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
Maternal Family Tree: Aoife ni Diarmait Macmurrough Countess Pembroke and Buckingham 1145-1188
1424 Marriage of James I of Scotland and Joan Beaufort
On 12th February 1424 [her father] King James I of Scotland (age 29) and [her mother] Joan Beaufort Queen Consort Scotland (age 20) were married at Southwark Cathedral [Map]. She by marriage Queen Consort Scotland. She the daughter of [her grandfather] John Beaufort 1st Marquess Somerset and Dorset and [her grandmother] Margaret Holland Duchess Clarence (age 39). He the son of [her grandfather] King Robert III of Scotland and [her grandmother] Annabella Drummond Queen Consort Scotland. They were half fourth cousin twice removed. He a great x 5 grandson of King John of England. She a great granddaughter of King Edward III of England.
On 25th December 1424 Margaret Stewart Dauphine of France was born to [her father] King James I of Scotland (age 30) and [her mother] Joan Beaufort Queen Consort Scotland (age 20) at Perth [Map]. She a great x 2 granddaughter of King Edward III of England.
Around 1435 Margaret Stewart Dauphine of France (age 10) was created Dauphine .
On 25th June 1436 King Louis XI of France (age 12) and Margaret Stewart Dauphine of France (age 11) were married at Tours Castle. They had met the day before. She by marriage Dauphine . She the daughter of King James I of Scotland (age 41) and Joan Beaufort Queen Consort Scotland (age 32). He the son of Charles "Victorious" VII King France (age 33) and Marie Valois Anjou Queen Consort France (age 31). They were half fourth cousin once removed. She a great x 2 granddaughter of King Edward III of England.
On 21st February 1437 [her father] King James I of Scotland (age 42) was assassinated at Blackfriars. He was buried at Carthusian Charterhouse, Perth. His son [her brother] James (age 6) succeeded II King Scotland. His wife, [her mother] Joan Beaufort Queen Consort Scotland (age 33), managed to escape.
On 26th March 1437 Walter Stewart 1st Earl Atholl 3rd Earl Caithness (age 77) and his grandson Robert Stewart (age 37) were hanged, drawn and quartered at Edinburgh Castle [Map] for having conspired to assassinate [her father] King James I of Scotland (deceased).
Before 21st September 1439 [her step-father] James "Black Knight of Lorn" Stewart (age 44) and [her mother] Joan Beaufort Queen Consort Scotland (age 35) were married. She the daughter of [her grandfather] John Beaufort 1st Marquess Somerset and Dorset and [her grandmother] Margaret Holland Duchess Clarence (age 54).
On 24th November 1440 William Crichton 1st Lord Crichton arranged a dinner of reconciliation at the Great Hall, Edinburgh Castle. During the course of the dinner the young brothers William Douglas 3rd Duke Touraine (age 16) and David Douglas (age 10) was beheaded in front of the young [her brother] King James II of Scotland (age 10).
On 30th August 1442 [her brother-in-law] Francis Montfort I Duke Brittany (age 28) and [her sister] Isabella Stewart Duchess Brittany (age 16) were married. She by marriage Duchess Brittany. She the daughter of [her father] King James I of Scotland and [her mother] Joan Beaufort Queen Consort Scotland (age 38). He the son of John Montfort V Duke Brittany (deceased) and Joan Valois Duchess Brittany. They were half fourth cousin once removed. He a great x 4 grandson of King Henry III of England. She a great x 2 granddaughter of King Edward III of England.
On 15th July 1445 [her mother] Joan Beaufort Queen Consort Scotland (age 41) died at Dunbar Castle, Dunbar. She was buried at Perth Charterhouse.
On 16th August 1445 Margaret Stewart Dauphine of France (age 20) died at Châlons-en-Champagne [Map]. She was buried at the Church of Saint-Laon Thouars.
In 1451 [her former husband] King Louis XI of France (age 27) and Queen Charlotte of Savoy (age 9) were married. She the daughter of Louis Savoy I Count Savoy (age 37) and Anne Cyprus Countess Savoy (age 32). He the son of [her former father-in-law] Charles "Victorious" VII King France (age 47) and [her former mother-in-law] Marie Valois Anjou Queen Consort France (age 46). They were second cousin once removed. She a great x 5 granddaughter of King Edward I of England.
