Plantagenet Family History & Genealogy

Henry II of England (called "Curtmantle"; 5 March 1133 – 6 July 1189) ruled as King of England (1154–1189), Count of Anjou, Duke of Normandy, Duke of Aquitaine, Duke of Gascony, Count of Nantes, Lord of Ireland and, at various times, controlled parts of Wales, Scotland and western France. Henry was the first of the House of Plantagenet to rule England.
Early life

Henry II was born in Le Mans, France, on 5 March 1133, the first day of the traditional year.[1] His father, Geoffrey V of Anjou (Geoffrey Plantagenet), was Count of Anjou and Count of Maine. His mother, Empress Matilda, was a claimant to the English throne as the daughter of Henry I (1100–1135). He spent his childhood in his father's land of Anjou. At the age of nine, Robert, 1st Earl of Gloucester took him to England where he received education from Master Matthew at Bristol.
Marriage and children

On 18 May 1152, at Bordeaux Cathedral, at the age of 19, Henry married Eleanor of Aquitaine. The wedding was "without the pomp or ceremony that befitted their rank,"[2]partly because only two months previously Eleanor's marriage to Louis VII of France had been annulled. Their relationship, always stormy, eventually died: After Eleanor encouraged her children to rebel against their father in 1173, Henry had her placed under house-arrest, where she remained for sixteen years.[3]
Henry and Eleanor had eight children, William, Henry, Richard, Geoffrey, John, Matilda, Eleanor, and Joan. William died in infancy. As a result Henry was crowned as joint king when he came of age. However, because he was never King in his own right, he is known as "Henry the Young King", not Henry III. In theory, Henry would have inherited the throne from his father, Richard his mother's possessions, Geoffrey would have Brittany and John would be Lord of Ireland. However, fate would ultimately decide much differently.

It has been suggested by John Speed's 1611 book, History of Great Britain, that another son, Philip, was born to the couple. Speed's sources no longer exist, but Philip would presumably have died in early infancy.[4]
Henry also had illegitimate children. While they were not valid claimants, their Royal blood made them potential problems for Henry's legitimate successors.[5] William de Longespee was one such child. He remained largely loyal and contented with the lands and wealth afforded to him as a b******. Geoffrey, Bishop of Lincoln, Archbishop of York, on the other hand, was seen as a possible thorn in the side of Richard I of England.[5] Geoffrey had been the only son to attend Henry II on his deathbed, after even the King's favourite, John Lackland, deserted him.[6] Richard forced him into the clergy at York, thus ending his secular ambitions.[5] Another son, Morgan was elected to the Bishopric of Durham, although he was never consecrated due to opposition from Pope Innocent III.[7]
Appearance

Several sources record Henry's appearance. They all agree that he was very strong, energetic and surpassed his peers athletically.
“ ...he was strongly built, with a large, leonine head, freckle fiery face and red hair cut short. His eyes were grey and we are told that his voice was harsh and cracked, possibly because of the amount of open-air exercise he took. He would walk or ride until his attendants and courtiers were worn out and his feet and legs were covered with blistered and sores...He would perform all athletic feats. John Harvey (Modern)

...the lord king has been red-haired so far, except that the coming of old age and grey hair has altered that colour somewhat. His height is medium, so that neither does he appear great among the small, nor yet does he seem small among the great... curved legs, a horseman's shins, broad chest, and a boxer's arms all announce him as a man strong, agile and bold... he never sits, unless riding a horse or eating... In a single day, if necessary, he can run through four or five day-marches and, thus foiling the plots of his enemies, frequently mocks their plots with surprise sudden arrivals... Always are in his hands bow, sword, spear and arrow, unless he be in council or in books.- Peter of Blois (Contemporary)

A man of reddish, freckled complexion, with a large, round head, grey eyes that glowed fiercely and grew bloodshot in anger, a fiery countenance and a harsh, cracked voice. His neck was poked forward slightly from his shoulders, his chest was broad and square, his arms strong and powerful. His body was stocky, with a pronounced tendency toward fatness, due to nature rather than self-indulgence - which he tempered with exercise. Gerald of Wales (Contemporary)
Character

