Thursday, July 4, 2024

Rockett: Notable Ancestors

 

“One picture is worth a thousand words.” Fred R. Barnard

After compiling and documenting the Rockett Complete Ancestry at my lineage website https://rockettslanding.neocities.org/RockettCompleteAncestry, I inserted a paragraph listing notable ancestors. Since most of us have never heard of many of these people, I decided to look for pictures and interesting facts about these ancestors that might help us appreciate their lives.

Alfred the Great (849-899) silver penny ~875-880 A.D. By Classical Numismatic Group, Inc. http://www.cngcoins.com, CC BY-SA 2.5, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=142995994 

  • Was the most famous king of the Anglo-Saxons
  • Defended Wessex against the Vikings
  • Introduced reforms in defense measures, law, and coinage


Boleslav I (~908-967) ~930 By Känsterle (Overleg) - unknown (moved here from http://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Afbeelding:BoleslavIB2.jpg), CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=1670058 

  • Made Prague the administrative center
  • First king of Poland and promoted the spread of Christianity
  • Improved economic development by adding territories



Charlemagne (748-814) silver coin ~813 By PHGCOM - Own work by uploader, photographed at Cabinet des Médailles, Paris., Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=5729324 

  • United most of Europe spreading Christianity
  • Reformed military, economic and governmental areas
  • Reformed cultural, educational and religious areas of life for everyone



Duncan I “The Diseased” (1001-1040) 17th century portrait By Jacob de Wet II, Gallery in Holyrood Palace https://www.britannica.com/biography/Duncan-I#/media/1/173642/10196    

  • First king of Scotland of the House of Dunkeld
  • Was neither a very good nor a very popular king
  • Made famous by Shakespeare regarding his murder by his cousin, MacBeth



Richard de Clare (1153-1217), 3rd Earl of Hertford, Appointed to Secure the Observance of the Magna Carta By Henry Timbrell at the Parliamentary Art Collection https://artuk.org/discover/artworks/baron-richard-de-clare-d-1217-earl-of-hertford-appointed-to-secure-the-observance-of-the-magna-carta-279642 

  • Played a leading part in the negotiations with the King for Magna Carta
  • Is one of the 25 sureties for the Magna Carta
  • Expanded his wealth and land for his descendants





Gilbert de Clare (~1180-1230), 5th Earl of Gloucester By Henry Shaw - http://www.odisea2008.com/, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=9689648 

  • Is one of the 25 sureties for the Magna Carta
  • Fought King John after the King rejected the Magna Carta
  • Witnessed Henry III’s reissue of the Magna Carta



Saher IV de Quincy (1165-1219), 1st Earl of Winchester By Carol Baldwin 7 Jun 2018, Temple Church, London, England  https://www.wikitree.com/photo/jpg/Quincy-226-2   

  • Heavily involved in the negotiations that led to the Magna Carta
  • Is one of the 25 sureties for the Magna Carta
  • Was a crusader in the 5th crusade



Edmund Plantagenet (1245-1296), or Edmund Crouchback “Crossback”, a crusader, founder of the House of Lancaster, Effigy at Westminster Abbey By Richard Gough - Sepulchral Monuments in Great Britain, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=15987132 

  • Founded the House of Lancaster
  • Skilled in diplomacy and war
  • Was the most powerful baron in England



Edward III (1312-1377) Funerary monument in Westminster Abbey By Anonymous - Couverture d'une biographie, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=21372239 

  • Noted for his military success
  • Restored royal authority after the disastrous reign of his father, Edward II
  • Founded the Order of the Garter in 1348, an order of chivalry still in existence



John of Gaunt (1340-1399) Painted ~1593 By said variously to be attributed to Lucas Cornelisz de Kock (1495–1552) (who however died 41 years before the painting is said (by Oliver Harris, 2010) to have been commissioned, sometimes erroneously ascribed to Luca Cornelli. - http://alisonweir.org.uk/books/bookpages/more-katherine-swynford_20_441522163.jpg, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=1354396 

  • Effective military leader in the Hundred Years’ War
  • Became an influential statesman during the minority reign of Richard II
  • Fathered Henry IV, the first Lancastrian king




Kenneth MacAlpin (810-858), king of the Picts By William Hole RSA (1846-1917), Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=1834097 

  • Founded a dynasty that united the Picts and Gaels founding the Kingdom of Alba
  • Credited with setting the ancient Stone of Destiny at Scone, Scotland
  • Successfully drove off the Vikings



Godgifu "Lady Godiva" (died aft 1057), 19th century statue by John Thomas, Maidstone Museum, Kent, England By Linda Spashett Storye_book - Own work, CC BY 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=7456158 

  • Determined to help the people of Coventry get lower taxes levied by her husband, she defied him by riding naked on horseback through the town
  • Founded a Benedictine monastery in Coventry
  • Known for her generosity to the church




Mary Boleyn (1499-1543) By Remigius van Leemput - Royal Collection, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=92139235 

  • Was a mistress of Henry VIII and bore him two sons
  • Was a mistress of King Francis of France
  • Kept her head unlike the other Boleyns



Nominoe (~800-851) By Investigator64, Ivanovo, Russia at TripAdvisor.com

  • Was first Duke of Brittany and Father of the Bretons
  • Defeated Charles the Bald
  • Became a crowned king and independent ruler of the Bretons



Robert the Bruce (1274-1329) By Otter - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=4877345 

  • Freed Scotland from English rule by winning the Battle of Bannockburn
  • Donated five pounds every year to the Auld Kirk in Cullen after the death of his wife, Elizabeth, in 1327, which is still being paid to this day
  • Was a hero of the people



Rollo (~860-~930) Grave effigy at the Cathedral of Rouen By © Raimond Spekking / CC BY-SA 4.0 (via Wikimedia Commons), CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=55818199 

  • Founded the Duchy of Normandy
  • Laid siege to Paris for 13 months with a fleet up to 700 ships
  • Was an independent Viking raider, warrior and leader



William the Conqueror (~1027-1087), Stone Bust, 14th century, Jumièges Abbey By Philippe Alès, CC BY-SA 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0 via Wikimedia Commons

  • Invaded England in 1066 and won the Battle of Hastings
  • Introduced the mote and bailey castle system of a keep on raised ground surrounded by a walled courtyard and ditch
  • Ordered a census to be taken called the Domesday Book



William I de Warenne (~1035-1088), 1st Earl of Surrey, Fought alongside William the Conqueror at the Battle of Hastings in 1066 By Storye book, CC BY-SA 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0 via Wikimedia Commons  

  • Fought under William the Conqueror at the Battle of Hastings in 1066
  • Held extensive lands in 13 counties in the Domesday Book
  • Was one of four prominent Normans appointed to govern England during William the Conqueror’s absence


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Rockett: Notable Ancestors

  “One picture is worth a thousand words.” Fred R. Barnard After compiling and documenting the Rockett Complete Ancestry at my lineage websi...