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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Paternal Family Tree: Brienne
On 15th August 1209 [her future husband] Frederick I King Jerusalem II Holy Roman Emperor [aged 14] and Constance Barcelona [aged 30] were married at Messina, Sicily [Map]. She the daughter of Alfonso II King Aragon and Sancha Ivrea Queen Consort Aragon. He the son of Henry Hohenstaufen VI Holy Roman Emperor. They were third cousin once removed.
Before 1212 [her father] John de Brienne I King Jerusalem [aged 41] and [her mother] Maria the Marquise Unknown were married. He the son of [her grandfather] Erard Brienne II Count Brienne and [her grandmother] Agnès Montfaucon Countess Brienne.
In 1212 Isabella Brienne II Queen Jerusalem was appointed II King Jerusalem.
In 1212 Isabella Brienne II Queen Jerusalem was born to [her father] John de Brienne I King Jerusalem [aged 42] and [her mother] Maria the Marquise Unknown.
In 1214 [her father] John de Brienne I King Jerusalem [aged 44] and Stephanie Lambron were married. He the son of [her grandfather] Erard Brienne II Count Brienne and [her grandmother] Agnès Montfaucon Countess Brienne.
On 9th November 1225 Frederick I King Jerusalem II Holy Roman Emperor [aged 30] and Isabella Brienne II Queen Jerusalem [aged 13] were married. He by marriage John I King Jerusalem. She the daughter of John de Brienne I King Jerusalem [aged 55] and Maria the Marquise Unknown. He the son of Henry Hohenstaufen VI Holy Roman Emperor.
In November 1226 [her daughter] Margareta Hohenstaufen was born to [her husband] Frederick I King Jerusalem II Holy Roman Emperor [aged 31] and Isabella Brienne II Queen Jerusalem [aged 14]. She died aged less than one years old.
On 25th April 1228 [her son] Conrad Hohenstaufen King Germany was born to [her husband] Frederick I King Jerusalem II Holy Roman Emperor [aged 33] and Isabella Brienne II Queen Jerusalem [aged 16].
On 20th July 1235 [her husband] Frederick I King Jerusalem II Holy Roman Emperor [aged 40] and Isabella Plantagenet Holy Roman Empress [aged 21] were married at Worms Cathedral [Map]. She the daughter of King John of England and Isabella of Angoulême Queen Consort England [aged 47]. He the son of Henry Hohenstaufen VI Holy Roman Emperor. They were fourth cousin once removed.
On 13th December 1250 [her husband] Frederick I King Jerusalem II Holy Roman Emperor [aged 55] died. [her step-son] Henry VII King Germany was appointed VII King Germany.
Abbot John Whethamstede’s Chronicle of the Abbey of St Albans
Abbot John Whethamstede's Register aka Chronicle of his second term at the Abbey of St Albans, 1451-1461, is a remarkable text that describes his first-hand experience of the beginning of the Wars of the Roses including the First and Second Battles of St Albans, 1455 and 1461, respectively, their cause, and their consequences, not least on the Abbey itself. His text also includes Loveday, Blore Heath, Northampton, the Act of Accord, Wakefield, and Towton, and ends with the Coronation of King Edward IV. In addition to the events of the Wars of the Roses, Abbot John, or his scribes who wrote the Chronicle, include details in the life of the Abbey such as charters, letters, land exchanges, visits by legates, and disputes, which provide a rich insight into the day-to-day life of the Abbey, and the challenges faced by its Abbot.
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[her father] John de Brienne I King Jerusalem and Beregaria Ivrea were married. The difference in their ages was 34 years. She the daughter of Alfonso IX King Leon and Berengaria Ivrea I Queen Castile. He the son of [her grandfather] Erard Brienne II Count Brienne and [her grandmother] Agnès Montfaucon Countess Brienne.
GrandFather: Erard Brienne II Count Brienne
Father: John de Brienne I King Jerusalem
Great x 1 Grandfather: Amadeus Montfaucon
GrandMother: Agnès Montfaucon Countess Brienne
Isabella Brienne II Queen Jerusalem
Mother: Maria the Marquise Unknown