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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Warwick Castle is in Warwick, Warwickshire [Map], Castles in Warwickshire.
Around 1235 Margaret Beauchamp was born to William Beauchamp [aged 20] and Isabel Maudit at Warwick Castle [Map].
Before 1237 William Beauchamp [aged 21] and Isabel Maudit were married. She brought into the possession of Warwick Castle [Map] being the heir of her father.
Before May 1264 John Giffard 1st Baron Giffard Brimpsfield [aged 32] attacked at Warwick Castle [Map].
Around 1310 Maud Beauchamp Baroness Say was born to Guy Beauchamp 10th Earl Warwick [aged 38] and Alice Tosny Countess Warwick [aged 25] at Warwick Castle [Map]. She married in or before 1325 her fifth cousin Geoffrey Saye 2nd Baron Say, son of Geoffrey Saye 1st Baron Say and Idonea Leybourne Baroness Say, and had issue.
On 9th June 1312 Piers Gaveston 1st Earl Cornwall [aged 28], under the protection of Aymer de Valence 2nd Earl Pembroke [aged 37], stayed at The Rectory, Deddington whilst en route south. Aymer de Valence 2nd Earl Pembroke left Piers Gaveston 1st Earl Cornwall there whilst he left to visit his wife. The following morning Guy Beauchamp 10th Earl Warwick [aged 40], with Edmund Fitzalan 2nd or 9th Earl of Arundel [aged 27], Humphrey Bohun 4th Earl Hereford 3rd Earl Essex [aged 36] and John Botetort 1st Baron Botetort [aged 47] arrested Piers Gaveston 1st Earl Cornwall and took him to Warwick Castle [Map].
Around 15th June 1312 Piers Gaveston 1st Earl Cornwall [aged 28] was tried at Warwick Castle [Map] by Guy Beauchamp 10th Earl Warwick [aged 40], Humphrey Bohun 4th Earl Hereford 3rd Earl Essex [aged 36], Thomas Plantagenet 2nd Earl of Leicester, 2nd Earl Lancaster, Earl of Salisbury and Lincoln [aged 34] and Edmund Fitzalan 2nd or 9th Earl of Arundel [aged 27]. He was condemned to death.
On 14th February 1313 Thomas Beauchamp 11th Earl Warwick was born to Guy Beauchamp 10th Earl Warwick [aged 41] and Alice Tosny Countess Warwick [aged 28] at Warwick Castle [Map]. He married 19th April 1319 his half second cousin once removed Katherine Mortimer Countess Warwick, daughter of Roger Mortimer 1st Earl March and Joan Geneville Baroness Mortimer 2nd Baroness Geneville, and had issue.
Around 1316 Elizabeth Beauchamp Baroness Astley was born to Guy Beauchamp 10th Earl Warwick and Alice Tosny Countess Warwick [aged 31] at Warwick Castle [Map]. She married after 1316 her sixth cousin Thomas Astley 3rd Baron Astley and had issue.
Around 1376 Margaret Beauchamp was born to Thomas Beauchamp 12th Earl Warwick [aged 37] and Margaret Ferrers Countess Warwick [aged 29] at Warwick Castle [Map]. She a great x 4 granddaughter of King Edward I of England. She married before 1403 Giles Daubeney and had issue.
On 5th September 1451 Isabel Neville Duchess Clarence was born to Richard "Kingmaker" Neville Earl Warwick, 6th Earl Salisbury [aged 22] and Anne Beauchamp 16th Countess Warwick [aged 25] at Warwick Castle [Map]. She a great x 3 granddaughter of King Edward III of England. She married 11th July 1469 her first cousin once removed George York 1st Duke of Clarence, son of Richard Plantagenet 3rd Duke of York and Cecily "Rose of Raby" Neville Duchess York, and had issue.
Around 5th August 1469 King Edward IV of England [aged 27] was imprisoned at Warwick Castle [Map].
On 25th February 1475 Edward "Last Plantagenet" York 17th Earl Warwick was born to George York 1st Duke of Clarence [aged 25] and Isabel Neville Duchess Clarence [aged 23] at Warwick Castle [Map]. He a great x 3 grandson of King Edward III of England. Coefficient of inbreeding 5.41%.
