[A number of foreign language titles and sets have been added in this section because genealogical data tends to follow a recognizable pattern regardless of language. Being able to read the text, if any, is usually less important than extracting names, dates, and relationships. However, coverage is limited to the major western nations in which an English-speaker is most likely to be interested. Many other sources do exist for eastern Europe, the Baltic cultures, etc. Approximate translations of non-obvious titles are added in braces.]

Addington, Arthur C. The Royal House of Stuart: The Descendants of King James VI of Scotland (James I of England). 3v. London: Charles Skilton, 1969-76.

The legitimate male Stewart line ended with the death of Henry Benedict Cardinal Stewart, archbishop of York in 1807, but by no means did the royal line become extinct. The first two volumes of this weighty work list more than 15,000 legitimate blood descendants and more than 10,000 other persons over a period of fifteen generations. By intermarriage, every European royal house is represented and, of course, descent from James I implies descent from William the Conqueror, King Harold Godwinson, St. Louis IX of France, the Byzantine Emperor Alexius I Comnenos, Rudolf von Habsburg, Emperor Frederick Barbarossa, Arpad of Hungary, Vsevolod of Kiev, and Charlemagne. A very well-organized work whose information density is increased by heavy reliance upon symbols and abbreviations. Much more extensive than Ruvigny's Blood Royal of Britain, and listings are complete to 1966. The index, which comprises most of Volume 3, also is extremely thorough.

Affonso, Domingos de Araujo. Le Sang de Louis XIV. 2v. Braga: Cruz, 1961-62.

A vast work, mostly presented in schematic form, dealing with the legitimate and illegitimate descendants of the Sun King (the latter group ironically including both M. & Mme. Giscard d'Estaing). And excellent reference of high reliability . . . if you can locate a set.

L'Allemagne Dynastique. 5v. Le Perreux: Giraud, 1976-81.

You may have to brush up your French for the copious text notes in this highly-regarded work, but the lineage charts themselves stick to standard Continental symbols and abbreviations. Only the twelve principal German dynastic houses are covered (Hesse, Hohenzollern, Brunswick, Wittelsbach, etc.), but the level of detail is such that several dozen lesser families are drawn in through marriage. (Question for extra credit: Why was this set published in French rather than German?)

Ållstrom, Carl Magnus. Dictionary of Royal Lineages of Europe and Other Countries, from the Earliest Period to the Present Date. 2v. Chicago: S. Th. Almberg Press, 1902-4. [also available in a microform edition]

The most charitable thing one can say of this work is that it must be used with the greatest care, and then only to pick up intermarriages among assorted European dynasties. A single individual may be referred to, without explana tion, as "Willem II" or "Guillaume III," depending on which country you look under. If you have access to a better source for Continental lineages, such as Schwennicke, Isenburg, or Brandenburg, then Ållstrom probably should be avoided altogether.

Almanach de Gotha Annuaire Genealogique, Diplomatique et Statistique. 181v. Paris: J. Perthes, 1763-1944.

Absolutely essential for German titled genealogy of the past 200 years. In the last century, a family's being added to the Gotha meant a long jump up the social ladder, and there are stories of families who were dropped turning to drink. It takes a little getting used to, and the Fraktur typeface of the early volumes isn't easy to read, but it's worth the effort.

There is an index covering the entire series: Thomas Freiherr von Fritsch, Die Gothaiseen Taschenbucher, Hofkalendar und Almanach (Limburg: C.A. Starke, 1968).

Diesbach, Ghislain de. Secrets of the Gotha. New York: Meredith Press, 1964.

An excellent overview of the German overclass in the 19th century. Explains how the Gotha works (and what it doesn't do), summarizes many lines, and includes 22 fold-out tables and many illustrations. The author thoroughly humanizes the subject and the scattered anecdotes are often wildly funny.

My favorite opening line of almost any book: "'For me, mankind begins with barons,' Prince Metternich used to remark benevolently."

Anderson, James. Royal Genealogies: or, The Genealogical Tables of Emperors, Kings and Princes, from Adam to These Times. London: James Bettenham, 1732. [available in a microform edition]

Beautifully bound, folio-sized, on heavy wove paper: Put this on the reading stand in the library of your family castle. Though still an excellent and (for its time) accurate compilation of lineages, this is really not so much to use any longer, as to sit and look at and admire. (I own this on microfiche, but it just isn't the same. . . .)

