Chronicle of a Bourgeois of Valenciennes
Récits d’un bourgeois de Valenciennes aka The Chronicle of a Bourgeois of Valenciennes is a vivid 14th-century vernacular chronicle written by an anonymous urban chronicler from Valenciennes in the County of Hainaut. It survives in a manuscript that describes local and regional history from about 1253 to 1366, blending chronology, narrative episodes, and eyewitness-style accounts of political, military, and social events in medieval France, Flanders, and the Low Countries. The work begins with a chronological framework of events affecting Valenciennes and its region under rulers such as King Philip VI of France and the shifting allegiances of local nobility. It includes accounts of conflicts, sieges, diplomatic manoeuvres, and the impact of broader struggles like the Hundred Years’ War on urban life in Hainaut. Written from the perspective of a burgher (bourgeois) rather than a monastery or royal court, the chronicle offers a rare lay viewpoint on high politics and warfare, reflecting how merchants, townspeople, and civic institutions experienced the turbulence of the 13th and 14th centuries. Its narrative style combines straightforward reporting of events with moral and civic observations, making it a valuable source for readers interested in medieval urban society, regional politics, and the lived experience of war and governance in pre-modern Europe.
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Paternal Family Tree: Brudenell
On 31st March 1926 Michael Brudenell-Bruce 8th Marquess of Ailesbury was born to [his father] Cedric Brudenell-Bruce 7th Marquess of Ailesbury [aged 22].
On 17th March 1952 Michael Brudenell-Bruce 8th Marquess of Ailesbury [aged 25] and Edwina Sylvia de Winton-Wills [aged 19] were married. He the son of Cedric Brudenell-Bruce 7th Marquess of Ailesbury [aged 48].
On 12th November 1952 [his son] David Brudenell-Bruce 9th Marquess of Ailesbury was born to Michael Brudenell-Bruce 8th Marquess of Ailesbury [aged 26] and [his wife] Edwina Sylvia de Winton-Wills [aged 19]. He married (1) 1980 Rosamund Jane Winkley Marchioness of Ailesbury.
In 1961 Michael Brudenell-Bruce 8th Marquess of Ailesbury [aged 34] and Edwina Sylvia de Winton-Wills [aged 28] were divorced.
On 4th August 1961 [his grandfather] George Brudenell-Bruce 6th Marquess of Ailesbury [aged 88] died. His son [his father] Cedric [aged 57] succeeded 7th Marquess Ailesbury, 13th Earl Cardigan, 8th Earl Ailesbury, 7th Earl Bruce of Whorlton in Yorkshire, 7th Viscount Savernake of Savernake Forest in Wiltshire, 13th Baron Brudenell of Stonton in Leicestershire, 8th Baron Bruce of Tottenham in Wiltshire.
On 10th July 1963 Michael Brudenell-Bruce 8th Marquess of Ailesbury [aged 37] and Juliet Adrienne Lethbridge Kingsford were married. He the son of Cedric Brudenell-Bruce 7th Marquess of Ailesbury [aged 59].
In 1974 Michael Brudenell-Bruce 8th Marquess of Ailesbury [aged 47] and Juliet Adrienne Lethbridge Kingsford were divorced.
On 15th July 1974 [his father] Cedric Brudenell-Bruce 7th Marquess of Ailesbury [aged 70] died. His son Michael [aged 48] succeeded 8th Marquess Ailesbury, 14th Earl Cardigan, 9th Earl Ailesbury, 8th Earl Bruce of Whorlton in Yorkshire, 8th Viscount Savernake of Savernake Forest in Wiltshire, 14th Baron Brudenell of Stonton in Leicestershire, 9th Baron Bruce of Tottenham in Wiltshire.
On 18th September 1974 Michael Brudenell-Bruce 8th Marquess of Ailesbury [aged 48] and Caroline Elizabeth Wethered Marchioness of Ailesbury [aged 37] were married. She by marriage Marchioness Ailesbury. He the son of Cedric Brudenell-Bruce 7th Marquess of Ailesbury.
In 1980 David Brudenell-Bruce 9th Marquess of Ailesbury [aged 27] and Rosamund Jane Winkley Marchioness of Ailesbury [aged 31] were married. She by marriage Marchioness Ailesbury. He the son of Michael Brudenell-Bruce 8th Marquess of Ailesbury [aged 53] and Edwina Sylvia de Winton-Wills [aged 47].