Like his grandfather, Henry I of England, Henry II had an outstanding knowledge of the law. A talented linguist and excellent Latin speaker, he would sit on councils in person whenever possible. His interest in the economy was reflected in his own frugal lifestyle. He dressed casually except when tradition dictated otherwise and ate a sparing diet.[8]
He was modest and mixed with all classes easily. "He does not take upon himself to think high thoughts, his tongue never swells with elated language; he does not magnify himself as more than man."[9] His generosity was well-known and he employed a Templar to distribute one tenth of all the food bought to the royal court amongst his poorest subjects. Henry also had a good sense of humour and was never upset at being the butt of the joke. Once while he sat sulking and occupying himself with needlework, a courtier suggested that he looked like a tanner's daughter. The King rocked with laughter and even explained the joke to those who did not immediately grasp it.[10]
"His memory was exceptional: he never failed to recognize a man he had once seen, nor to remember anything which might be of use. More deeply learned than any King of his time in the western world".[8]
Building an empireHenry's claims by blood and marriage
Henry II depicted in Cassell's History of England (1902)

Henry's father, Geoffrey Plantagenet, held rich lands as a vassal from Louis VII of France. Maine and Anjou were therefore Henry's by birthright, amongst other lands in Western France.[2] By maternal claim, Normandy was also to be his. However, the most valuable inheritance Henry received from his mother was a claim to the English throne. Granddaughter of William I of England, Empress Matilda should have been Queen, but was usurped by her cousin, Stephen I of England. Henry's efforts to restore the royal line to his own family would create a dynasty spanning three centuries and thirteen Kings.

Henry's marriage to Eleanor of Aquitaine placed him firmly in the ascendancy.[2] His plentiful lands were added to his new wife's possessions, giving him control of Aquitaine and Gascony. The riches of the markets and vineyards in these regions, combined with Henry's already plentiful holdings, made Henry the most powerful vassal in France.


Taking the English Throne

Realising Henry's royal ambition was far from easily fulfilled, his mother had been pushing her claim for the crown for several years to no avail, finally retiring in 1147. It was 1147 when Henry had accompanied Matilda on an invasion of England. It soon failed due to lack of preparation,[2] but it made him determined that England was his mother's right, and so his own. He returned to England again between 1149 and 1150. On 22nd May 1149 he was knighted by King David I of Scotland, his great uncle, at Carlisle.[11]

Early in January 1153, just months after his wedding, he crossed the Channel one more time. His fleet was 36 ships strong, transporting a force of 3,000 footmen and 140 horses.[12] Sources dispute whether he landed at Dorset or Hampshire, but it is known he entered a small village church. It was 6 January and the locals were observing the Festival of the Three Kings. The correlation between the festivities and Henry's arrival was not lost on them. "Ecce advenit dominator Dominus, et regnum in manu ejus", they exclaimed as the introit for their feast, "Behold the Lord the ruler cometh, and the Kingdom in his hand".[11]

Henry moved quickly and within the year he had secured his right to succession via the Treaty of Wallingford with Stephen of England. He was now, for all intents and purposes, in control of England. When Stephen died in October 1154, it was only a matter of time until Henry's treaty would bear fruit, and the quest that began with his mother would be ended. On 19 December 1154 he was crowned in Westminster Abbey, "By The Grace Of God, Henry II, King Of England".[11] Henry Plantagenet, vassal of Louis VII, was now more powerful than the French King himself.


Lordship over Ireland

Shortly after his coronation, Henry sent an embassy to the newly elected Pope Adrian IV. Led by Bishop Arnold of Lisieux, the group of clerics requested authorisation for Henry to invade Ireland. Most historians agree that this resulted in the papal bull Laudabiliter. It is possible Henry acted under the influence of a "Canterbury plot," in which English ecclesiastics strove to dominate the Irish church.[13] However, Henry may have simply intended to secure Ireland as a lordship for his younger brother William.

William died soon after the plan was hatched and Ireland was ignored. It was not until 1166 that it came to the surface again. In that year, Diarmait Mac Murchada, a minor Irish Prince, was driven from his land of Leinster by the High King of Ireland. Diarmait followed Henry to Aquitaine, seeking an audience. He asked the English king to help him reassert control; Henry agreed and made footmen, knights and nobles available for the cause. The most prominent of these was a Welsh Norman, Richard de Clare, 2nd Earl of Pembroke, nicknamed "Strongbow". In exchange for his loyalty, Diarmait offered Earl Richard his daughter Aoife in marriage and made him heir to the kingdom.

The Normans restored Diarmait to his traditional holdings, but it quickly became apparent that Henry had not offered aid purely out of kindness. In 1171, Henry arrived from France, declaring himself Lord of Ireland. All of the Normans, along with many Irish princes, took oaths of homage to Henry, and he left after six months. He never returned, but he later named his young son, the future King John of England, Lord of Ireland.

