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: Talbot
Maternal Family Tree: Margaret Pipard Baroness Lisle 1323-1375
Before 12th March 1407 [his father] John "Old Talbot" Talbot 1st Earl of Shrewsbury [aged 24] and Maud Neville 6th Baroness Furnivall [aged 14] were married. He by marriage Baron Furnivall. They were third cousin once removed. He a great x 3 grandson of King Edward I of England.
On 6th September 1425 [his father] John "Old Talbot" Talbot 1st Earl of Shrewsbury [aged 42] and [his mother] Margaret Beauchamp Countess Shrewsbury and Waterford [aged 21] were married. She by marriage Baroness Strange Blackmere, Baroness Talbot. The difference in their ages was 21 years. She the daughter of [his grandfather] Richard Beauchamp 13th Earl Warwick [aged 43] and [his grandmother] Elizabeth Berkeley Countess Warwick. They were second cousin twice removed. He a great x 3 grandson of King Edward I of England. She a great x 4 granddaughter of King Edward I of England.
In 1426 John Talbot 1st Viscount Lisle was born to John "Old Talbot" Talbot 1st Earl of Shrewsbury [aged 43] and Margaret Beauchamp Countess Shrewsbury and Waterford [aged 22]. He a great x 4 grandson of King Edward I of England.
In 1442 [his father] John "Old Talbot" Talbot 1st Earl of Shrewsbury [aged 59] was created 1st Earl of Shrewsbury and 1st Earl Waterford. [his mother] Margaret Beauchamp Countess Shrewsbury and Waterford [aged 38] by marriage Countess of Shrewsbury Countess Waterford.
In 1443 John Talbot 1st Viscount Lisle [aged 17] and Joan Cheddar Viscountess Lisle [aged 18] were married. He the son of John "Old Talbot" Talbot 1st Earl of Shrewsbury [aged 60] and Margaret Beauchamp Countess Shrewsbury and Waterford [aged 39].
On 26th July 1444 John Talbot 1st Viscount Lisle [aged 18] was created 1st Baron Lisle. [his wife] Joan Cheddar Viscountess Lisle [aged 19] by marriage Baroness Lisle.
Before 1445 [his half-brother] John Talbot 2nd Earl of Shrewsbury [aged 27] and [his sister-in-law] Elizabeth Butler Countess Shrewsbury and Waterford [aged 20] were married. She the daughter of James "White Earl" Butler 4th Earl Ormonde [aged 51] and Joan Beauchamp Countess Ormonde. He the son of [his father] John "Old Talbot" Talbot 1st Earl of Shrewsbury [aged 61] and Maud Neville 6th Baroness Furnivall. They were third cousins. He a great x 4 grandson of King Edward I of England. She a great x 4 granddaughter of King Edward I of England.
Around 1449 [his son] Thomas Talbot 2nd Viscount Lisle was born to John Talbot 1st Viscount Lisle [aged 23] and [his wife] Joan Cheddar Viscountess Lisle [aged 24]. He married his half fifth cousin once removed Margaret Herbert Viscountess Lisle, daughter of William Herbert 1st Earl Pembroke and Anne Devereux.
In 1451 John Talbot 1st Viscount Lisle [aged 25] was created 1st Viscount Lisle. [his wife] Joan Cheddar Viscountess Lisle [aged 26] by marriage Viscountess Lisle.
In 1452 John Talbot 1st Viscount Lisle [aged 26] stormed and took James Berkeley 11th and 1st Baron Berkeley [aged 58] and his sons prisoner at Berkeley Castle [Map].
On 17th July 1453 the Battle of Castillon, the last battle of the Hundred Years War, was fought at Castillon.
[his father] John "Old Talbot" Talbot 1st Earl of Shrewsbury [aged 70] was killed. His grandson Thomas [aged 4] succeeded 2nd Viscount Lisle, 2nd Baron Lisle. Margaret Herbert Viscountess Lisle by marriage Viscountess Lisle. On His son John [aged 35] succeeded 2nd Earl of Shrewsbury, 2nd Earl Waterford, 7th Baron Furnivall, 11th Baron Strange Blackmere, 8th Baron Talbot. Elizabeth Butler Countess Shrewsbury and Waterford [aged 29] by marriage Countess of Shrewsbury Countess Waterford.
John Talbot 1st Viscount Lisle [aged 27] was killed. He the son of John "Old Talbot" Talbot 1st Earl of Shrewsbury.
Robert Hungerford 3rd Baron Hungerford 1st Baron Moleyns [aged 22] and John Foix 1st Earl Kendal [aged 43] were captured.
