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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: Bourchier
Maternal Family Tree: Emma de Dinan 1136-1208
Anne Bourchier Baroness Dacre of Gilsland was appointed Lady of the Bedchamber to Catherine of Aragon Queen Consort England.
In 1466 [her father] Humphrey Bourchier [aged 31] and [her mother] Elizabeth Tilney Countess of Surrey [aged 22] were married.
In 1470 Anne Bourchier Baroness Dacre of Gilsland was born to Humphrey Bourchier [aged 35] and Elizabeth Tilney Countess of Surrey [aged 26]. She a great x 3 granddaughter of King Edward III of England.
On 14th April 1471 Edward IV [aged 28] commanded at the Battle of Barnet supported by his brothers George [aged 21] and Richard [aged 18], John Babington [aged 48], Wiliam Hastings [aged 40] (commanded), Ralph Hastings, William Norreys [aged 30], William Parr [aged 37], John Savage [aged 49], William Bourchier Viscount Bourchier [aged 41], Thomas St Leger [aged 31], John Tuchet 6th Baron Audley, 3rd Baron Tuchet [aged 45], Thomas Burgh 1st Baron Burgh of Gainsborough [aged 40], John Scott [aged 48] and Thomas Strickland.
The Yorkists William Blount [aged 29], [her father] Humphrey Bourchier [aged 36], Henry Stafford [aged 46] and Thomas Parr were killed.
Humphrey Bourchier 1st Baron Cromwell [aged 40], was killed. Baron Cromwell extinct.
The Lancastrians...
Warwick the Kingmaker [aged 42] was killed. Earl Salisbury, Baron Montagu, Baron Montagu and Baron Monthermer forfeit on the assumption he was attainted either before or after his death; the date of his attainder is unknown. If not attainted the titles may have been abeyant between his two daughters Isabel Neville Duchess Clarence [aged 19] and Anne Neville Queen Consort England [aged 14].
John Neville 1st Marquess Montagu [aged 40] was killed. Marquess Montagu, Baron Montagu forfeit; unclear as to when he was attainted. He was buried at Bisham Abbey [Map].
William Tyrrell was killed.
William Fiennes 2nd Baron Saye and Sele [aged 43] was killed. His son Henry [aged 25] succeeded 3rd Baron Saye and Sele. Anne Harcourt Baroness Saye and Sele by marriage Baroness Saye and Sele.
Henry Holland 3rd Duke Exeter [aged 40] commanded the left flank, was badly wounded and left for dead, Henry Stafford and John Paston [aged 27] were wounded, John de Vere 13th Earl of Oxford [aged 28] commanded, and John Paston [aged 29] and William Beaumont 2nd Viscount Beaumont [aged 33] fought.
Robert Harleston [aged 36] was killed.
Thomas Hen Salusbury [aged 62] was killed.
Thomas Tresham [aged 51] escaped but was subsequently captured and executed on the 6th of May 1471.
On 30th September 1472 [her step-father] Thomas Howard 2nd Duke of Norfolk [aged 29] and [her mother] Elizabeth Tilney Countess of Surrey [aged 28] were married. He the son of John Howard 1st Duke of Norfolk [aged 47] and Katherine Moleyns.
Around 1486 William Berkeley 1st Marquess Berkeley [aged 60] and [her future sister-in-law] Anne Fiennes Marchioness Berkeley were married. They were third cousin twice removed. He a great x 4 grandson of King Edward I of England. She a great x 4 granddaughter of King Edward III of England.
Before 13th May 1490 [her brother] John Bourchier 2nd Baron Berners [aged 23] and [her sister-in-law] Katherine Howard Baroness Berners [aged 22] were married. She by marriage Baroness Berners. She the daughter of John Howard 1st Duke of Norfolk and Margaret Chedworth Duchess Norfolk [aged 54]. He the son of [her father] Humphrey Bourchier and [her mother] Elizabeth Tilney Countess of Surrey [aged 46]. They were fourth cousin once removed. He a great x 3 grandson of King Edward III of England. She a great x 5 granddaughter of King Edward I of England.
