Passage 1:Margaret Clifford, Countess of DerbyMargaret Stanley, Countess of Derby (née Lady Margaret Clifford; 1540 – 28 September 1596) was the only surviving daughter of Henry Clifford, 2nd Earl of Cumberlandand Lady Eleanor Brandon. Her maternal grandparents were Charles Brandon, 1st Duke of Suffolk and Mary Tudor, Queen of France. Mary was the third daughter of King Henry VII of England and Elizabeth of York.EarlylifeMargaret was born at Brougham Castle in 1540. Her mother died when she was seven and her father left court.Claim to the throneAccording to the will of Henry VIII, Margaret was in line to inherit the throne ofEngland. Upon the death of her mother, Margaret became seventh in line. However, both her cousins Lady Jane Grey and Lady Mary Grey died without issue, and their sister, her other cousin, Lady Catherine Grey, diedwithout the legitimacy of her two sons ever being proven (this was later established but only after the death of Elizabeth I). Margaret quickly moved up to becoming the first in line to the throne but died prior to thedeath of Elizabeth I.Marriage and familyIn 1552, John Dudley, 1st Duke of Northumberland suggested a marriage of his youngest son Guildford to Margaret, yet, although the proposal had the warm support of EdwardVI, her father was against it. A year later, in June 1553, the Imperial ambassador Jehan Scheyfve reported that Northumberland's brother Andrew Dudley would marry Margaret. The Dudleys were imprisoned whenMary I gained the throne.Margaret joined Mary's court and married Henry Stanley, 4th Earl of Derby on 7 February 1555 in the Chapel Royal at Whitehall Palace. They had something of a stormy relationship. Margaretwrote that there were several "breaches and reconciliations", but that her husband finally left her leaving serious debt. In 1567, Lady Le Strange petitioned the Queen's advisor, William Cecil, for a financial settlementfrom her estranged husband.With whom she had at least four children:Edward Stanley. Died young.Ferdinando Stanley, 5th Earl of Derby (c. 1559 – 16 April 1594).William Stanley, 6th Earl of Derby (c. 1561 – 29September 1642).Francis Stanley (b. 1562). Died young.She later married Thomas Fitzwilliam Le Strange, and in 1563 gave birth to a daughter Frances Jenison (née Le Strange) and possibly several otherchildren.Disgrace and deathIn 1579, Margaret was arrested after she had been heard discussing a proposed marriage of Queen Elizabeth to the Duke d'Alençon. She was opposed to it as it threatened her own possibleaccession to the crown. She was then accused of using sorcery to predict when Elizabeth would die, and even of planning to poison Elizabeth.Simply predicting the death of a monarch was a capital offence at the time.The countess was put under house arrest. She wrote to Francis Walsingham insisting on her innocence. She claimed that the accused sorcerer, William Randall, was in fact her physician, who was staying with herbecause he could cure "sickness and weakness in my body". Randall was subsequently executed. No charges were brought against the countess, but she was banished from court. She wrote repeatedly to the queencomplaining that she was in a "black dungeon of sorrow and despair....overwhelmed with heaviness through the loss of your majesty's favour and gracious countenance." She continued to be plagued by demands fromcreditors.Margaret died in 1596 without having recovered royal favour, and having outlived her eldest son, Ferdinando. Her granddaughter, Lady Anne Stanley, Ferdinando's oldest daughter, inherited her claim.Elizabeth I was eventually succeeded by the genealogically senior claimant, James VI of Scotland.PortraitThere is a discrepancy as to who the sitter is in the Hans Eworth portrait which is featured. The coat of arms inthe top left corner, which may have been added later, are the impaled arms (those of a husband and wife) of Henry Clifford, 2nd Earl of Cumberland, and his wife Lady Eleanor, daughter of Charles Brandon, 1st Duke ofSuffolk, and Mary Tudor, Dowager Queen of France. As a result, the painting has been frequently exhibited in the past as a portrait of Lady Eleanor, regardless of the fact that she died in 1547, well before the date ofthis portrait. It is, however, a rule of heraldry that impaled arms are not used by the children of a marriage, as they would have their own. Hence the later addition and erroneous use of the arms here suggests that theidentity of the portrait was already unclear only two or three generations after it was painted, a situation by no means unusual amid the frequent early deaths, multiple marriages, and shifting alliances and fortunes ofthe most powerful families of the Tudor era. Later the portrait was thought to represent the only child of Eleanor and Henry to survive infancy, Margaret. The inscription on the right which might have provided a check(Margaret would have been aged 25–28 at the time of this portrait) has been truncated; although the Roman numerals of the year can apply only to 1565–8, the age of the sitter cannot be ascertained with any usefulaccuracy.The National Portrait Gallery has an online sketch of this portrait identified as Lady Eleanor, but the portrait remains in dispute.Passage 2:Henry Clifford, 2nd Earl of CumberlandHenry Clifford, 2nd Earl ofCumberland (1517 – January 1570) was a member of the Clifford family, seated at Skipton Castle from 1310 to 1676. His wife was Lady Eleanor Brandon, a niece of King Henry VIII.OriginsHenry was a son of HenryClifford, 1st Earl of Cumberland, by his wife, Margaret Percy, daughter of Henry Algernon Percy, 5th Earl of Northumberland, and Catherine Spencer.AncestryHis maternal great-grandfather was Henry Percy, 4th Earl ofNorthumberland, whose wife was Maud Herbert, Countess of Northumberland. His maternal grandmother was a daughter of Sir Robert Spencer and Eleanor Beaufort. Eleanor was a daughter of Edmund Beaufort, 2ndDuke of Somerset, and Eleanor Beauchamp. She was a granddaughter of Richard de Beauchamp, 13th Earl of Warwick, and Elizabeth Berkeley. He served as hereditary High Sheriff of Westmorland.Marriages andprogenyHenry Clifford married twice.Firstly, before June 1537, Henry married Lady Eleanor Brandon (she was his fourth-cousin through his mother's side), the second daughter of Charles Brandon, 1st Duke of Suffolk,by his third wife, Mary Tudor, former Queen Consort of France. According to the Third Succession Act of 23 March 1544, Lady Eleanor Brandon was the seventh-in-line to the throne of the Kingdom of England. With herdeath, her daughter, Lady Margaret Clifford, took her place in the line of succession. The expenses of this alliance seriously impoverished Henry's estate and obliged him to alienate the great manor of Temedbury,Herefordshire, the oldest estate then remaining in the family. Eleanor was a younger sister of Henry Brandon (who died very young) and Lady Frances Brandon, and an older sister of Henry Brandon, 1st Earl of Lincoln(named after their dead brother). Her paternal grandparents were Sir William Brandon and Elizabeth Bruyn. Her maternal grandparents were King Henry VII of England and his queen consort, Elizabeth ofYork.  Following her death in 1547, Henry retired to the country and concentrated on increasing his paternal inheritance, and is said to have visited the court only thrice: at the coronation of Queen Mary I, on hisdaughter's marriage, and again soon after the accession of Queen Elizabeth I. By his wife Eleanor Brandon, Henry had three children:Lady Margaret Clifford (1540 – 29 September 1596), wife of Henry Stanley, 4th Earlof Derby.Henry Clifford, died an infant.Charles Clifford, died an infant.Secondly, Henry married Anne Dacre (c. 1521 – July 1581), the daughter of William Dacre, 3rd Baron Dacre, and Lady Elizabeth Talbot, daughter ofGeorge Talbot, 4th Earl of Shrewsbury, and Anne Hastings. Anne Hastings was a daughter of William Hastings, 1st Baron Hastings, and Lady Katherine Neville. Lady Katherine Neville was a daughter of Richard Neville,5th Earl of Salisbury, and Alice Montacute, 5th Countess of Salisbury. By Anne Dacre, Henry had at least three children:George Clifford, 3rd Earl of Cumberland (8 August 1558 – 30 October 1605)Francis Clifford, 4thEarl of Cumberland (1559–1641)Lady Frances Clifford (d. 1592), wife of Philip Wharton, 3rd Baron Wharton.CareerIn July 1561 Henry and Lord Dacre, his father-in-law, were accused of protecting the popish priests inthe north. A similar charge was advanced in February 1562. He was in 1569 strongly opposed to the contemplated marriage of Mary Queen of Scots and Thomas Howard, 4th Duke of Norfolk, and readily promisedsupport to the great rebellion of that year. In May 1569 he was in London. As the year wore on he gave in his adherence to the scheme for proclaiming Mary queen of England; but when the critical moment arrived hedid not act with vigour, but as a 'crazed man, leaving his tenants to the leadership of Leonard Dacres'. He assisted Lord Scrope in fortifying Carlisle against the rebels. Henry is described by his daughter as having 'agood library,' being 'studious in all manner of learning, and much given to alchemy.'Death and burialHe died shortly after 8 January 1569–70, at Brougham Castle, and was buried at Skipton Castle.Passage 3:HenryClifford, 5th Earl of CumberlandHenry Clifford, 5th Earl of Cumberland (28 February 1592 – 11 December 1643) was an English landowner and politician who sat in the House of Commons between 1614 and 1622. Hewas created a baron in 1628 and succeeded to the title Earl of Cumberland in 1641.Clifford was the son of Francis Clifford, 4th Earl of Cumberland, and Grisold Hughes and a member of the Clifford family which held theseat of Skipton from 1310 to 1676. He was educated at Christ Church, Oxford. In 1607, he became joint Lord Lieutenant of Cumberland, Northumberland and Westmorland. He was elected Member of Parliament forWestmorland in 1614, and was returned in 1621. In 1621, he became Custos Rotulorum of Westmorland. He was created Baron Clifford in 1628.Clifford was a supporter of Charles I during the so-called Bishops' Wars inScotland, and also during the Civil War until his death. He succeeded to the title of Earl of Cumberland in 1641 and died two years later in 1643 at the age of 52; as he left no sons the earldom became extinct.Cliffordmarried Lady Frances Cecil (1593 – 14 February 1644), daughter of Robert Cecil, 1st Earl of Salisbury and Elizabeth Brooke on 25 July, 1610, at St Mary Abbots Church, Kensington. They had one child: Lady ElizabethClifford who married Richard Boyle, 1st Earl of Burlington.Passage 4:Eleanor Brandon, Countess of CumberlandEleanor Clifford, Countess of Cumberland (née Lady Eleanor Brandon; 1519 – 27 September 1547) was thethird child and second daughter of Charles Brandon, 1st Duke of Suffolk and Princess Mary Tudor, the Dowager Queen consort of France. She was a younger sister of Lady Frances Brandon and an elder sister of HenryBrandon, 1st Earl of Lincoln. She was also a younger paternal half-sister of Lady Anne Brandon and Lady Mary Brandon from her father's second marriage. After her mother's death in 1533, her father remarried toCatherine Willoughby and Eleanor became an elder half-sister of Henry Brandon, 2nd Duke of Suffolk and Charles Brandon, 3rd Duke of Suffolk.Her paternal grandparents were Sir William Brandon and Elizabeth Bruyn.Her maternal grandparents were Henry VII of England and his queen consort Elizabeth of York. She was thus a niece of Henry VIII.Countess of CumberlandLady Eleanor was a descendant of a member of the Tudordynasty and therefore her marriage would advance the political ambitions of any given husband. In March 1533, a marriage contract was written up for Lady Eleanor and Henry Clifford, the eldest son and heir of HenryClifford, 1st Earl of Cumberland by Lady Margaret Percy. However, since her