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: Stewart
In 1336 [his father] King Robert II of Scotland [aged 19] and [his mother] 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 King Robert III of Scotland was born to [his father] King Robert II of Scotland [aged 20] and [his mother] Elizabeth Mure Queen Consort Scotland. He a great x 4 grandson of King John of England.
Before May 1355 [his mother] Elizabeth Mure Queen Consort Scotland died.
Around 1356 [his father] King Robert II of Scotland [aged 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.
In 1361 [his brother] Robert Stewart 1st Duke Albany [aged 21] was created 1st Earl Fife. [his future sister-in-law] Margaret Graham 3rd Countess Menteith [aged 27] by marriage Countess Fife.
On 28th September 1361 [his brother] Robert Stewart 1st Duke Albany [aged 21] and [his sister-in-law] Margaret Graham 3rd Countess Menteith [aged 27] were married. He by marriage Earl Menteith. See Dispensation. She the daughter of John Graham Earl Menteith and Margaret Graham 2nd Countess Menteith and Mar. He the son of [his father] King Robert II of Scotland [aged 45] and [his mother] Elizabeth Mure Queen Consort Scotland. They were fourth cousin once removed. He a great x 4 grandson of King John of England.
Around 1367 King Robert III of Scotland [aged 30] and Annabella Drummond Queen Consort Scotland [aged 17] were married. He the son of King Robert II of Scotland [aged 50] and Elizabeth Mure Queen Consort Scotland.
Before 1371 [his brother-in-law] John Dunbar 1st Earl of Moray [aged 28] and [his sister] Marjorie Stewart Countess Moray [aged 22] were married. She the daughter of [his father] King Robert II of Scotland [aged 54] and [his mother] Elizabeth Mure Queen Consort Scotland. He the son of Patrick Dunbar 9th Earl March and Agnes "Black Agnes" Randolph Countess March. They were half third cousins. She a great x 4 granddaughter of King John of England.
On 22nd February 1371 King David II of Scotland [aged 46] died without issue at Edinburgh Castle [Map]. He was buried at Holyrood Abbey [Map]. His nephew [his father] Robert [aged 54] succeeded II King Scotland. He, David, was the last of the male line of the House of Bruce. Robert, the first of the House of Stewart, being the son of his sister [his grandmother] Marjorie Bruce who had married [his grandfather] Walter Stewart 6th High Steward.
On 26th March 1371 [his father] King Robert II of Scotland [aged 55] was crowned King Scotland.
His son [his half-brother] David Stewart 3rd Earl Strathearn 1st Earl Caithness [aged 15] was created 1st Earl Strathearn on the same day.
In 1374 [his brother-in-law] John Dunbar 1st Earl of Moray [aged 32] was created 4th Earl Moray. [his sister] Marjorie Stewart Countess Moray [aged 26] by marriage Countess Moray. He was a nephew of the previous Earl of Moray John Randolph 3rd Earl of Moray who was brother of his mother Isabella Randolph.
Henrici Quinti, Angliæ Regis, Gesta, is a first-hand account of the Agincourt Campaign, and subsequent events to his death in 1422. The author of the first part was a Chaplain in King Henry's retinue who was present from King Henry's departure at Southampton in 1415, at the siege of Harfleur, the battle of Agincourt, and the celebrations on King Henry's return to London. The second part, by another writer, relates the events that took place including the negotiations at Troye, Henry's marriage and his death in 1422.
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On 24th October 1378 [his son] David Stewart 1st Duke Rothesay was born to King Robert III of Scotland [aged 41] and [his wife] Annabella Drummond Queen Consort Scotland [aged 28]. He married his half third cousin once removed Marjory Douglas Duchess Rothesay, daughter of Archibald "Grim" Douglas 3rd Earl Douglas and Joanna Strathearn Countess Douglas.
In 1381 [his brother] Robert Stewart 1st Duke Albany [aged 41] and [his sister-in-law] Muriella Keith Duchess Albany [aged 23] were married. He the son of [his father] King Robert II of Scotland [aged 64] and [his mother] Elizabeth Mure Queen Consort Scotland.