A Brief Latin Chronicle. [7th July 1453] For their recovery, the noble warrior [his father] Earl of Shropshire [aged 70] along with his son, Lord Lisle [aged 27], and others, were sent, who valiantly reclaimed them. But, which I report with sorrow, rashly or heedlessly engaging in a conflict with the French [Battle of Castillon], they were killed there, and the French reacquired all that was there, and thus still hold it peacefully.
Ad cujus recuperacionem missus est nobilis ille belliger Comes Salopie cum filio suo, domino de Lyel, et aliis, qui viriliter eam recuperaverunt. Sed, quod dolenter refero, incaute seu capitose se dantes cuidam conflictui cum Franciugenis, ibi interfecti sunt, et readquisierunt Francigene omnia que illic erantl, et sic adhuc pacifice detinent.
[his daughter] Elizabeth Talbot Viscountess Lisle was born to John Talbot 1st Viscount Lisle and Joan Cheddar Viscountess Lisle. She married before 1480 her third cousin once removed Edward Grey 1st Viscount Lisle, son of Edward Grey Baron Ferrers of Groby and Elizabeth Ferrers 6th Baroness Ferrers Groby, and had issue.
[his daughter] Margaret Talbot was born to John Talbot 1st Viscount Lisle and Joan Cheddar Viscountess Lisle. She married before 1475 her fourth cousin once removed George de Vere, son of John de Vere 12th Earl of Oxford and Elizabeth Howard Countess of Oxford.
Kings Wessex: Great x 12 Grand Son of King Edmund "Ironside" I of England
Kings Gwynedd: Great x 8 Grand Son of Owain "Great" King Gwynedd
Kings Seisyllwg: Great x 14 Grand Son of Hywel "Dda aka Good" King Seisyllwg King Deheubarth
Kings Powys: Great x 9 Grand Son of Maredudd ap Bleddyn King Powys
Kings England: Great x 4 Grand Son of King Edward I of England
Kings Scotland: Great x 11 Grand Son of King Duncan I of Scotland
Kings Franks: Great x 18 Grand Son of Charles "Charlemagne aka Great" King of the Franks King Lombardy Holy Roman Emperor
Kings France: Great x 12 Grand Son of Hugh I King of the Franks
Kings Duke Aquitaine: Great x 16 Grand Son of Ranulf I Duke Aquitaine
Great x 4 Grandfather: Richard Talbot 
5 x Great Grand Son of King Henry I "Beauclerc" England
Great x 3 Grandfather: Gilbert Talbot 1st Baron Talbot 6 x Great Grand Son of King Henry I "Beauclerc" England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Sarah Beauchamp Baroness Talbot 
Great x 2 Grandfather: Richard Talbot 2nd Baron Talbot 7 x Great Grand Son of King Henry I "Beauclerc" England
Great x 4 Grandfather: William Boteler
Great x 3 Grandmother: Anne Boteler Baroness Talbot
Great x 4 Grandmother: Angharad Mathrafal
Great x 1 Grandfather: Gilbert Talbot 3rd Baron Talbot 8 x Great Grand Son of King Henry I "Beauclerc" England
Great x 4 Grandfather: John "The Black" Comyn 2nd Lord Baddenoch
Great x 3 Grandfather: John Comyn 3rd Lord Baddenoch 6 x Great Grand Son of King Henry I "Beauclerc" England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Mary or Eleanor Balliol Lady Baddenoch 5 x Great Grand Daughter of King Henry I "Beauclerc" England
Great x 2 Grandmother: Elizabeth Comyn Baroness Talbot 7 x Great Grand Daughter of King Henry I "Beauclerc" England
Great x 4 Grandfather: William de Valence 1st Earl Pembroke 
Great x 3 Grandmother: Joan Valence Lady Baddenoch
Great x 4 Grandmother: Joan Munchensi Countess Pembroke
GrandFather: Richard Talbot 7th Baron Strange Blackmere 4th Baron Talbot 2 x Great Grand Son of King Edward I of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Theobald Butler 
Great x 3 Grandfather: Edmund Butler 1st Earl Carrick
Great x 4 Grandmother: Joan Fitzjohn
Great x 2 Grandfather: James Butler 1st Earl Ormonde
Great x 1 Grandmother: Petronella Butler Great Grand Daughter of King Edward I of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Humphrey Bohun 3rd Earl Hereford 2nd Earl Essex 
Great x 3 Grandfather: Humphrey Bohun 4th Earl Hereford 3rd Earl Essex
Great x 4 Grandmother: Maud Fiennes Countess Essex and Hereford 
Great x 2 Grandmother: Eleanor Bohun Countess Ormonde Grand Daughter of King Edward I of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: King Edward I of England 
Son of King Henry III of England
Great x 3 Grandmother: Princess Elizabeth of Rhuddlan Countess Essex, Hereford and Holland Daughter of King Edward I of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Eleanor of Castile Queen Consort England 2 x Great Grand Daughter of King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England