Atienza, Julio de. Nobiliario Español: Diccionario Heraldico de Apellidos Españoles y de Titulos Nobiliarios. Madrid: Aquilar, 1948. [available in a microform edition]

{Spanish Nobility: Heraldic Dictionary of Spanish Surnames and Titled Nobility.} This is not a "peerage," though a large proportion of the families included are titled. Each entry is a compact description of how and where the family began to be important, and often what individual was responsible for the upgrade; the more recent the rise of the family, the more detail. A blazon follows each entry (most are also in the Rietstap series).

Brandenburg, Erich. Die Nachkommen Karls des Grossen (I-XIV Generation). Leipzig: Zentralstelle für Deutsche Personen-und Familiengeschichte, 1935 (reprinted 1964).

{The Descendants of Charles the Great.} A standard, highly-regarded source for Carolingian descents, with comparatively easy-to-use charts . . . if you can read the Fraktur typeface. The layout is clean and well designed, with all the text notes gathered in one section at the back. An essential reference tool.

Browning, Charles D. The Magna Charta Barons and Their American Descendants. Philadelphia: The Author, 1898 (Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., 1969).

There are so many ordinary errors, examples of bad reasoning, and sheer leaps of faith in this volume, it astonishes me that GPC reprinted it. The Magna Charta barons all can be picked up from Cockayne and Weis; if you start taking notes from Browning, you'll just have to do it over. To be avoided!

Call, Michel L. (comp.). Royal Ancestors of Some American Families. New edition. Salt Lake City: The Author, 1989.

An uninspired but neatly assembled collection of standard LDS-style pedigree charts, based on Moriarty, Cockayne, Isenburg, Turton, Redlich, Weis, and some unpublished sources. Thoroughly footnoted and reliable within the limitations of its sources, but it badly needs an index! Also pretty expensive for what you get. (And a companion volume of family group sheets would be nice.)

Call, Michel L. (comp.). Royal Ancestors of Some LDS Families. Orem, Utah: The Author, 1975 edition.

Some suspect lines, and skimpy on citations. Redundant of the larger volumes listed in this section and probably not worth the high price.

Chaumé, Maurice. Les Origines du Duché de Bourgogne. 2v. in 4 parts. Dijon: Jobard, 1925 (Darmstadt: npub, 1977). [available in a microfom edition]

{The Origins of the Duchy of Burgundy.} One of the very best sources available on the Capetian and Burgundian lines and their extensive offshoots, this set includes many fold-out maps, charts, and chronologies in each volume, plus more than thirty pages of very detailed lineages and genealogical notes in Volume 1. Because medieval Burgundy grew out of the division of Charlemagne's empire, its development affected the evolution of virtually all of western Europe. Heavily cited by other compilers and writers. If only someone would translate this marvelous work into English!

Cokayne, George E. (ed.). Complete Baronetage. 5v. + index. Exeter: William Pollard & Co., 1900-1909 (reprinted 1983).

This hereditary, quasi-titled order of non-peers was instituted in 1611 purely for monetary gain, to persuade English social climbers with money to aid in the Protestant colonization of Ireland and, later, of Nova Scotia. Since it's more broadly based in society than the peerage, the baronetage is of interest in its own right, but numerous baronets later were advanced in rank or married up the ladder. Each original volume was chronological by date of creation, and each had its own index. The six volumes in the original edition were reprinted at a page-size reduction of 80 per cent, to produce a single oversized by manageable volume.

Collins, Arthur. Collins's Peerage of England; Genealogical, Biographical, and Historical. 9v. London: F.C. Rivington et al, 1812 (reprinted 1970). [available in a microform edition]

Before Cokayne and The Complete Peerage, Collins was the most complete source available. Though Cokayne complained that Collins's work was "full of fairy tales," it still functions as a helpful adjunct to the CP. Citations to original documents are numerous and usually trustworthy (though he also cites such dubious sources as Hollinshed's Chronicles). The most attractive feature of this work is the digressive narrative style. The CP is thorough and efficient, but Collins often is friendlier.