mother died nine months later, she waited to go and live with her young husband and in-laws. In anticipation of Eleanor's arrival, the Earl ofCumberland built two towers and the great gallery within Skipton Castle. Eleanor married Clifford in June 1535; her uncle King Henry VIII was present.In January 1536, Eleanor was designated the chief mourner for thefuneral service of Catherine of Aragon, first Queen consort of Henry VIII, at Peterborough Cathedral.There is not much known about her later life and she left only one letter:"Dear heart, After my most heartycommendations, this shall be to certify you that since your departure from me I have been very sick and at this present my water is very red, whereby I suppose I have the jaundice and the ague both, for I have noneabide [no appetite for] meat and I have such pains in my side and towards my back as I had at Brougham, where it began with me first. Wherefore I desire you to help me to a physician and that this bearer my bringhim with him, for now in the beginning I trust I may have good remedy, and the longer it is delayed, the worse it will be. Also my sister Powys [Anne Brandon] is come to me and very desirous to see you, which I trustshall be the sooner at this time, and thus Jesus send us both health.At my lodge at Carlton, the 14th of February.And, dear heart, I pray you send for Dr Stephens, for he knoweth best my complexion for such causes.Byyour assured loving wife, Eleanor Cumberland"IssueWith Henry Clifford:Lady Margaret Clifford (1540 - 28 September 1596); she married Henry Stanley, 4th Earl of Derby.Henry Clifford; died an infant.Charles Clifford;died an infant.PortraitThere is a discrepancy as to who the sitter is in the Hans Eworth portrait which is featured. The coat of arms in the top left corner, which may have been added later, are the impaled arms (those ofa husband and wife) of Henry Clifford, 2nd Earl of Cumberland, and his wife Lady Eleanor, daughter of Charles Brandon, 1st Duke of Suffolk, and Mary Tudor, Dowager Queen of France. As a result, the painting has beenfrequently exhibited in the past as a portrait of Lady Eleanor, regardless of the fact that she died in 1547, well before the date of this portrait. It is, however, a rule of heraldry that impaled arms are not used by thechildren of a marriage, as they would have their own. Hence the later addition and erroneous use of the arms here suggests that the identity of the portrait was already unclear only two or three generations after it waspainted, a situation by no means unusual amid the frequent early deaths, multiple marriages, and shifting alliances and fortunes of the most powerful families of the Tudor era. Later the portrait was thought torepresent the only child of Eleanor and Henry to survive infancy, Margaret. Unfortunately the inscription on the right which might have provided a check (Margaret would have been aged 25–28 at the time of thisportrait) has been truncated; although the Roman numerals of the year can apply only to 1565-8, the age of the sitter cannot be ascertained with any useful accuracy. The National Portrait Gallery has an online sketchof this portrait identified as Lady Eleanor, but the portrait remains in dispute. There is, however, a portrait of Lady Eleanor featured at Skipton Castle. It is reportedly a very poor work of art, but nonethelessinteresting.Passage 5:Margaret Clifford, Countess of CumberlandMargaret Clifford (née Russell), Countess of Cumberland (7 July 1560 – 24 May 1616) was an English noblewoman and maid of honor to Elizabeth I. LadyMargaret was born in Exeter, England to Francis Russell, 2nd Earl of Bedford and Margaret St John.On 24 June 1577 she married George Clifford, 3rd Earl of Cumberland the son of Henry Clifford, 2nd Earl of Cumberlandand Anne Dacre. Her sister, Anne Russell, Countess of Warwick, was married to Ambrose Dudley, brother of Robert Dudley, the Earl of Leicester, and Anne too was a great literary patron and a close friend to QueenElizabeth I, attending her on her death bed.In 1603 she travelled from London with her daughter Lady Anne Clifford and the Countess of Warwick to join others greeting Anne of Denmark and Prince Henry at Dingley,the house of Thomas Griffin on 24 June. Afterwards they rode with Anne Vavasour (later Lady Warburton) through Coventry to see Princess Elizabeth at Coombe Abbey. At this time her husband was not maintainingher, and she wrote to Sir Robert Cecil asking for his intervention so that she could buy suitable clothes to "furnish her self" to attend the new queen. The royal couple were entertained at Grafton Regis by her husband.Although the Countess was present, according to her daughter, she was marginalised, "not held as mistress of the house".She was a patron of the poet Emilia Lanier.In 1593, Lady Margaret Russell founded BeamsleyHospital, an almshouse for local widows. She was interested in physic and alchemy, and had an alchemical recipe book compiled for her.She died at Brougham Castle, on 24 May 1616.The tomb of the Countess is at StLawrence's Church, Appleby along with that of her daughter, Lady Anne Clifford. Lady Anne Clifford built the Countess Pillar to commemorate her.ChildrenFrancis Clifford (1584 – 8 December 1589)Robert Clifford (21September 1585 – 24 May 1591)Lady Anne Clifford (30 January 1590 – 22 March 1676), who married Richard Sackville, 3rd Earl of Dorset, and secondly Philip Herbert, 4th Earl of PembrokeLady Margaret Clifford (29March 1594 - 4 February 1647)Passage 6:Thomas Bruce, 2nd Earl of AilesburyThomas Bruce, 2nd Earl of Ailesbury (later styled Aylesbury) and 3rd Earl of Elgin (1656 – 16 December 1741), styled Lord Bruce between1663 and 1685, was an English politician and memoirist. He was the son of Robert Bruce, 2nd Earl of Elgin, and Lady Diana Grey. His maternal grandparents were Henry Grey, 1st Earl of Stamford, and Lady Anne Cecil,daughter of William Cecil, 2nd Earl of Exeter. His Memoirs, which were not published until long after his death, are a valuable source for English history in the last quarter of the seventeenth century.Early lifeLord Brucewas elected member of parliament for Marlborough between 1679 and 1681, and for Wiltshire in 1685. He became a Gentleman of the Bedchamber in 1676. From 1685, when he inherited the earldom, to 1688, he wasa Lord of the Bedchamber, Lord Lieutenant of Bedfordshire and Huntingdonshire (the latter in the absence of the Earl of Sandwich) and was a Page of Honour, at the coronation of King James II on 23 April 1685. He wasdevoted to Charles II, who remarked on his deathbed "I see you love me dying as well as living"; Bruce wrote later of Charles' death that "Thus ended my happy days at a Court, and to this hour I bewail my loss". Healso admired Charles's brother and successor James II, though he was not blind to his faults as a ruler.FamilyHe married, firstly, Lady Elizabeth Seymour, daughter of Henry Seymour, Lord Beauchamp and Mary Capelland granddaughter of William Seymour, 2nd Duke of Somerset, on 31 August 1676. She died in 1697 in premature childbirth, apparently brought on by a false report that her husband had been executed for treason.They had three children:Robert Bruce, Lord Bruce (1679–1685)Charles Bruce, 4th Earl of Elgin (1682–1747)Lady Elizabeth Bruce (1689–1745), married George Brudenell, 3rd Earl of Cardigan and had issue.He married,secondly, Charlotte d'Argenteau, comtesse d'Esneux, in Brussels (St Jacques sur Coudenberg) on 27 April 1700. They had one daughter:Lady Marie Thérèse Bruce (1704–1736), married Prince Maximilian Emmanuel ofHornes and had issue.Later lifeHe was one of only four peers who continued to support James II after the Prince of Orange embarked for England. On 18 December 1688 he accompanied King James to Rochester whenhe fled London. Elgin himself chose to remain in England; he was prepared in the short term to offer his support to the new regime, although his loyalty to it was always deeply suspect.In May 1695, Lord Elgin wasaccused, almost certainly with good reason, of having conspired to plan the restoration of King James II and in February 1696 he was imprisoned in the Tower of London, but admitted to bail a year later and allowed toleave England for Brussels. After more than 40 years in exile, he died in Brussels and was buried there. Some historians have accused him of double-dealing in swearing allegiance to William III while plotting therestoration of James; others argue that his true loyalty was to the institution of the monarchy, and that he supported whichever monarch seemed best fitted to rule at any given time. William III clearly did not regardhim as a dangerous character, as shown by the fact that he was left in peace once he fled from England; he was fortunate in having a great many friends and very few enemies. It seems that from about 1710 he wasfree to return to England, but he was by then happily settled in Brussels, where he had made a second marriage for love to Charlotte, comtesse d'Esneux, and, since he was able to draw at least part of the revenue from


Passage 1:Marie-Louise CoidavidQueen Marie Louise Coidavid (1778 – 11 March 1851) was the Queen of the Kingdom of Haiti 1811–20 as the spouse of Henri Christophe.Early lifeMarie-Louise was born into a free blackfamily; her father was the owner of Hotel de la Couronne, Cap-Haïtien. Henri Christophe was a slave purchased by her father. Supposedly, he earned enough money in tips from his duties at the hotel that he was able topurchase his freedom before the Haitian Revolution. They married in Cap-Haïtien in 1793, having had a relationship with him from the year prior. They had four children: François Ferdinand (born 1794),Françoise-Améthyste (d. 1831), Athénaïs (d. 1839) and Victor-Henri.At her spouse's new position in 1798, she moved to the Sans-Souci Palace. During the French invasion, she and her children lived underground until1803.QueenIn 1811, Marie-Louise was given the title of queen upon the creation of the Kingdom of Haiti. Her new status gave her ceremonial tasks to perform, ladies-in-waiting, a secretary and her own court. She tookher position seriously, and stated that the title "given to her by the nation" also gave her responsibilities and duties to perform. She served as the hostess of the ceremonial royal court life performed at the Sans-SouciPalace. She did not involve herself in the affairs of state. She was given the position of Regent should her son succeed her spouse while still being a minor.  