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: Ivrea
In November 1128 [her father] Alfonso VII King Castile VII King Leon (age 23) and Berenguela Barcelona Queen Consort Castile and Leon (age 12) were married. She by marriage Queen Consort Castile, Queen Consort Leon. She the daughter of Raymond III Count Barcelona (age 45) and Douce Gevaudan Countess Barcelona. He the son of [her grandfather] Raymond Ivrea and [her grandmother] Urracca "Reckless" Jiménez Queen Consort Aragon and Pamplona. They were third cousin once removed.
In 1152 [her father] Alfonso VII King Castile VII King Leon (age 46) and [her mother] Richeza Unknown Queen Consort Castile Queen Consort Leon were married. She by marriage Queen Consort Castile, Queen Consort Leon. He the son of [her grandfather] Raymond Ivrea and [her grandmother] Urracca "Reckless" Jiménez Queen Consort Aragon and Pamplona.
In 1155 Sancha Ivrea was born to [her father] Alfonso VII King Castile VII King Leon (age 49) and [her mother] Richeza Unknown Queen Consort Castile Queen Consort Leon.
On 21st August 1157 [her father] Alfonso VII King Castile VII King Leon (age 52) died. His son [her half-brother] Sancho (age 23) succeeded III King Castile. His son [her half-brother] Ferdinand (age 20) succeeded II King Leon.
On 31st August 1158 [her half-brother] Sancho III King Castile (age 24) died. His son [her nephew] Alfonso (age 2) succeeded VIII King Castile.
Before 15th August 1171 [her half-brother] Ferdinand II King Leon (age 34) and [her sister-in-law] Urraca Burgundy Queen Consort Leon (age 23) were married. She by marriage Queen Consort Leon. She the daughter of Afonso "Conqueror Founder Great" I King Portugal (age 62) and Malfada Savoy Queen Consort Portugal. He the son of [her father] Alfonso VII King Castile VII King Leon and Berenguela Barcelona Queen Consort Castile and Leon. They were half second cousins.
In 1174 [her son] Alfonso Barcelona II Count Provence was born to Alfonso II King Aragon (age 16) and Sancha Ivrea (age 19) at Barcelona [Map]. He married 1193 Gersenda II Sabran Countess Provence and had issue.
In July 1178 [her son] Peter II King Aragon was born to Alfonso II King Aragon (age 21) and Sancha Ivrea (age 23). He married Marie Montpellier Queen Consort Aragon and had issue.
In 1179 [her daughter] Constance Barcelona was born to Alfonso II King Aragon (age 21) and Sancha Ivrea (age 24). She married 15th August 1209 her third cousin once removed Frederick I King Jerusalem II Holy Roman Emperor and had issue.
On 22nd January 1188 [her half-brother] Ferdinand II King Leon (age 51) died. His son [her nephew] Alfonso (age 16) succeeded IX King Leon.
Chronicle of Geoffrey le Baker of Swinbroke
Baker was a secular clerk from Swinbroke, now Swinbrook, an Oxfordshire village two miles east of Burford. His Chronicle describes the events of the period 1303-1356: Gaveston, Bannockburn, Boroughbridge, the murder of King Edward II, the Scottish Wars, Sluys, Crécy, the Black Death, Winchelsea and Poitiers. To quote Herbert Bruce 'it possesses a vigorous and characteristic style, and its value for particular events between 1303 and 1356 has been recognised by its editor and by subsequent writers'. The book provides remarkable detail about the events it describes. Baker's text has been augmented with hundreds of notes, including extracts from other contemporary chronicles, such as the Annales Londonienses, Annales Paulini, Murimuth, Lanercost, Avesbury, Guisborough and Froissart to enrich the reader's understanding. The translation takes as its source the 'Chronicon Galfridi le Baker de Swynebroke' published in 1889, edited by Edward Maunde Thompson.
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In 1193 [her son] Alfonso Barcelona II Count Provence (age 19) and [her daughter-in-law] Gersenda II Sabran Countess Provence (age 13) were married. She by marriage Countess Provence. He the son of Alfonso II King Aragon (age 35) and Sancha Ivrea Queen Consort Aragon (age 38).