The Complete Peerage of England, Scotland, Ireland, Great Britain, and the United Kingdom, Extant, Extinct, or Dormant. 13v. London: The St. Catherine Press, 1910-1959. [available in a microform edition]

Begun by George E. Cokayne, Clarenceaux King-of-Arms, this set is to the British peerage what the Oxford English Dictionary is to the English language –– absolutely the best thing of its kind! Citations to primary sources frequently fill three-fourths of the page and anecdotal text notes put some meat on the bones. Far superior to the 19th century Burke's Peerage publications. The numerous appendices at the ends of the volumes also are highly recommended as instructive essays. Don't attempt serious British research without it!

[For an excellent outline of the long process by which Cokayne almost single-handedly annotated Collins's Peerage, see: Peter Hammond, "The Complete Peerage," The Genealogist's Magazine 24 (September 1992):495-99.]

Coutant de Saisseville, Guy. Les Maisons Imperiales et Royales d'Europe. Paris: Editions de Palais Royal, 1966.

A useful source if you read French and if you're interested only in the 19th century or later. All the royal houses of Europe are covered in some detail, but only since the Congress of Vienna in 1815. Burke's Royal Families of the World is a much better source for American use.

Crispin, M. Jackson. Falaise Roll, Recording Prominent Companions of William, Duke of Normandy, at the Conquest of England. London: Butler & Tanner, 1938 (Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., 1964).

In 1927, the 900th anniversary of the birth of William I, a plaque was unveiled at Falaise which listed the names of 406 men supposed to have been companions of the Conqueror. Several more books and numerous articles have been published for and against any such list, but infighting aside this is still a good source for brief sketches of a large number of Norman and Breton nobles and adventurers. Ignore Crispin's arguments and conclusions, if you like, and use the heavily-footnoted sketches as a biographical dictionary of the long-term Norman conquest.

Delderfield, Eric R. Kings and Queens of England and Great Britain. New York: Facts on File, 1990.

Though not that different from Weir's Britain's Royal Gamilies, this work is nevertheless a compact and useful guide to the more than fifty British monarchs, from the Anglo-Saxon kings to the present heir to the throne. The events of each reign are incisively summarized and a color portrait is supplied for each ruler since Richard II.

The Descendants of the Illegitimate Sons and Daughters of the Kings of Britain. Lineage Book. Havertown, Pennsylvania: The Society, 1979.

Quite simply, an authoritative list of the bastards of English and Scottish monarchs, with notes as to doubtful lines, "no known descendants," etc. This is the "official list" of the Society of the Descendants of the Illegitimate etc., who are known generally as "The Royal Bastards." The great part of this book consists of 158 outlined lineages. Even the present Queen's descent from Henry VI (though her mother) involves three separate illegitimacies. Interesting reading!

Dioudonnat, Pierre-Marie. Encyclopedie de la Fauss Noblesse et de la Noblesse d'Apparence. 2d edition. Paris: Sedopols, 1982.

{Encyclopedia of False Nobility and Apparent Nobility [i.e., "Pretenders"].} The French are picky about a lot of things, including who gets to be called an aristocrat. (Remember that the majority of patents to titles were destroyed during the Revolution, in order to "level" the classes under the Republic.) The families listed herein apparently have pretensions above their station, and the author doesn't hesitate to label many of them "famille bourgeoisie." Entries are very brief but sources are included for most, as well as the province or department where the family is or was located.

Eilers, Marlene A. Queen Victoria's Descendants. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., 1987.

If all you want is names and dates, then Burke's Guide to the Royal Family is a better, more detailed source. But if you want more juice, the slightly gossipy chapters of this book (one chapter per family group) are informative and well-illustrated, and are filled with odd tidbits . . . such as the fact that Queen Margarethe of Denmark is an artist who has designed her country's Christmas seals and also illustrated an edition of The Lord of the Rings.

Enache, Nicolas. Descendance de Pierre le Grand, Tsar de Russia. Paris: Sedopols, 1983.

The most detailed, all-in-one source available for the post-1682 Russian monarchy. Included also are numerous charts and a very detailed index, and some interesting and gossipy appendices regarding the infighting for precedence among the present-day Romanovs.

Figueroa y Melgar, Alfonso de. Estudio Historico Sobre Algunas Familias Españolas. 6v. in 12 parts. Madrid: Editions Dawson & Fry, 1965.

{Historical Study of Selected Spanish Families.} Any Spanish family who is anybody may be found in this set . . . somewhere. Locating the data you want will be your biggest problem; even the index in the last volume has too many blind references for comfort, and its use requires familiarity with the Spanish system of multiple surnames. Nevertheless, there are a great many lineage charts (including large foldouts), coats of arms, color plates of family castles, etc. Besides, this is practically the only such source available for Spain.