Diarmait's appeal for outside help had made Henry Ireland's Lord, starting 800 years of English overlordship on the island. The change was so profound that Diarmait is still remembered as a traitor of the highest order. In 1172, at the Synod of Cashel, Roman Catholicism was proclaimed as the only permitted religious practice in Ireland.
Consolidation in Scotland

In 1174, a rebellion spearheaded by his own sons was not Henry's biggest problem. An invasion force from Scotland, led by their King, William the Lion, was advancing from the North. To make matters worse, a Flemish armada was sailing for England, just days from landing. It seemed likely that the King's rapid growth was to be checked.[1]

Henry saw his predicament as a sign from God, that his treatment of Thomas Becket would be rewarded with defeat. He immediately did penance at Canterbury [1] for the Archbishop's fate and events took a turn for the better.

The hostile armada dispersed in the English Channel and headed back for the continent. Henry had avoided a Flemish invasion, but Scottish invaders were still raiding in the North. Henry sent his troops to meet the Scots at Alnwick, where the English scored a devastating victory. William was captured in the chaos, removing the figurehead for rebellion, and within months all the problem fortresses had been torn down. Southern Scotland was now completely dominated by Henry, another fief in his Angevin Empire, that now stretched from the Solway Firth almost to the Mediterranean and from the Somme to the Pyrenees. By the end of this crisis, and his sons' revolt, the King was "left stronger than ever before".[6]
English Royalty House of Plantagenet
Armorial of Plantagenet Henry II William, Count of Poitiers Henry, Count of Anjou Richard I the Lionheart Geoffrey II, Duke of Brittany John Matilda, Duchess of Saxony Leonora, Queen of Castile Joan, Queen of Sicily


Domestic policy


Dominating nobles

During Stephen's reign, the barons in England had undermined Royal authority. Rebel castles were one problem, nobles avoiding military service was another. The new King immediately moved against the illegal fortresses that had sprung up during Stephen's reign, having them torn down.

To counter the problem of avoiding military service, Scutage became common. This tax, paid by Henry's barons instead of serving in his army, allowed the King to hire mercenaries. These hired troops were used to devastating effect by both Henry and his son Richard, and by 1159 the tax was central to the King's army and his authority over vassals.


Legal reform

Henry II's reign saw the establishment of Royal Magistrate courts. This allowed court officials under authority of the Crown to adjudicate on local disputes, reducing the workload on Royal courts proper and delivering justice with greater efficiency.

Henry also worked to make the legal system fairer. Trial by ordeal and trial by combat were still common and even in the 12th century these methods were outdated. By the Assize of Clarendon, in 1166, a precursor to trial by jury became the standard. However, this group of "twelve lawful men," as the Assize commonly refers to it, provides a service more similar to a grand jury, alerting court officials to matters suitable for prosecution. Trial by combat was still legal in England until 1819, but Henry's support of juries was a great contribution to the country's social history. The Assize of Northampton, in 1176, cemented the earlier agreements at Clarendon.
Religious policy


Strengthening royal control over the Church

In the tradition of Norman kings, Henry II was keen to dominate the church like the state. At Clarendon Palace on January 30, 1164, the King set out sixteen constitutions, aimed at decreasing ecclesiastical interference from Rome. Secular courts, increasingly under the King's influence, would also have jurisdiction over clerical trials and disputes. Henry's authority guaranteed him majority support, but the newly appointed Archbishop of Canterbury refused to ratify the proposals.

Henry was characteristically stubborn and on October 8, 1164, he called the Archbishop, Thomas Becket, before the Royal Council. However, Becket had fled to France and was under the protection of Henry's rival, Louis VII of France.

The King continued doggedly in his pursuit of control over his clerics, to the point where his religious policy became detrimental to his subjects. By 1170, the Pope was considering excommunicating all of Britain. Only Henry's agreement that Becket could return to England without penalty prevented this fate.


Murder of Thomas Becket

"What miserable drones and traitors have I nurtured and promoted in my household who let their lord be treated with such shameful contempt by a low-born cleric!" were the words which sparked the darkest event in Henry's religious wranglings. This speech has translated into legend in the form of "Will no one rid me of this troublesome priest?" - a provocative statement which would perhaps have been just as riling to the knights and barons of his household at whom it was aimed as his actual words. Bitter at Becket, his old friend, constantly thwarting his clerical constitutions, the King shouted in anger but most likely not with intent. However, four of Henry's knights, Reginald Fitzurse, Hugh de Moreville, William de Tracy, and Richard le Breton overheard their King's cries and decided to act on his words.