However, as her son became of age before the death of hisfather, this was never to materialize.After the death of the king in 1820, she remained with her daughters Améthyste and Athénaïs at the palace until they were escorted from it by his followers together with his corpse;after their departure, the palace was attacked and plundered. Marie-Louise and her daughters were given the property Lambert outside Cap. She was visited by president Jean Pierre Boyer, who offered her hisprotection; he denied the spurs of gold she gave him, stating that he was the leader of poor people. They were allowed to settle in Port-au-Prince. Marie-Louise was described as calm and resigned, but her daughters,especially Athénaïs, were described as vengeful.ExileThe Queen was in exile for 30 years. In August 1821, the former queen left Haiti with her daughters under the protection of the British admiral Sir Home Popham,and travelled to London. There were rumours that she was searching for the money, three million, deposited by her spouse in Europe. Whatever the case, she did live the rest of her life without economic difficulties. TheEnglish climate and pollution during the Industrial Revolution was determintal to Améthyste's health, and eventually they decided to leave.In 1824, Marie-Louise and her daughters moved in Pisa in Italy, where theylived for the rest of their lives, Améthyste dying shortly after their arrival and Athénaïs in 1839. They lived discreetly for the most part, but were occasionally bothered by fortune hunters and throne claimers whowanted their fortune. Shortly before her death, she wrote to Haiti for permission to return. She never did, however, before she died in Italy. She is buried in the church of San Donnino. A historical marker was installedin front of the church on April 23, 2023 to commemorate the Queen, her daughter and her sister.See alsoMarie-Claire Heureuse FélicitéAdélina LévêquePassage 2:Sophia Magdalena of DenmarkSophia Magdalena ofDenmark (Danish: Sophie Magdalene; Swedish: Sofia Magdalena; 3 July 1746 – 21 August 1813) was Queen of Sweden from 1771 to 1792 as the wife of King Gustav III. Born into the House of Oldenburg, the royalfamily of Denmark-Norway, Sophia Magdalena was the first daughter of King Frederick V of Denmark and Norway and his first consort, Princess Louise of Great Britain. Already at the age of five, she was betrothed toGustav, the heir apparent to the throne of Sweden, as part of an attempt to improve the traditionally tense relationship between the two Scandinavian realms. She was subsequently brought up to be the Queen ofSweden, and they married in 1766. In 1771, Sophia's husband ascended to the throne and became King of Sweden, making Sophia Queen of Sweden. Their coronation was on 29 May 1772.The politically arrangedmarriage was unsuccessful. The desired political consequences for the mutual relations between the two countries did not materialize, and on a personal level the union also proved to be unhappy. Sophia Magdalenawas of a quiet and serious nature, and found it difficult to adjust to her husband's pleasure seeking court. She dutifully performed her ceremonial duties but did not care for social life and was most comfortable in quietsurroundings with a few friends. However, she was liked by many in the Caps party, believing she was a symbol of virtue and religion. The relationship between the spouses improved somewhat in the years from 1775to 1783, but subsequently deteriorated again.After her husband was assassinated in 1792, Sophia Magdalena withdrew from public life, and led a quiet life as dowager queen until her death in 1813.Early lifePrincessSophie Magdalene was born on 3 July 1746 at her parents' residence Charlottenborg Palace, located at the large square, Kongens Nytorv, in central Copenhagen. She was the second child and first daughter of CrownPrince Frederick of Denmark and his first consort, the former Princess Louise of Great Britain, and was named for her grandmother, Queen Sophie Magdalene. She received her own royal household at birth.Just onemonth after her birth, her grandfather King Christian VI died, and Princess Sophie Magdalene's father ascended the throne as King Frederick V. She was the heir presumptive to the throne of Denmark from the death ofher elder brother in 1747 until the birth of her second brother in 1749, and retained her status as next in line to the Danish throne after her brother until her marriage. She was therefore often referred to as CrownPrincess of Denmark.In the spring of 1751, at the age of five, she was betrothed to Gustav, the heir apparent to the throne of Sweden, and she was brought up to be the Queen of Sweden. The marriage was arrangedby the Riksdag of the Estates, not by the Swedish royal family. The marriage was arranged as a way of creating peace between Sweden and Denmark, which had a long history of war and which had strained relationsfollowing the election of an heir to the Swedish throne in 1743, where the Danish candidate had lost. The engagement was met with some worry from Queen Louise, who feared that her daughter would be mistreated bythe Queen of Sweden, Louisa Ulrika of Prussia. The match was known to be disliked by the Queen of Sweden, who was in constant conflict with the Parliament; and who was known in Denmark for her pride, dominantpersonality and hatred of anything Danish, which she demonstrated in her treatment of the Danish ambassadors in Stockholm.After the death of her mother early in her life, Sophia Magdalena was given a very strictand religious upbringing by her grandmother and her stepmother, who considered her father and brother to be morally degenerate. She is noted to have had good relationships with her siblings, her grandmother andher stepmother; her father, however, often frightened her when he came before her drunk, and was reportedly known to set his dogs upon her, causing in her a lifelong phobia.In 1760, the betrothal was again broughtup by Denmark, which regarded it as a matter of prestige. The negotiations were made between Denmark and the Swedish Queen, as King Adolf Frederick of Sweden was never considered to be of any more than purelyformal importance. Louisa Ulrika favored a match between Gustav and her niece Philippine of Brandenburg-Schwedt instead, and claimed that she regarded the engagement to be void and forced upon her by CarlGustaf Tessin. She negotiated with Catherine the Great and her brother Frederick the Great to create some political benefit for Denmark in exchange for a broken engagement. However, the Swedish public was veryfavorable to the match due to expectations Sophia Magdalena would be like the last Danish-born Queen of Sweden, Ulrika Eleonora of Denmark, who was very loved for her kindness and charity. This view wassupported by the Caps political party, which expected Sophia Magdalena to be an example of a virtuous and religious representative of the monarchy in contrast to the haughty Louisa Ulrika. Fredrick V of Denmark wasalso eager to complete the match: "His Danish Majesty could not have the interests of his daughter sacrificed because of the prejudices and whims of the Swedish Queen". In 1764 Crown Prince Gustav, who was at thispoint eager to free himself from his mother and form his own household, used the public opinion to state to his mother that he wished to honor the engagement, and on 3 April 1766, the engagement was officiallycelebrated.When a portrait of Sophia Magdalena was displayed in Stockholm, Louisa Ulrika commented: "why Gustav, you seem to be already in love with her! She looks stupid", after which she turned to Prince Charlesand added: "She would suit you better!"Crown PrincessOn 1 October 1766, Sophia Magdalena was married to Gustav by proxy at Christiansborg Palace in Copenhagen with her brother Frederick, Hereditary Prince ofDenmark, as representative of her groom. She traveled in the royal golden sloop from Kronborg in Denmark over Öresund to Hälsingborg in Sweden; when she was halfway, the Danish cannon salute ended, and theSwedish started to fire. In Helsingborg, she was welcomed by her brother-in-law Prince Charles of Hesse, who had crossed the sea shortly before her, the Danish envoy in Stockholm, Baron Schack, as well as CrownPrince Gustav himself. As she was about to set foot on ground, Gustav was afraid that she would fall, and he therefore reached her his hand with the words: "Watch out, Madame!", a reply which quickly became a topicof gossip at the Swedish court.The couple then traveled by land toward Stockholm, being celebrated on the way. She met her father-in-law the King and her brothers-in-law at Stäket Manor on 27 October, and shecontinued to be well-treated and liked by them all during her life in Sweden. Thereafter, she met her mother-in-law the Queen and her sister-in-law at Säby Manor, and on the 28th, she was formally presented for theSwedish royal court at Drottningholm Palace. At this occasion, Countess Ebba Bonde noted that the impression about her was: "By God, how beautiful she is!", but that her appearance was affected by the fact that shehad a: "terrible fear of the Queen". On 4 November 1766, she was officially welcomed to the capital of Stockholm, where she was married to Gustav in person in the Royal Chapel at Stockholm Royal Palace.SophiaMagdalena initially made a good impression upon the Swedish nobility with her beauty, elegance and skillful dance; but her shy, silent, and reserved nature soon made her a disappointment in the society life. Being of areserved nature, she was considered cold and arrogant. Her mother-in-law Queen Louisa Ulrika, who once stated that she could comprehend nothing more humiliating than the position of a Queen Dowager, harassedher in many ways: a typical example was when she invited Gustav to her birthday celebrations, but asked him to make Sophia Magdalena excuse herself by pretending to be too ill to attend. Louisa Ulrika encouraged adistance between the couple in various ways, and Gustav largely ignored her so as not to make his mother jealous.Sophia Magdalena was known to be popular with the Caps, who were supported by Denmark, whileLouisa Ulrika and Gustav sided with the Hats. The Caps regarded Sophia Magdalena to be a symbol of virtue and religion in a degenerated royal court, and officially demonstrated their support. Sophia Magdalena wasadvised by the Danish ambassador not to involve herself in politics, and when the spies of Louisa Ulrika reported that Sophia Magdalena received letters from the Danish ambassador through her Danish entourage, theQueen regarded her to be a sympathizer of the Danish-supported Caps: she was isolated from any contact with the Danish embassy, and the Queen encouraged Gustav to force her to send her Danish servants home.This she did not do until 1770, and his demand contributed to their tense and distant relationship. In 1768, Charlotta Sparre tried to reconcile the couple at their summer residence Ekolsund Castle, but the marriageremained unconsummated.After King Adolf Frederick of Sweden died in 1771, Gustav III became King of Sweden. The following year, on 29 May, Sophia Magdalena was crowned Queen.Early reign as QueenThecoronation of Gustav III and Sophia Magdalena took place on 29 May 1772. She was not informed about the coup of Gustav III, which reinstated absolute monarchy and ended the parliamentary rule of the Estates inthe revolution of 1772. At the time she was deemed as suspicious and politically untrustworthy in the eyes of the King, primarily by her mother-in-law, who painted her as pro-Danish. Denmark was presumed to opposethe coup; there were also plans to conquer Norway from Denmark.Sophia Magdalena was informed about politics nonetheless: she expressed herself pleased with the 1772 parliament because Count Fredrik Ribbing, forwhom she had taken an interest, had regained his seat. The conflict between her and her mother-in-law was publicly known and disliked, and the sympathies were on her side. In the contemporary paper DagligtAllehanda, a fable was presented about Rävinnan och Turturduvan ("The She Fox and the Turtle Dove"). The fable was about the innocent turtle dove (Sophia Magdalena) who was slandered by the wicked she fox(Louisa Ulrika), who was supported by the second she fox (Anna Maria Hjärne) and the other foxes (the nobility). The fable was believed to have been sent from the Caps party.Queen Sophia Magdalena was of a shyand reserved character, and was never a member of the King's inner circle. At the famous amateur court theater of Gustav III, Sophia Magdalena is occasionally named as participator in the documents. In 1777, forexample, she dressed as an Italian sailor and participated in a battle between Italian and Spanish sailors. Usually it was rather her role to act as the passive lady of games and tournaments, and to decorate the winnerwith the award. She did her ceremonial duties, but disliked the vivid lifestyle of the court around her outgoing spouse.As queen, she was expected to do a great deal of representation – more than what had beenexpected from previous queens due to her husband's adoration of representation. On formal occasions, she was at her best: she performed beautifully according to royal court etiquette, and was seen as