William of Worcester's Chronicle of England
William of Worcester, born around 1415, and died around 1482 was secretary to John Fastolf, the renowned soldier of the Hundred Years War, during which time he collected documents, letters, and wrote a record of events. Following their return to England in 1440 William was witness to major events. Twice in his chronicle he uses the first person: 1. when writing about the murder of Thomas, 7th Baron Scales, in 1460, he writes '… and I saw him lying naked in the cemetery near the porch of the church of St. Mary Overie in Southwark …' and 2. describing King Edward IV's entry into London in 1461 he writes '… proclaimed that all the people themselves were to recognize and acknowledge Edward as king. I was present and heard this, and immediately went down with them into the city'. William’s Chronicle is rich in detail. It is the source of much information about the Wars of the Roses, including the term 'Diabolical Marriage' to describe the marriage of Queen Elizabeth Woodville’s brother John’s marriage to Katherine, Dowager Duchess of Norfolk, he aged twenty, she sixty-five or more, and the story about a paper crown being placed in mockery on the severed head of Richard, 3rd Duke of York.
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On 30th August 1483 [her former husband] King Louis XI of France (age 60) died. He was buried at the Basilica of Notre Dame-de-Cléry, Cléry-Saint-André [Map]. His son Charles (age 13) succeeded VIII King France: Capet Valois.
King Edward III of England 1312-1377
John of Gaunt 1st Duke Lancaster 1340-1399
Eleanor Plantagenet Countess Arundel and Surrey 1318-1372
Richard Fitzalan 3rd or 10th Earl of Arundel 8th Earl of Surrey 1306-1376
Thomas Holland 2nd Earl Kent 1350-1397
Joan "Fair Maid of Kent" Princess Wales 1328-1385
Katherine Swynford aka Roet Duchess Lancaster 1350-1403
Philippa of Hainaut Queen Consort England 1310-1369
Kings Wessex: Great x 11 Grand Daughter of King Edmund "Ironside" I of England
Kings Gwynedd: Great x 7 Grand Daughter of Owain "Great" King Gwynedd
Kings Seisyllwg: Great x 13 Grand Daughter of Hywel "Dda aka Good" King Seisyllwg King Deheubarth
Kings Powys: Great x 8 Grand Daughter of Maredudd ap Bleddyn King Powys
Kings Godwinson: Great x 12 Grand Daughter of King Harold II of England
Kings England: Great x 2 Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England
Kings Scotland: Great x 10 Grand Daughter of King Duncan I of Scotland
Kings Franks: Great x 18 Grand Daughter of Charles "Charlemagne aka Great" King of the Franks King Lombardy Holy Roman Emperor
Kings France: Great x 12 Grand Daughter of Hugh I King of the Franks
Kings Duke Aquitaine: Great x 16 Grand Daughter of Ranulf I Duke Aquitaine
Great x 4 Grandfather: Alexander Stewart 4th High Steward 
Great x 3 Grandfather: James Stewart 5th High Steward
Great x 2 Grandfather: Walter Stewart 6th High Steward
Great x 1 Grandfather: King Robert II of Scotland 
3 x Great Grand Son of King John of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Robert Bruce Earl Carrick 4 x Great Grand Son of King Henry I "Beauclerc" England
Great x 3 Grandfather: King Robert the Bruce I of Scotland 5 x Great Grand Son of King Henry I "Beauclerc" England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Marjorie Carrick 3rd Countess Carrick
Great x 2 Grandmother: Marjorie Bruce 2 x Great Grand Daughter of King John of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Donald Mar 7th Earl of Mar
Great x 3 Grandmother: Isabella Mar Great Grand Daughter of King John of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Elen ferch Llewellyn Aberffraw Countess Huntingdon and Mar Grand Daughter of King John of England
GrandFather: King Robert III of Scotland 4 x Great Grand Son of King John of England
Great x 2 Grandfather: Adam Mure
Great x 1 Grandmother: Elizabeth Mure Queen Consort Scotland
Father: King James I of Scotland 5 x Great Grand Son of King John of England
Great x 2 Grandfather: Malcolm Drummond
Great x 1 Grandfather: John Drummond of Stobhall 11th Thane of Lennox
GrandMother: Annabella Drummond Queen Consort Scotland
Great x 1 Grandmother: Mary Margaret Montifex
Margaret Stewart Dauphine of France 2 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: King Edward I of England 
Son of King Henry III of England
Great x 3 Grandfather: King Edward II of England Son of King Edward I of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Eleanor of Castile Queen Consort England 2 x Great Grand Daughter of King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England
Great x 2 Grandfather: King Edward III of England Son of King Edward II of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: King Philip IV of France 
