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: Smith of Riverhall
On 18th August 1747 [his father] George Smith 1st Baronet [aged 33] and [his mother] Mary Howe Lady Smith [aged 21] were married.
On 18th August 1753 George Smith aka Pauncefoot-Bromley 2nd Baronet was born to George Smith 1st Baronet [aged 39] and Mary Howe Lady Smith [aged 27]. He a great x 4 grandson of King James I of England and Ireland and VI of Scotland.
On 18th May 1761 [his mother] Mary Howe Lady Smith [aged 35] died.
On 23rd February 1768 [his father] George Smith 1st Baronet [aged 54] and [his step-mother] Catherine Vyse Lady Smith were married. She by marriage Lady Smith of Nottingham and East Stoke in Nottinghamshire.
On 5th September 1769 [his father] George Smith 1st Baronet [aged 55] died. His son George [aged 16] succeeded 2nd Baronet Smith of Nottingham and East Stoke in Nottinghamshire.
On 8th January 1778 George Smith aka Pauncefoot-Bromley 2nd Baronet [aged 24] and Esther Curzon Lady Smith [aged 19] were married. She by marriage Lady Smith of Nottingham and East Stoke in Nottinghamshire.
On 7th February 1778 George Smith [aged 24] changed his surname to Bromley.
On 28th November 1778 [his son] Robert Howe Bromley 3rd Baronet was born to George Smith aka Pauncefoot-Bromley 2nd Baronet [aged 25] and [his wife] Esther Curzon Lady Smith [aged 19].
On 6th April 1803 George Bromley [aged 49] changed his surname to Pauncefoot-Bromley.
On 17th August 1808 George Smith aka Pauncefoot-Bromley 2nd Baronet [aged 54] died. His son Robert [aged 29] succeeded 3rd Baronet Bromley of Nottingham and East Stoke in Nottinghamshire.
On 7th November 1839 [his former wife] Esther Curzon Lady Smith [aged 80] died.
Kings Wessex: Great x 21 Grand Son of King Edmund "Ironside" I of England
Kings Gwynedd: Great x 18 Grand Son of Owain "Great" King Gwynedd
Kings Seisyllwg: Great x 24 Grand Son of Hywel "Dda aka Good" King Seisyllwg King Deheubarth
Kings Powys: Great x 19 Grand Son of Maredudd ap Bleddyn King Powys
Kings Godwinson: Great x 21 Grand Son of King Harold II of England
Kings England: Great x 4 Grand Son of King James I of England and Ireland and VI of Scotland
Kings Scotland: Great x 4 Grand Son of King James I of England and Ireland and VI of Scotland
Kings France: Great x 11 Grand Son of King Charles V of France
Kings Duke Aquitaine: Great x 25 Grand Son of Ranulf I Duke Aquitaine
Kings Spain: Great x 17 Grand Son of Alfonso II King Aragon
Great x 4 Grandfather: William Smyth
Great x 3 Grandfather: William Smith
Great x 2 Grandfather: John Smith
Great x 1 Grandfather: Thomas Smith
GrandFather: Abel Smith
Father: George Smith 1st Baronet
Great x 1 Grandfather: George Beaumont of Chapelthorpe in Yorkshire 
GrandMother: Jane Beaumont
George Smith aka Pauncefoot-Bromley 2nd Baronet 4 x Great Grand Son of King James I of England and Ireland and VI of Scotland
Great x 2 Grandfather: John Grobham Howe
Great x 1 Grandfather: Emanual Scrope Howe 9 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Thomas Scrope 10th Baron Scrope of Bolton 
7 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 3 Grandfather: Emanuel Scrope 1st Earl of Sunderland 7 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Philadelphia Carey Baroness Scrope Bolton 
6 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England
Great x 2 Grandmother: Annabella Scrope 8 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England
Great x 3 Grandmother: Martha Jeanes
GrandFather: William Howe 2 x Great Grand Son of King James I of England and Ireland and VI of Scotland
Great x 4 Grandfather: Frederick IV Elector Palatine 
8 x Great Grand Son of King John "The Good" II of France
Great x 3 Grandfather: Frederick Palatinate Simmern V Elector Palatine Rhine 6 x Great Grand Son of King Charles V of France
Great x 4 Grandmother: Electress Louise Juliana of the Palatine Rhine 5 x Great Grand Daughter of King Charles V of France
Great x 2 Grandfather: Prince Rupert Palatinate Simmern 1st Duke Cumberland Grand Son of King James I of England and Ireland and VI of Scotland
Great x 4 Grandfather: King James I of England and Ireland and VI of Scotland Grand Son of King James V of Scotland
Great x 3 Grandmother: Princess Elizabeth Stewart Queen Bohemia 
Daughter of King James I of England and Ireland and VI of Scotland
Great x 4 Grandmother: Anne of Denmark Queen Consort Scotland England and Ireland 
10 x Great Grand Daughter of King Philip III of France
Great x 1 Grandmother: Ruperta Palatinate Simmern 
Great Grand Daughter of King James I of England and Ireland and VI of Scotland
Great x 2 Grandmother: Margaret "Peg" Hughes
Mother: Mary Howe Lady Smith 3 x Great Grand Daughter of King James I of England and Ireland and VI of Scotland
GrandMother: Elizabeth Pauncefoot