dignified andimpressive. For instance, on 17 September 1784, she cut the cord to let off the first air balloons from the Stockholm observatory. During the King's Italian journey in 1783–84, she hosted a grand formal public dinnerevery two weeks. During that time, she appeared at the Royal Swedish Opera and at the French Theater, but otherwise preferred her solitude. This attracted attention as during the absence of the King she had beenexpected to represent the royal couple all the more.Sophia appeared to have enjoyed nature trips in the country side with only one lady-in-waiting and two footmen, however, her country side visitations were stoppedbecause it was deemed 'unsuitable'. Several of her ladies-in-waiting were well known Swedish women of the era, among them The Three Graces: Augusta von Fersen, Ulla von Höpken and Lovisa Meijerfelt, as well asMarianne Ehrenström and Charlotta Cedercreutz, who were known artists.Sophia Magdalena was a popular Queen: on 22 July 1788, for example, during the absence of her spouse in Finland, several members of theRoyal Dramatic Theater and the musical society Augustibröder, among them Bellman, took a spontaneous trip by boat from the capital to Ulriksdal Palace, where she was, and performed a poem by Bellman to her honorat the occasion of her name day.In the famous diary of her sister-in-law, Princess Hedwig Elizabeth Charlotte, Sophia Magdalena is described as beautiful, cold, silent and haughty, very polite and formal, reserved andunsociable. When she performed her duties as Queen, her sister-in-law, Hedwig Elizabeth Charlotte of Holstein-Gottorp, described her as "Forced to meet people".Sophia Magdalena preferred to spend her days insolitude whenever she could. She had two very intimate friends, Maria Aurora Uggla and Baroness Virginia Charlotta Manderström, but otherwise rarely participated in any social life outside of what was absolutelynecessary to perform her representational  duties. She frequently visited the theater, and she also had a great interest for fashion. As a result of this, she was somewhat criticized for being too vain: even when she hadno representational duties to dress up for and spend her days alone in her rooms, she is said to have changed costumes several times daily, and according her chamberlain Adolf Ludvig Hamilton, she never passed amirror without studying herself in it. She was also interested in literature, and educated herself in various subjects: her library contained works about geography, genealogy and history. She educated herself in Swedish,English, German and Italian, and regularly read French magazines. According to Augusta von Fersen, Sophia Magdalena was quite educated, but she was not perceived as such because she rarely engaged inconversation.In 1784, after the King had returned from his trip to Italy and France, the relationship between the King and Queen soured. At this time, Gustav III spent more and more time with male favorites. In 1786,this came to an open conflict. The King had taken to spend more time at intimate evenings with his favorite Gustaf Mauritz Armfelt, from which he excluded her company. When he gave some of her rooms at the RoyalPalace to Armfelt, Sophia Magdalena refused to participate in any representation until the rooms were given back to her, and she also banned her ladies-in-waiting from accepting his invitations without herpermission.In 1787, she threatened him with asking for the support of the parliament against him if he took their son with him to Finland, which she opposed, and the year after, she successfully prevented him fromdoing so. She also reprimanded him from allowing his male favorites to slander her before him.Queen Sophia Magdalena was never involved in politics, except for one on one occasion. In August 1788, during theRusso-Swedish War (1788–1790), the King gave her the task to enter in negotiations with Denmark to prevent a declaration of war from Denmark during the ongoing war against Russia. He asked her to call upon theDanish ambassador Reventlow and give him a letter to be read in the Danish royal council before her brother, the Danish King. He gave her the freedom to write as she wished, but to use the argument that she spokeas a sister and mother to a son with the right to the Danish throne and upon her own initiative.Sophia Magdalena called upon the Danish ambassador, held a speech to him followed by a long conversation and thenhanded him a letter written as a "warm appeal" to her brother. A copy was sent to Gustav III, and her letter was read in the royal Danish council, where it reportedly made a good impression. However, her mission wasstill unsuccessful, as the Russo-Danish alliance made it unavoidable for Denmark to declare war shortly afterward. At the time, there was a note that she met two Russian prisoners of war in the park of the Haga Palace,and gave them 100 kronor each.At the parliament of 1789 Gustav III united the other estates against the nobility and to gain support for the war and for his constitutional reform. Coming into conflict with the nobility,he had many of its representatives imprisoned. This act led to a social boycott of the monarch by the female members of the aristocracy, who followed the example of Jeanna von Lantingshausen as well as the King'ssister and sister-in-law, Sophie Albertine of Sweden and Hedvig Elisabeth Charlotte. The Queen did not participate in this political demonstration and refused to allow any talk of politics in her presence. She wasnevertheless involved in the conflict. When the King informed his son about the event, he discovered the child to be already informed in other ways than what he had intended. He suspected Sophia Magdalena to beresponsible, and asked the governor of the prince, Count Nils Gyldenstolpe, to speak to her. Gyldenstolpe, however, sent one of the king's favorites, Baron Erik Boye. The Queen, who despised the favorites of the King,furiously told Boye that she spoke to her son how she wished and that only her contempt for him prevented her from having him thrown out of the window. She was known to dislike the reforms of 1789, and she did let


Passage 1:Charles James Irwin Grant, 6th Baron de LongueuilCharles James Irwin Grant, only son of Charles William Grant, 5th Baron de Longueuil and Caroline Coffin, was born in Montreal on 1 April 1815. He servedin the 79th Regiment as a lieutenant for a while. He later married Henriet Colmore, from whom he fathered two sons (Alexander Frederick, died age 2 and Charles Colmore) as well as a daughter. His wife Henriet died in1847 and he remarried in Charleston, South Carolina on 18 January 1849 to Anne Trapman, second daughter of Louis Trapman, a consul. He had many children from this union including Reginald Charles and JohnCharles Moore. He died on 26 February 1879 at age 63.AncestryPassage 2:James BillmyerJames Irwin Billmyer (May 14, 1897 - July 9, 1989) was an American modern painter and illustrator.Early yearsJames Billmyerwas born in Union Bridge, Maryland and received his BA from Western Maryland College. He continued his studies at the National Academy of Design, Beaux Arts, the Art Students’ League, Cooper Union, MarylandInstitute, Baltimore Charcoal Club, and Baltimore Grand Central School of Art.Some of his influential teachers included John Sloan, George Luks, Frank Vincent Dumond, George Bridgeman, William De Leftwüch Dodge,Dean Cornwell, and Harvey Dunn.Billnyer was involved with the commercial art of periodicals and advertising, working as an illustrator for magazines such as “Cosmopolitan”, “Family Circle”, “House and Garden”,“Ladies Home Journal”, “Parents Magazine”, and Collier’s "Good Housekeeping”.  In 1931, he became a member of the American Society of Illustrators.WorkBillmyer travelled extensively in Latin and Central America,Canada, the Near East, and Europe, exploring the history and cultures of these locations, which ultimately impacts his work. In the 1950s and 1960s, he was a part of the 10th Street galleries scene. For twelve years,he studied plastics under the tutelage of Hans Hofmann in New York and Provincetown.  Hofmann showed him the importance of objects moved out from the canvas and resolved back into it.  This type of painting thatdeals with multiple rhythms, colors, and angles, offers viewers a higher-dimensional experience. Billmyer has created patterns in and out of divided planes that go in independent directions before receding back into thecanvas, which is his unique adaption of Hofmann’s methods. Many of his patterns and forms appear in the film “The Hypercube: Projections and Slicing.” Billmyer has taught and lectured at the New York School ofInterior Design, The Hudson River School, Spellman College, Miami Art Center,  the Naskeay School, Maine, and his own New York School.Passage 3:John Charles Moore Grant, 9th Baron de LongueuilJohn CharlesMoore de Bienville Grant, 9th Baron de Longueuil was born in 1861 at Bath, Somerset. He was the son of Charles James Irwin Grant and Anne Marie Catherine Trapman. He succeeded to the title of Baron de Longueuilon 3 August 1931. He died on 17 October 1935 at Pau, France.AncestryPassage 4:Charlie PartridgeCharles James Partridge (born December 7, 1973) is an American college football coach. He is the assistant headfootball coach and defensive line coach at the University of Pittsburgh, a position he has held since 2018. Partridge served as the head football coach at Florida Atlantic University from 2014 to 2016.Playing careerAnative of Plantation, Florida, Partridge attended Drake University, where he was a team captain of the football team. Later he also attended Iowa State University.Coaching careerPartridge's first coaching experience wasas a graduate assistant with the Drake Bulldogs and the Iowa State Cyclones. From there he became the defensive line coach of the Eastern Illinois Panthers. Partridge served as defensive line coach, linebackers coach,and special teams coordinator of the Pitt Panthers for five seasons before joining the Wisconsin Badgers. He was named co-defensive coordinator at Wisconsin in January 2011. On December 15, 2012 the University ofArkansas announced the hiring of Partridge as the defensive line coach. Partridge was widely credited as Wisconsin's lead recruiter in the state of Florida, and helped land five-star running back Alex Collins for theRazorbacks in his first two months on the job. Partridge followed former Wisconsin Badgers head coach Bret Bielema to Arkansas.Partridge was hired as the head coach at Florida Atlantic on December 16, 2013. He wasfired on November 27, 2016.On February 14, 2017 Partridge was announced as the defensive line coach at Pittsburgh.Personal lifePartridge is married with two children.Head coaching recordPassage 5:Charles WilliamGrant, 5th Baron de LongueuilCharles William Grant was born in 1782. He was the son of Captain David Alexander Grant and Marie-Charles-Joseph Le Moyne, Baronne de Longueuil. He served during the War of 1812 asLieutenant Colonel of the Boucherville militia battalion and as a staff officer. He was taken prisoner by the Americans on 8 December 1813, and was held hostage in Worcester, Massachusetts. He married Caroline Coffin,daughter of General John Coffin and Anne Mathews, on 21 May 1814. He became a member of the Legislative Council of Lower Canada. He succeeded to the title of Baron de Longueuil on 17 January 1841. He died on 5July 1848 at his residence of Alwington House in Kingston.AncestryPassage 6:Charles James (footballer)Charles James (1882–1960) was an English footballer who played for Stoke.CareerJames was born inStoke-upon-Trent and played for amateur side Halmerend before joining Stoke in 1908. He became a bit-part player for Stoke in this three seasons there making a modest 13 appearances. He later worked at theFlorence Colliery and also played for the works football team.Career statisticsPassage 7:Anthony Robinson (Unitarian)Anthony Robinson (1762–1827) was an English Unitarian minister and friend of Charles JamesFox.LifeRobinson was born in January 1762 at Kirkland near Wigton in Cumberland.  