In 1492 Thomas Fiennes 8th Baron Dacre Gilsland [aged 20] and Anne Bourchier Baroness Dacre of Gilsland [aged 22] were married. She by marriage Baroness Dacre Gilsland. She the daughter of Humphrey Bourchier and Elizabeth Tilney Countess of Surrey [aged 48]. They were fourth cousin once removed. He a great x 4 grandson of King Edward III of England. She a great x 3 granddaughter of King Edward III of England.
After 14th February 1492 Thomas Brandon and [her sister-in-law] Anne Fiennes Marchioness Berkeley were married.
In 1495 [her daughter] Mary Fiennes was born to [her husband] Thomas Fiennes 8th Baron Dacre Gilsland [aged 23] and Anne Bourchier Baroness Dacre of Gilsland [aged 25]. She a great x 4 granddaughter of King Edward III of England. She married before 1524 her third cousin once removed Henry Norreys and had issue.
On 4th February 1495, possibly 1494, [her half-brother] Thomas Howard 3rd Duke of Norfolk [aged 22] and [her sister-in-law] Anne York [aged 19] were married at Westminster Abbey [Map]. She the daughter of King Edward IV of England and Elizabeth Woodville Queen Consort England. He the son of [her step-father] Thomas Howard 2nd Duke of Norfolk [aged 52] and [her mother] Elizabeth Tilney Countess of Surrey [aged 51]. They were fifth cousins.
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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 4th April 1497 [her mother] Elizabeth Tilney Countess of Surrey [aged 53] died.
On 17th August 1497 [her step-father] Thomas Howard 2nd Duke of Norfolk [aged 54] and Agnes Tilney Duchess Norfolk [aged 20] were married some four months after the death of his first wife. She by marriage Countess Surrey. She, Agnes, was a first cousin of his former wife [her mother] Elizabeth Tilney Countess of Surrey for which he was given dispensation on 17th August 1497. The difference in their ages was 34 years. He the son of John Howard 1st Duke of Norfolk and Katherine Moleyns.
In 1498 [her brother-in-law] Thomas Boleyn 1st Earl Wiltshire and Ormonde [aged 21] and [her half-sister] Elizabeth Howard Countess of Wiltshire and Ormonde [aged 18] were married. She the daughter of [her step-father] Thomas Howard 2nd Duke of Norfolk [aged 55] and [her mother] Elizabeth Tilney Countess of Surrey. They were fourth cousins.
In or before 1500 [her brother-in-law] Thomas Bryan [aged 35] and [her sister] Margaret Bourchier 1st Baroness Bryan [aged 31] were married. She the daughter of [her father] Humphrey Bourchier and [her mother] Elizabeth Tilney Countess of Surrey.
The Antiquarian Repertory. 23rd February 1503. And after th' offring of money there were offered to the Corps by the laides xxxvij [37] palls in manner as followeth first the lady Montjoy [aged 24] a pall delivered to her at the quier dore by a gent huisher and when she came to the feete of the Corps there stood two officers of Armes after that she had done her obey sauce and kissed it and layd it along the Corps In likewise the lady Dacre of the south [aged 33] offred another which the said officers layde a Crosse over that other and lykewise these laides offred palls whose names follow.
The lady Fitzwater [aged 24].
The lady Gordon.
The lady Scrope,
The lady Powys.
The lady Clifford,
The lady Daubeny.
The [her half-sister] lady vicountesse Lisley [aged 18] ij.
The lady Anne Percy.
The lady Lucey of Montague.
The lady Herbard.
The countess of Essex iij.
The lady Elizebeth Stafford iij.
The lady marquisse iiij.
Every of the Queens sisters instead of Dutchesses v which all were layde acrosse over the Corps.
All the Ceremony of that offring doone to the sermon said by the said lord Richard Fitzjames Byshopp of Rochester which tooke to his anteme Misere mei misere mei saltern vos amici mei quia manus Dm tetigit me he spake these wordes in the name of England and the lovers and friends of the same seing the great losse of that vertuous Queene and that noble prince and th' Arch Byshop of Canterbury.
