575, bur. There, JanHeswall, July JANE GLEGG, baptized at 1, 1568, and there buried, Sands, bur at Heswall, 4, 1619, represented on a brass plate 30, 1570 Heswall, Feb 21, 1581 Feb 29 [sic], 1623 Feb. 17, 1623 now affixed to the east wall of the

chancel, 1816.

JOHN GLEGG, second EDWARD GLEGG, bap- WILLIAM GLEGG = CICELY, dau of Robert Sephton, MARGARET, wife of ELIZABETH, wifeson, bapt. At White- tized at Heswall, of Gayton, esq. of Mollington, eldest sister and Ralph Morgell of of ValentineGate, Jul 24, 1591. Nov 30, 1593 bapt. At White- coheiress of Thomas Sephton of Moston Hall, esq. Whitmore ofGEORGE GLEGG, bap- ARTHUR GLEGG, bap- gate, Jan 29, Mollington, baptized at Back- baptized at Hes- Thurstanton,tized at Heswall, tized at Heswall, 1589-90, bur. at ford, Mar. 3, 1593, died at wall, Oct. 28, 1587, married at Hes-Sep 29, 1592 Apr. 1, 1600 Heswall, Oct. Thurstanston, buried at died Oct 12, 1627, wall, May 1646.

24, 1656. Heswall, Ap. 3, 1662. bur. at Backford.

BARTHOLOMEW GLEGG, ARTHUR GLEGG, KATHERINE = EDWARD GLEGG = ELIZABETH, ELIZABETH, bapt. At ANNE, wife of …..Eldest son and heir apparent baptized Jan 10, daughter of of Gayton, esq. daughter of Heswall, Feb. 16, 1614. Rose, co. Derb.Born 1611, baptized at 1628, buried at Hes- sir Henry 2d son and heir, Edward ANNE, bapt at Heswall gent. Bap. Jan 24Heswall, Aug 28, bur May wall , Jan 25, 1629. Delves of baptized at Pickford, Aug 19, 1629 obs inf 162923, 1612. CHARLES GLEGG, Doddington; Heswall, Aug. citizen of bapt. At Heswall, Nov. MARY, bap. atJOHN GLEGG, married baptized at Heswall, bart. Married 24, 1615, mar- London, 9, 1620. Heswall, Dec. 2,….., dau of ….. Mandrake, Jan 28, 1631. July 22, ried 3rdly, at o.s.p. CICELY, wife of Thos. 1632, ob. inf.citizen of London, died in WILLIAM GLEGG, 1650, buried Heswall, Sep. 1649. Browne of Upton, gent. HANNAH, bap atIreland, s.p. baptized at Heswall, at Heswall, 20, 1671, Judith 1st wife. Bap. At Heswall, May 23, Heswall, Jan 1,RALPH GLEGG, baptized Oct 10, 1633. Aug. 1666. Hughes of Dis- 1624, bur. at the same 1634, ob. inf.At Heswall, Jan 28, 1621, ROBERT GLEGG, 2d wife. serth; died May place, Oct. 1661. MARGERY, bapBuried Mar 3, 1621. married ……, dau of 26, 1687, buried ANNE, bapt. At Hes- at Heswall, Sep

Sir …. Sherlock, died Jun. 1, at wall, Aug. 19, 1629, 13, 1635, bur in Ireland, s.p. Heswall. Ob. infans. there Oct 12 1635

HESTER ROGER = MARTHA, ANNE, only = EDWARD GLEGG = MARGARET, dau. HANNAH GLEGG. GLEGG. daughter daughter of of Caldey William Glegg GLEGG, bur.

of …. Roger Grange, esq. of Gayton, esq by at West Moss, Lowndes of aged 42 at the Cicely, daughter Kirkby

Obiit Sept. Overton Visitation of to Robert Sephton Aug. 22, 1697 co. Cest. 1664, born 1622, of Mollington, 1663. Obiit June married Anne, [gent., not] A daughter, 5, 1675 dau. of … esq., sister and co- and four aged 51 Thelwall, esq. heir to Thomas younger years. 3d. wife, who Sephton. 1st wife sons

died s.p.

HANNAH, only daugh. = JOHN GLEGG of JANE, daughter of John Scorer = EDWARD GLEGG of Irby, WILLIAM GLEGG of = ?…. MARGARETObiit Sept 19, 1729, Tranmore, gent. Of Westminster, gent. Buried esq. 2d son, obiit Dec Grange, esq. son dau of GLEGGBur. At West Kirby, 3d son, living at Thurstanston, Mar 7, 1720 15, 1703, a aetat. 45; and heir, aged 11 …. a aet. 41 Had iss. 1703 a aet 46 buried at Thurstanston years 1664.

