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: Lusignan
Around 1150 Guy I King Jerusalem was born to [his father] Hugh VIII of Lusignan [age 42] and [his mother] Bourgogne Dame de Fontenay Taillebourg Countess Lusignan at Lusignan.
In 1151 [his father] Hugh VIII of Lusignan [age 43] succeeded VIII Seigneur of Lusignan.
On 27th March 1168 Eleanor of Aquitaine Queen Consort Franks and England [age 46] and her party were ambushed by brothers Guy I King Jerusalem [age 18] and Geoffrey Lusignan [age 18].
Patrick of Salisbury 1st Earl Salisbury [age 46] was killed. He was buried at the Church of St Hilary, Poitiers. His son William [age 18] succeeded 2nd Earl Salisbury.
William Marshal 1st Earl Pembroke [age 22] held off the enemy, was wounded and captured whilst Eleanor escaped. Eleanor subsequently paid his ransom.
Around 1170 [his father] Hugh VIII of Lusignan [age 62] died. His grandson Hugh [age 7] succeeded IX Seigneur of Lusignan.
In August 1186 [his step-son] Baldwin V King Jerusalem [age 9] died. His mother [his wife] Sibylla [age 26] succeeded Queen Jerusalem.
In August 1186 [his brother-in-law] Baldwin IV King Jerusalem [age 25] died at Jerusalem [Map]. He was buried in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre [Map]. His nephew [his step-son] Baldwin [age 9] succeeded V King Jerusalem.
In August 1186 Guy I King Jerusalem [age 36] was appointed I King Jerusalem.
In August 1186 Guy I King Jerusalem [age 36] and Sibylla Anjou Queen Jerusalem [age 26] were married. She the daughter of Almaric I King Jerusalem and Agnes Courtenay Queen Jerusalem.
In 1190 Conrad of Montferrat King of Jerusalem [age 44] and [his sister-in-law] Isabella Anjou Queen Jerusalem [age 18] were married; see
Ralph of Coggeshall. The difference in their ages was 26 years. She the daughter of Almaric I King Jerusalem and Maria Komnenos Queen Jerusalem [age 36].
In 1190 [his wife] Sibylla Anjou Queen Jerusalem [age 30] died. Her half sister [his sister-in-law] Isabella [age 18] succeeded Queen Jerusalem.
On 1st May 1191 King Richard "Lionheart" I of England [age 33] arrived in Limassol [Map] where he met with Guy I King Jerusalem [age 41].
In or before 1177 William Montferrat and Sibylla Anjou Queen Jerusalem were married. She the daughter of Almaric I King Jerusalem and Agnes Courtenay Queen Jerusalem.
Jean de Waurin's Chronicle of England Volume 6 Books 3-6: The Wars of the Roses
Jean de Waurin was a French Chronicler, from the Artois region, who was born around 1400, and died around 1474. Waurin’s Chronicle of England, Volume 6, covering the period 1450 to 1471, from which we have selected and translated Chapters relating to the Wars of the Roses, provides a vivid, original, contemporary description of key events some of which he witnessed first-hand, some of which he was told by the key people involved with whom Waurin had a personal relationship.
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[his father] Hugh VIII of Lusignan and [his mother] Bourgogne Dame de Fontenay Taillebourg Countess Lusignan were married. She by marriage Seigneur of Lusignan. He the son of [his grandfather] Hugh "Brown" VII of Lusignan II Count of La Marche and [his grandmother] Saracine Lezay Countess Lusignan and La Marche.
Great x 2 Grandfather: Hugh "Fair and Pious" Lusignan
Great x 1 Grandfather: Hugh "Devil" VI of Lusignan I Count of La Marche
Great x 3 Grandfather: Bernard La Marche Count La Marche
Great x 2 Grandmother: Almodis La Marche Margrave Provence
GrandFather: Hugh "Brown" VII of Lusignan II Count of La Marche
Great x 3 Grandfather: Geoffrey Thouars
Great x 2 Grandfather: Aimery Thouars
Great x 1 Grandmother: Hildegarde Thouars Countess Lusignan and La Marche
Great x 2 Grandmother: Aremgarde Mauleon
Father: Hugh VIII of Lusignan
GrandMother: Saracine Lezay Countess Lusignan and La Marche
GrandFather: Geoffroy de Rancon Taillebourg
Mother: Bourgogne Dame de Fontenay Taillebourg Countess Lusignan