Genealogisches Handbuch des Adels. . . . Limburg: C.A. Starke, 1951-____. 106v. as of 1994.

{Genealogical Handbook of the Aristocracy.} This seemingly endless run of short, fat columns is being issued in five series; the first covers all the reigning houses of Europe, while the others include German noble families only. Lineages begin with the earliest known ancestor, but seldom is there a generation-by-generation linkage. Probably the best use for this monster which does require some knowledge of German is the pursuit of smaller, more obscure baronial and other locally influential families. Each volume has its own index, as does each series (cumulatively), but considerable patience still will be required.

Guelfi Camajani, Luigi (Conte). Albo d'Oro delle Famiglie Nobili e Notabili Italiane. Florence: Archivo Storico Araldico Nobiliare, 1973.

{Golden Book of Great Families and Nobility of Italy.} More than 800 titled Italian families are included, but the amount of information provided for each varies considerably, and strangely; the great house of Ferrara gets only four lines (mostly a blazon of its arms, at that), while the Ferrandus get an entire page of detailed lineage. Part of this odd problem is relieved by frequent references to information in earlier editions, which seem to be cumulative rather than revised . . . if you can locate copies of all of them. Some command of Italian also is necessary. All in all, for English-speakers, the most useful part of this hefty book is the 70+ pages of lineage charts at the back.

Hamilton, Alan. The Royal 100: A Who's Who of the First 100 People in Line of Succession to the British Throne. London: Pavilion Books, 1986.

James Lascelles, born in 1953, is a talented English rock musician who lived in a commune, married an American girl in a hippie wedding, and subsequently moved to New Mexico. His neighbors probably don't realize he's also the second son of the earl of Harewood and stands 29th in succession to inherit the throne of the United Kingdom. (Don't quit your day job, Jim. . . .)

This slender volume is a fascinating browse, even though it concentrates on recent genealogy. The House of Windsor accounts for the top thirty-nine slots in the succession, followed by the royal families of Norway, Roumania, Yugoslavia, and imperial Russia the Oldenburgs, Hohenzollerns, Karadjordjevics, and Romanovs, respectively. All are descendants of the children and grandchildren of Queen Victoria (the first fifty-seven descend directly from Edward VII), and among them are the heirs to the throne of Prussia, the princedom of Serbia, and (way down the list) Prince Philip himself in his own right. The photos are all black-and-white but nicely reproduced and the accompanying text is both anecdotal and informative, especially to readers who don't try to keep up with the royal gossip.

Joannis, J. D. de; R. de Saint-Joan; and P. d'Herbecourt. Les Seize Quartiers Genealogiques des Capetiens. 3v. Lyon: Sauvegarge Historique, 1958-63.

This large work contains in 600 cross-referenced charts all the adult descendants of Hugh Capet from his accession to the throne of France in 987 down to the book's date of publication. But each child and his or her spouse is the root of another five-generation chart, so that, even with all the overlap, several thousand individuals are represented. The information given is almost too concise: even recent dates are given only as years, for instance, and there are no source citations, though brief notes are plentiful. There is no general index, but the reader should be able to follow lineages up- and downstream by using the outlined descents at the beginning of each volume. There is nothing original here, nor should Joannis be cited as a source itself, but the organization is very convenient for the researcher interested in the intertwinings of the houses of Capet, Valois, Bourbon, Orléans, Brunswick-Hanover, Portugal, Artois, Hungary, Brittany, Burgundy, and many others.

La Chesnaye-Desbois et Badier, Fran‡ois de (comp.). Dictionnaire de la Noblesse de la France. 3d edition. 18v. Paris: Bachelin-Deflorenne, 1868-73 (Liechtenstein: Kraus-Thomson Organization, 1969).

Essentially, this large set does for France, including Anglo-Normandy and Anglo-Brittany, what Cokayne does for Great Britain, and does it in a peculiarly French way. The style is heavily narrative, but high school French should be adequate. A basic reference tool for the French nobility.

Leeson, Francis L. (comp.). A Directory of British Peerages, from the Earliest Times to the Present Day. London: Society of Genealogists, 1984.

A compact ready-reference source with associates surnames with British titles (barons and above), and vice versa, up to the present. The Howard family, for instance, has been connected with more than thirty titles, while seven different families have held the earldom of Sussex.