On 24 or 25th February 1382 [his brother] Alexander "The Wolf of Badenoch" Stewart 3rd Earl Buchan [aged 39] and [his sister-in-law] Euphemia 6th Countess of Ross were married. He by marriage Earl Ross. She the daughter of William 5th Earl Ross. He the son of [his father] King Robert II of Scotland [aged 65] and [his mother] Elizabeth Mure Queen Consort Scotland. They were second cousin once removed. He a great x 4 grandson of King John of England.
Before March 1386 [his half-brother] David Stewart 3rd Earl Strathearn 1st Earl Caithness [aged 30] and [his sister-in-law] Eupheme Lindsay Countess Strathearn Caithness [aged 24] were married. She by marriage Countess Caithness. He the son of [his father] King Robert II of Scotland [aged 69] and Euphemia Ross Queen Consort Scotland.
Around March 1386 [his half-brother] David Stewart 3rd Earl Strathearn 1st Earl Caithness [aged 30] died. His daughter [his niece] Eupheme succeeded 2nd Countess Strathearn, 2nd Countess Caithness.
Before 1387 [his brother-in-law] David Lindsay 1st Earl Crawford [aged 26] and [his half-sister] Elizabeth Stewart Countess Crawford [aged 24] were married. She the daughter of [his father] King Robert II of Scotland [aged 70] and Euphemia Ross Queen Consort Scotland. They were half first cousin once removed. She a great x 4 granddaughter of King John of England.
Around 1387 [his son-in-law] James Douglas 1st Lord Dalkeith [aged 17] and Elizabeth Stewart Lady Dalkeith were married. She the daughter of King Robert III of Scotland [aged 50] and Annabella Drummond Queen Consort Scotland [aged 37]. They were half fourth cousins. She a great x 5 granddaughter of King John of England.
Before 1390 [his son-in-law] Archibald Douglas 1st Duke Touraine [aged 17] and Margaret Stewart Duchess Touraine were married. She the daughter of King Robert III of Scotland [aged 52] and Annabella Drummond Queen Consort Scotland [aged 39]. He the son of Archibald "Grim" Douglas 3rd Earl Douglas [aged 60] and Joanna Strathearn Countess Douglas. They were half third cousin once removed. She a great x 5 granddaughter of King John of England.
On 15th February 1390 [his brother-in-law] Alexander Keith [aged 50] and [his sister] Marjorie Stewart Countess Moray [aged 42] were married. She the daughter of [his father] King Robert II of Scotland [aged 73] and [his mother] Elizabeth Mure Queen Consort Scotland.
On 19th April 1390 [his father] King Robert II of Scotland [aged 74] died at Dundonald Castle, Dundonald. He was buried at Scone Abbey [Map]. His son Robert [aged 53] succeeded III King Scotland. [his wife] Annabella Drummond Queen Consort Scotland [aged 40] by marriage Queen Consort Scotland. His son [his half-brother] David succeeded 3rd Earl Strathearn.
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 5th or 15th December 1392 [his brother] Alexander "The Wolf of Badenoch" Stewart 3rd Earl Buchan [aged 49] and [his sister-in-law] Euphemia 6th Countess of Ross were divorced.
In 1394 [his brother] Robert Stewart 1st Duke Albany [aged 54] was created 1st Earl Buchan. [his sister-in-law] Muriella Keith Duchess Albany [aged 36] by marriage Countess Buchan.
In July 1394 [his son] King James I of Scotland was born to King Robert III of Scotland [aged 57] and [his wife] Annabella Drummond Queen Consort Scotland [aged 44] at Dunfermline Abbey, Dunfermline. He married 12th February 1424 his half fourth cousin twice removed Joan Beaufort Queen Consort Scotland, daughter of John Beaufort 1st Marquess Somerset and Dorset and Margaret Holland Duchess Clarence, and had issue.
Letters. 1st August 1394. Letter XXVI. [his wife] Annabella Queen of Scotland [aged 44] to King Richard II [aged 27].
To the most high and mighty prince Richard, by the grace of God king of England, our very dear cousin, Annabella, by the selfsame grace queen of Scotland sends health and greeting.
