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: Wittelsbach
On 8th July 1560 [his father] Louis VI Elector Palatine (age 21) and [his step-mother] Elizabeth Hesse Electress Palatine (age 21) were married. She the daughter of Landgrave Philip I of Hesse (age 55) and Christine of Saxony.
On 5th March 1574 Frederick IV Elector Palatine was born to [his father] Louis VI Elector Palatine (age 34).
On 26th October 1576 [his grandfather] Frederick III Elector Palatine (age 61) died. His son [his father] Louis (age 37) succeeded Count Palatine Simmern.
On 22nd October 1583 [his father] Louis VI Elector Palatine (age 44) died. His son Frederick (age 9) succeeded IV Elector Palatine Rhine.
Before 16th July 1594 Frederick IV Elector Palatine (age 20) and Electress Louise Juliana of the Palatine Rhine (age 18) were married. She by marriage Electress Palatine Rhine. He the son of Louis VI Elector Palatine.
On 16th July 1594 [his daughter] Luise Juliane Palatinate Simmern was born to Frederick IV Elector Palatine (age 20) and [his wife] Electress Louise Juliana of the Palatine Rhine (age 18).
On 10th June 1595 [his daughter] Katharina Sofie Palatinate Simmern was born to Frederick IV Elector Palatine (age 21) and [his wife] Electress Louise Juliana of the Palatine Rhine (age 19).
On 26th August 1596 [his son] Frederick Palatinate Simmern V Elector Palatine Rhine was born to Frederick IV Elector Palatine (age 22) and [his wife] Electress Louise Juliana of the Palatine Rhine (age 20). He married 14th February 1613 his fourth cousin once removed Princess Elizabeth Stewart Queen Bohemia, daughter of King James I of England and Ireland and VI of Scotland and Anne of Denmark Queen Consort Scotland England and Ireland, and had issue.
After 1597 Claude de La Tremoille 2nd Duke Thouars (age 31) and [his sister-in-law] Charlotte Flandrina Orange Nassau (age 17) were married. She by marriage Duchess Thouars. He the son of Louis III de La Tremoille 1st Duke Thouars and Jeanne Montmorency.
On 19th November 1597 [his daughter] Elisabeth Charlotte Palatinate Simmern was born to Frederick IV Elector Palatine (age 23) and [his wife] Electress Louise Juliana of the Palatine Rhine (age 21). She married 1616 George William Hohenzollern and had issue.
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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On 4th January 1599 [his daughter] Anna Eleonore Palatinate Simmern was born to Frederick IV Elector Palatine (age 24) and [his wife] Electress Louise Juliana of the Palatine Rhine (age 22). She died aged one in 1600.
On 5th August 1600 [his son] Louis William Palatinate Simmern VI Elector Palatine Rhine was born to Frederick IV Elector Palatine (age 26) and [his wife] Electress Louise Juliana of the Palatine Rhine (age 24). He died aged less than one years old.
On 10th October 1600 [his son] Louis William Palatinate Simmern VI Elector Palatine Rhine died.
On 10th October 1600 [his daughter] Anna Eleonore Palatinate Simmern (age 1) died .
On 18th September 1601 [his son] Maurice Christian Palatinate Simmern was born to Frederick IV Elector Palatine (age 27) and [his wife] Electress Louise Juliana of the Palatine Rhine (age 25). He died aged three in 1605.
On 23rd November 1602 [his son] Louis Philip Palatinate Simmern was born to Frederick IV Elector Palatine (age 28) and [his wife] Electress Louise Juliana of the Palatine Rhine (age 26).
On 28th March 1605 [his son] Maurice Christian Palatinate Simmern (age 3) died.
On 19th September 1610 Frederick IV Elector Palatine (age 36) died.
On 15th March 1644 [his former wife] Electress Louise Juliana of the Palatine Rhine (age 67) died.
Kings Wessex: Great x 18 Grand Son of King Edmund "Ironside" I of England
Kings Godwinson: Great x 18 Grand Son of King Harold II of England
Kings England: Great x 11 Grand Son of King Edward I of England
Kings Scotland: Great x 17 Grand Son of King Duncan I of Scotland
Kings Franks: Great x 13 Grand Son of Louis VII King of the Franks
Kings France: Great x 10 Grand Son of Philip V King France I King Navarre
Kings Duke Aquitaine: Great x 22 Grand Son of Ranulf I Duke Aquitaine
Frederick Palatinate Simmern V Elector Palatine Rhine [1]
Frederick William "Great Elector" Hohenzollern Elector Brandenburg [1]
Charlotte Amalie Hesse-Kassel Queen Consort Denmark and Norway [1]
Marie Sophie Hesse-Kassel Queen Consort Denmark and Norway [2]
Queen Louise Hesse-Kassel of Denmark [2]
King Christian IX of Denmark [2]
Queen Sophia of Sweden and Norway [2]
Maria Christina of Austria Queen Consort Spain [2]
Victoria Mary Teck Queen Consort England [4]
Great x 4 Grandfather: Stephen Count Palatine Simmern 1385-1459-Zweibrücken 
7 x Great Grand Son of King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England
Great x 3 Grandfather: Frederick I Count Palatine Simmern 8 x Great Grand Son of King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England
Great x 2 Grandfather: John I Count Palatinate Simmern 7 x Great Grand Son of King Edward I of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Arnold Egmont Duke Guelders
Great x 3 Grandmother: Margaret Egmont Countess Palatinate Simmern 6 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward I of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Catherine de la Marck 5 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward I of England
Great x 1 Grandfather: John II Count Palatinate Simmern 8 x Great Grand Son of King Edward I of England
GrandFather: Frederick III Elector Palatine 9 x Great Grand Son of King Edward I of England
Father: Louis VI Elector Palatine 10 x Great Grand Son of King Edward I of England
Frederick IV Elector Palatine 11 x Great Grand Son of King Edward I of England