Le Hête, Thierry. Les Capetiens: Le Livre du Millenaire. Paris: Editions Christian, 1987.

Hugh Capet, a multiple-line descendant of Charlemagne, was a key founder of virtually all the royal and noble dynasties of France: Valois, Anjou, Brittany, Dreux, Burgundy, Courtenay, and the Bourbons in all their permutations, among many others. Relying heavily on P‚re Anselme, the author has compiled a very detailed but still highly readable collection of interrelated descent charts. About one-fourth of this volume is a family-by-family historical overview written in a style for which high school French should suffice. Clean design and tight organization make it a delight for quick reference.

Lodge, John. The Peerage of Ireland; or, A Genealogical History of the Nobility of That Kingdom. New Edition. 7v. Dublin: James Moore, 1754. [available in a microform edition]

Similar in organization and narrative style to Paul's Scots Peerage, including both extant and extinct titles, Lodge's work provides not bare lineages but full narrative histories of the distinguished families of Ireland, both Celtic and Anglo-Norman. Marginal notations and symbols allow rapid searching for genealogical data, but slow down and smell the shamrocks –– there's a lot of substance here. Noted for its accuracy (at the time) and footnoted to original documents and traditional accounts.

Loyd, Lewis C. The Origins of Some Anglo-Norman Families. (Harleian Society Publications, vol. 103) London: The Society, 1951 (Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., 1980).

The geographical origins of most of the Conqueror's buddies who survived to have descendants. Many of these place-names have become Anglo-Norman surnames.

McNaughton, Arnold (comp.). The Book of Kings: A Royal Genealogy. 3v. London: Garnstone Press, 1973; New York: Quadrangle Press, 1973.

An extremely comprehensive, oversized set, beautifully manufactured, and a delight to handle. Accurate, thorough, and exhaustive, . . . but it covers only the descendants of George I of Great Britain. Volume 3 is all plates and index.

Morby, John E. Dynasties of the World; a Chronological and Genealogical Handbook. New York: Oxford University Press, 1989.

A reasonably useful ready-reference tool, but quite expensive for its size. Rulers and Governments of the World is a much better deal, and much larger. There are selective short bibliographies rather than notes. Not that bad, but not that terrific, either –– just redundant.

Onslow, Richard [Earl of Onslow]. The Dukes of Normandy and Their Origin. London: Hutchinson & Co., 1945.

A semi-scholarly but very readable combination of Norman history and genealogy, up to the eve of the Conquest. Its nonthreatening briefness one chapter per duke and a total of only 175 pages doesn't impair its usefulness as contextual genealogy.

Orkneyinga Saga: The History of the Earls of Orkney. Trans., Herman Palsson and Paul Edwards. London: Hogarth Press, 1978.

Among the half-dozen surviving Scandinavian sagas (most of which are available in Palsson's reliable English translations), the Orkneyinga is particularly important for the student of early English genealogy. The saga traces the lives of the Norse rulers of the Orkney, Faroe, and Shetland islands from the 9th century to the 13th. Written down about AD1200 by an unknown Icelander, it predates the Heimskringla by a generation and was one of Snorri's principal sources. So, why the Orkneys? Because Turf-Einar, created first earl (jarl, actually) by Harald Fairhair, was a brother of Hrolf the Ganger, first "duke" of Normandy, both being sons of Rognvald, jarl of More. Various of the Orkney earls also were related by blood or marriage to the rulers of Norway and Denmark and to the Scottish earls of Moray.

Because the saga was originally an oral history, it deals in varicolored language and vivid detail and powerful oration, most of which the translators have managed to preserve in their prose rendition. If you have any interest at all in the northern lands and in the heroic deeds and blood feuds of an earlier, less gentle time, this volume will hold your attention (but don't forget to take notes).

Paget, Gerald. The Lineage and Ancestry and H.R.H. Prince Charles, Prince of Wales. 2v. Edinburgh: Charles Skilton, 1977.

With an enormous number of names but no real text, this one probably sits on the coffee table at Windsor. Most useful in bringing a lot of English, German, Danish, and miscellaneous lines together in one place.

Paul, James Balfour (ed.). The Scots Peerage Founded on . . . Sir Robert Douglas's Peerage of Scotland. . . . 9v. Edinburgh: David Douglas, 1904-14. [available in a microform edition]

Edited and compiled by the Lyon King-of-Arms, this set interweaves generally dependable lineages with narrative family history in the old style. Go to the Complete Peerage for the facts, but stop off here for Paul's view of the reasons why.