On December 29, 1170, they entered Canterbury Cathedral, finding Becket near the stairs to the crypt. They beat down the Archbishop, killing him with several blows. Becket's brains were scattered upon the ground with the words; "Let us go, this fellow will not be getting up again." Whatever the rights and wrongs, it certainly tainted Henry's later reign. For the remaining 20 years of his rule, he would personally regret the death of a man who "in happier times...had been a friend".[14]

Just three years later, Becket was canonized and revered as a martyr against secular interference in God's church; Pope Alexander III had declared Thomas Becket a saint. Plantagenet historian John Harvey believes "The martyrdom of Thomas Becket was a martyrdom which he had repeatedly gone out of his way to seek...one cannot but feel sympathy towards Henry".[14] Wherever the true intent and blame lies, it was yet another failure in Henry's religious policy, an arena which he seemed to lack adequate subtlety. And politically, Henry had to sign the Compromise of Avranches which removed from the secular courts almost all jurisdiction over the clergy.
The Angevin Curse


Civil war and rebellion “ It is the common fate of sons to be misunderstood by their fathers, and of fathers to be unloved of their sons, but it has been the particular bane of the English throne.[15]



The "Angevin Curse" is infamous amongst the Plantagenet rulers. Trying to divide his lands amongst numerous ambitious children resulted in many problems for Henry. The King's plan for an orderly transfer of power relied on Young Henry ruling and his younger brothers doing homage to him for land. However, Richard refused to be subordinate to his brother, because they had the same mother and father, and the same Royal blood.[5]

In 1173, Young Henry and Richard moved against their father and his succession plans, trying to secure the lands they were promised. The King's changing and revising of his inheritance nurtured jealousy in his offspring, which turned to aggression. While both Young Henry and Richard were relatively strong in France, they still lacked the manpower and experience to trouble their father unduly. The King crushed this first rebellion and was fair in his punishment, Richard for example, lost half of the revenue allowed to him as Count of Poitou.[5]

In 1182, the Plantagenet children's aggression turned inward. Young Henry, Richard and their brother Geoffrey all began fighting each other for their father's possessions on the continent. The situation was exacerbated by French rebels and the French King, Philip Augustus. This was the most serious threat to come from within the family yet, and the King faced the dynastic tragedy of civil war. However, on 11 June 1183, Henry the Young King died. The uprising, which had been built around the Prince, promptly collapsed and the remaining brothers returned to their individual lands. Henry quickly occupied the rebel region of Angoulême to keep the peace.[5]

The final battle between Henry's Princes came in 1184. Geoffrey of Brittany and John of Ireland, the youngest brothers, had been promised Aquitaine, which belonged to elder brother Richard.[5] Geoffrey and John invaded, but Richard had been controlling an army for almost 10 years and was an accomplished military commander. Richard expelled his fickle brothers and they would never again face each other in combat, largely because Geoffrey died two years later, leaving only Richard and John.


Death and succession

The final thorn in Henry's side would be an alliance between his eldest son, Richard, and his greatest rival, Philip Augustus. John had become Henry's favourite son and Richard had begun to fear he was being written out of the King's inheritance.[5] In summer 1189, Richard and Philip invaded Henry's heartland of power, Anjou. The unlikely allies took northwest Touraine, attacked Le Mans and overran Maine and Tours. Defeated, Henry II met his opponents and agreed to all their demands, including paying homage to Philip for all his French possessions.

Weak, ill, and deserted by all but an illegitimate son, Geoffrey, Archbishop of York, Henry died at Chinon on 6 July 1189. His legitimate children, chroniclers record him saying, were "the real bastards."[16]. The victorious Prince Richard later paid his respects to Henry's corpse as it travelled to Fontevraud Abbey, upon which, according to Roger of Wendover, 'blood flowed from the nostrils of the deceased, as if...indignant at the presence of the one who was believed to have caused his death'. The Prince, Henry's eldest surviving son and conqueror, was crowned "by the grace of God, King Richard I of England" at Westminster on 1 September 1189.


