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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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John Holles 1st Earl de Clare 1564-1637

Paternal Family Tree: Holles

Maternal Family Tree: Elizabeth Louches Baroness Camoys

Before 1562 [his father] Denzil Holles [aged 23] and [his mother] Eleanor Sheffield [aged 24] were married.

In May 1564 John Holles 1st Earl de Clare was born to Denzil Holles [aged 26] and Eleanor Sheffield [aged 27] at Haughton Hall, Nottinghamshire.

In 1579 John Holles 1st Earl de Clare [aged 14] educated at Christ's College, Cambridge University [Map].

In 1583 John Holles 1st Earl de Clare [aged 18] educated at Gray's Inn.

On 12th April 1590 [his father] Denzil Holles [aged 52] died. He was buried at Irby upon Humber.

On 23rd May 1591 John Holles 1st Earl de Clare [aged 27] and Anne Stanhope Countess de Clare [aged 15] were married.

On 13th June 1595 [his son] John Holles 2nd Earl de Clare was born to John Holles 1st Earl de Clare [aged 31] and [his wife] Anne Stanhope Countess de Clare [aged 19] at Haughton, Nottinghamshire. He married 4th September 1626 his second cousin once removed Elizabeth Vere Countess Clare, daughter of Horace de Vere 1st Baron Vere and Mary Tracy Baroness Spencer Tilbury, and had issue.

In 1597 [his son] Robert Holles was born to John Holles 1st Earl de Clare [aged 32] and [his wife] Anne Stanhope Countess de Clare [aged 21]. He married Ursula Cooper.

On 31st October 1599 [his son] Denzil Holles 1st Baron Holles was born to John Holles 1st Earl de Clare [aged 35] and [his wife] Anne Stanhope Countess de Clare [aged 23]. He married 1. 1628 Dorothy Ashley and had issue 2. 1642 his sixth cousin Jane Shirley Baroness Holles 3. 1666 Esther Le Lou Baroness Holles.

In 1604 [his son] Francis Holles was born to John Holles 1st Earl de Clare [aged 39] and [his wife] Anne Stanhope Countess de Clare [aged 28].

Before 1610 [his son-in-law] Oliver Fitzwilliam 1st Earl Tyrconnel and Eleanore Holles Countess Tyrconnel were married. She the daughter of John Holles 1st Earl de Clare [aged 45] and Anne Stanhope Countess de Clare [aged 33].

On 9th July 1616 John Holles 1st Earl de Clare [aged 52] was created 1st Baron Haughton. [his wife] Anne Stanhope Countess de Clare [aged 40] by marriage Baroness Haughton.

In 1622 [his son] Francis Holles [aged 18] died. He was buried at the Chapel of St Edmund, Westminster Abbey [Map].

On 2nd November 1624 John Holles 1st Earl de Clare [aged 60] was created 1st Earl Clare. [his wife] Anne Stanhope Countess de Clare [aged 48] by marriage Countess Clare.

In February 1625 [his son-in-law] Thomas Wentworth 1st Earl Strafford [aged 31] and Arabella Holles were married. She the daughter of John Holles 1st Earl de Clare [aged 60] and Anne Stanhope Countess de Clare [aged 49]. They were sixth cousins.

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Annals of Kings Richard II and Henry IV 1393-1406

The Annals of Kings Richard II and Henry IV offers a vivid contemporary account of one of the most turbulent periods in late medieval England. Covering the reigns of Richard II and Henry IV, the chronicle records royal ceremonies, political conflict, rebellion, war, taxation, religious controversy, executions, popular unrest and remarkable portents. Its pages include a detailed description of Richard II’s coronation, the fall and deposition of the king, Henry IV’s seizure of the throne, the Percy rebellion, the execution of Archbishop Richard Scrope, the campaigns of Owain Glyndŵr, and England’s relations with Scotland, France, Portugal and Scandinavia. Alongside affairs of state, the annalist preserves reports of miracles, eclipses, prophecies, supernatural events and the experiences of ordinary townspeople, clergy, soldiers and travellers. Written from a monastic perspective, the work combines political observation with moral judgement, presenting victories and disasters as evidence of divine favour or punishment. At once a historical record and a reflection of medieval belief, the Annals provides an invaluable window into the challenges, ceremonies and conflicts of England at the turn of the fifteenth century.

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On 4th September 1626 John Holles 2nd Earl de Clare [aged 31] and Elizabeth Vere Countess Clare were married. She by marriage Countess Clare. He the son of John Holles 1st Earl de Clare [aged 62] and Anne Stanhope Countess de Clare [aged 50]. They were second cousin once removed.

In 1628 Denzil Holles 1st Baron Holles [aged 28] and Dorothy Ashley were married. He the son of John Holles 1st Earl de Clare [aged 63] and Anne Stanhope Countess de Clare [aged 52].

In 1631 [his daughter] Arabella Holles died in childbirth.

On 4th October 1637 John Holles 1st Earl de Clare [aged 73] died. He was buried at St Mary's Church, Nottingham. His son John [aged 42] succeeded 2nd Earl Clare, 2nd Baron Haughton.

In 1651 [his former wife] Anne Stanhope Countess de Clare [aged 75] died.

[his daughter] Arabella Holles was born to John Holles 1st Earl de Clare and Anne Stanhope Countess de Clare. She married February 1625 her sixth cousin Thomas Wentworth 1st Earl Strafford, son of William Wentworth 1st Baronet and Anne Atkins Baroness Wentworth Woodhouse, and had issue.