He was educated at Bristol Baptist Academy, under James Newton (1733-1790).  Robinson was baptized at The Pithay Meeting,Bristol, in 1784.  He became a minister, at the General Baptist Church, Glasshouse Yard, Worship Street, London.  About 1790, having succeeded to his father's estate, he retired to Wigan.  About 1796, he returned toLondon, where he became a successful sugar refiner.Robinson had an influential circle of acquaintance, including Joseph Priestley, William Belsham, and Henry Crabb Robinson.He died in Hatton Garden, 20 January1827, and was buried in the Worship Street Baptist churchyard.FamilyRobinson's son Anthony, who disappeared in 1824, is alleged one of the victims of Burke and Hare.PublicationsA Short History of the Persecution ofChristians by Jews, Heathens, and Christians (Carlisle, 1793)A View of the Causes and Consequences of English Wars (London, 1798)An Examination of a Sermon preached at Cambridge by Robert Hall on ModernInfidelity (London, 1800)Passage 8:Jonnie IrwinJonathan James Irwin (born 18 November 1973) is an English television presenter, writer, lecturer, business and property expert.Early lifeIrwin grew up on a small farm inthe village of Bitteswell, Leicestershire. Irwin was educated at Lutterworth Grammar School and Community College. He obtained a degree from Birmingham City University in estate management.He is of Irishdescent.CareerIrwin worked for business transfer specialists Christie & Co, becoming an associate director within three years, before going on to work for Colliers International.In 2004, Irwin was selected from hundredsof applicants along with co-presenter Jasmine Harman to present Channel 4's show A Place in the Sun – Home or Away, and has filmed over 200 episodes all around Britain. The programme is also broadcast daily onMore4, Discovery Real Time and Discovery Travel & Living, as well as channels throughout Europe and the rest of the world, including New Zealand, Australia, and South Africa. In 2022 Irwin accused A Place in the Sunproducers of axing him as presenter after 18 years due to a cancer diagnosis, leaving his mood “really low.”Irwin also presents episodes of BBC property shows Escape to the Country and To Buy or Not to Buy. Irwin hasalso presented the spin-off to Escape to the Country, Escape to the Perfect Town. In January 2011, Sky 1 broadcast Irwin's own show called Dream Lives for Sale, which saw him help people leave behind their lives inthe UK and buy a business. In late 2011 he began a new series, The Renovation Game, which aired on weekday mornings on Channel 4.Over the past ten years, Irwin has advised clients on business and property,ranging from small high street gift shops to multimillion pound corporate hotel packages. He still runs a property and business consultancy.Irwin writes a regular column for A Place in the Sun magazine. He appears at APlace in the Sun Live giving presentations on his tips for buying property abroad. Irwin also regularly hosts seminars and corporate events.Personal lifeIrwin is a keen sportsman. He played rugby for Lutterworth RFCand then for Rugby Lions RFC, until an accident in a sevens tournament in which he broke his back and subsequently retired.Irwin married Jessica Holmes in September 2016. Together they have three sons. Rex born2018 and twin sons Rafa and Cormac born 2020. Irwin and his family moved to the Hertfordshire town of Berkhamsted in 2018 and then to the Newcastle upon Tyne area.Health and illnessIn November 2022, Irwinshared that he had terminal lung cancer, after being diagnosed in 2020. In an interview with Hello!, Irwin said, "I don't know how long I have left, but I try to stay positive and my attitude is that I'm living with cancer,not dying from it. I set little markers – things I want to be around for [...] I'm doing everything I can to hold that day off for as long as possible. I owe that to Jess and our boys. Some people in my position have bucketlists, but I just want us to do as much as we can as a family."Passage 9:Charles Colmore Grant, 7th Baron de LongueuilCharles Colmore Grant, 7th Baron de Longueuil was the son of Charles James Irwin Grant, 6thBaron de Longueuil and Harriet Cregoe-Colmore. He was born on 13 April 1844 at Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, England. In 1878, he married Mary Wayne, daughter of Thomas Wayne. In 1880, he claimed a royalrecognition of his right to the barony of Longueuil. By the treaty of Quebec the sovereignty of Canada passed from the Kings of France to the Kings of Great Britain but with the reservation that all rights and privileges"of what kind soever" should be reserved and secured to all individuals of French descent to which they had been entitled under the previous regime. Queen Victoria was graciously pleased to recognise the claim ofCharles Colmore Grant to the title of Baron de Longueuil. He died on 13 December 1898 at age 54 at New York City. He was without issue and his half-brother Reginald Charles succeeded him.Passage 10:HenryKrauseHenry J. "Red" Krause, Jr. (August 28, 1913 – February 20, 1987) was an American football offensive lineman in the National Football League for the Brooklyn Dodgers and the Washington Redskins.  He playedcollege football at St. Louis University.


Passage 1:Thomas de Mowbray, 1st Duke of NorfolkThomas de Mowbray, 1st Duke of Norfolk, KG (22 March 1366 – 22 September 1399) was an English peer. As a result of his involvement in the power struggles whichled up to the fall of King Richard II, he was banished and died in exile in Venice.Background and youthThe Mowbrays were an old family in the English peerage, having been first raised to the baronage in 1295. Severaladvantageous marriages, combined with loyal service to the crown and rewards from it made them, by the late 14th century, a great political standing. Thomas was the son of John de Mowbray, 4th Baron Mowbray andhis wife Elizabeth Segrave, the daughter and heiress of John Segrave, 4th Baron Segrave by his wife Margaret, Duchess of Norfolk, daughter and heiress of Thomas of Brotherton, 1st Earl of Norfolk,  the fifth son of KingEdward I.Thomas Mowbray was born in 1366; the precise date is unknown. He was probably named after the cult of St Thomas Becket, of which his mother was a follower. His elder brother John was their father's heir;he died in 1368. Four years later, they became the ward of their great-aunt, Blanche of Lancaster. John was created Earl of Nottingham on the coronation of King Richard II in 1377, but died in early 1383. Almostimmediately—within a few days—the earldom was re-granted to Thomas, and even though he was still legally a minor, he was allowed seisin of his patrimony and the comital penny.Political backgroundRichard IIsucceeded to the throne in 1377 on the death of his grandfather, Edward III, but his unpopularity had been growing since Richard's suppression of the Peasants' Revolt in 1381. He was increasingly criticised for hispatronage of a few select royal favourites, to an extent that has been described as "lavish to the point of foolishness" by a biographer, historian Anthony Tuck. Parliament was also coming to the view that the Kingneeded to rule as economically as possible, and they observed with displeasure the King's distribution of extravagant patronage to a limited circle, the greatest recipient of which was Michael de la Pole, Earl of Suffolk.Furthermore, the Hundred Years' War was going poorly for England. Several expeditions had left for France in the early years of Richard's reign to defend English territory, but they were almost all military and politicalfailures.As a second son, little is recorded of Mowbray's youth, although his background and status "virtually guaranteed him a place at court", says Saul. The King and Mowbray had probably been childhood friends, andwas a royal favourite from at least 1382, when he was granted hunting rights in certain royal forests and was knighted. It was around this time that Bolingbroke began to fall out of favour with the King, with Mowbraysupplanting him. Mowbray also married the ten-year-old Lady Elizabeth Lestrange, heiress of John, Lord Blakemere, whose marriage cost the King around £1000. Elizabeth died in 1383, not long after thewedding.Career to 1390Mowbray remained high in royal favour following the death of his wife, and he was elected to the Order of the Garter in October the same year, even though he was militarily unproven. The Kinggranted him grace and favour rooms at the royal palaces of Eltham and Kings Langley. Reflecting his role as an important courtier, Mowbray accompanied Richard on his tour of East Anglia in 1383. His closeness to theKing drew the opprobrium of the King's uncle, John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster—probably the most powerful man in the Kingdom after the King—upon him. Gaunt accused Mowbray, along with Robert, Earl of Oxfordand William, Earl of Salisbury of plotting against the King. Gaunt himself was becoming increasingly unpopular and had withdrawn from the council. As a result, says the chronicler Thomas Walsingham, Mowbray, deVere and Montacute plotted to kill the duke in February 1385. The King held jousts between the 13th and 14th of the month, and Gaunt's murder was to be committed on the 14th; it is possible that Richard did notdisapprove, such had relations between him and his uncle broken down. Originally, this had been over foreign policy; Gaunt favoured a restoration of the war with France, while Richard was keen to invade ScotlandGaunt had also recently told Richard that he viewed the King's advisors as "unsavoury", and Mowbray and his friends deliberately exacerbated the two men's antagonism by proffering a series of accusations against theduke. Gaunt received a forewarning of the attack, however, and fled in the night.On 30 June 1385—as the royal army was about to leave for Scotland—Mowbray received his great-grandfather's office of Marshal ofEngland, although he could not have foreseen this eventuality as at the time the campaign was announced the marshalcy was possessed by the Earl of Kent. Mowbray led a force of 99 men-at-arms and 150 archers,serving with Gaunt in the vanguard. Mowbray helped draw up the King's ordinances for the campaign when the royal army reached Durham, although by now, suggests Given-Wilson, Mowbray's relations with Richard"may have been cooling". Less than a year after his first wife's death, Mowbray married Elizabeth Fitzalan. Elizabeth was a daughter of Richard, Earl of Arundel, and, although the King attended their wedding and theweek-long festivities accompanying it, it is unlikely that the marriage was popular with Richard. His second marriage must have been a turning point. Richard doubtless saw Arundel as a negative influence on Mowbrayand feared the strengthening of the earl's position against him. Mowbray and Elizabeth had also wed without his permission, and so the King distrained Mowbray's estates until he had received the value of the license.Tuck argues, in fact, that "nor was the king's concern unfounded"; Mowbray had been increasingly isolated at court by the King's latest favourites, such as Oxford, and had moved into the circle of those who opposedthe new royal intimates, perhaps seeing them as the best way to dispose of his rival. This circle also included not only Richard's father-in-law but his uncle, Thomas, Duke of Gloucester. In a sign that Mowbray was notcompletely out of favour, Elizabeth received her robes as a Lady of the Garter in 1386.Both men had played an important role in parliament's attack on Richard's chancellor, Michael de la Pole, Earl of Suffolk at