Fictional portrayals

Henry II is a central character in the plays Becket by Jean Anouilh and The Lion in Winter by James Goldman. Peter O'Toole portrayed him in the film adaptations of both of these plays - Becket (1964) and The Lion in Winter (1968) - for both of which he received nominations for the Academy Award for Best Actor. He was also nominated for the BAFTA Award for Best British Actor for Becket and won the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor - Motion Picture Drama for both films. Patrick Stewart portrayed Henry in the TV film adaptation of The Lion in Winter (2003), for which he was nominated for the Golden Globe Award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television.

Brian Cox portrayed him in the BBC TV series The Devil's Crown (1978), which dramatised his reign and those of his sons. He has also been portrayed on screen by William Shea in the silent short Becket (1910), A. V. Bramble in the silent film Becket (1923), based on a play by Alfred Lord Tennyson, Alexander Gauge in the film adaptation of the T. S. Eliot play Murder in the CathedralRichard the Lionheart (1962). (1952), and Dominic Roche in the British children's TV series

Henry II is a significant character in the historical fiction/medieval murder mysteries, Mistress of the Art of Death and The Serpent's Tale by Diana Norman under the pseudonym, Ariana Franklin. He also plays a part in Ken Follet's most popular novel, The Pillars of the Earth, which in its final chapter portrays a fictional account of the King's penance at Canterbury Cathedral for his unknowing role in the murder of Thomas Becket.
Notes

1. ^ a b c Harvey, The Plantagenets, p.47
2. ^ a b c d Harvey, The Plantagenets, p.49
3. ^ Harvey, The Plantagenets, p.51
4. ^ Weir, Alison, Eleanor of Aquitaine: A Life, pp.154-155, Ballantine Books, 1999
5. ^ a b c d e f g h Turner & Heiser, The Reign of Richard Lionheart
6. ^ a b Harvey, The Plantagenets
7. ^ British History Online Bishops of Durham. Retrieved October 25, 2007.
8. ^ a b Harvey, The Plantagenets, p.40
9. ^ Walter Map, Contemporary
10. ^ Harvey, The Plantagenets, p.43
11. ^ a b c Harvey, The Plantagenets, p.50
12. ^ Harvey, The Plantagenets, p.48
13. ^ Warren, Henry II
14. ^ a b John Harvey, The Plantagenets, p.45
15. ^ Harvey, Richard I, p.58
16. ^ Simon Schama's A History of Britain, Episode 3, "Dynasty"


References and further reading

* Richard Barber, The Devil's Crown: A History of Henry II and His Sons (Conshohocken, PA, 1996)
* Robert Bartlett, England Under The Norman and Angevin Kings 1075-1225 (2000)
* J. Boussard, Le government d'Henry II Plantagênêt (Paris, 1956)
* John D. Hosler Henry II: A Medieval Soldier at War, 1147–1189 (History of Warfare; 44) Brill Academic Publishers, 2007 ISBN 9004157247
* John Harvey, The Plantagenets
* John Harvey, Richard I
* Ralph Turner & Richard Heiser, The Reign of Richard Lionheart
* W.L. Warren, Henry II (London, 1973)
* Nicholas Vincent, "King Henry II and the Monks of Battle: The Battle Chronicle Unmasked," in Belief and Culture in the Middle Ages: Studies Presented to Henry Mayr-Harting. Eds. Henry Mayr-Harting, Henrietta Leyser and Richard Gameson (Oxford, OUP, 2001), pp.

Anjou – Angevin – Torquatus –Radic – Raditsch – Radich – Frangipani – Modrus – Bartos – De Lupus – De Lupis - Plantagenet

To see several lists of surnames see box Bartos on AncientFacesresearch
Try also see any surname carefuly on Ancientfaces.com/research, because some can be in its box more information than in this article and only then you can understand genealogical tree, which is from my correspondence.

By Eva Bartosova

Correspondence with Princess Susanna Torquatus von Raditsch:


Anyway the story about Napoleon was this. In the very beginning stages of his career he had many dreams and wishes. From those who knew him personally within my family past on the stories that he was not the Devil as many would like to call him. In the beginning he spoke a lot about Charlemagne (Charles Magnus) to the point of obsession. When he initially got into power he had at his disposal many experts in various fields. He had at his disposal a lot money to pay towards his dream of finding the descendants of the Manlius Torquatus family (my lineage). The reason he wanted this so badly was because my side of the family was famous throughout centuries of history for their Military Expertise. He heard how my family was the force behind the success of Charlemagne (a family ancestor by blood) and the Torquatus who's son was the first Duke of Anjou who married into the Royal House that became The House of Plantagenet, also called the House of Anjou, or Angevin dynasty. The story says that they were originally a noble family from France, which ruled the County of Anjou but if you look at the records written by the Church there and the Cistine Monks of Anjou, it all began with a man they called To see several lists of surnames see box Bartos on AncientFacesresearch
Try also see any surname carefuly on Ancientfaces.com/research, because some can be in its box more information than in this article and only then you can understand genealogical tree, which is from my correspondence.