The Masse done a mynister of the Church tooke away the palls.
Then the ladyes depted.
After whose depture the Image with the Crowne and the rich robes were had to a secret place to St Edwards shrine.
Before 1504 [her brother-in-law] John Grey 2nd Viscount Lisle [aged 22] and [her half-sister] Muriel Howard Viscountess Lisle [aged 18] were married. She by marriage Viscountess Lisle. She the daughter of [her step-father] Thomas Howard 2nd Duke of Norfolk [aged 60] and [her mother] Elizabeth Tilney Countess of Surrey. They were third cousins.
Before 1508 [her brother-in-law] Thomas Knyvet [aged 22] and [her half-sister] Muriel Howard Viscountess Lisle [aged 22] were married. She the daughter of [her step-father] Thomas Howard 2nd Duke of Norfolk [aged 64] and [her mother] Elizabeth Tilney Countess of Surrey. They were fourth cousins.
In 1513 [her half-brother] Thomas Howard 3rd Duke of Norfolk [aged 40] and [her sister-in-law] Elizabeth Stafford Duchess Norfolk [aged 16] were married. The difference in their ages was 24 years. She the daughter of Edward Stafford 3rd Duke of Buckingham [aged 34] and Eleanor Percy Duchess Buckingham. He the son of [her step-father] Thomas Howard 2nd Duke of Norfolk [aged 70] and [her mother] Elizabeth Tilney Countess of Surrey. They were fourth cousin twice removed. She a great x 5 granddaughter of King Edward III of England.
In May 1515 Charles Brandon 1st Duke of Suffolk [aged 31] and Mary Tudor Queen Consort France [aged 19] were married. She by marriage Duchess Suffolk. She had married Louis XII King France in Oct 1514; he had died on 01 Jan 1515. Around this time he surrendered the title Viscount Lisle which he had been created in anticipation of this marriage to [her niece] Elizabeth Grey Countess Devon [aged 10] which never took place. She the daughter of King Henry VII of England and Ireland and Elizabeth York Queen Consort England. They were fifth cousins.
After June 1515 Henry Courtenay 1st Marquess Exeter [aged 19] and [her niece] Elizabeth Grey Countess Devon [aged 10] were married. She by marriage Countess Devon. He the son of William Courtenay 1st Earl Devon and Catherine York Countess Devon [aged 35]. They were fifth cousin once removed. He a grandson of King Edward IV of England.
Around 1519 [her brother-in-law] David Zouche [aged 38] and [her sister] Margaret Bourchier 1st Baroness Bryan [aged 51] were married. She the daughter of [her father] Humphrey Bourchier and [her mother] Elizabeth Tilney Countess of Surrey.
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Chronicle of Abbot Ralph of Coggeshall
The Chronicle of Abbot Ralph of Coggeshall (Chronicon Anglicanum) is an indispensable medieval history that brings to life centuries of English and European affairs through the eyes of a learned Cistercian monk. Ralph of Coggeshall, abbot of the Abbey of Coggeshall in Essex in the early 13th century, continued and expanded his community’s chronicle, documenting events from the Norman Conquest of 1066 into the tumultuous reign of King Henry III. Blending eyewitness testimony, careful compilation, and the monastic commitment to record-keeping, this chronicle offers a rare narrative of political intrigue, royal power struggles, and social upheaval in England and beyond. Ralph’s work captures the reigns of pivotal figures such as Richard I and King John, providing invaluable insights into their characters, decisions, and the forces that shaped medieval rule. More than a simple annal, Chronicon Anglicanum conveys the texture of medieval life and governance, making it a rich source for scholars and readers fascinated by English history, monastic authorship, and the shaping of the medieval world.
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Before 1524 [her son-in-law] Henry Norreys [aged 41] and [her daughter] Mary Fiennes [aged 28] were married. They were third cousin once removed. He a great x 4 grandson of King Edward III of England. She a great x 4 granddaughter of King Edward III of England.
On 26th October 1528 [her son] Thomas Fiennes died.
