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: Oldenburg
On 28th October 1449 [his father] Christian I King of Denmark [aged 23] and [his mother] Dorothea of Brandenburg [aged 18] were married.
On 7th October 1471 King Frederick I of Denmark was born to [his father] Christian I King of Denmark [aged 45] and [his mother] Dorothea of Brandenburg [aged 40].
On 6th September 1478 [his brother] John King of Denmark Norway and Sweden [aged 23] and [his sister-in-law] Christina Queen Consort Denmark Norway and Sweden [aged 16] were married. He the son of [his father] Christian I King of Denmark [aged 52] and [his mother] Dorothea of Brandenburg [aged 47].
On 21st May 1481 [his father] Christian I King of Denmark [aged 55] died. His son [his brother] John [aged 26] succeeded King of Denmark. [his sister-in-law] Christina Queen Consort Denmark Norway and Sweden [aged 19] by marriage Queen Consort Denmark.
On 14th July 1486 [his sister] Margaret Oldenburg Queen Consort Scotland [aged 30] died.
On 10th November 1495 [his mother] Dorothea of Brandenburg [aged 64] died.
On 10th April 1502 King Frederick I of Denmark [aged 30] and Anna of Brandenburg [aged 14] were married. She the daughter of John "Cicero" Hohenzollern Elector Brandenburg and Margaret of Thuringia. He the son of Christian I King of Denmark and Dorothea of Brandenburg. They were half second cousins.
On 12th August 1503 [his son] Christian III King of Denmark was born to King Frederick I of Denmark [aged 31] and [his wife] Anna of Brandenburg [aged 15]. He married 29th October 1525 Dorothea of Saxe Lauenburg Queen Consort Denmark and Norway and had issue.
On 1st August 1504 [his daughter] Dorothea Oldenburg was born to King Frederick I of Denmark [aged 32] and [his wife] Anna of Brandenburg [aged 16]. She married 1526 her half first cousin once removed Albert "The Elder" Hohenzollern I Duke Prussia, son of Frederick Hohenzollern I Margrave Brandenburg-Ansbach and Sophia Jagiellon Margravine of Brandenburg-Ansbach, and had issue.
On 20th February 1513 [his brother] John King of Denmark Norway and Sweden [aged 58] died. His son [his nephew] Christian [aged 31] succeeded II King of Denmark, II King Norway.
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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On 3rd May 1514 [his wife] Anna of Brandenburg [aged 26] died.
On 9th October 1518 King Frederick I of Denmark [aged 47] and Sophie of Pomerania Queen Consort of Denmark and Sweden [aged 20] were married. The difference in their ages was 26 years. He the son of Christian I King of Denmark and Dorothea of Brandenburg.
On 28th June 1521 [his son] John "Elder" Oldenburg was born to King Frederick I of Denmark [aged 49] and [his wife] Sophie of Pomerania Queen Consort of Denmark and Sweden [aged 23].
In 1523 [his nephew] Christian II King of Denmark II King Norway [aged 41] Abdicated following pressure from his nobility. His uncle Frederick [aged 51] succeeded I King of Denmark.
On 14th October 1524 [his daughter] Elizabeth Oldenburg was born to King Frederick I of Denmark [aged 53] and [his wife] Sophie of Pomerania Queen Consort of Denmark and Sweden [aged 26]. She married 14th February 1556 her half third cousin once removed Ulrich Mecklenburg-Schwerin, son of Albrecht VII Duke Mecklenburg and Anna Hohenzollern Duchess Mecklenburg.
On 29th October 1525 Christian III King of Denmark [aged 22] and Dorothea of Saxe Lauenburg Queen Consort Denmark and Norway [aged 14] were married. He the son of King Frederick I of Denmark [aged 54] and Anna of Brandenburg.
In 1526 [his son-in-law] Albert "The Elder" Hohenzollern I Duke Prussia [aged 35] and Dorothea Oldenburg [aged 21] were married. She the daughter of King Frederick I of Denmark [aged 54] and Anna of Brandenburg. He the son of Frederick Hohenzollern I Margrave Brandenburg-Ansbach [aged 65] and Sophia Jagiellon Margravine of Brandenburg-Ansbach. They were half first cousin once removed.
