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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Earl of Oxford and Earl Mortimer is in Earldoms of England Alphabetically, Earldoms of England Chronologically, Extinct Earldoms of England.
Summary
23rd May 1711. Robert Harley 1st Earl of Oxford and Earl Mortimer [aged 49] created.
21st May 1724. Son Edward Harley 2nd Earl of Oxford and Earl Mortimer [aged 34] succeeded.
16th June 1741. Half First Cousin Edward Harley 3rd Earl of Oxford and Earl Mortimer [aged 42] succeeded.
11th April 1755. Son Edward Harley 4th Earl of Oxford and Earl Mortomer [aged 28] succeeded.
11th October 1790. Nephew Edward Harley 5th Earl of Oxford and Earl Mortimer [aged 17] succeeded.
28th December 1848. Son Alfred Harley 6th Earl of Oxford and Earl Mortimer [aged 39] succeeded.
19th January 1854. Alfred Harley 6th Earl of Oxford and Earl Mortimer extinct.
On 23rd May 1711 Robert Harley 1st Earl of Oxford and Earl Mortimer [aged 49] was created 1st Earl of Oxford and Earl Mortimer. Elizabeth Foley Countess of Oxford and Mortimer by marriage Countess of Oxford and Countess Mortimer.
On 21st May 1724 Robert Harley 1st Earl of Oxford and Earl Mortimer [aged 62] died at Albermarle Street. His son Edward [aged 34] succeeded 2nd Earl of Oxford and Earl Mortimer. Henrietta Cavendish Holles Countess of Oxford and Mortimer [aged 30] by marriage Countess of Oxford and Countess Mortimer.
On 16th June 1741 Edward Harley 2nd Earl of Oxford and Earl Mortimer [aged 52] died. His half first cousin Edward [aged 42] succeeded 3rd Earl of Oxford and Earl Mortimer. Martha Morgan Countess of Oxford and Mortimer [aged 42] by marriage Countess of Oxford and Countess Mortimer.
On 11th April 1755 Edward Harley 3rd Earl of Oxford and Earl Mortimer [aged 56] died. His son Edward [aged 28] succeeded 4th Earl of Oxford and Earl Mortimer. Susanna Archer Countess of Oxford and Mortimer [aged 27] by marriage Countess of Oxford and Countess Mortimer.
On 11th October 1790 Edward Harley 4th Earl of Oxford and Earl Mortomer [aged 64] died at Brampton Bryan Hall without issue. His nephew Edward [aged 17] succeeded 5th Earl of Oxford and Earl Mortimer.
On 3rd March 1794 Edward Harley 5th Earl of Oxford and Earl Mortimer [aged 21] and Jane Elizabeth Scott Countess of Oxford and Mortimer [aged 20] were married. Her She by marriage Countess of Oxford and Countess Mortimer. Her father Reverend James Scott of Itchen Stoke in Hampshire performed the service. The children of the marriage were known as the 'Harleian Miscellany' due to the uncertainty as to who their father, or fathers, might be given the number of lovers she took during the marriage. He the son of Bishop John Harley.
On 28th December 1848 Edward Harley 5th Earl of Oxford and Earl Mortimer [aged 75] died. His son Alfred [aged 39] succeeded 6th Earl of Oxford and Earl Mortimer. Eliza Nugent Countess of Oxford and Mortimer [aged 42] by marriage Countess of Oxford and Countess Mortimer.
On 19th January 1854 Alfred Harley 6th Earl of Oxford and Earl Mortimer [aged 45] died. Earl of Oxford and Earl Mortimer extinct. His estates passed to his sister Jane Elizabeth Harley Baroness Langdale and her husband Henry Bickersteth 1st Baron Langdale.