The History of William Marshal was commissioned by his son shortly after William’s death in 1219 to celebrate the Marshal’s remarkable life; it is an authentic, contemporary voice. The manuscript was discovered in 1861 by French historian Paul Meyer. Meyer published the manuscript in its original Anglo-French in 1891 in two books. This book is a line by line translation of the first of Meyer’s books; lines 1-10152. Book 1 of the History begins in 1139 and ends in 1194. It describes the events of the Anarchy, the role of William’s father John, John’s marriages, William’s childhood, his role as a hostage at the siege of Newbury, his injury and imprisonment in Poitou where he met Eleanor of Aquitaine and his life as a knight errant. It continues with the accusation against him of an improper relationship with Margaret, wife of Henry the Young King, his exile, and return, the death of Henry the Young King, the rebellion of Richard, the future King Richard I, war with France, the death of King Henry II, and the capture of King Richard, and the rebellion of John, the future King John. It ends with the release of King Richard and the death of John Marshal.
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In 1992 Michael Brudenell-Bruce 8th Marquess of Ailesbury [aged 65] and Caroline Elizabeth Wethered Marchioness of Ailesbury [aged 54] were divorced.
In or before 2011 [his son] David Brudenell-Bruce 9th Marquess of Ailesbury [aged 58] and [his daughter-in-law] Rosamund Jane Winkley Marchioness of Ailesbury [aged 61] were divorced.
In 2023 [his former wife] Edwina Sylvia de Winton-Wills [aged 90] died.
On 12th May 2024 Michael Brudenell-Bruce 8th Marquess of Ailesbury [aged 98] died after falling from a window at his home in the Shepherd's Bush area of London. His son David [aged 71] succeeded 9th Marquess Ailesbury, 15th Earl Cardigan, 10th Earl Ailesbury, 9th Earl Bruce of Whorlton in Yorkshire, 9th Viscount Savernake of Savernake Forest in Wiltshire, 15th Baron Brudenell of Stonton in Leicestershire, 10th Baron Bruce of Tottenham in Wiltshire.
Kings Wessex: Great x 25 Grand Son of King Edmund "Ironside" I of England
Kings Gwynedd: Great x 22 Grand Son of Owain "Great" King Gwynedd
Kings Seisyllwg: Great x 28 Grand Son of Hywel "Dda aka Good" King Seisyllwg King Deheubarth
Kings Powys: Great x 23 Grand Son of Maredudd ap Bleddyn King Powys
Kings Godwinson: Great x 26 Grand Son of King Harold II of England
Kings England: Great x 13 Grand Son of King Henry VII of England and Ireland
Kings Scotland: Great x 24 Grand Son of King Duncan I of Scotland
Kings Franks: Great x 32 Grand Son of Charles "Charlemagne aka Great" King of the Franks King Lombardy Holy Roman Emperor
Kings France: Great x 16 Grand Son of Charles "Beloved Mad" VI King France
Kings Duke Aquitaine: Great x 30 Grand Son of Ranulf I Duke Aquitaine
Great x 4 Grandfather: Thomas Brudenell 1st Earl Ailesbury 
7 x Great Grand Son of King Henry VII of England and Ireland
Great x 3 Grandfather: Charles Brudenell 1st Marquess Ailesbury 8 x Great Grand Son of King Henry VII of England and Ireland
Great x 4 Grandmother: Susanna Hoare Countess Ailesbury 
Great x 2 Grandfather: Ernest Brudenell-Bruce 3rd Marquess Ailesbury 9 x Great Grand Son of King Henry VII of England and Ireland
Great x 4 Grandfather: Noel Hill 1st Baron Berwick 14 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 3 Grandmother: Henrietta Maria Hill 12 x Great Grand Daughter of King Henry IV of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Anna Vernon 
11 x Great Grand Daughter of King Henry IV of England
Great x 1 Grandfather: Henry Brudenell-Bruce 5th Marquess of Ailesbury 10 x Great Grand Son of King Henry VII of England and Ireland
Great x 4 Grandfather: Archbishop William Beresford 1st Baron Decies 
11 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 3 Grandfather: John Horsley Beresford 2nd Baron Decies 12 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Elizabeth Fitzgibbon
Great x 2 Grandmother: Louisa Elizabeth Horsley Beresford Marchioness Ailesbury 13 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Robert Horsley of Bolam House in Northumberland
Great x 3 Grandmother: Charlotte Philadelphia Horsley
GrandFather: George Brudenell-Bruce 6th Marquess of Ailesbury 11 x Great Grand Son of King Henry VII of England and Ireland
Father: Cedric Brudenell-Bruce 7th Marquess of Ailesbury 12 x Great Grand Son of King Henry VII of England and Ireland
Michael Brudenell-Bruce 8th Marquess of Ailesbury 13 x Great Grand Son of King Henry VII of England and Ireland