We give you hearty and entire thanks for your loving letters presented to as by oar well-beloved Donglas, herald-at-arms, from which we have learned to our great pleasure and comfort your good health and estate. And, dearest cousin, as touching the marriage-treaty to be made between some nearly allied to you by blood and some children of the king my lord and of us, be pleased to know that it is agreeable to the king [aged 57] my said lord and to us, as he has signified to you by these letters. And in especial, that, although the said treaty could not be held on the third day of July last past for certain and reasonable causes contained in your letters sent to the king my aforesaid lord, you consented that the treaty should in like manner take place another day, namely, the first day of October next coming, which is agreeable to the king my aforesaid lord and to us; and we thank you heartily aud with good will, and affectionately pray you that you will continue the said treaty, and have the said day kept, for it is the will of my said lord the king and of us that as far as in us lies the said day should be kept without fail. And, dearest cousin, we affectionately require and entreat you that your highness will not be displeased that we have not sooner written to you; for we were lying in childbed of a male infant named [his son] James, of whom we are now well and graciously delivered, thanks to God and our Lady. And also, because, at the coming of your letters, the king my said lord was far away in the isles of his kingdom, we did not receive these letters sent to us on this matter till the last day of July last past. Most high and puissant prince, may the Holy Ghost ever keep you! Given under our signet, at the abbey of Dumfermline [Map], the first day of August.
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Before 1398 [his son-in-law] George Douglas 1st Earl Angus [aged 17] and Mary Stewart Countess Angus were married. She by marriage Countess Angus. She the daughter of King Robert III of Scotland [aged 60] and Annabella Drummond Queen Consort Scotland [aged 47]. He the son of William Douglas 1st Earl Douglas and Margaret Stewart 3rd Countess Angus and Mar. They were half fourth cousin once removed. She a great x 5 granddaughter of King John of England.
In 1398 [his brother-in-law] David Lindsay 1st Earl Crawford [aged 38] was created 1st Earl Crawford by King Robert II of Scotland (his wife's father) who also gave him Crawford Castle, Crawford. Elizabeth Stewart Countess Crawford [aged 36] by marriage Countess Crawford.
In 1398 [his brother] Robert Stewart 1st Duke Albany [aged 58] was created 1st Duke Albany. [his sister-in-law] Muriella Keith Duchess Albany [aged 40] by marriage Duchess Albany.
In October 1401 [his wife] Annabella Drummond Queen Consort Scotland [aged 51] died at Scone Palace.
On 26th March 1402 [his son] David Stewart 1st Duke Rothesay [aged 23] starved to death.
In 1404 [his half-brother] Walter Stewart 1st Earl Atholl 3rd Earl Caithness [aged 44] was created 1st Earl Atholl.
Jean de Waurin's Chronicle of England Volume 6 Books 3-6: The Wars of the Roses
Jean de Waurin was a French Chronicler, from the Artois region, who was born around 1400, and died around 1474. Waurin’s Chronicle of England, Volume 6, covering the period 1450 to 1471, from which we have selected and translated Chapters relating to the Wars of the Roses, provides a vivid, original, contemporary description of key events some of which he witnessed first-hand, some of which he was told by the key people involved with whom Waurin had a personal relationship.
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In 1405 [his brother] Alexander "The Wolf of Badenoch" Stewart 3rd Earl Buchan [aged 62] died.
Before 22nd February 1405 [his son-in-law] James Kennedy of Dunure The Younger [aged 29] and Mary Stewart Countess Angus were married. She the daughter of King Robert III of Scotland [aged 68] and Annabella Drummond Queen Consort Scotland.
On 4th April 1406 King Robert III of Scotland [aged 69] died at Rothesay Castle, Isle of Bute. His son James [aged 11] succeeded I King Scotland. He, James, was a prisoner of King Henry IV having been captured by an English ship two weeks before when attempting to travel to France. He would remain in captivity for eighteen years until 1424.
[his son] Robert Stewart was born to King Robert III of Scotland and Annabella Drummond Queen Consort Scotland.
[his daughter] Margaret Stewart Duchess Touraine was born to King Robert III of Scotland and Annabella Drummond Queen Consort Scotland. She married before 1390 her half third cousin once removed Archibald Douglas 1st Duke Touraine, son of Archibald "Grim" Douglas 3rd Earl Douglas and Joanna Strathearn Countess Douglas, and had issue.
[his daughter] Mary Stewart Countess Angus was born to King Robert III of Scotland and Annabella Drummond Queen Consort Scotland. She married (1) before 1398 her half fourth cousin once removed George Douglas 1st Earl Angus, son of William Douglas 1st Earl Douglas and Margaret Stewart 3rd Countess Angus and Mar, and had issue (2) before 22nd February 1405 James Kennedy of Dunure The Younger and had issue.