Redlich, Marcellus D.; Aileen Lewers Langston; J. Orton Buck, Jr.; and Timothy Field Beard (comps.). Pedigrees of Some of the Emperor Charlemagne's Descendants. 3v. np: Order of the Crown of Charlemagne, 1941-78.

Buck and Beard are two of the best genealogists around, but this set still must be used with care! There is much semi-duplication and it should not be regarded as the only source, but it does include an enormous number of variant lines of descent into the 20th century.

Regesta Regum Anglo Normannorum, 1066-1154. (Edited by Henry William Davis and Robert J. Shotwell.) 4v. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1913. [available in a microform edition]

The best published source available for documentary citation grants, charters, etc., for those early Anglo-Norman families which were the roots of most of the influential English and Scots families later on.

Roberts, Gary Boyd and William Addams Reitwiesner. American Ancestors and Cousins of the Princess of Wales. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., 1984.

It should come as no surprise that the late Princess Diana had strong American connections through her Spencer heritage, and Roberts skillfully outlines the most important and useful links among her estimated twenty million living American relatives. Di had ancestors in six of the thirteen colonies, so non-New Englanders need not despair. The principal author is well known for his work at the New England Historic Genealogical Society and this not-large volume is crammed with useful gateway ancestors in abbreviated and modified Register format.

Rulers and Governments of the World. 3v. New York: R.R. Bowker Publishing Co., 1978.

An excellent quick-reference source, though this fat set provides only the names of the rulers themselves and usually their relationships to their predecessors. And it includes lots of little nations you won't find elsewhere.

Ruvigny & Raineval, Marquis de (Melville Henry Massue) (comp.). The Jacobite Peerage, Baronetage, Knightage & Grants of Honour. Edinburgh: T.C. & E.C. Jack, 1904.

The work of an articulate spokesman for the Stewart Legitimist cause, this is a well-constructed compilation of peerage creations under the Stewart monarchs, followed by chapters listing knights, diplomatic and household appointments, declarations of noblesse, etc. The introductory chapter on 19th century Legitimist activities is also quite interesting . . . and a little strange.

Schwennicke, Detlev. Europaische Stammtafeln. 16v. Marburg: J.A. Stargardt, 1978-____.

An updated and greatly expanded version of Stammtafeln zur Geschichte der Europaischen Staaten, by Wilhelm Karl Prinz von Isenburg (2v., 1936-37 + 2 additional vols. published by 1975), which was a highly regarded resource to begin with. Schwennicke requires little or no facility in German because of its heavy reliance on standard abbreviations and symbols. The volumes are oversized and the tables are methodical and logically organized. The author concerns himself mostly with German families, of course, but laps over into all corners of the Continent. The most recent volume –– more are presumably coming –– even includes the family of Jacques Coeur, a commoner and self-made tycoon who became investments counselor and finally chief minister to Louis XI of France. A basic reference tool.

Shaw, William A. The Knights of England: A Complete Record from the Earliest Time. . . . 2v. London: Central Chancery, 1906 (Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., 1970).

Considering the original publisher of this work, it must be regarded as the "official" complete list (up to 1906). Volume I contains the preeminent orders (Garter, Bath, Victorian Order, etc.), each list being chronological and providing full names and dates of all persons invested, so far as information was available. (It seems incredible that the registers of the Order of the Thistle, which began only in 1687, were lost around 1830 and were not rediscovered until the turn of this century!) Volume 2 is a chronological list of knights bachelors –– "ordinary" knights –– from the introduction of the Angevin dubbing ceremony circa 1250. Shaw's articulate essays on each order, and on the system of knights bachelors (and why most fief-holders didn't want to join), provide an antidote to American confusion on this subject.

Snorri Sturluson. Heimskringla: History of the Kings of Norway. [Many editions, but I recommend the following:] Published for the American-Scandinavian Foundation by the University of Texas Press [Austin], 1964. Translated with Introduction & Notes by Lee M. Hollander.