This is a translation of the 'Memoires of Jacques du Clercq', published in 1823 in two volumes, edited by Frederic, Baron de Reissenberg. In his introduction Reissenberg writes: 'Jacques du Clercq tells us that he was born in 1424, and that he was a licentiate in law and a counsellor to Philip the Good, Duke of Burgundy, in the castellany of Douai, Lille, and Orchies. It appears that he established his residence at Arras. In 1446, he married the daughter of Baldwin de la Lacherie, a gentleman who lived in Lille. We read in the fifth book of his Memoirs that his father, also named Jacques du Clercq, had married a lady of the Le Camelin family, from Compiègne. His ancestors, always attached to the counts of Flanders, had constantly served them, whether in their councils or in their armies.' The Memoires cover a period of nineteen years beginning in in 1448, ending in in 1467. It appears that the author had intended to extend the Memoirs beyond that date; no doubt illness or death prevented him from carrying out this plan. As Reissenberg writes the 'merit of this work lies in the simplicity of its narrative, in its tone of good faith, and in a certain air of frankness which naturally wins the reader’s confidence.' Du Clercq ranges from events of national and international importance, including events of the Wars of the Roses in England, to simple, everyday local events such as marriages, robberies, murders, trials and deaths, including that of his own father in Book 5; one of his last entries.
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On 22nd December 1476 Isabel Neville Duchess Clarence [aged 25] died from childbirth at Warwick Castle [Map]. The cause of death uncertain but likely a consequence of the birth of her fourth child Richard in early October. She was buried in Tewkesbury Abbey [Map]. The Founders Book of Tewkesbury Abbey Folio 39v records her death. George York 1st Duke of Clarence [aged 27] believed she had been murdered by Ankarette Hawkeston aka Twynyho. See Trial and Execution of Ankarette Twynyho.
On 1st January 1477 Richard York died at Warwick Castle [Map]. He was buried at Warwick Castle [Map].
After 1520 Richard Cecil [aged 25] was appointed Groom of the Robes and Constable of Warwick Castle.
On 12th August 1624 Simon Archer [aged 42] was knighted at Warwick Castle [Map].
After 10th July 1648 Henry Rich 1st Earl Holland [aged 57] was imprisoned at Warwick Castle [Map].
John Evelyn's Diary. 3rd August 1654. We passed next through Warwick [Map], and saw the castle [Map], the dwelling house of the Lord Brook [aged 15], and the furniture noble. It is built on an eminent rock which gives prospect into a most goodly green, a woody and plentifully watered country; the river running so delightfully under it, that it may pass for one of the most surprising seats one should meet with. The gardens are prettily disposed; but might be much improved. Here they showed us Sir Guy's great two-handed sword, staff, horse-arms, pot, and other relics of that famous knight-errant. Warwick is a fair old town, and hath one church full of ancient. Monuments.
Around 1775. Paul Sandby [aged 44]. The East Front of "Warwick Castle [Map]".
Around 1775. Paul Sandby [aged 44]. "Warwick Castle [Map]".
The Deeds of the Dukes of Normandy
The Gesta Normannorum Ducum [The Deeds of the Dukes of Normandy] is a landmark medieval chronicle tracing the rise and fall of the Norman dynasty from its early roots through the pivotal events surrounding the Norman Conquest of England. Originally penned in Latin by the monk William of Jumièges shortly before 1060 and later expanded at the behest of William the Conqueror, the work chronicles the deeds, politics, battles, and leadership of the Norman dukes, especially William’s own claim to the English throne. The narrative combines earlier historical sources with firsthand information and oral testimony to present an authoritative account of Normandy’s transformation from a Viking settlement into one of medieval Europe’s most powerful realms. William’s history emphasizes the legitimacy, military prowess, and governance of the Norman line, framing their expansion, including the conquest of England, as both divinely sanctioned and noble in purpose. Later chroniclers such as Orderic Vitalis and Robert of Torigni continued the history, extending the coverage into the 12th century, providing broader context on ducal rule and its impact. Today this classic work remains a foundational source for understanding Norman identity, medieval statesmanship, and the historical forces that reshaped England and Western Europe between 800AD and 1100AD.
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1834. Engraving by J C Bentley after George Cattermole [aged 33]. "Warwick Castle [Map]".
1852. William Pitt [aged 34]. Warwick Castle [Map].
On 2nd December 1893 George Greville 4th Earl Warwick 4th Earl Brooke [aged 75] died at Warwick Castle [Map]. His son Francis [aged 40] succeeded 5th Earl Warwick, 5th Earl Brooke Warwick Castle, 12th Baron Brooke of Beauchamps Court in Warwickshire. Frances Evelyn "Daisy" Maynard Countess Warwick [aged 31] by marriage Countess Warwick.
Walter Beauchamp and Emmeline d'Abetot were married. She, being the heir of her father, brought Elmley Castle, Worcestershire and Holt Manor [Map] into the possession of Walter Beauchamp. It remained the family seat until his descendant William Beauchamp 1215-1268 married Isabel Maudit by which Warwick Castle [Map] came in to the possession of the Beauchamp family.
Richard Dudley died at Warwick Castle [Map].
