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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In 1239 Bishop Nicholas Farnham was elected Bishop of Coventry but he refused the offer.
On 2nd January 1241 Bishop Nicholas Farnham was elected Bishop of Durham. At first he wanted to decline the office, but Bishop Robert Grosseteste (age 73), Bishop of Lincoln persuaded him to accept.
On 26th May 1241 or 9th June 1241 Bishop Nicholas Farnham was consecrated Bishop of Durham.
Chronica Majora by Matthew Paris. The confirmation of Master Nicholas of Farnhamy in the bishopric of Durham
On the 9th of June, in this year. Master Nicholas of Farnham, bishop elect of Durham, was consecrated bishop of that see in St. Oswald's church [Map] at Gloucester, by Walter, archbishop of York (age 61), in the presence of the king (age 33) and queen (age 18), with numerous bishops and abbats. But inasmuch as a question had been mooted concerning his profession, amongst some who wished to excite discord, the said Nicholas refused to claim a liberty that was not his due, or to show himself insolent or recalcitrant; he therefore, at his consecration, in public, before all the prelates and nobles, and in the presence of his metropolitan, the said Archbishop Walter, solemnly and distinctly made his profession in a loud voice, according to custom, as follows; "I Nicholas, bishop elect of the church of Durham, acknowledge canonical subjection, reverence, and obedience to the church of York, and to you, father Walter, its archbishop, and this I subscribe with my own hand." He then immediately, in the presence of all assembled, marked the sign of the cross in ink at the head of the charter, and delivered the same to the archbishop to be kept in his possession in his treasury.
On 2nd February 1249 Bishop Nicholas Farnham resigned as Bishop of Durham.
In 1257 Bishop Nicholas Farnham died. He was buried at Durham Cathedral [Map].