theWonderful Parliament of 1386. The Wonderful Parliament had taken place against a backdrop of genuine fear of a French invasion—Walsingham described how Londoners, in his view, like "timid mice they scurried hitherand thither—and Arundel had been appointed Admiral of England. In March the following year he, in turn, appointed Mowbray his deputy, and they took a fleet out of Margate and encountered a French-Flemish fleetalmost immediately. The result was its crushing defeat. Between 50 and 100 French-Flemish ships were captured or destroyed. The King was unimpressed. When Arundel and Mowbray returned to court, Richard coollyclaimed they had only defeated merchants, and Oxford turned his back on the earls.AppellantFor most of the 1380s, Mowbray received what he doubtless considered his due from the King, in lands, offices and grants.But by 1387 he became increasingly estranged from Richard's court. The main reason for this was probably jealousy of de Vere. While he was wealthy enough not to have to rely on royal favour, as de Vere did, heexpected the honour and dignity that his birth and status demanded. This he saw increasingly syphoned off to his rival. Although the Wonderful Parliament had set up a commission to effectively restrain the King, itfailed so to do. Richard emasculated the commission by leaving London straight away, and not only ignored its deliberations but his own councils in the provinces. He also took legal advice from his judges who,unsurprisingly, found in his favour that those responsible for parliament's treatment of the King should be deemed traitors. In response, Mowbray joined Bolingbroke, Gloucester, Arundel and Warwick in appealingseveral of the King's friends, including Oxford, of treason, and raised an army at Hornsey, north of London. The Appellants' army engaged Oxford's at the Battle of Radcot Bridge, inflicting a crushing defeat on theroyalists in December. Mowbray did not take part, as he was guarding the road back to the West Midlandsl at Moreton in Marsh, although he may have sent a portion of his retinue to the Appellant army.Mowbrayappears to have been responsible for dissuading Gloucester, Arundel and Warwick from marching to London and deposing the King. Indeed, he and Bolingbroke may have been a moderating influence on the others.Converseley, due to his position as Earl Marshal—one of the two heads of the Court of Chivalry—his presence with the Appellants enabled them to frame their offensive juridically rather than as a traditional noblerebellion. He was one of the group that attended Richard in the Tower of London—with arms linked—on 30 December and accused the King of treachery towards them. They also demanded Richard order the arrest ofthe appellees; Walsingham reports that he only agreed to do so on being threatened, once again, with deposition. The King attempted to divide Mowbray from his colleagues, asking him to stay behind when the otherswere ready to leave.  With the King now under their control, Mowbray and the Appellants called parliament for early 1388. This session became known as the Merciless Parliament on account of the vengeance it laid onthe King's closest supporters. with Mowbray overseeing the executions with "the aid and authority of the mayor, sheriffs, and aldermen of London". Mowbray was to take the condemned to the Tower and "‘from theredrag him through the city of London as far as the gallows at Tyburn, and there hang him by the neck".Rapprochment with the KingFor his part, there are signs that Mowbray was becoming dissatisfied with his comradesthrough the course of the parliament, which Tuck suggests was because Mowbray was "never as committed to the destruction of the court faction as Gloucester, Arundel, and Warwick". Given-Wilson suggests thatincluding Mowbray by the Appellants broadened their base among the nobility, by virtue of his having had less acrimonious relations with the King, but also weakened them as a body by diluting their grievances. Asindicated by Mowbray's dispute with Warwick over the Gower lordship, they were already "shot through with personal and political differences" as it was. Tuck suggests that, while Mowbray seems able to havestomached the convictions of the others, "the real rift occurred over the question of Sir Simon Burley's fate". Gloucester and Warwick accused him of exercising undue influence over Richard; Burley, theunder-chamberlain, had been tutor to the King, who wanted to save him. Mowbray and Bolingbroke agreed, but to no avail, and in May 1388 Burley was hanged at Tyburn. Mowbray was loyal to the King and court.Earlyindications of Mowbray's return to favour with the came in early 1389 when he had his estates restored to him and was pardoned for having married without the King's licence. In March he was appointed warden of theEast March and castellan of Berwick Castle, receiving wages of £6,000 in peacetime and twice that in time of war. His appointment was not a success; he alienated the traditional lord of the north, Henry Percy, Earl ofNorthumberland, who retired to court. Mowbray held no lands in the north and had few contacts among the gentry, upon whom he needed to rely to raise his army. Mowbray's tenure in the East March was effectivelydisabled from the start; Mowbray's ineffectiveness to highlighted in June that year, when a Scottish incursion ravaged the north of England and, facing little opposition, went as far south as Tynemouth. Mowbray, theWestminster Chronicle reports, refused the Scottish offer of a pitched battle and retreated to Berwick Castle.The King regained sole control of government around in May 1389, and Mowbray attended a royal councilmeeting in Clarendon Palace that September, demonstrating the gulf that existed by then between him and his ex-comrades. At another meeting the following month the King attempted to increase Mowbray'sremuneration in March. The council, headed by William of Wykeham as chancellor, refused—"in the name and by the will of all the other lords of the council"—and Richard was forced to acquiesce, albeit vultuquodammodo indignanti, or "with an angry expression". Henry Percy had been recompensed for the loss of the wardenship with the captaincy of Calais; in 1391, he and Mowbray exchanged offices, returning Percy tothe March and sending Mowbray to France.Martial serviceAs a result of Mowbray's return to the court party, his undertaking of royal service for the King increased. He jousted before Richard's chamberlain at StInglevert, near Boulogne, in April 1390, where he proved himself a champion against the French, who were led by the well-regarded knight, Jean de Boucicaut. Mowbray led a group of up to 60 English knights andesquires. The following month another joust was held at Smithfield, outside London. Mowbray's presence in the King's party was a part of Richard's policy of reconciling the appellants to his personal rule and, byextension, furthering his own power. Here, before the King, Mowbray defeated John Dunbar, Earl of Moray—who later died, says one chronicler, of his wounds—after six jousts with an unrebated lance. Froissart wrotehow, at Smithfield "everyone exerted himself to the utmost to excel: many were unhorsed and more lost their helmets".Mowbray joined the King on his campaign to Ireland in 1394. Richard's strategy was to plant hisnobility across the country in direct confrontation with Gaelic kings in order to force them into submission. Mowbray occupied Carlow, of which he was granted the lordship. Mowbray led several raids against the King ofLeinster, Art Macmurrough, and a royal letter to the council reported how he "had several fine encounters with the Irish". Mowbray burned nine villages, killing many, and captured around 8,000 head of cattle. On oneoccasion he nearly captured MacMurrough "and his wife in their beds". MacMurrough's escape left Mowbray "sorely vexed", and in revenge he had the house razed, as well as 14 surrounding villages. He then marchedthrough the Blackstairs Mountains "which was all bog... no Englishman has commonly entered before". A number of enemies were captured. The leader was executed and his head sent to Richard.Mowbray eventuallysecured MacMurrough's indenture of submission to Richard. During these negotiations, Mowbray possessed full in locum regis powers, and persuaded Macmurrough to evacuate Leinster for the English. His sub-chieftainsfollowed. In the event neither macMurrough nor his armies left Leinster, and Mowbray was in no position to force them. His attempts to install English lordship in the province came to nothing, he returned to England inMay 1395.Royal service to 1398On his return, Mowbray almost immediately became involved, with his comrades-in-arms from the Irish campaign Lord Scrope and the Earl of Rutland, in the negotiations over Richard'sproposed marriage to Isabella, daughter of the French King, Charles VI. Mowbray made many trips to France, finally concluding negotiations in March 1396. The betrothal was made official in September, and Mowbrayescorted the French King to Calais. Mowbray was also deputised by Richard to conduct secret negotiations with Philip, Duke of Burgundy and John, Duke of Berry. Given-Wilson suggests that the King "had considerablefaith in Mowbray's diplomatic ability", since in May the next year Mowbray represented the crown at the Imperial Diet in Frankfurt. This had been called to debate an Anglo-French proposal on how to address the latestPapal Schism by forcing the resignation of the two partisan popes. Richard's faith in Mowbray is reflected in the numerous grants the earl received in this period. Tuck suggests that Mowbray could afford to spend anestimated 40% of his total income just on wages to retainers, which enabled him to build up a substantial affinity "that could rival that of most earls".In 1397, at Warwick's expense, Mowbray received the lordship ofGower, which their two families had been quarrelling for possession of for most of the preceding century. Saul suggests that Mowbray relied on his friendship with the King to retrieve the grant, which had been inBeauchamp's hands since 1354. This was "doubly disastrous" for Warwick, comments Saul; not only was it the richest lordship he possessed—thus having a major impact on his income—but he was ordered to repayMowbray the profits he had earned since 1361, amounting to around £5333 per annum. The atmosphere at court was tense. Richard may have felt threatened, suspecting that the Appellants would have another crackat him; this may have led him to get in there first. In July, the King settled all family accounts with the Appellants. He invited Arundel, Gloucester and Warwick to a feast—of Herodian infamy, reported Walsingham—atwhich they would be arrested. Only Warwick attended. All three were tried, separately, and convicted for treason in September. Warwick forfeit his titles and estates and was sentenced to life imprisonment. Arundel wasbeheaded; Mowbray, as Earl marshal, oversaw the sentence of his erstwhile comrade. Gloucester was exiled to Calais where he died in curious circumstances the same month. It was probably Mowbray's attempts tosave Simon Burley's life years before that saved his in 1397.Murder of Gloucester and elevationGloucester was secretly arrested on the night of 10–11 July 1397, and "bundled out of England to Calais". It was popularlyspeculated that the King personally ordered Gloucester's assassination, and it was later alleged—in the 1399 parliament—that Mowbray was likely instrumental, in his role of Captain of Calais. Rumours of Gloucester'sdeath had been circulating since August, and Given-Wilson speculates that this may be a sign that Richard had ordered Mowbray to kill the duke then, but that the latter hesitated several weeks. Richard ordered WilliamRickhill, Justice of the King's Bench, to Calais, "in the company of our dearest kinsman Thomas, earl