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 Byam Liston Shaw is in Painters.
On 13th November 1872 John Byam Liston Shaw was born in Madras aka Chennai, India. The son of John Shaw, registrar of the High Court at Madras, and his wife, Sophia Alicia Byam Gunthorpe.
In 1878 John Byam Liston Shaw (age 5), with his family returned to England and lived at 103 Holland Row.
1894. John Byam Liston Shaw (age 21). "Slent Noon".
1896. John Byam Liston Shaw (age 23). "Jezebel". The painting, exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1896, originally depicted Jezebel nude, flanked by her hand-maidens. The model was Rachel Lee, a close friend of Byam Shaw. Unable to sell the painting, he later reworked it so that the central figure was shown clothed.
1897. John Byam Liston Shaw (age 24). "Love's Baubles".
In 1899 John Byam Liston Shaw (age 26) and Evelyn Caroline Eunice Pyke-Nott (age 28) were married.
1901. John Byam Liston Shaw (age 28). "Such is Life".
1901. John Byam Liston Shaw (age 28). "The Boer War". The subtitle for this painting referring to the Second Boer War (1899–1902) is 'Last summer green things were greener, brambles fewer, the blue sky bluer', from Christina Rossetti's poem "A Bird Song".
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.
1903. John Byam Liston Shaw (age 30). "The Fool Who Would Please Every Man".
1903-1904. John Byam Liston Shaw (age 30). "The Prodigal's Return".
1904. John Byam Liston Shaw (age 31). "Margaret Nettlefold before Her Dining Room at Winterbourne".
1911. John Byam Liston Shaw (age 38). "The Woman, the Man and the Serpent".
On 26th January 1919 John Byam Liston Shaw (age 46) died.
On 16th January 1960 [his former wife] Evelyn Caroline Eunice Pyke-Nott (age 89) died.