Royal Ancestors of John Holles 1st Earl de Clare 1564-1637

Kings Wessex: Great x 16 Grand Son of King Edmund "Ironside" I of England

Kings Gwynedd: Great x 14 Grand Son of Owain "Great" King Gwynedd

Kings Seisyllwg: Great x 19 Grand Son of Hywel "Dda aka Good" King Seisyllwg King Deheubarth

Kings Powys: Great x 15 Grand Son of Maredudd ap Bleddyn King Powys

Kings Godwinson: Great x 17 Grand Son of King Harold II of England

Kings England: Great x 7 Grand Son of King Edward III of England

Kings Scotland: Great x 11 Grand Son of King William I of Scotland

Kings France: Great x 9 Grand Son of King Philip IV of France

Kings Duke Aquitaine: Great x 20 Grand Son of Ranulf I Duke Aquitaine

Kings Spain: Great x 12 Grand Son of Alfonso VII King Castile VII King Leon

Royal Descendants of John Holles 1st Earl de Clare 1564-1637
Number after indicates the number of unique routes of descent. Descendants of Kings and Queens not included.

Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom [1]

Queen Consort Camilla Shand [1]

Ancestors of John Holles 1st Earl de Clare 1564-1637

Great x 2 Grandfather: Thomas Holles

Great x 1 Grandfather: William Holles

Grandfather: William Holles

Great x 2 Grandfather: George Scopham

Great x 1 Grandmother: Elizabeth Scopham

Father: Denzil Holles

Great x 1 Grandfather: John Denzell

Grandmother: Anne Denzell

John Holles 1st Earl de Clare 7 x Great Grandson of King Edward III of England

Great x 4 Grandfather: Robert Sheffield

Great x 3 Grandfather: Robert Sheffield

Great x 2 Grandfather: Robert Sheffield

Great x 1 Grandfather: Robert Sheffield 8 x Great Grandson of King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England

Great x 3 Grandfather: John Delves

Great x 2 Grandmother: Ellen Delves 7 x Great Granddaughter of King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England

Great x 4 Grandfather: Randle Mainwaring of Over Peover 9 x Great Grandson of King Henry I "Beauclerc" England

Great x 3 Grandmother: Philippa Mainwaring 6 x Great Granddaughter of King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England

Great x 4 Grandmother: Catherine Harcourt 5 x Great Granddaughter of King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England

Grandfather: Edmund Sheffield 1st Baron Sheffield 5 x Great Grandson of King Edward III of England

Great x 4 Grandfather: Thomas Stanley 1st Baron Stanley 10 x Great Grandson of King Henry I "Beauclerc" England

Great x 3 Grandfather: Thomas Stanley 1st Earl of Derby 4 x Great Grandson of King Edward I of England

Great x 4 Grandmother: Jane Goushill Baroness Stanley 3 x Great Granddaughter of King Edward I of England

Great x 2 Grandfather: George Stanley 9th Baron Strange Knockin 5th Baron Mohun Dunster 3 x Great Grandson of King Edward III of England

Great x 4 Grandfather: Richard Neville Earl Salisbury Great Grandson of King Edward III of England

Great x 3 Grandmother: Eleanor Neville Baroness Stanley 2 x Great Granddaughter of King Edward III of England

Great x 4 Grandmother: Alice Montagu 5th Countess of Salisbury 3 x Great Granddaughter of King Edward I of England

Great x 1 Grandmother: Jane Stanley 4 x Great Granddaughter of King Edward III of England

Great x 4 Grandfather: Richard Strange 3rd Baron Dunster 7th Baron Strange Knockin 7 x Great Grandson of King John of England

Great x 3 Grandfather: John Strange 8th Baron Strange Knockin 4th Baron Mohun Dunster 8 x Great Grandson of King John of England

Great x 4 Grandmother: Elizabeth Cobham Baroness Strange and Mohun 7 x Great Granddaughter of King John of England

Great x 2 Grandmother: Joan Strange 9th Baroness Strange of Knockin 5th Baroness Dunster 7 x Great Granddaughter of King Henry III of England

Great x 4 Grandfather: Richard Woodville 1st Earl Rivers

Great x 3 Grandmother: Jacquetta Woodville Baroness Strange and Mohun 6 x Great Granddaughter of King Henry III of England

Great x 4 Grandmother: Jacquetta of Luxembourg Duchess Bedford 5 x Great Granddaughter of King Henry III of England

Mother: Eleanor Sheffield 6 x Great Granddaughter of King Edward III of England

Great x 4 Grandfather: Richard de Vere 11th Earl of Oxford 5 x Great Grandson of King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England

Great x 3 Grandfather: Robert de Vere 6 x Great Grandson of King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England

Great x 4 Grandmother: Alice Sergeaux Countess Oxford

Great x 2 Grandfather: John de Vere 4 x Great Grandson of King Edward I of England

Great x 4 Grandfather: Hugh Courtenay 2 x Great Grandson of King Edward I of England

Great x 3 Grandmother: Joan Courtenay 3 x Great Granddaughter of King Edward I of England

Great x 1 Grandfather: John de Vere 15th Earl of Oxford 5 x Great Grandson of King Edward I of England

Great x 2 Grandmother: Alice Colbroke

Grandmother: Anne Vere Baroness Sheffield 6 x Great Granddaughter of King Edward I of England

Great x 4 Grandfather: Thomas Trussell

Great x 3 Grandfather: William Trussell

Great x 2 Grandfather: Edward Trussell

Great x 1 Grandmother: Elizabeth Trussell Countess of Oxford 8 x Great Granddaughter of King William I of Scotland

Great x 3 Grandfather: John Donne

Great x 2 Grandmother: Margaret Donne 7 x Great Granddaughter of King William I of Scotland

Great x 4 Grandfather: Leonard Hastings 5 x Great Grandson of King William I of Scotland

Great x 3 Grandmother: Elizabeth Hastings 6 x Great Granddaughter of King William I of Scotland

Great x 4 Grandmother: Alice Camoys 6 x Great Granddaughter of King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England