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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Braughing, Hertfordshire
Colchester, Essex
Little Hadham, Hertfordshire
Bishop's Stortford, Hertfordshire
Takeley, Essex
Great Dunmow, Essex
Braintree, Essex
Coggeshall, Essex
Marks Tey, Essex
Stane Street to Colchester is in Roman Roads.
Stane Street to Colchester is a Roman Road between Braughing, Hertfordshire [Map] and Colchester, Essex [Map]. It travelled through Little Hadham, Hertfordshire [Map], Bishop's Stortford, Hertfordshire [Map], Takeley, Essex [Map], Great Dunmow, Essex [Map], Braintree, Essex [Map], Coggeshall, Essex [Map] and Marks Tey, Essex [Map].
Braughing, Hertfordshire [Map] was a small Roman Town at the junction of Ermine Street and Stane Street to Colchester. There was a planned street grid where thatched timber buildings, which lasted until about AD 60, were constructed. Not long afterwards substantial masonry structures were also constructed, including an L-shaped building with bath suite which was still in use in the 4th century. Coins of Tasciovanus (c. 20BC - AD10) are known from the site identifying an associated with the Catuvellauni. The final Roman coin evidence from the site is associated with Arcadius (AD383 - 408).