[his son] James Stewart was born to King Robert III of Scotland.
[his son] John Stewart was born to King Robert III of Scotland.
[his daughter] Egidia Stewart was born to King Robert III of Scotland and Annabella Drummond Queen Consort Scotland.
[his daughter] Elizabeth Stewart Lady Dalkeith was born to King Robert III of Scotland and Annabella Drummond Queen Consort Scotland. She married 1387 her half fourth cousin James Douglas 1st Lord Dalkeith and had issue.
Kings Wessex: Great x 9 Grand Son of King Edmund "Ironside" I of England
Kings Gwynedd: Great x 5 Grand Son of Owain "Great" King Gwynedd
Kings Seisyllwg: Great x 11 Grand Son of Hywel "Dda aka Good" King Seisyllwg King Deheubarth
Kings Powys: Great x 6 Grand Son of Maredudd ap Bleddyn King Powys
Kings England: Great x 4 Grand Son of King John of England
Kings Scotland: Great x 8 Grand Son of King Duncan I of Scotland
Kings Franks: Great x 17 Grand Son of Charles "Charlemagne aka Great" King of the Franks King Lombardy Holy Roman Emperor
Kings France: Great x 10 Grand Son of Hugh I King of the Franks
Kings Duke Aquitaine: Great x 14 Grand Son of Ranulf I Duke Aquitaine
Great x 4 Grandfather: Alan Fitzwalter 2nd High Steward 
Great x 3 Grandfather: Walter Stewart 3rd High Steward
Great x 2 Grandfather: Alexander Stewart 4th High Steward
Great x 4 Grandfather: Gille Críst Angus 4th Earl Angus
Great x 3 Grandmother: Bethóc Angus
Great x 4 Grandmother: Marjorie Dunkeld Countess Angus 
Great x 1 Grandfather: James Stewart 5th High Steward
GrandFather: Walter Stewart 6th High Steward
Father: King Robert II of Scotland 
3 x Great Grand Son of King John of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Robert Bruce 4th Lord Annandale
Great x 3 Grandfather: Robert Bruce 5th Lord Annandale 4 x Great Grand Son of King Henry I "Beauclerc" England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Isabel "the Scot" Dunkeld Lady Annandale 3 x Great Grand Daughter of King Henry I "Beauclerc" England
Great x 2 Grandfather: Robert Bruce Earl Carrick 4 x Great Grand Son of King Henry I "Beauclerc" England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Gilbert Clare 5th Earl Gloucester 4th Earl Hertford 
2 x Great Grand Son of King Henry I "Beauclerc" England
Great x 3 Grandmother: Isabel Clare Lady Annandale 3 x Great Grand Daughter of King Henry I "Beauclerc" England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Isabel Marshal Countess Cornwall, Gloucester and Hertford 
Great x 1 Grandfather: King Robert the Bruce I of Scotland 5 x Great Grand Son of King Henry I "Beauclerc" England
Great x 3 Grandfather: Niall Carrick 2nd Earl Carrick
Great x 2 Grandmother: Marjorie Carrick 3rd Countess Carrick
Great x 4 Grandfather: Walter Stewart 3rd High Steward
Great x 3 Grandmother: Margaret Stewart Countess Carrick
Great x 4 Grandmother: Bethóc Angus
GrandMother: Marjorie Bruce 2 x Great Grand Daughter of King John of England
Great x 3 Grandfather: Donald Mar 6th Earl of Mar
Great x 2 Grandfather: Donald Mar 7th Earl of Mar
Great x 1 Grandmother: Isabella Mar Great Grand Daughter of King John of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Iorwerth "Drwyndwn aka Flat Nosed" Aberffraw
Great x 3 Grandfather: Llewellyn "The Great" Aberffraw
Great x 4 Grandmother: Marared ferch Madog Mathrafal
Great x 2 Grandmother: Elen ferch Llewellyn Aberffraw Countess Huntingdon and Mar Grand Daughter of King John of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: King John of England 
Son of King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England
Great x 3 Grandmother: Joan Plantagenet Daughter of King John of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Adela Plantagenet
King Robert III of Scotland 4 x Great Grand Son of King John of England
GrandFather: Adam Mure