By Eva Bartosova

Correspondence with Princess Susanna Torquatus von Raditsch
. He also knew the common knowledge of that time that our side of the family was a direct lineage to what is known at the Merovignian line.

What I find strange and still researching is that there is a record that states my branch of the female side of the family was the last of the Carolingian descendants. This probably indicates the Male side is originally from the Merovingians.


Click here: House of Plantagenet - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia


This website might help you with the search your ancestor. Try typing in the name you wrote to me about and see what happens. Beware though that not all you see on these websites are truly 100% accurate and they do have some bugs to work out because they are somewhat incomplete.

Click here: The House of Anjou 1

Click here: Medieval Sourcebook: Chronicle of the Counts of Anjou, c. 1100

The names were altered because of the language barriers and because those around my ancestor did not speak his native tongue. This is the Gallo - Roman side of our family.

Napoleon found my family after a short investigation and made contact with them. They became close relatives and friends as I mentioned to you before. They assisted him on a couple of his campaigns that were very successful. He became inspired from the family's history that was deeply investigated by his people. He saw himself as a kind of Caesar of his modern day. One of my family members encouraged him to make himself a golden laurel wreath to wear upon his brow. He is seen depicted in paintings just like this. He rewarded my family with protection from loosing their lands in Italy. Their relationship with him caused him to pass the unprecedented laws that gave the Jewish people normal human rights as they should have had but no one had dared to give for centuries. The relationship also inspired him to start what was called "The Illyrian Movement." He tried to help restore our family's legacy. He met resistance from Eastern sources and this is what I have reason to believe made him head into Poland and Russia.

Everyone would like to think of Napoleon as a mad man but he was like any other ruler from the past who tried to set his example and legacy in stone for future generations. He wanted to be remembered for doing something on a grand scale. He wanted to be spoken of in a good way for centuries to come. He learned much of military tactics from my family who has for centuries past down their Military Secrets from generation to generation (to man, woman and child of their direct lineage). Please don't think I resent how I was raised because I don't. I realize now that it was a legacy from generation to generation that needed to be taught and forced into someone who would carry it on for the next generation. Otherwise the methods and ideals could not survive.

You see how our families are intertwined throughout history. This is because they intermarried for centuries.

Now you have heard a lot about how my family was and how they fit into your side of the family but I want to hear more about your side. I don't want to bore you with only my side of it all. Although I will be writing you about De Lupis. I have to find all the things I know about him because I do not believe in putting down in writing anything unless I know for certain it is the absolute truth that can be proved without a doubt.

I know you are intelligent enough to realize I am not trying to purposely boast about my direct side of the family. I know you must know I have written down what I have in order to preserve the history as it truly was so that no one takes it and changes it to suit their own ambitions.

I did not want to tell anyone for a long time about anything because I felt somewhat ashamed. I felt we lost everything, all possessions and found people made fun of this fact. It didn't matter it was not our fault. It was circumstances that was not in our control. It was a powerful evil force that was long ago foretold in scriptures that had to come to pass.

I soon realized by sharing the truth about my side of the family seemed to help others with their searches because they either found something in material I found or in something I said to them.

By the way although my 3rd Great Grandfather on the Maternal side held a "Count" title in 1820, this was only one of several of his inherited titles. The English family has given rise to a phenomena where their people have sold noble and aristocratic titles like wild fire. This was done in the centuries past when some family members needed money (this was one reason why the title of Marquise was invented, it was only considered as a "Courtesy Title" with no power or real substance). What the common person seems to be extremely ignorant about are the differences between the "Royal, Noble and Aristocratic status." Their behavior has allowed the common man in to such a degree that our Royal kind has been truly compromised and ridiculed where no one respects it in the same manner as it once was.

Our side of the family was from original "Royal Blood - Authentic Blue Blood." They were very, very strict and deadly serious about their ideals. This was part of the underlying problem during the French Revolution and the Adam Weishaupt movements.

What I am trying to get at is not just the importance of who we really are and but their true value.

