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.
Available at Amazon in eBook and Paperback format.
Count Perche is in Counts of France.
In 866 Ranulf II Duke Aquitaine [aged 16] succeeded Count Perche.
In 1044 Rotrou Chateaudun II Count Perche succeeded II Count Perche.
In 1080 Rotrou Chateaudun II Count Perche died. His son Geoffrey succeeded III Count Perche. Beatrix de Ramerupt Montdidier Countess Mortain and Perche by marriage Countess Perche.
In October 1100 Geoffrey Chateaudun II Count Mortain III Count Perche died. His son Routrou [aged 20] succeeded III Count Perche.
Before 1120 Routrou "The Great" Chateaudun III Count Perche [aged 39] and Matilda Fitzroy Countess Perche were married. She by marriage Countess Perche. She the illegitmate daughter of King Henry I "Beauclerc" England [aged 51]. He the son of Geoffrey Chateaudun II Count Mortain III Count Perche and Beatrix de Ramerupt Montdidier Countess Mortain and Perche.
Before 1135 Routrou "The Great" Chateaudun III Count Perche [aged 54] and Hawise Salisbury Countess Dreux [aged 16] were married. She by marriage Countess Perche. The difference in their ages was 38 years. He the son of Geoffrey Chateaudun II Count Mortain III Count Perche and Beatrix de Ramerupt Montdidier Countess Mortain and Perche.
On 6th May 1144 Routrou "The Great" Chateaudun III Count Perche [aged 64] died. His son Routrou [aged 9] succeeded IV Count Perche.
Before 1189 Geoffrey Chateaudun III Count Perche and Matilda Countess Perche were married. She by marriage Countess Perche. He the son of Routrou Chateaudun IV Count Perche [aged 53] and Matilda Blois Countess Perche.
In 1189 Geoffrey Chateaudun III Count Perche and Matilda Welf Countess Perche [aged 17] were married at Rouen, France [Map]. She by marriage Countess Perche. She the daughter of Henry "Lion" Welf XII Duke Saxony III Duke Bavaria [aged 60] and Matilda Plantagenet Duchess Saxony [aged 32]. He the son of Routrou Chateaudun IV Count Perche [aged 54] and Matilda Blois Countess Perche. They were third cousin once removed. He a great x 2 grandson of King William "Conqueror" I of England. She a granddaughter of King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England.
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.
Available at Amazon in eBook and Paperback format.
In 1191 Geoffrey Chateaudun III Count Perche succeeded III Count Perche.
In 1202 Thomas Chateaudun I Count Perche [aged 7] succeeded I Count Perche.
On 20th May 1217 William Chateaudun Bishop Châlons sur Marne succeeded II Count Perche.
In 1419 Thomas Montagu 1st Count Perche 4th Earl Salisbury [aged 30] was created 1st Count Perche.
Routrou Chateaudun IV Count Perche and Matilda Blois Countess Perche were married. She by marriage Countess Perche. She the daughter of Theobald Blois II Count Champagne IV Count Blois and Matilda Carinthia Countess Champagne and Blois. He the son of Routrou "The Great" Chateaudun III Count Perche and Hawise Salisbury Countess Dreux.
Thomas Beaufort Count Perche was appointed Count Perche.
Geoffrey Chateaudun I Count Perche was created I Count Perche.
Hugh Chateaudun I Count Perche succeeded I Count Perche, III Viscount Châteaudun.
Thomas Chateaudun I Count Perche and Hélisende Rethel Countess Perche were married. She by marriage Countess Perche. She the daughter of Hugh Rethel II Count Rethel. He the son of Geoffrey Chateaudun III Count Perche and Matilda Welf Countess Perche. They were fifth cousin once removed. He a great grandson of King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England.
Hugh Chateaudun I Count Perche and Adela Countess Perche were married. She by marriage Countess Perche, Viscountess Châteaudun. He the son of Geoffrey Chateaudun I Count Perche and Helvise Corbon Viscountess Châteaudun.
William of Worcester's Chronicle of England
William of Worcester, born around 1415, and died around 1482 was secretary to John Fastolf, the renowned soldier of the Hundred Years War, during which time he collected documents, letters, and wrote a record of events. Following their return to England in 1440 William was witness to major events. Twice in his chronicle he uses the first person: 1. when writing about the murder of Thomas, 7th Baron Scales, in 1460, he writes '… and I saw him lying naked in the cemetery near the porch of the church of St. Mary Overie in Southwark …' and 2. describing King Edward IV's entry into London in 1461 he writes '… proclaimed that all the people themselves were to recognize and acknowledge Edward as king. I was present and heard this, and immediately went down with them into the city'. William’s Chronicle is rich in detail. It is the source of much information about the Wars of the Roses, including the term 'Diabolical Marriage' to describe the marriage of Queen Elizabeth Woodville’s brother John’s marriage to Katherine, Dowager Duchess of Norfolk, he aged twenty, she sixty-five or more, and the story about a paper crown being placed in mockery on the severed head of Richard, 3rd Duke of York.
Available at Amazon in eBook and Paperback format.
Rotrou Chateaudun II Count Perche and Adeliza de Bellême Countess Perche were married. She by marriage Countess Perche, Viscountess Châteaudun. He the son of Geoffrey Chateaudun I Count Perche and Helvise Corbon Viscountess Châteaudun.