Cotton Roll XIII 33

This manuscript may also be referred to Cotton Charter XIII 33. Order as Cotton Roll XIII 33.

Contents:

A universal chronicle in four columns with a history of popes until Urban VI (d. 1389), of emperors (Roman and medieval) until Ludwig IV of Bavaria (d.1347), a genealogy of the kings of France until Charles VI and his children including dauphin Louis, who died in 1415, and the future Charles VII as count of Ponthieu (a version of the ‘A tous nobles’ text, but excluding the prologue), a genealogy of the kings of England until Henry IV. Imperfect at the beginning.

Membranes 1-8: The text is laid out in four columns until the end of the popes, emperors and kings of England; afterwards, the remaining text for the kings of France is written across the roll in two columns, finishing with a paragraph across the full page. Each column of text is accompanied in the margin by a circle and line diagram, representing a line of succession of rulers or a genealogical tree.

Membrane 1 (incipits):

Column 1: rubric missing, first paragraph illegible, apart from initial N[ostre Seigneur].

Column 2: ‘Cy s’ensuivent les empereurs qui ont regné a Romme depuis Julles Cesar qui premier en fu empereur, jusques a Loys de Baviere qui en fu empereur en l’an M IIIC XVIII, et combien chascun a regné, [et] de leur mort.’

Column 3: ‘Cy s’ensuivent les ligniés des roys de France. Et conment les generacions sont descendues l’une de l’autre. Et conment ilz sont faillies. Et si parle en brief de leurs faiz, et en quel temps ilz ont regné et combien, et ou ilz gisent, et quielx enfans ilz ont eu. Et en quel temps la cité de Lutesse fu conmenchié, et conment elle fu nommee Paris. Et conment le royaume de Gaule fu nommé France.’

Column 4 (washed out, corner missing): ‘Cy suit [des roys qui ont regné en Engleterre] depuis ihucrist et [depuis le temps de Julius Cesar] jusques au roy Rich[ard et combien chascun] a regné jusques en l’an [mil IIIC quatre vins et XVI?]’.

Although the prologue announces a history of popes until Alexander V (1409-10), the text finishes with Urban VI, during whose reign the Great Schism started; the roundels of the genealogical tree continue after him with Alexander V, the ‘third pope’ elected by the Council of Pisa, and his successor John (1410-15) (now known as anti-pope John XXIII) (membrane 7).

The genealogy of the kings of France, 'A tous nobles' in this manuscripts is very similar to the version in Add MS 26768.

The dorse of the roll is blank (dorse abbreviated as d).

Decoration:

A genealogical diagram with roundels and lines of succession in red, with pen-drawings in red and brown on green grounds. Two large roundels contain maps or schema of ‘la Petite Bretaigne’ (membrane 2) and England (membrane 6). Other roundels contain major cities, castles, monastic orders or churches whose foundation is attributed to rulers or the period of their reign, for example the city of Constantinople (membrane 3), the abbeys of Tournai, Saint Vaast and St Denis (membrane 4), Aachen cathedral and Mont Saint Michel (membrane 5), the Cistercian order at Citeaux (membrane 6) and la Sainte Chapelle (membrane 7). A group of roundels show the Anglo-Saxon Heptarchy (membrane 4). Four initials at the beginning of the text in blue and rose with foliate decoration in black and gold (membrane 1). Initials in red or blue. Rubrics in red.