My Mother went to Croatia and during the latter part of 1969 in Zagreb was proclaimed "Queen of Croatia." This caused the deaths of several people who worked on this project. I have photographs of this visit of hers.

This is not the only reason why I took on the Royal Title of "Her Royal Highness Princess." The important side to the Croatian culture is the "Paternal Side" of your family. To show you how important it is to tell the truth and share the truth with others, I used as my method the stories I heard since childhood and then took the stance of a complete pessimist about the stories and decided to go by pure factual documentations. I discovered records how we got the name Torquatus Von Radic. I already explained the Torquatus end of the family's history to a small degree. However I discovered the reason the people gave us the nickname Radic. Rad means laughing or happy with the patronymic suffix of ic. The story of Marcus Manlius Torquatus who was the son of the Manlius Torquatus that championed Rome that day with the Gaul warrior has his story as well. He heard the sound of geese cackling and this woke him up to investigate. He saw the Gauls climbing the rocks and reached down for the closest one and picked him up and threw him down on top of the rest of them. This woke up the rest of the soldiers and Romans who came to assist him. He also used his own money to get some debtors out of prison and freed others from their debts by selling off some of his own property. There were political enemies that accused him of trying to manipulate their system of government to gain popularity (as if he did not have enough of it already) and his enemies cowardly ganged up on him and threw him off the rocks to his death. Because of the loss and tragedy of this family member from that day forward no one directly related to this branch of the family ever named another child "Marcus". This promise has been kept within my family still to this day. This is why on many of our coat of arms from the Male's side of my family has depicted laughing geese.

The story however does not truly end there. The Male side of my family was also related by blood to the King's of Friuli and in particular to one named "Radic" who was the last "King of Croatia and Bosnia" who was murdered when he escaped and went in search of Nikolas Frangipani (Frankopan) who he knew would help him with his claim to his inheritance. The historians thought for a while that this Radic was in fact the brother of Tomasević who was Croatian-Bosnian King Stjepan Tomasević in 1463. Radic was not the brother but the Uncle who was Cousin to Frangipani. I know something that is not in any history books. When Radic died, his Cousin the Frangipani adopted his surviving children and kept them on Krk/Veglia then moved them to Modrus. This is where those villas that they took over comes into play for me and why it is so significant to get them back!

Click here: Ivan Anz Frankopan - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

I have strong reason from researches that I have conducted and much materials I have read to believe that Radic was related to Trpimir the first King of Croatia by close family blood ties.

Radic is the namesake of my ancestor on the culturally important Male's side and for a reason they kept it alive as a part of their name.

All the best regards,

Princess Susanna Torquatus Von Radic (Frangipani - Frankopan - Anjou de Cognac)

Stanislaus is a name related to one of my family's branches.

......my Great Great Grandfather on the female's side of the family was Nikolas (Nicholas) Josef Anton Frangipani out of Castell Propetto who was awarded the titles by Franz I of Austria in Vienna on February 3, 1820, which was one month after he married my Great Great Grandmother Katarina. This side I also recently discovered was related to the Medici of Italy and have a couple of castles in Venice.

Warm regards,

Susanna Torquatus Von Radic (Frangipani - Raditschs)

After discovering this recent information, it opened up much for me. I suddenly realized what the fight was really all about. I discovered Grandfather's paternal side was originally from ancient Rome from an original royal family there that became a Patrician family after the fall of relatives from the Monarchy. They ruled as the Dukes of Benevento and Spoleto, then became Kings of Friuli and of the Lombards. They then left and resettled in France and held the titles of the Counts of Anjou. This all made sense because they were military for centuries. The first Count of Anjou was named Torquatus. He was from ancient Roman family named Manlius where came the Manlius Capitolus (meaning from the capital city) and the branch called Manlius Torquatus. Manlius is the surname that has survived in my family since 753 B.C. Torquatus began with ancestor who was leader of Rome who had to champion Rome in a hand to hand combat against the Gauls. He was wounded by the giant warrior they chose for him to fight that day with a spear and fell to the ground and everyone thought he had been mortally wounded. Giant Gaul turned to crowd that was cheering when suddenly my ancestor starts laughing like a crazy man. He stands up removes spear while laughing and says something to the effect like is that all you've got, is this the best you can do. He then kills the giant Gaul, cuts off his head and takes the large gold "torq" (word for necklace) as his trophies. From that day his new name became Manlius Torquatus. He saved Rome that day from the destruction of the powerful Gauls. Later on the name Radic came into play. Rad means laughing or happy. They added the patronymic suffix of ic at the end.