marshal and earl of Nottingham ... and there that you do and perform each and everything which is enjoined on youby the aforesaid earl on our behalf". In the event they travelled separately. Rickhill left England on 7 September and was to receive Mowbray's instructions when they arrived. The writs he was in possession of, notesMcVitty, "were deliberately left undated or were post-dated to fit a falsified timeline". When they met, Mpwbray's instructions were that Rickhill was to have a "colloqium ... clearly and openly certified under his seal".Gloucester made his confession, in the presence of witnesses, on 8 September. The following day, when Rickhill requested another meeting with the Duke, Mowbray refused him. A few days later Mowbray wasrequested by parliament to bring Gloucester back to England and stand trial before it. Mowbray returned the writ replying, baldly, that he was unable to do so, because the duke was dead: "I held this duke in mycustody in the lord king’s prison in the town of Calais, and there, in that same prison, he died". The historian Amanda McVitty suggests that "historians generally agree that by this point, Richard must have known thatGloucester was already dead".On 29 September the same year, Mowbray received a formal royal pardon for his role as an Appellant. Further, "it is perhaps no coincidence", suggests the scholar Matthew Lewis, that atthe same time Mowbray was elevated to Duke of Norfolk as part of Richard's re-establishment of his aristocracy known as the Duketti: "dukelings" or "little dukes". Given-Wilson has suggested that Mowbray's new title"cheapened the great titles at the crown's disposal", while Rowena Archer has argued that, although he may not have been related to the King by blood, "he had lineage and wealth to merit so high an honour". He alsosuggests that this does not necessarily indicate the true relationship between the two men. As an (albeit ex) appellant, Richard must have found it difficult to forget Mowbray's earlier treason, irrespective of hissubsequent loyalty. For Mowbray's part, he was too experienced a political operator at the court not to realise this. To celebrate their return to the King's grace, Bolingbroke and Mowbray held a ceremonial requiemmass and feast, last which the King and Queen attended. Ostensibly this was to commemorate the return from the Holy Land of Mowbray's father's bones for reinternment; John Mowbray had built up a posthumousreputation as vir catholicus and something of a cult surrounded him. The bones were displayed at the Carmelite church and was clearly intended to reflect personally on Mowbray also, increasing his political stature just


Passage 1:Erard II, Count of BrienneErard II of Brienne (died 1191) was count of Brienne from 1161 to 1191, and a French general during the Third Crusade, most notably at the Siege of Acre. He was the son of GautierII, count of Brienne, and Humbeline Baudemont, daughter of Andrew, lord of Baudemont and Agnes of Braine.  His paternal grandparents were Erard I, Count of Brienne and Alix de Roucy. During this siege he saw hisbrother André of Brienne die on 4 October 1189, before being killed himself on 8 February 1191.  Erard II's nephew was Erard of Brienne-Ramerupt.Before 1166 he married Agnès of Montfaucon († after 1186), daughterof Amadeus II of Montfaucon and of Béatrice of Grandson-Joinville.  Their children were:Walter III of Brienne (died 1205) count of Brienne and claimant to the throne of Sicily.William of Brienne (died 1199) lord ofPacy-sur-Armançon, married Eustachie of Courtenay, daughter of Peter I of Courtenay and Elisabeth of Courtenay.John of Brienne (1170–1237), king of Jerusalem (1210–1225), then emperor of Constantinople(1231–1237).AndrewIda of Brienne who married Ernoul of Reynel lord of Pierrefitte.Passage 2:John Montgomery GloverJohn Montgomery Glover (September 4, 1822 – November 15, 1891) was a  North Americanpolitician, who served as a U.S. Representative from Missouri, he was the uncle of John Milton Glover.Early lifeBorn in Harrodsburg, Kentucky, Glover attended the public schools in Kentucky.He moved to Missouri in1836 with his parents, who settled in Knox County, near Newark, and continued his schooling.He attended Marion and Masonic Colleges, Philadelphia, Missouri.He studied law.He was admitted to the bar and commencedpractice in St. Louis, Missouri.He moved to California in 1850 and continued the practice of his profession.He returned to Knox County, Missouri, in 1855 to take charge of his father's affairs.CareerDuring the Civil Warserved as colonel of the Third Regiment, Missouri Volunteer Cavalry, beginning September 4, 1861.  His service with the regiment was in a variety of points within Missouri and Arkansas.  At various points during hisservice, he detached as the Commander of the District of Rolla, the Sub-District of Pilot Knob and the 2nd Brigade, Cavalry Division, Department of the Missouri.  On February 23, 1864 he tendered his resignation inSpringfield, Illinois, on account of impaired health.He served as collector of internal revenue for the third district of Missouri from December 1, 1866, until March 3, 1867.Glover was elected as a Democrat to theForty-third, Forty-fourth, and Forty-fifth Congresses (March 4, 1873 – March 3, 1879).He served as chairman of the Committee on Expenditures in the Department of the Treasury (Forty-fifth Congress).He was anunsuccessful candidate for renomination in 1878.He engaged in agricultural pursuits.He died near Newark, Missouri, November 15, 1891.He was interred on his farm near Newark, Missouri.He was reinterred inWoodland Cemetery, Quincy, Illinois.Passage 3:Christopher H. ClarkChristopher Henderson Clark (1767 – November 21, 1828) was a congressman and lawyer from Virginia. He was the brother of James Clark, the uncleof John Bullock Clark, Sr. and the great-uncle of John Bullock Clark, Jr.BiographyBorn in Albemarle County, Virginia, Clark attended Washington College, studied law in the office of Patrick Henry and was admitted to thebar in 1788, commencing practice in New London, Campbell County, Virginia. He was a member of the Virginia House of Delegates in 1790 and was elected a Democratic-Republican to the United States House ofRepresentatives to fill a vacancy in 1804, serving until his resignation in 1806. He resumed practicing law until his death near New London on November 21, 1828. He was interred at a private cemetery at Old LawyersStation near Lynchburg, Virginia.External linksUnited States Congress. "Christopher H. Clark (id: C000424)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.Passage 4:John of BrienneJohn of Brienne (c. 1170 –19–23 March 1237), also known as John I, was King of Jerusalem from 1210 to 1225 and Latin Emperor of Constantinople from 1229 to 1237. He was the youngest son of Erard II of Brienne, a wealthy nobleman inChampagne. John, originally destined for an ecclesiastical career, became a knight and owned small estates in Champagne around 1200. After the death of his brother, Walter III, he ruled the County of Brienne onbehalf of his minor nephew Walter IV (who lived in southern Italy).The barons of the Kingdom of Jerusalem proposed that John marry their queen, Maria. With the consent of Philip II of France and Pope Innocent III, heleft France for the Holy Land and married the queen; the couple were crowned in 1210. After Maria's death in 1212 John administered the kingdom as regent for their infant daughter Isabella II; an influential lord, Johnof Ibelin, attempted to depose him. John was a leader of the Fifth Crusade. Although his claim of supreme command of the crusader army was never unanimously acknowledged, his right to rule Damietta (in Egypt) wasconfirmed shortly after the city fell to the crusaders in 1219. He claimed the Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia on behalf of his second wife, Stephanie, in 1220. After Stephanie and their infant son died that year, Johnreturned to Egypt. The Fifth Crusade ended in failure (including the recovery of Damietta by the Egyptians) in 1221.John was the first king of Jerusalem to visit Europe (Italy, France, England, León, Castile andGermany) to seek assistance for the Holy Land. He gave his daughter in marriage to Holy Roman Emperor Frederick II in 1225, and Frederick ended John's rule of the Kingdom of Jerusalem. Although the popes tried topersuade Frederick to restore the kingdom to John, the Jerusalemite barons regarded Frederick as their lawful ruler. John administered papal domains in Tuscany, became the podestà of Perugia and was a commanderof Pope Gregory IX's army during Gregory's war against Frederick in 1228 and 1229.He was elected emperor in 1229 as the senior co-ruler (with Baldwin II) of the Latin Empire, and was crowned in Constantinople in1231. John III Vatatzes, Emperor of Nicaea, and Ivan Asen II of Bulgaria occupied the last Latin territories in Thrace and Asia Minor, besieging Constantinople in early 1235. John directed the defence of his capital duringthe months-long siege, with the besiegers withdrawing only after Geoffrey II of Achaea and united fleets from Italian towns defeated their fleet in 1236. The following year, John died as a Franciscan friar.Early lifeJohnwas the youngest of the four sons of Count Erard II of Brienne and Agnes of Montfaucon. He seemed "exceedingly old ... about 80" to the 14-year-old George Akropolites in 1231; if Akropolites' estimate was correct,John was born around 1150. However, no other 13th-century authors described John as an old man. His father referred to John's brothers as "children" in 1177 and mentioned the tutor of John's oldest brother, WalterIII, in 1184; this suggests that John's brothers were born in the late 1160s. Modern historians agree that John was born after 1168, probably during the 1170s.Although his father destined John for a clerical career,according to the late-13th-century Tales of the Minstrel of Reims he "was unwilling". Instead, the minstrel continued, John fled to his maternal uncle at the Clairvaux Abbey. Encouraged by his fellows, he became aknight and earned a reputation in tournaments and fights. Although elements of the Tales of the Minstrel of Reims are apparently invented (for instance, John did not have a maternal uncle in Clairvaux), historian GuyPerry wrote that it may have preserved details of John's life. A church career was not unusual for youngest sons of 12th-century noblemen in France; however, if his father sent John to a monastery he left beforereaching the age of taking monastic vows. John "clearly developed the physique that was necessary to fight well" in his youth, because the 13th-century sources Akropolites and Salimbene di Adam emphasize hisphysical strength.Erard II joined the Third Crusade and died in the Holy Land in 1191. His oldest son, Walter III, succeeded him in Brienne. John was first mentioned in an 1192 (or 1194) charter issued by his brother,indicating that he was a prominent figure in Walter's court. According to a version of Ernoul's chronicle, John participated in a war against Peter II of Courtenay. Although the Tales of the Minstrel of Reims claimed thathe was called "John Lackland", according to contemporary charters John held Jessains, Onjon, Trannes and two other villages in the County of Champagne around 1200. In 1201, Theobald III granted him additionalestates in Mâcon, Longsols and elsewhere. Theobald's widow, Blanche of Navarre, persuaded John to sell his estate at Mâcon, saying that it was her dower.Walter III of Brienne died in June 1205 while fighting insouthern Italy. His widow, Elvira of Sicily, gave birth to a posthumous son, Walter IV, who grew up in Italy. John assumed the title of count of Brienne, and began administering the county on his nephew's behalf in 1205or 1206. As a leading vassal of the count of Champagne, John frequented the court of