In or before 1530 Edward Stanley 3rd Earl of Derby [aged 20] and [her niece] Katherine Howard Countess Derby [aged 14] were married without the King's permission. She the daughter of [her half-brother] Thomas Howard 3rd Duke of Norfolk [aged 56] and [her sister-in-law] Elizabeth Stafford Duchess Norfolk [aged 32]. He the son of Thomas Stanley 2nd Earl of Derby and Anne Hastings Countess Derby [aged 44]. They were third cousins. He a great x 5 grandson of King Edward III of England.
On 29th September 1530 Anne Bourchier Baroness Dacre of Gilsland [aged 60] died.
On 9th September 1534 [her former husband] Thomas Fiennes 8th Baron Dacre Gilsland [aged 62] died. He was buried at Herstmonceux. His grandson [her grandson] Thomas [aged 19] succeeded 9th Baron Dacre Gilsland, 9th Baron Multon of Gilsland.
Letters and Papers Foreign and Domestic Henry VIII 1541. That afternoon [Chapus appears here to have the wrong day; other sources say 29th June 1541 i.e. St Peter's Day] two gentlemen were hung [the other being either John Mantell, John Frowds, George Roidon, Thomas Isleie, and two yeomen Richard Middleton and John Goldwell], one of whom had an income of over 12,000 ducats a year, and was the handsomest and best bred man in England, only 25 years old and married to a niece of the [her half-brother] Duke of Norfolk [aged 68]. He was sentenced for having belonged to a set of eight rakish youths, one of whom had killed a poor old man in an unpremeditated fray. For the same cause lord Dacres [aged 26] also, son1 of the Duke of Norfolk's sister, and cousin of this Queen [aged 18], 23 years old and possessing a property of about 5,000 ducats a year, was hung from the most ignominious gibbet, and for greater shame dragged through the streets to the place of execution, to the great pity of many people, and even of his very judges, who wept when they sentenced him, and in a body asked his pardon of the King. But the thing which astonished people most was, that, the same day lord Dacres was hung, another young man [aged 28], son of the Treasurer of the Royal household [aged 56], who was one of those present at the old man's death, was freely pardoned, though he had been already tried for some like misdemeanour.
Note 1. Thomas Fiennes 9th Baron Dacre Gilsland, Lord Dacre, was the grandson of Anne Bourchier Baroness Dacre of Gilsland who was the maternal half-sister of Thomas Howard 3rd Duke of Norfolk; Anne and Thomas' mother was Elizabeth Tilney Countess of Surrey.
[her son] Thomas Fiennes was born to Thomas Fiennes 8th Baron Dacre Gilsland and Anne Bourchier Baroness Dacre of Gilsland. He a great x 4 grandson of King Edward III of England. He married his third cousin once removed Jane Dudley, daughter of Edward Sutton 2nd Baron Dudley and Cecily Willoughby Baroness Dudley, and had issue.
[her son] John Fiennes was born to Thomas Fiennes 8th Baron Dacre Gilsland and Anne Bourchier Baroness Dacre of Gilsland. He a great x 4 grandson of King Edward III of England.