Father: John "Old Talbot" Talbot 1st Earl of Shrewsbury 3 x Great Grand Son of King Edward I of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Robert Strange 
Great x 3 Grandfather: Fulk Strange 1st Baron Strange Blackmere
Great x 4 Grandmother: Eleanor Blancminster
Great x 2 Grandfather: John Strange 2nd Baron Strange Blackmere 3 x Great Grand Son of King John of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: John Giffard 1st Baron Giffard Brimpsfield 
Great x 3 Grandmother: Eleanor Giffard Baroness Strange Blackmere 2 x Great Grand Daughter of King John of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Maud Clifford 
Great Grand Daughter of King John of England
Great x 1 Grandfather: John Strange 4th Baron Strange Blackmere 4 x Great Grand Son of King John of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: William Boteler
Great x 3 Grandfather: William Boteler 1st Baron Wem and Oversley
Great x 4 Grandmother: Angharad Mathrafal
Great x 2 Grandmother: Ankaret Boteler Baroness Strange Blackmere 4 x Great Grand Daughter of King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Roger Herdeburgh
Great x 3 Grandmother: Ela Herdeburgh Baroness Wem and Oversley 3 x Great Grand Daughter of King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Ida Odingsells Baroness Clinton 2 x Great Grand Daughter of King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England
GrandMother: Ankaret Strange 7th Baroness Strange Blackmere, Baroness Talbot 5 x Great Grand Daughter of King John of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: John Fitzalan 7th Earl of Arundel 
5 x Great Grand Son of King Henry I "Beauclerc" England
Great x 3 Grandfather: Richard Fitzalan 1st or 8th Earl of Arundel 3 x Great Grand Son of King John of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Isabella Mortimer Countess Arundel 
2 x Great Grand Daughter of King John of England
Great x 2 Grandfather: Edmund Fitzalan 2nd or 9th Earl of Arundel 4 x Great Grand Son of King John of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Thomas I Marquess Saluzzo 
5 x Great Grand Son of King William "Conqueror" I of England
Great x 3 Grandmother: Alice Saluzzo Countess Arundel 6 x Great Grand Daughter of King William "Conqueror" I of England
Great x 1 Grandmother: Mary Fitzalan Baroness Strange Blackmere 5 x Great Grand Daughter of King John of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: John Warenne 6th Earl of Surrey
Great x 3 Grandfather: William Warenne
Great x 4 Grandmother: Alice Lusignan Countess of Surrey
Great x 2 Grandmother: Alice Warenne Countess Arundel
Great x 4 Grandfather: Robert de Vere 5th Earl of Oxford 
Great x 3 Grandmother: Joan Vere
Great x 4 Grandmother: Alice Sanford Countess of Oxford
John Talbot 1st Viscount Lisle 4 x Great Grand Son of King Edward I of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: William Beauchamp 9th Earl Warwick
Great x 3 Grandfather: Guy Beauchamp 10th Earl Warwick
Great x 4 Grandmother: Maud Fitzjohn Countess Warwick
Great x 2 Grandfather: Thomas Beauchamp 11th Earl Warwick 6 x Great Grand Son of King Henry I "Beauclerc" England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Ralph Tosny 
4 x Great Grand Son of King Henry I "Beauclerc" England
Great x 3 Grandmother: Alice Tosny Countess Warwick 5 x Great Grand Daughter of King Henry I "Beauclerc" England
Great x 1 Grandfather: Thomas Beauchamp 12th Earl Warwick 5 x Great Grand Son of King John of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Edmund Mortimer 2nd Baron Mortimer of Wigmore 2 x Great Grand Son of King John of England
Great x 3 Grandfather: Roger Mortimer 1st Earl March 3 x Great Grand Son of King John of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Margaret Fiennes 4 x Great Grand Daughter of King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England
Great x 2 Grandmother: Katherine Mortimer Countess Warwick 4 x Great Grand Daughter of King John of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Piers Geneville
Great x 3 Grandmother: Joan Geneville Baroness Mortimer 2nd Baroness Geneville 7 x Great Grand Daughter of King Henry I "Beauclerc" England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Jeanne Lusignan 6 x Great Grand Daughter of King Henry I "Beauclerc" England
GrandFather: Richard Beauchamp 13th Earl Warwick 4 x Great Grand Son of King Edward I of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: William Ferrers 1st Baron Ferrers of Groby 