Blanche of Navarre, who ruled Champagne during the minority of her son, Theobald IV. According to a version of Ernoul's chronicle,she loved John "more than any man in the world"; this annoyed King Philip II of France.The two versions of Ernoul's chronicle tell different stories about John's ascent to the throne of Jerusalem. According to oneversion, the leading lords of Jerusalem sent envoys to France in 1208 asking Philip II to select a French nobleman as a husband for their queen, Maria. Taking advantage of the opportunity to rid himself of John, Philip IIsuggested him. In the other version an unnamed knight encouraged the Jerusalemite lords to select John, who accepted their offer with Philip's consent. John visited Pope Innocent III in Rome. The pope donated 40,000marks for the defence of the Holy Land, stipulating that John could spend the money only with the consent of the Latin patriarch of Jerusalem and the grand masters of the Knights Templar and the KnightsHospitaller.King of JerusalemCo-rulerJohn landed at Acre on 13 September 1210; the following day, Patriarch of Jerusalem Albert of Vercelli married him to Queen Maria. John and Maria were crowned in the Cathedral ofTyre on 3 October. The truce concluded by Maria's predecessor Aimery and the Ayyubid sultan Al-Adil I had ended by John's arrival. Although Al-Adil was willing to renew it, Jerusalemite lords did not want to sign a newtreaty without John's consent. During John and Maria's coronation, Al-Adil's son Al-Mu'azzam Isa pillaged the area around Acre but did not attack the city. After returning to Acre, John raided nearby Muslim settlementsin retaliation.Although about 300 French knights accompanied him to the Holy Land, no influential noblemen joined him; they preferred participating in the French Albigensian Crusade or did not see him as sufficientlyeminent. John's cousin, Walter of Montbéliard, joined him only after he was expelled from Cyprus. Montbéliard led a naval expedition to Egypt to plunder the Nile Delta. After most of the French crusaders left the HolyLand, John forged a new truce with Al-Adil by the middle of 1211 and sent envoys to Pope Innocent urging him to preach a new crusade.ConflictsMaria died shortly after giving birth to their daughter, Isabella, in late1212. Her death triggered a legal dispute, with John of Ibelin (who administered Jerusalem before John's coronation) questioning the widowed king's right to rule. The king sent Raoul of Merencourt, Bishop of Sidon, toRome for assistance from the Holy See. Pope Innocent confirmed John as lawful ruler of the Holy Land in early 1213, urging the prelates to support him with ecclesiastical sanctions if needed. Most of the Jerusalemitelords remained loyal to the king, acknowledging his right to administer the kingdom on behalf of his infant daughter; John of Ibelin left the Holy Land and settled in Cyprus.The relationship between John of Brienne andHugh I of Cyprus was tense. Hugh ordered the imprisonment of John's supporters in Cyprus, releasing them only at Pope Innocent's command. During the War of the Antiochene Succession John sided with BohemondIV of Antioch and the Templars against Raymond-Roupen of Antioch and Leo I, King of Cilician Armenia, who were supported by Hugh and the Hospitallers. However, John sent only 50 knights to fight the Armenians inAntiochia in 1213. Leo I concluded a peace treaty with the Knights Templar late that year, and he and John reconciled. John married Leo's oldest daughter, Stephanie (also known as Rita), in 1214 and Stephaniereceived a dowry of 30,000 bezants. Quarrels among John, Leo I, Hugh I and Bohemond IV are documented by Pope Innocent's letters urging them to reconcile their differences before the Fifth Crusade reached theHoly Land.Fifth CrusadePope Innocent proclaimed the Fifth Crusade in 1213, with the "liberation of the Holy Land" (the reconquest of Jerusalem) its principal object. The first crusader troops, commanded by Leopold VIof Austria, landed at Acre in early September 1217. Andrew II of Hungary and his army followed that month, and Hugh I of Cyprus and Bohemond IV of Antioch soon joined the crusaders. However, hundreds ofcrusaders soon returned to Europe because of a famine following the previous year's poor harvest. A war council was held in the tent of Andrew II, who considered himself the supreme commander of the crusader army.Other leaders, particularly John, did not acknowledge Andrew's leadership. The crusaders raided nearby territory ruled by Al-Adil I for food and fodder, forcing the sultan to retreat in November 1217. In December Johnbesieged the Ayyubid fortress on Mount Tabor, joined only by Bohemond IV of Antioch. He was unable to capture it, which "encouraged the infidel", according to the contemporary Jacques de Vitry.Andrew II decided toreturn home, leaving the crusaders' camp with Hugh I and Bohemond IV in early 1218. Although military action was suspended after their departure, the crusaders restored fortifications at Caesarea and Atlit. After newtroops arrived from the Holy Roman Empire in April, they decided to invade Egypt. They elected John supreme commander, giving him the right to rule the land they would conquer. His leadership was primarily nominal,since he could rarely impose his authority on an army of troops from many countries.The crusaders laid siege to Damietta, on the Nile, in May 1218. Although they seized a strategically important tower on a nearbyisland on 24 August, Al-Kamil (who had succeeded Al-Adil I in Egypt) controlled traffic on the Nile. In September, reinforcements commanded by Pope Honorius III's legate Cardinal Pelagius (who considered himself thecrusade's supreme commander) arrived from Italy.Egyptian forces attempted a surprise attack on the crusaders' camp on 9 October, but John discovered their movements. He and his retinue attacked and annihilatedthe Egyptian advance guard, hindering the main force. The crusaders built a floating fortress on the Nile near Damietta, but a storm blew it near the Egyptian camp. The Egyptians seized the fortress, killing nearly all ofits defenders. Only two soldiers survived the attack; they were accused of cowardice, and John ordered their execution. Taking advantage of the new Italian troops, Cardinal Pelagius began to intervene in strategicdecisions. His debates with John angered their troops. The soldiers broke into the Egyptian camp on 29 August 1219 without an order, but they were soon defeated and nearly annihilated. During the ensuing panic, onlythe cooperation of John, the Templars, the Hospitallers and the noble crusaders prevented the Egyptians from destroying their camp.In late October, Al-Kamil sent messengers to the crusaders offering to restoreJerusalem, Bethlehem and Nazareth to them if they withdrew from Egypt. Although John and the secular lords were willing to accept the sultan's offer, Pelagius and the heads of the military orders resisted; they saidthat the Moslems could easily recapture the three towns. The crusaders ultimately refused the offer. Al-Kamil tried to send provisions to Damietta across their camp, but his men were captured on 3 November. Two dayslater, the crusaders stormed into Damietta and seized the town. Pelagius claimed it for the church, but he was forced to acknowledge John's right to administer it (at least temporarily) when John threatened to leave thecrusaders' camp. According to John of Joinville, John seized one-third of Damietta's spoils; coins minted there during the following months bore his name. Al-Mu'azzam, emir of Damascus and brother of al-Kamil,invaded the Kingdom of Jerusalem and pillaged Caesarea before the end of 1219.John's father-in-law, Leo I of Armenia, died several months before the crusaders seized Damietta. He bequeathed his kingdom to hisinfant daughter, Isabella. John and Raymond-Roupen of Antioch (Leo's nephew) questioned the will's legality, each demanding the Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia for themselves. In a February 1220 letter, Pope Honoriusdeclared John to be Leo's rightful heir. Saying that he wanted to assert his claim to Cilicia, John left Damietta for the Kingdom of Jerusalem around Easter 1220. Although Al-Mu'azzam's successful campaign the previousyear also pressed John to leave Egypt, Jacques de Vitry and other Fifth Crusade chroniclers wrote that he deserted the crusader army.Stephanie died shortly after John's arrival. Contemporary sources accused John ofcausing her sudden death, claiming that he severely beat her when he heard that she tried to poison his daughter Isabella. Their only son died a few weeks later, ending John's claim to Cilicia. Soon after Pope Honoriuslearned about the deaths of Stephanie and her son, he declared Raymond-Roupen the lawful ruler of Cilicia and threatened John with excommunication if he fought for his late wife's inheritance.John did not return tothe crusaders in Egypt for several months. According to a letter from the prelates in the Holy Land to Philip II of France, lack of funds kept John from leaving his kingdom. Since his nephew Walter IV was approachingthe age of majority, John surrendered the County of Brienne in 1221. During John's absence from Egypt, Al-Kamil again offered to restore the Holy Land to the Kingdom of Jerusalem in June 1221; Pelagius refused him.John returned to Egypt and rejoined the crusade on 6 July 1221 at the command of Pope Honorius.The commanders of the crusader army decided to continue the invasion of Egypt, despite (according to Philipd'Aubigny) John's strong opposition. The crusaders approached Mansurah, but the Egyptians imposed a blockade on their camp. Outnumbered, Pelagius agreed to an eight-year truce with Al-Kamil in exchange forDamietta on 28 August. John was among the crusade leaders held hostage by Al-Kamil until the crusader army withdrew from Damietta on 8 September.NegotiationsAfter the Fifth Crusade ended "in colossal andirremediable failure", John returned to his kingdom. Merchants from Genoa and Pisa soon attacked each other in Acre, destroying a significant portion of the town. According to a Genoese chronicle, John supported thePisans and the Genoese left Acre for Beirut.John was the first king of Jerusalem to visit Europe, and had decided to seek aid from the Christian powers before he returned from Egypt. He also wanted to find a suitablehusband for his daughter, to ensure the survival of Christian rule in the Holy Land. John appointed Odo of Montbéliard as a bailli to administer the Kingdom of Jerusalem in his absence.He left for Italy in October 1222 toattend a conference about a new crusade. At John's request, Pope Honorius declared that all lands conquered during the crusade should be united with the Kingdom of Jerusalem. To plan the military campaign, the popeand Holy Roman Emperor Frederick II met at Ferentino in March 1223; John attended the meeting. He agreed to give his daughter in marriage to Frederick II after the emperor promised that he would allow John to rulethe Kingdom of Jerusalem for the rest of his life.John then went to France, although Philip II was annoyed at being excluded from the decision of Isabella's marriage. Matilda I, Countess of Nevers, Erard II of Chacenay,Albert, Abbot of Vauluisant and other local potentates asked John to intervene in their conflicts, indicating that he was esteemed in his homeland. John attended the funeral of Philip II at the Basilica of St Denis in July;Philip bequeathed more than 150,000 marks for the defence of the Holy Land. John then visited England, attempting to mediate a peace treaty between England and France after his return to France.He made apilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela in March 1224. According to the Latin Chronicle of the Kings of Castile, John went to the Kingdom of León to marry one of the elder daughters of Alfonso IX of León (Sancha or