Snorri (born 1178/9), an often unscrupulous (and very successful) politician who lived in the real world, was also a very learned man. He was arguably the greatest historian of medieval Europe, and in his methods he has often been compared to Thucydides. Heimskringla means "the world is round" –– appropriate for a people who considered the entire world their arena –– and is the overall title given to his collection of earlier sagas, rationalized and pruned of recognizable nonsense, which is still the basis of history in the North. Snorri's style is simplicity itself and because "history" until very recently concerned itself with the actions of great men, he spends considerable time detailing the interrelationships among the many leaders of Scandinavia and especially of Harald "Fairhair," who conquered and united the many domains of those leaders. (Why "Fairhair"? Not what you think; read the saga.) The roots of William the Conqueror are here, as well as those of Canute and St. Olaf. The simply-illustrated edition noted above runs to nearly 900 pages and is generally regarded as the best, but any will do. This is history, literature, genealogy, and mythology, and should be read by anyone with the interest to be perusing this bibliography in the first place.

Sousa, Don Antonio Caetano de. Historia Genealogica da Casa Real Portuguesa. 12v. [with supplementary and index vols., actually 26v.] Coimbra: Atlantida-Livraria Eds., 1946; originally published 1735-49.

{Genealogical History of the Royal House of Portugal.} This set is just what it purports to be, in almost overwhelming detail. The lengthy essays should be reasonably intelligible if you can read even Spanish, but the descent charts and lineages are easily accessible. Footnotes are plentiful and citations to manuscripts and documents are strewn throughout the text; Sousa is regarded as generally a very reliable source.

Stuart, Roderick W. Royalty for Commoners: The Complete Known Lineage of John of Gaunt, Son of Edward III, King of England, and Queen Philippa. 2d edition. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., 1992.

[NOTE: I caught some heat from certain readers of the previous version of this bibliography for my cautionary comments about the first edition of Stuart, published in 1988. Among other things, I said: "Information provided on relationships seems semi-trustworthy until you come across a linkage you know is wrong, and then you begin to wonder about the others. Stuart's sloppiest point is dates, about which he seems to have a casual disregard. Use this with great caution, and only as a starting point."]

It appears I wasn't the only critic. In the preface to this new edition, the author comments that he corresponded with about fifty "generally supportive" readers and that "their concerns have been noted and incorporated into the fabric of the Second Edition. . . ." Moreover, "rather than try to revise the imperfect First Edition," he went back to his original manuscript and started over, spending three summers in Salt Lake City studying the IGI and analyzing discrepancies. All citations and references were rechecked and the final draft was compared to Schwennicke. The result is a 400-page volume that I went out and spent my own money for.

Readers familiar with Weis's Ancestral Roots will recognize the format, but Stuart follows the possibly unsettling practice of numbering generations backward into the past (the opposite of Weis). Weis also includes about 300 ancestors of John of Gaunt, compared to about 5,000 entries in Stuart. And where Moriarty's Plantagenet Ancestry compiles the forebears of Edward III, Stuart begins one crucial generation later, allowing the inclusion of many more minor French, German, and Balkan lines. The scholarly apparatus allows the reader to follow Stuart's rangings and practically demands pencil notes in the margins; this is now a work which also encourages not a search for egregious errors but suggestions for corrections (which is not at all the same thing). Finally, the very extensive bibliography, with more than 550 entries (most unannotated), is an excellent starting point for the student of royal and noble medieval genealogy. I'm pleased to recommend this edition without qualification.

[For a very detailed and scholarly critical review, see: David H. Kelley, "A Medieval Miscellany: Commentaries on Roderick W. Stuart's Royalty for Commoners." The American Genealogist 69 (April 1994):110-18.]

Turton, W. H. The Plantagenet Ancestry. London: Phillimore & Co., 1928 (Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., 1968).

While long regarded as a classic guide in English, the lack of citations makes the contents of this oversized volume difficult to double-check. It's all in chart form, both wheel-type and tabular. Numerous errors (some merely disagree ments in interpretation) have been uncovered by later researchers, but his is still a good starting point. Dates are included only intermittently, however, and the prefatory text is of very limited use.

Van Kerrebrouck, Patrick. La Maison de Bourbon, 1256-1987. Villeneuve: npub, 1987.