5 x Great Grand Son of King Henry I "Beauclerc" England
Great x 3 Grandfather: Henry Ferrers 2nd Baron Ferrers of Groby 6 x Great Grand Son of King Henry I "Beauclerc" England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Ellen or Margaret Segrave Baroness Ferrers Groby 
Great x 2 Grandfather: William Ferrers 3rd Baron Ferrers of Groby 2 x Great Grand Son of King Edward I of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Theobald Verdun 2nd Lord Verdun 
Great x 3 Grandmother: Isabel Verdun Baroness Ferrers Groby Great Grand Daughter of King Edward I of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Elizabeth Clare Lady Verdun 
Grand Daughter of King Edward I of England
Great x 1 Grandmother: Margaret Ferrers Countess Warwick 3 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward I of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Henry Percy 9th and 1st Baron Percy
Great x 3 Grandfather: Henry Percy 10th and 2nd Baron Percy 5 x Great Grand Son of King John of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Eleanor Fitzalan Baroness Percy 4 x Great Grand Daughter of King John of England
Great x 2 Grandmother: Margaret Percy Baroness Ferrers Groby 
5 x Great Grand Daughter of King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Robert Clifford 1st Baron Clifford 6 x Great Grand Son of King Henry I "Beauclerc" England
Great x 3 Grandmother: Idonia Clifford Baroness Percy 4 x Great Grand Daughter of King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Maud Clare Baroness Clifford Baroness Welles 3 x Great Grand Daughter of King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England
Mother: Margaret Beauchamp Countess Shrewsbury and Waterford 4 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward I of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Maurice Berkeley 7th and 2nd Baron Berkeley 
2 x Great Grand Son of King John of England
Great x 3 Grandfather: Thomas Berkeley 8th and 3rd Baron Berkeley 3 x Great Grand Son of King John of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Eva Zouche 
Great x 2 Grandfather: Maurice Berkeley 9th and 4th Baron Berkeley 4 x Great Grand Son of King John of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Roger Mortimer 1st Earl March 3 x Great Grand Son of King John of England
Great x 3 Grandmother: Margaret Mortimer Baroness Berkeley 4 x Great Grand Daughter of King John of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Joan Geneville Baroness Mortimer 2nd Baroness Geneville 7 x Great Grand Daughter of King Henry I "Beauclerc" England
Great x 1 Grandfather: Thomas Berkeley 10th and 5th Baron Berkeley, Baron Lisle 2 x Great Grand Son of King Edward I of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Hugh "Elder" Despencer 1st Earl Winchester 
4 x Great Grand Son of King Henry I "Beauclerc" England
Great x 3 Grandfather: Hugh "Younger" Despencer 1st Baron Despencer 5 x Great Grand Son of King Henry I "Beauclerc" England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Isabella Beauchamp
Great x 2 Grandmother: Elizabeth Despencer Baroness Berkeley Great Grand Daughter of King Edward I of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Gilbert "Red Earl" Clare 7th Earl Gloucester 6th Earl Hertford 4 x Great Grand Son of King Henry I "Beauclerc" England
Great x 3 Grandmother: Eleanor Clare Baroness Zouche Mortimer Grand Daughter of King Edward I of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Joan of Acre Countess Gloucester and Hertford Daughter of King Edward I of England
GrandMother: Elizabeth Berkeley Countess Warwick 3 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward I of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Warin Lisle 
Great x 3 Grandfather: Gerard Lisle 1st Baron Lisle
Great x 4 Grandmother: Alice Tyeys
Great x 2 Grandfather: Warin Lisle 2nd Baron Lisle 6 x Great Grand Son of King John of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Edmund Fitzalan 2nd or 9th Earl of Arundel 4 x Great Grand Son of King John of England
Great x 3 Grandmother: Eleanor Fitzalan 5 x Great Grand Daughter of King John of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Alice Warenne Countess Arundel
Great x 1 Grandmother: Margaret Lisle Baroness Berkeley 3rd Baroness Lisle 7 x Great Grand Daughter of King John of England
Great x 3 Grandfather: William Pipard
Great x 2 Grandmother: Margaret Pipard Baroness Lisle