In 1208 Sancha Ivrea (age 53) died.
[her daughter] Dulcia Barcelona was born to Alfonso II King Aragon and Sancha Ivrea .
[her daughter] Sancha Barcelona Countess Toulouse was born to Alfonso II King Aragon and Sancha Ivrea . She married March 1211 her third cousin Raymond Rouerge VII , son of Raymond Count of Toulouse and Joan Plantagenet Queen Consort Sicily, and had issue.
[her daughter] Eleanor Barcelona was born to Alfonso II King Aragon and Sancha Ivrea .
Alfonso II King Aragon and Sancha Ivrea were married. She by marriage Queen Consort Aragon. She the daughter of Alfonso VII King Castile VII King Leon and Richeza Unknown Queen Consort Castile Queen Consort Leon. He the son of Raymond V Count Barcelona and Petronilla Jiménez Queen Aragon. They were half third cousin once removed.
[her son] Ferdinand Barcelona was born to Alfonso II King Aragon and Sancha Ivrea .
Kings Franks: Great x 11 Grand Daughter of Charles "Charlemagne aka Great" King of the Franks King Lombardy Holy Roman Emperor
Kings France: Great x 3 Grand Daughter of Robert "Pious" II King of the Franks
Kings Duke Aquitaine: Great x 8 Grand Daughter of Ranulf I Duke Aquitaine
Great x 4 Grandfather: Adalbert King of Italy 
Great x 3 Grandfather: Otto William Ivrea I Count Burgundy
Great x 2 Grandfather: Reginald Ivrea I Count Burgundy
Great x 4 Grandfather: Renaud Unknown
Great x 3 Grandmother: Ermentrude Countess Burgundy
Great x 1 Grandfather: William I Count Burgundy
Great x 4 Grandfather: Richard "Fearless" Normandy I Duke Normandy 
Great x 3 Grandfather: Richard "Good" Normandy II Duke Normandy
Great x 4 Grandmother: Gunnora Countess Ponthieu
Great x 2 Grandmother: Alice Normandy Countess Burgundy
Great x 4 Grandfather: Conan "Crooked" Penthièvre III Duke Brittany
Great x 3 Grandmother: Judith Penthièvre Duchess Normandy
Great x 4 Grandmother: Ermengarde Gerberga Ingelger Duchess Brittany
GrandFather: Raymond Ivrea
Great x 1 Grandmother: Ettiennette Countess Burgundy
Father: Alfonso VII King Castile VII King Leon
Great x 4 Grandfather: García Sánchez "Tremulous" II King Pamplona
Great x 3 Grandfather: Sancho "Great" III King Pamplona
Great x 4 Grandmother: Jimena Fernández Bermúdez Queen Consort Pamplona
Great x 2 Grandfather: Ferdinand "Great" I King Leon
Great x 4 Grandfather: Sancho García
Great x 3 Grandmother: Muniadona García Queen Consort Pamplona
Great x 1 Grandfather: Alfonso "Brave" VI King Leon VI King Castile
Great x 4 Grandfather: Bermudo "Gouty" II King Galicia II King Leon
Great x 3 Grandfather: Alfonso "Noble" V King Leon
Great x 4 Grandmother: Elviro Garcia Queen Galicia
Great x 2 Grandmother: Sancha Astur Leonese
Great x 4 Grandfather: Menendo González
Great x 3 Grandmother: Elvira González Queen Consort Leon
GrandMother: Urracca "Reckless" Jiménez Queen Consort Aragon and Pamplona
Great x 4 Grandfather: Hugh I King of the Franks 
Great x 3 Grandfather: Robert "Pious" II King of the Franks
Great x 4 Grandmother: Adelaide Poitiers Queen Consort France
Great x 2 Grandfather: Robert I Duke Burgundy
Great x 4 Grandfather: William "Liberator" Arles 1st Count Provence 1st Count Arles
Great x 3 Grandmother: Constance Arles Queen Consort France
Great x 4 Grandmother: Adelaide Blanche Ingelger Queen Consort West Francia
Great x 1 Grandmother: Constance Burgundy Queen Consort Castile and Leon
Great x 2 Grandmother: Helie Samur Duchess Burgundy