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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Biography of Sofonisba Anguissola 1532-1625

Sofonisba Anguissola is in Painters.

Around 1532 Sofonisba Anguissola was born.

Around 1555 Sofonisba Anguissola (age 23). Portrait of Joanna of Austria Grand Duchess Tuscany (age 7).

Joanna of Austria Grand Duchess Tuscany: On 24th January 1547 she was born to Ferdinand I Holy Roman Emperor and Anne Jagiellon. On 18th December 1565 Francesco I de Medici Grand Duke of Tuscany and she were married. She by marriage Grand Duchess Tuscany. She the daughter of Ferdinand I Holy Roman Emperor and Anne Jagiellon. On 10th April 1578 Joanna of Austria Grand Duchess Tuscany died.

Around 1556 Sofonisba Anguissola (age 24). Self-Portrait.

Around 1560 Sofonisba Anguissola (age 28). Self-Portrait.

Around 1563 Sofonisba Anguissola (age 31). Portrait of Elizabeth Valois Queen Consort Spain (age 17).

Around 1573 Sofonisba Anguissola (age 41). Portrait of Anna of Austria Queen Consort Spain (age 23).

Around 1573 Sofonisba Anguissola (age 41). Portrait of Philip "The Prudent" II King Spain (age 45).

Around 1599 Sofonisba Anguissola (age 67). Portrait of Elizabeth Valois Queen Consort Spain.

Around 1624 Anthony Van Dyck (age 24). Portrait of Sofonisba Anguissola (age 92) aged ninety-two.

Anne Boleyn. Her Life as told by Lancelot de Carle's 1536 Letter.

In 1536, two weeks after the execution of Anne Boleyn, her brother George and four others, Lancelot du Carle, wrote an extraordinary letter that described Anne's life, and her trial and execution, to which he was a witness. This book presents a new translation of that letter, with additional material from other contemporary sources such as Letters, Hall's and Wriothesley's Chronicles, the pamphlets of Wynkyn the Worde, the Memorial of George Constantyne, the Portuguese Letter and the Baga de Secrets, all of which are provided in Appendices.

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On 16th November 1625 Sofonisba Anguissola (age 93) died.