I heard that Napoleon knew of my family's legendary military skills and came to meet them and make them an offer. I do not know what happened from that point on. I do know that the agreement was to free the Jews as part of it all.

My Grandfather's female side of the family came from the legendary Jordan (Giordano) Pierleoni who lived around the 7th century. He came from a royal very powerful and wealthy Jewish family who had their start out of the ghettos of Rome where by their laws, they only allowed Jews to live. My family never forgot this part of their lives. They forever remained humble about it all. Rome was starving because of a great famine. This ancestor made a large present of bread to feed the hungary people of Rome during this time. They changed his name from Pierleoni to Frangipani. There were only three branches of this family. The Roman branch's male line died out and the name Pierleoni forever changed. The second branch was ruling Northern Italy as Frangipani out of Venice. The third and final branch lived in Croatia and this is my direct ancestor. His name was Prince Ivanish Nikolas Frangipani (Frankopan). He lived during the 14th century in Croatia after leaving Venice when he inherited the title and lands. His cousin King Radic was the last King of Croatia and Bosnia. Radic went to find him because he knew he would have protection and support from his close relative. He was suddenly murdered. It is suspected by King Sigismund's men. He was survived by his children who were raised by the Frangipani family. They remained there under their protection for the remainder of the family branch's existence. This was until my Grandfather left the area to come to America in search of the last Frangipani who was a Marquise. Prince Ivanish Nikolas died in the year 1436.

I also heard the same information about Bartholomew as well. The name for my family came from Bartalan (Bertalan) which is Bartholomew. I have seen it altered to Bartul and Bartol /Barthol as well. It is still a derivative of the same name.

There is a Bartol or Bartalan - Bertalan who was from the Frangipani branch. This was Istvan (Stefan) Bartalan (Bartos-Bartul-Bartol) Count of Veglia and Modrus Ban of Croatia died 1481 married Isotta d'Este in 1446. Isotta lived between (1425 - 1456). The connection of this Bartol or Bartalan (because there are so many of them in the family tree) is that he was Count of Modrus. The year is off from the 1601 you have.

I do not see another Bartol or Bartalan or Bartholomew anywhere else in 1600s. This of course does not mean anything as you know because the records are incomplete. I am sure there is a way to connect the dots.

If they came from Yugoslav area chances are very strong that we are related!

I also know exactly what you mean about nobles who were illegitimate or made up areas to connect themselves to rule in place of those who should have ruled.

I myself am suffering a great battle about such a thing at the moment.

There is a man who claims himself to be from some fourth branch of the Frangipani family from Rome at the moment. He went public after I went public. He claimed he was a Prince of Croatia. He legally changed his name in London, England around 1992 to Frangipani. The crazy thing is everyone knows my family was extremely close. There was no fourth branch! I recently challenged his claim again. He backed down from his claim of Princedom and now claims he is a Duke! I again challenged his claim. He published his so called pedigree but it does not remotely match anything that belongs to my family and he put the titles of Marquise in front of all of the ancestors. The title Marquise started in France and moved on to England by way of French nobles and not in Italy where he claims his family to be from.

The other problem is that he has been blocking me from making my legal and rightful claims to my inheritances (titles, lands and money). I said that anyone can legally change their name to whatever but this does not entitle you to legally claim the inheritance of another.

I said if he still claims to be a Duke this can only be because he was granted this title through England. The De Lupis family derived from two sources. One is from a family that existed during the 600s. This family plagued my family who ruled over Benevento, Spoleto and Friuli. My relative Grimoald left to save his son who was taken hostage and left De Lupus (a lower titled noble) in charge while he was away. This De Lupus self proclaimed himself as a Duke. He was soon found terrorizing everyone within miles. The people called him a tyrant ruler. He murdered and stole from everyone including the Patriarch. He told everyone they needed to get used to him and his family because King Grimoald was never coming back. He had sent someone to kill him. To his surprise King Grimoald did come back with his son in tact. He fought De Lupus for three days and on the third day he died. This was in the year 666. The other thing was that the entire family was stripped of all titles, lands and properties as a way to pay back everyone for all of the terrible damages they caused. Their titles were never restored! By the way, De Lupus means "the Wolf." The male line completely died out at the end of the 600s. The early 700s the female line completely died out.

This new De Lupis earned a knighthood on two occasions during the late 18th century early 19th century. I understand they were temporary titles with no land exchanges.