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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Paternal Family Tree: Jimenez
Sancho Ramírez I King Aragon V King Pamplona and Isabella Urgell Queen Consort Aragon Queen Consort Pamplona were married. She by marriage Queen Consort Aragon, Queen Consort Pamplona. She the daughter of Ermengol Urgell 3rd Count Urgell. He the son of Ramiro Sánchez I King Aragon and Gisberga or Ermesinda Bigorre Queen Consort Aragon.
On 22nd August 1036 [his father] Ramiro Sánchez I King Aragon (age 29) and [his mother] Gisberga or Ermesinda Bigorre Queen Consort Aragon (age 21) were married. He the illegitmate son of [his grandfather] Sancho "Great" III King Pamplona and [his grandmother] Sancha Aibar.
In 1042 Sancho Ramírez I King Aragon V King Pamplona was born to [his father] Ramiro Sánchez I King Aragon (age 35) and [his mother] Gisberga or Ermesinda Bigorre Queen Consort Aragon (age 27).
On 1st December 1049 [his mother] Gisberga or Ermesinda Bigorre Queen Consort Aragon (age 34) died.
8th May 1063. The Battle of Graus was part of the reconquest of the Iberian Peninsular by the Spanish from the Arabs.
[his father] Ramiro Sánchez I King Aragon (age 56) was killed in battle. His son Sancho (age 21) succeeded I King Aragon.
Around 1068 [his son] Peter I King Aragon I King Pamplona was born to Sancho Ramírez I King Aragon V King Pamplona (age 26) and Isabella Urgell Queen Consort Aragon Queen Consort Pamplona. He married (1) 1086 Agnes Poitiers Queen Consort Aragon Queen Consort Pamplona, daughter of Guy William Poitiers VIII Duke Aquitaine and Hildegarde Burgundy Duchess Aquitaine, and had issue (2) 1097 Bertha Queen Consort Aragon Queen Consort Pamplona.
In 1071 [his son] Fernando Jiménez was born to Sancho Ramírez I King Aragon V King Pamplona (age 29) and [his wife] Felicia Montdidier Queen Consort Aragon and Pamplona (age 11).
Around 1071 Sancho Ramírez I King Aragon V King Pamplona (age 29) and Felicia Montdidier Queen Consort Aragon and Pamplona (age 11) were married. She by marriage Queen Consort Aragon, Queen Consort Pamplona. She the daughter of Hilduin Montdidier IV Count Montdidier. He the son of Ramiro Sánchez I King Aragon and Gisberga or Ermesinda Bigorre Queen Consort Aragon.
Around 1073 [his son] Alfonso I King Aragon I King Pamplona was born to Sancho Ramírez I King Aragon V King Pamplona (age 31) and [his wife] Felicia Montdidier Queen Consort Aragon and Pamplona (age 13). He married (1) 1109 his half second cousin Urracca "Reckless" Jiménez Queen Consort Aragon and Pamplona, daughter of Alfonso "Brave" VI King Leon VI King Castile and Constance Burgundy Queen Consort Castile and Leon.
In 1076 Sancho Ramírez I King Aragon V King Pamplona (age 34) succeeded V King Pamplona.
In 1080 Rotrou Chateaudun II Count Perche died. His son Geoffrey succeeded III Count Perche. [his sister-in-law] Beatrix de Ramerupt Montdidier Countess Mortain and Perche by marriage Countess Perche.
In 1086 [his son] Peter I King Aragon I King Pamplona (age 18) and [his daughter-in-law] Agnes Poitiers Queen Consort Aragon Queen Consort Pamplona (age 14) were married. She by marriage Queen Consort Aragon, Queen Consort Pamplona. She the daughter of Guy William Poitiers VIII Duke Aquitaine (age 61) and Hildegarde Burgundy Duchess Aquitaine (age 30). He the son of Sancho Ramírez I King Aragon V King Pamplona (age 44) and Isabella Urgell Queen Consort Aragon Queen Consort Pamplona.
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 24th April 1086 [his son] Ramiro "Monk" II King Aragon was born to Sancho Ramírez I King Aragon V King Pamplona (age 44) and [his wife] Felicia Montdidier Queen Consort Aragon and Pamplona (age 26). He married on or before 11th August 1136 Agnes Poitiers Queen Consort Aragon, daughter of William "Troubadour" Poitiers IX Duke Aquitaine and Philippa Rouerge Duchess Aquitaine, and had issue.
In 1094 [his son] Fernando Jiménez (age 23) died.
On 4th June 1094 Sancho Ramírez I King Aragon V King Pamplona (age 52) died. His son Peter (age 26) succeeded I King Aragon, I King Pamplona.
On 3rd May 1123 [his former wife] Felicia Montdidier Queen Consort Aragon and Pamplona (age 63) died.
[his father] Ramiro Sánchez I King Aragon and Agnes Unknown Queen Consort Aragon were married. She by marriage Queen Consort Aragon. He the illegitmate son of [his grandfather] Sancho "Great" III King Pamplona and [his grandmother] Sancha Aibar.
Great x 4 Grandfather: Sancho I King Pamplona
Great x 3 Grandfather: García I King Pamplona
Great x 2 Grandfather: Sancho II King Pamplona
Great x 4 Grandfather: Galindo Aznárez II Count Aragon
Great x 3 Grandmother: Andregoto Aznárez
Great x 1 Grandfather: García Sánchez "Tremulous" II King Pamplona
Great x 3 Grandfather: Fernán González Count Castile
Great x 2 Grandmother: Urraca González Queen Consort Leon Queen Consort Pamplona
Great x 3 Grandmother: Sancha Sánchez
GrandFather: Sancho "Great" III King Pamplona
Great x 2 Grandfather: Fernando Bermúdez
Great x 1 Grandmother: Jimena Fernández Bermúdez Queen Consort Pamplona
Father: Ramiro Sánchez I King Aragon
GrandMother: Sancha Aibar
Sancho Ramírez I King Aragon V King Pamplona
Great x 1 Grandfather: Roger I of Carcasonne
GrandFather: Bernard Roger Count of Bigorre
Mother: Gisberga or Ermesinda Bigorre Queen Consort Aragon