On 25th January 1526 [his son] Duke Adolph Oldenburg of Holstein-Gotorp was born to King Frederick I of Denmark [aged 54] and [his wife] Sophie of Pomerania Queen Consort of Denmark and Sweden [aged 28]. He married 17th December 1564 his half fourth cousin once removed Christine Hesse, daughter of Landgrave Philip I of Hesse and Christine of Saxony, and had issue.
In 1527 [his daughter] Anna Oldenburg was born to King Frederick I of Denmark [aged 55] and [his wife] Sophie of Pomerania Queen Consort of Denmark and Sweden [aged 29].. She died aged eight in 1535.
In 1528 [his daughter] Dorothea Oldenburg was born to King Frederick I of Denmark [aged 56] and [his wife] Sophie of Pomerania Queen Consort of Denmark and Sweden [aged 30].. She married 27th October 1573 her half third cousin once removed Christopher Mecklenburg-Schwerin, son of Albrecht VII Duke Mecklenburg and Anna Hohenzollern Duchess Mecklenburg.
On 13th April 1532 [his son] Frederick Oldenburg was born to King Frederick I of Denmark [aged 60] and [his wife] Sophie of Pomerania Queen Consort of Denmark and Sweden [aged 34]..
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.
Available at Amazon in eBook and Paperback format.
On 10th April 1533 King Frederick I of Denmark [aged 61] died. His son Christian [aged 29] succeeded III King of Denmark.
In 1560 Duke Adolph Oldenburg of Holstein-Gotorp [aged 33] was appointed 343rd Knight of the Garter by Queen Elizabeth I of England and Ireland [aged 26]. It isn't entirely clear why he was awarded the Garter. He was a thirty-four years old, unmarried younger son of the King of Denark. He may have been pursuing a marriage to Queen Elizabeth I of England and Ireland.
In 1568 [his former wife] Sophie of Pomerania Queen Consort of Denmark and Sweden [aged 70] died.
Christian III King of Denmark [1]
Louise of Mecklenburg Güstrow Queen Consort Denmark and Norway [2]
Sophia Louise Mecklenburg-Schwerin Queen Consort Prussia [2]
King George III of Great Britain and Ireland [3]
Charlotte Mecklenburg Strelitz Queen Consort England [2]
Caroline Matilda Hanover Queen Consort Denmark and Norway [3]
Caroline of Brunswick Queen Consort England [3]
Frederica Mecklenburg Strelitz Queen Consort Hanover [2]
King Christian I of Norway and VIII of Denmark [5]
Frederick William IV King Prussia [2]
Frederick VII King of Denmark [8]
Queen Louise Hesse-Kassel of Denmark [5]
Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom [5]
Queen Sophia of Sweden and Norway [3]
Victoria Empress Germany Queen Consort Prussia [16]
King Edward VII of the United Kingdom [16]
Frederick Charles I King Finland [5]
Alexandrine Mecklenburg-Schwerin Queen Consort Denmark [10]
Victoria Eugénie Mountbatten Queen Consort Spain [16]
Louise Mountbatten Queen Consort Sweden [16]
Ingrid Bernadotte Queen Consort Denmark [18]
Philip Mountbatten Duke Edinburgh [18]
Carl XVI King Sweden [34]
GrandFather: Dietrich Count of Oldenburg 
Father: Christian I King of Denmark
GrandMother: Helvig of Schauenburg
Great x 4 Grandfather: Frederick Hohenzollern
Great x 3 Grandfather: John Hohenzollern II Burgrave Nuremburg
Great x 2 Grandfather: Frederick Hohenzollern V Burgrave Nuremburg
Great x 1 Grandfather: Frederick I Elector Brandenburg
GrandFather: John "The Alchemist" Margrave of Brandenburg-Kulmbach
Mother: Dorothea of Brandenburg
Great x 1 Grandfather: Rudolf III Duke of Saxe-Wittenberg
GrandMother: Barbara of Saxe-Wittenberg