PRUDENCE, ROGER, died ANNE, wife of the JOHN GLEGG of = FRANCES, eldest dau EDWARD GLEGG of = ELIZ, dau MARGARET,SILENCE, unmarried Rev John Urmson Irby, esq. Eldest of Henry Birkenhead Caldey Grange, esq. and heiress wife of …Died young Decem. 7, of Neston, ob. Feb. son and heir, ob. Of Backford, and co- obiit Aug 4, 1714, of John Becket,

1777 6, 1769, aged 61 May 14, 1768 heiress of her uncle aged 33 years, buried Kent of buried at Vide Backford Thomas Birkenhead at West Kirby Tranmore Haselwall,

1715

GLEGGS of DEBORAH, 2d dau. And coheiress = WILLIAM GLEGG of Grange, esq EDWARD GLEGG, JOHN GLEGG = MARY, dau ABIGAIL,Backford of Henry Birkenhead of Backford baptized at West Kirby, Dec 28, baptized at West of Grange, esq. … Carr of bapt. 1708

Esq re-married to Lt Colonel 1704, died Dec 21, 1739, without Kirby, July 1706, born 1712, ob. Liverpool SILENCE Charles Crosbie, o.s.p. surviving issue o.s.p. April 23, 1749 ob. Feb 28, bapt. 1710

1758, aet 39

FRANCES, daugh. of = WILLIAM GLEGG, esq. only son = SIDNEY, dau of … MARY. MARGARET, obiit CATHERINE, Thomas Jennings, and heir, who sold the estate Lloyd, living at Parkgate, FRANCES. Nov. 2, 1749 obiit, March 1746 1st wife 1814

19

The Glegge Family (Ancestors of Michael Gregory)

Sidney Lloyd = William Glegge = Frances Jenningsb. 1752/53 b. ca 1750m. 1774 d. 1785d. 27 Mar 1822bur NestonAdmon. 1822

Emilyb. 1775d. 20 Feb 1843 (Cheshire)

Thomas Glegge = Catherine Davies Francis Glegge Frances William [-?-] [-?-]b. ca 1775 dau of Wm Davies d. By 1851?Mariner (1800) (Ropemaker) Mariner (1806) b. 1777 (St John’s Liverpool) d. 4 Feb 1818 m. Nov 1793

d. 4 Nov 1859 Living at Elm Terrace Tranmere (1851) Proprietor of Houses

Thomas Glegge = Mary Miller Mary Glegge = Humphrey Thomas Williamb. 1800 (Liverpool) b. 1808 (Liverpool) b. 22 May 1806 b. 1 Jan 1807 b. 12 July 1803Master Mariner Living 5 Osborne m. 3 Jan 1828 m. 3 Jan 1828 d. By 1836?d. 18 Aug 1848 Terrace Liverpool d. 7 Jan 1885 d. 13 Jan 1877

(1851)

William Glegge Emily Thomas Glegge Thomas = Eliza Catherine Georgeb. 1838 (Liverpool) b. 1834 (Liverpool) architect b. 9 Sep 1826Living at 5 Osborne Living at 5 Osborne b. 11 Jun 1829 m. 25 Sep 1851Terrace, Liverpool (1851) Terrace, Liverpool Tranmere, Cheshire Walton on the Hill

(1851) d. 18 Nov 1881 LancashireTranmere (age 52)

See Below

20

Line of Descent from Thomas Glegge Thomas to Michael Gregory

THOMAS GLEGGE THOMAS = ELISA CATHERINE GEORGE b. 11 Jun 1829 b. 9 Sep 1828 Architect m. 25 Sep 1851

Walton-on-the-HillLancashire

RALPH ABRAHAM BLAKE = MARY CATHERINE THOMAS GEORGE THOMAS HENRY THOMAS ELIZAShopkeeper b. 30 Oct 1853 Tranmere b. 1 Nov 1855 Tranmere GLEGGE THOMAS b. 14 Apr 1865b. 1854 bp. 13 Jul 1854 ALFRED THOMAS b. 1 Nov 1855 (Tranmere) MARTHA EMILY

St Nicholas’ Church, Liverpool b. ca 1856 Tranmere b. ca 1862 m. 11 May 1878 TYSILIO THOMAS WILLIAM ARTHUR THOMAS Tranmere

b. ca 1857-60 b. 20 Jan 1871 WILLIAM ARTHUR Tranmere

See Blake Family History THOMAS WALTER AUBREY THOMAS = MAUD PARISReport and Genealogy Chart b. ca 1858 b. 14 Dec 1863 b. ca 1868 (Chester) No 8 Architect (1881) d. 30 Nov 1945

d. aged 75 (?) in 1934

FREDERICK JOHN HALL GREGORY = ANNIE BLAKE b. 29 Oct 1884 b. 8 Apr 1886 in Mold, Clwyd Glen Parva Barracks, Leicester m. 5 Nov 1906 St James RC DORRIT M EDWARD THOMAS

Church, Colchester b. ca 1890 (Neston) b. ca 1892 (Neston)HUMPHREY THOMAS OLIVER G THOMASb. ca 1897 (Neston) b. ca 1895 (Neston)LOUISA E THOMAS WALTER G THOMASb. ca 1888 (Neston) b. ca 1887 (Birkenhead)

FREDERICK WILLIAM GREGORY = MARGARET MARY O’NEILL WINSOME WINIFRED C THOMASColchester m. 26 December 1929, St Chad’s Church, b. ca 1890 b. ca 1894 (Neston)b. 25 Dec 1906 Colchester Cheetham Hill, Manchester AUBREY GLEGGE THOMASd. 1 March 1975 Blackburn d. 10 July 1989 in Wigan b. after 1881 b. after 1881

See O’Neill Family History Report and Genealogy Chart No 3

MALCOLM PETER GREGORY = BERNADETTE CAFFREYb. 26 February 1935 b. 13 April 1934, BlackburnHayfield, Manchester m. 21 July 1956, St Peter’s RC Church, See Caffrey Family History Report and Genealogy Chart No 2Blackburn d. 2001 Blackburnd. 2001 Blackburn

MICHAEL PETER GREGORY See Gregory Family History Report and Genealogy Chart No 1

21