This very detailed, heavily indexed volume of more than 800 pages is by far the most thorough source for lineages of the Bourbon dynasties in all their national branches, including Spain, Luxembourg, and Parma; "enfants naturels" also are noted. Moreover, this is only the first volume in a promised series of French royal houses; four more volumes eventually with cover the Merovinginans, Carolingians, Capetians, and Valois, and the associated monarchs of Portugal and Brazil. Volume 6 will cover the Order du Saint-Esprit from 1789 to the present, and Volume 7 will be a round-up of documents and texts. An estimated 40 percent of this backbreaker is given over to source citations and discursive notes, so the serious student may cite Van Kerrebrouck with some confidence . . . and should watch for future volumes.

Walsh, Paul. Irish Chiefs and Leaders. (Edited by Colm O'Lochlainn) Dublin: At the Sign of the Three Candles, 1960.

The division of Ireland into counties is of English origin, but their names are another matter, from the Norse Waterford to the ancient Gaelic Meath, the "middle land." And as the true High Kings of Ireland reigned at Tara, so the island's peerage was its local kings and chiefs. Father Walsh, a reliable and influential historian on the ancient noble families of Ireland, here investigates a sampling, including the O'Neills, Reillys, Molloys, O'Rourkes, Kavanaghs, and the great house of O'Connor. Of the three Celtic lands conquered by the Anglo-Normans, the Welsh were subjugated and the Scots infiltrated their antagonists but the old Irish ruling families kept themselves apart (and paid the price). A book to steep yourself in.

Weir, Alison. Britain's Royal Families: The Complete Genealogy. London: The Bodley Head, 1989.

This volume does not pretend to represent original research, but is a convenient compilation incorporating information from many alternative sources. Most published lineages on the British monarchy are interested primarily in the line of succession, which usually has been male. Descendants of female royals generally get short shrift, but Weir provides at least basic information on all children and grandchildren of each sovereign, together with their spouses. This makes connections to other highly placed English and Continental families and to the royalty of other countries much easier to follow. Coverage is from Egbert in the late 8th century to the present day (including Scotland) and the index is very well done (and necessary). An eleven-page bibliography leads the reader to a fairly large number of other secondary works. The only thing missing here is footnotes citing sources but the reader should rely on the Complete Peerage for that and use Weir as a ready reference tool only. A very useful addition to one's bookshelf.

Weis, Frederick Lewis. Ancestral Roots of Certain American Colonists Who Came to America before 1700: The Lineage of Alfred the Great, Charlemagne, Malcolm of Scotland, Robert the Strong, and Some of Their Descendants. With additions and corrections by Walter Lee Sheppard, Jr. 7th edition. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., 1992. [Formerly Ancestral Roots of Sixty Colonists Who Came to New England Between 1623 and 1650.]

First published in 1950, this classic improves with each new edition; "bad" lines are excised completely each time, the lengthy text-notes are very useful, and extensive citations appear for almost every entry. There's hardly a noble family in Europe west of the Dnieper River that does not appear in this book. Dr. Weis died in 1966 and Sheppard, himself a renowned genealogist, undertook (very successfully) to maintain his high standards; the 4th and subsequent editions have been the result of his own editorial labors. A very inexpensive work, especially compared to many of the other titles in this list; this one should be on every genealogist's bookshelf.

Zophy, Jonathan W. (ed.). The Holy Roman Empire: A Dictionary Handbook. Westport, Connecticut: Greenwood Press, 1980.

It took the author some fifteen years to compile this now-standard reference work, and he would no doubt shudder at "mere genealogists" making use of it, but go ahead and do it anyway. Excellent for sorting out the minor German houses.

I hadn't intended to include in this bibliography individual biographies of monarchs or other rulers; that might easily triple the size of this volume. But I find I have to make an exception for a particularly praiseworthy series of uniformly high quality: the "English Monarch" series from the University of California Press, edited by J. J. Scarisbrick. Twelve titles have been published in the past thirty years, so don't expect completion in the immediate future, but the following have appeared so far and all are highly recommended.

In order of publication:

Douglas, David C. William the Conqueror (1964).

Davis, Ralph H.C. King Stephen (1967).

Scarisbrick, J. J. Henry VIII (1968).

Barlow, Frank. Edward the Confessor (1970).

Chrimes, Stanley B. Henry VII (1972).

Warren, Wilfrid L. King John (1978).

Ross, Charles. Richard III (1981).

Barlow, Frank. William Rufus (1983).

Preswich, Michael. Edward I (1988).

Allmand, Christopher. Henry V (1992).

Please direct comments and inquiries to: Michael K. Smith

©1997-2001 Michael K. Smith / Updated: 4/01/2001