3 x Great Grand Son of King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England
Great x 3 Grandmother: Isabella of France Queen Consort England 4 x Great Grand Daughter of King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Joan Blois I Queen Navarre 
3 x Great Grand Daughter of King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England
Great x 1 Grandfather: John of Gaunt 1st Duke Lancaster Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: John of Avesnes II Count Hainaut II Count Holland 3 x Great Grand Son of King Stephen I England
Great x 3 Grandfather: William of Avesnes I Count Hainaut III Count Avesnes III Count Holland II Count Zeeland 4 x Great Grand Son of King Stephen I England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Philippa Luxemburg Countess Hainaut and Holland 
5 x Great Grand Daughter of King William "Conqueror" I of England
Great x 2 Grandmother: Philippa of Hainaut Queen Consort England 5 x Great Grand Daughter of King Stephen I England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Charles Valois I Count Valois 3 x Great Grand Son of King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England
Great x 3 Grandmother: Joan Valois Countess Zeeland Holland Avesnes and Hainaut 4 x Great Grand Daughter of King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Margaret Capet Countess Valois 3 x Great Grand Daughter of King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England
GrandFather: John Beaufort 1st Marquess Somerset and Dorset 
Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 2 Grandfather: Giles "Payne" Roet 
Great x 1 Grandmother: Katherine Swynford aka Roet Duchess Lancaster
Mother: Joan Beaufort Queen Consort Scotland Great Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Robert de Holand of Upholland 
Great x 3 Grandfather: Robert Holland 1st Baron Holand
Great x 2 Grandfather: Thomas Holland 1st Earl Kent 4 x Great Grand Son of King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Alan Zouche 1st Baron Zouche Ashby 
2 x Great Grand Son of King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England
Great x 3 Grandmother: Maud Zouche Baroness Holand 3 x Great Grand Daughter of King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Eleanor Segrave 
Great x 1 Grandfather: Thomas Holland 2nd Earl Kent Great Grand Son of King Edward I of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: King Edward I of England Son of King Henry III of England
Great x 3 Grandfather: Edmund of Woodstock 1st Earl Kent Son of King Edward I of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Margaret of France Queen Consort England 3 x Great Grand Daughter of King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England
Great x 2 Grandmother: Joan "Fair Maid of Kent" Princess Wales Grand Daughter of King Edward I of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: John Wake 1st Baron Wake of Liddell 
2 x Great Grand Son of King John of England
Great x 3 Grandmother: Margaret Wake Countess Kent 3 x Great Grand Daughter of King John of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Joan Fiennes Baroness Wake Liddell 
4 x Great Grand Daughter of King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England
GrandMother: Margaret Holland Duchess Clarence 2 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward I of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Richard Fitzalan 1st or 8th Earl of Arundel 
3 x Great Grand Son of King John of England
Great x 3 Grandfather: Edmund Fitzalan 2nd or 9th Earl of Arundel 4 x Great Grand Son of King John of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Alice Saluzzo Countess Arundel 
6 x Great Grand Daughter of King William "Conqueror" I of England
Great x 2 Grandfather: Richard Fitzalan 3rd or 10th Earl of Arundel 8th Earl of Surrey 5 x Great Grand Son of King John of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: William Warenne
Great x 3 Grandmother: Alice Warenne Countess Arundel
Great x 4 Grandmother: Joan Vere 
Great x 1 Grandmother: Alice Fitzalan Countess Kent 2 x Great Grand Daughter of King Henry III of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Edmund "Crouchback" Plantagenet 1st Earl of Leicester 1st Earl Lancaster Son of King Henry III of England
Great x 3 Grandfather: Henry Plantagenet 3rd Earl of Leicester 3rd Earl Lancaster Grand Son of King Henry III of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Blanche Capet Queen Navarre 2 x Great Grand Daughter of King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England
Great x 2 Grandmother: Eleanor Plantagenet Countess Arundel and Surrey 
Great Grand Daughter of King Henry III of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Patrick Chaworth 
Great x 3 Grandmother: Maud Chaworth
Great x 4 Grandmother: Isabella Beauchamp 