Kings Wessex: Great x 13 Grand Daughter of King Edmund "Ironside" I of England
Kings Gwynedd: Great x 10 Grand Daughter of Owain "Great" King Gwynedd
Kings Seisyllwg: Great x 16 Grand Daughter of Hywel "Dda aka Good" King Seisyllwg King Deheubarth
Kings Powys: Great x 11 Grand Daughter of Maredudd ap Bleddyn King Powys
Kings Godwinson: Great x 13 Grand Daughter of King Harold II of England
Kings England: Great x 3 Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England
Kings Scotland: Great x 10 Grand Daughter of King David I of Scotland
Kings France: Great x 5 Grand Daughter of King Philip IV of France
Kings Duke Aquitaine: Great x 17 Grand Daughter of Ranulf I Duke Aquitaine
Kings Spain: Great x 9 Grand Daughter of Alfonso VII King Castile VII King Leon
Great x 4 Grandfather: John Bourchier
Great x 3 Grandfather: Robert Bourchier 1st Baron Bourchier
Great x 4 Grandmother: Helen of Colchester
Great x 2 Grandfather: William Bourchier
Great x 3 Grandmother: Margaret Prayers Baroness Bourchier
Great x 1 Grandfather: William Bourchier 1st Count of Eu
Great x 3 Grandfather: John Louvain
Great x 2 Grandmother: Eleanor Louvaine
Grandfather: John Bourchier 1st Baron Berners
Great Grandson of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: King Edward II of England
son of King Edward I of England
Great x 3 Grandfather: King Edward III of England
son of King Edward II of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Isabella of France Queen Consort England
daughter of King Philip IV of France
Great x 2 Grandfather: Thomas of Woodstock 1st Duke of Gloucester
son of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: William of Avesnes I Count Hainaut III Count Avesnes III Count Holland II Count Zeeland 4 x Great Grandson of King Stephen I England
Great x 3 Grandmother: Philippa of Hainaut Queen Consort England Great Granddaughter of King Philip III of France
Great x 4 Grandmother: Joan Valois Countess Zeeland Holland Avesnes and Hainaut
Granddaughter of King Philip III of France
Great x 1 Grandmother: Anne of Gloucester Plantagenet Countess Eu and Stafford
Granddaughter of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: William Bohun 1st Earl of Northampton
Grandson of King Edward I of England
Great x 3 Grandfather: Humphrey Bohun 7th Earl Hereford 6th Earl Essex 2nd Earl of Northampton
Great Grandson of King Edward I of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Elizabeth Badlesmere Countess Northampton
4 x Great Granddaughter of King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England
Great x 2 Grandmother: Eleanor Bohun Duchess Gloucester
2 x Great Granddaughter of King Edward I of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Richard Fitzalan 3rd or 10th Earl of Arundel 8th Earl of Surrey
5 x Great Grandson of King John of England
Great x 3 Grandmother: Joan Fitzalan Countess Essex, Hereford and Northampton
2 x Great Granddaughter of King Henry III of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Eleanor Plantagenet Countess Arundel and Surrey
Great Granddaughter of King Henry III of England
Father: Humphrey Bourchier
2 x Great Grandson of King Edward III of England
Grandmother: Margery Berners Baroness Berners
Anne Bourchier Baroness Dacre of Gilsland
3 x Great Granddaughter of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Frederick Tilney
Great x 3 Grandfather: Philip Tilney
Great x 2 Grandfather: Frederick Tilney
Great x 1 Grandfather: Philip Tilney
Grandfather: Frederick Tilney
Mother: Elizabeth Tilney Countess of Surrey
8 x Great Granddaughter of King John of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Henry Cheney
Great x 3 Grandfather: John Henry Cheney
Great x 2 Grandfather: William Cheney
Great x 1 Grandfather: Lawrence Cheney
Grandmother: Elizabeth Cheney 7 x Great Granddaughter of King John of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: John Cockayne
Great x 3 Grandfather: John Cockayne
Great x 2 Grandfather: John Cockayne
Great x 4 Grandfather: William Vernon
Great x 3 Grandmother: Cecilia Vernon
Great x 1 Grandmother: Elizabeth Cockayne
6 x Great Granddaughter of King John of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Roger Grey 1st Baron Grey Ruthyn
6 x Great Grandson of King Henry I "Beauclerc" England
Great x 3 Grandfather: Reginald Grey 2nd Baron Grey Ruthyn
5 x Great Grandson of King David I of Scotland
Great x 4 Grandmother: Elizabeth Hastings Baroness Grey Ruthyn
4 x Great Granddaughter of King David I of Scotland
Great x 2 Grandmother: Ida Grey
5 x Great Granddaughter of King John of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: John Strange 2nd Baron Strange Blackmere
3 x Great Grandson of King John of England
Great x 3 Grandmother: Alianore Strange Baroness Grey Ruthyn
4 x Great Granddaughter of King John of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Ankaret Boteler Baroness Strange Blackmere 4 x Great Granddaughter of King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England