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.
Earl Atholl is in Earl.
In 1320 William Douglas 1st Earl Atholl was created 1st Earl Atholl.
In 1403 Robert Stewart 1st Duke Albany (age 63) was created 1st Earl Atholl. Muriella Keith Duchess Albany (age 45) by marriage Countess Atholl.
On 7th November 1306 John Strathbogie 9th Earl Atholl (age 40) was hanged, beheaed and burned, in London on a gallows 30 feet higher than ordinary to signfy his higher status and as a consequence of his kinship to King Edward I. His son David succeeded 10th Earl Atholl. He was the first Earl to be executed in England for 230 years.
Note 1. John Strathbogie, 9th Earl Atholl, and King Edward I, were half first cousins twice removed. Strathbogie was a great great grandson of King John through his illegitimate son Richard.
On 28th December 1326 David Strathbogie 10th Earl Atholl died. His son David (age 17) succeeded 11th Earl Atholl, 2nd Baron Strabolgi.
Before 1327 David III Strathbogie 11th Earl Atholl (age 17) and Katherine Beaumont Countess Atholl were married. She by marriage Countess Atholl. She the daughter of Henry Beaumont Earl Buchan (age 47) and Alice Comyn Baroness Beaumont. He the son of David Strathbogie 10th Earl Atholl. They were fifth cousin once removed. He a great x 4 grandson of King John of England. She a great x 4 granddaughter of King Henry I "Beauclerc" England.
On 30th November 1335 David III Strathbogie 11th Earl Atholl (age 26) was killed during the Battle of Culblean. His son David (age 8) succeeded 12th Earl Atholl, 3rd Baron Strabolgi.
Whilst small the battle had a significant impact insofar as it brought an end to the campaign of King Edward III of England (age 23) also ending the aspirations to the Scottish throne of King Edward I of Scotland (age 52).
Before 1353 David IV Strathbogie 12th Earl Atholl (age 25) and Elizabeth Ferrers Countess Atholl (age 16) were married. She by marriage Countess Atholl. He the son of David III Strathbogie 11th Earl Atholl and Katherine Beaumont Countess Atholl. They were fourth cousins. He a great x 5 grandson of King Henry I "Beauclerc" England. She a great x 2 granddaughter of King Edward I of England.
John Strathbogie 9th Earl Atholl and Margaret Mar Countess Atholl were married. She by marriage Countess Atholl. She the daughter of Donald Mar 6th Earl of Mar.
In July 1342 William "Flower of Chivalry and Knight Liddesdale" Douglas 1st Earl Atholl (age 42) was created 1st Earl Atholl. Elizabeth Maxwell Countess Atholl (age 7) by marriage Countess Atholl.
In 1398 David Stewart 1st Duke Rothesay (age 19) was created 1st Duke Rothesay, 1st Earl Atholl. Marjory Douglas Duchess Rothesay by marriage Duchess Rothesay.
In 1404 Walter Stewart 1st Earl Atholl 3rd Earl Caithness (age 44) was created 1st Earl Atholl.
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.
Available at Amazon in eBook and Paperback format.
On 25th March 1596 James Stewart 1st Earl Atholl (age 30) was created 1st Earl Atholl at Holyrood Palace [Map]. Mary Ruthven Countess Atholl by marriage Countess Atholl.
In 1603 James Stewart 1st Earl Atholl (age 37) died. His son James succeeded 2nd Earl Atholl.
In 1625 James Stewart 2nd Earl of Atholl died without issue. Earl Atholl extinct.