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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Elizabeth Mure Queen Consort Scotland was born to [her father] Adam Mure.
In 1336 King Robert II of Scotland (age 19) and Elizabeth Mure Queen Consort Scotland were married. She by marriage Queen Consort Scotland. She had been his mistress for a number of years.
Around 1337 [her son] King Robert III of Scotland was born to [her husband] King Robert II of Scotland (age 20) and Elizabeth Mure Queen Consort Scotland. He a great x 4 grandson of King John of England. He married 1367 Annabella Drummond Queen Consort Scotland and had issue.
Around 1338 [her son] Walter Stewart was born to [her husband] King Robert II of Scotland (age 21) and Elizabeth Mure Queen Consort Scotland. He a great x 4 grandson of King John of England. He married his fourth cousin Isabella Fife, daughter of Duncan Fife 4th Earl Fife.
In 1339 [her husband] King Robert II of Scotland (age 22) and Elizabeth Mure Queen Consort Scotland were married again, their original marriage was regarded as uncanonical, following receipt of a papal dispensation dated 22 Nov 1347.
Around 1340 [her son] Robert Stewart 1st Duke Albany was born to [her husband] King Robert II of Scotland (age 23) and Elizabeth Mure Queen Consort Scotland at Dundonald Castle, Dundonald. He a great x 4 grandson of King John of England. He married (1) 28th September 1361 his fourth cousin once removed Margaret Graham 3rd Countess Menteith, daughter of John Graham Earl Menteith and Margaret Graham 2nd Countess Menteith and Mar, and had issue (2) 1381 Muriella Keith Duchess Albany and had issue.
Around 1343 [her son] Alexander "The Wolf of Badenoch" Stewart 3rd Earl Buchan was born to [her husband] King Robert II of Scotland (age 26) and Elizabeth Mure Queen Consort Scotland. He a great x 4 grandson of King John of England. He married (1) 24th February 1382 his second cousin once removed Euphemia 6th Countess of Ross, daughter of William 5th Earl Ross.
Around 1348 [her daughter] Marjorie Stewart Countess Moray was born to [her husband] King Robert II of Scotland (age 31) and Elizabeth Mure Queen Consort Scotland. She a great x 4 granddaughter of King John of England. She married (1) before 1371 her half third cousin John Dunbar 1st Earl of Moray, son of Patrick Dunbar 9th Earl March and Agnes "Black Agnes" Randolph Countess March, and had issue (2) 15th February 1390 Alexander Keith and had issue.
Around 1350 [her daughter] Elizabeth Stewart was born to [her husband] King Robert II of Scotland (age 33) and Elizabeth Mure Queen Consort Scotland. She a great x 4 granddaughter of King John of England. She married before 7th November 1372 Thomas Hay 7th Baron Erroll and had issue.
This is a translation of the 'Memoires of Jacques du Clercq', published in 1823 in two volumes, edited by Frederic, Baron de Reissenberg. In his introduction Reissenberg writes: 'Jacques du Clercq tells us that he was born in 1424, and that he was a licentiate in law and a counsellor to Philip the Good, Duke of Burgundy, in the castellany of Douai, Lille, and Orchies. It appears that he established his residence at Arras. In 1446, he married the daughter of Baldwin de la Lacherie, a gentleman who lived in Lille. We read in the fifth book of his Memoirs that his father, also named Jacques du Clercq, had married a lady of the Le Camelin family, from Compiègne. His ancestors, always attached to the counts of Flanders, had constantly served them, whether in their councils or in their armies.' The Memoires cover a period of nineteen years beginning in in 1448, ending in in 1467. It appears that the author had intended to extend the Memoirs beyond that date; no doubt illness or death prevented him from carrying out this plan. As Reissenberg writes the 'merit of this work lies in the simplicity of its narrative, in its tone of good faith, and in a certain air of frankness which naturally wins the reader’s confidence.' Du Clercq ranges from events of national and international importance, including events of the Wars of the Roses in England, to simple, everyday local events such as marriages, robberies, murders, trials and deaths, including that of his own father in Book 5; one of his last entries.
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In 1350 [her daughter] Princess Johanna aka Jean Stewart was born to [her husband] King Robert II of Scotland (age 33) and Elizabeth Mure Queen Consort Scotland. She a great x 4 granddaughter of King John of England. She married (1) before 27th December 1375 John Keith (2) 1376 John Lyon Lord of Glamis and had issue.
Before May 1355 Elizabeth Mure Queen Consort Scotland died.
Around 1356 [her former husband] King Robert II of Scotland (age 39) and Euphemia Ross Queen Consort Scotland were married. She by marriage Queen Consort Scotland. She the daughter of Hugh 4th Earl Ross and Margaret Graham Countess Ross.
On 19th April 1390 [her former husband] King Robert II of Scotland (age 74) died at Dundonald Castle, Dundonald. He was buried at Scone Abbey [Map]. His son [her son] Robert (age 53) succeeded III King Scotland. [her daughter-in-law] Annabella Drummond Queen Consort Scotland (age 40) by marriage Queen Consort Scotland. His son David succeeded 3rd Earl Strathearn.
[her daughter] Isabella Stewart Countess Douglas was born to King Robert II of Scotland and Elizabeth Mure Queen Consort Scotland. She a great x 4 granddaughter of King John of England. She married (1) David Edmonstone (2) her half third cousin once removed James Douglas 2nd Earl Douglas, son of William Douglas 1st Earl Douglas and Margaret Mar Countess Douglas 11th Countess Mar.
[her daughter] Katherine Stewart was born to King Robert II of Scotland and Elizabeth Mure Queen Consort Scotland. She a great x 4 granddaughter of King John of England.
[her daughter] Margaret Stewart was born to King Robert II of Scotland and Elizabeth Mure Queen Consort Scotland. She a great x 4 granddaughter of King John of England.