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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Joos van Cleve is in Painters.
Around 1485 Joos van Cleve was born.
Around 1530. Joos van Cleve (age 45). Portrait of Eleanor of Austria Queen Consort France Queen Consort Portugal (age 31). Sister of the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V (age 29), was betrothed to King Francis I (age 35) as part of the Peace of Cambrai following the French king's defeat at the Battle of Pavia on 24 February 1525. This portrait by van Cleve was probably painted by the artist in France. The Spanish inscription on the letter in Eleanora's hand helps with the dating of the painting, as it identifies her as the 'most Christian Queen', a papal title granted to her as Queen of France, thereby indicating a date after her coronation in 1531.
Around 1532. Joos van Cleve (age 47). Portrait of King Henry VIII of England and Ireland (age 40). The inscription on the scroll in the portrait of Henry VIII translates as, 'Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature' (Mark 16:15). The same words were inscribed on Holbein's title page for the Coverdale Bible of 1535 which has sometimes been seen as a key to dating this portrait, but it is one of ten biblical quotations on that page. It seems more likely that van Cleve's inclusion of these words - in Latin rather than English - is more Catholic than Protestant, and was intended to celebrate Henry's papal title of Defender of the Faith, which he won in 1521.
Between 1535 and 1540. Joos van Cleve (age 50). Portrait of the artist's second wife [his future wife] Katlijne van Mispelteeren.
Katlijne van Mispelteeren: Around 1540 Joos van Cleve and she were married.
Around 1540 Joos van Cleve (age 55) and Katlijne van Mispelteeren were married.
In 1541 Joos van Cleve (age 56) died.