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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Biography of William Beauchamp 1st Baron Beauchamp 1105-1170

Paternal Family Tree: Beauchamp

Around 1105 William Beauchamp 1st Baron Beauchamp was born to [his father] Walter Beauchamp (age 15) and [his mother] Emmeline d'Abetot at Elmley Castle, Worcestershire.

In 1108 [his grandfather] Urse d'Abetot (age 68) died. His heirs were his daughter [his mother] Emmeline d'Abetot and her husband [his father] Walter Beauchamp (age 18).

In May 1131 [his father] Walter Beauchamp (age 41) died at Burgh by Sands, Cumberland.

After May 1131 William Beauchamp 1st Baron Beauchamp (age 26) was appointed High Sheriff of Worcestershire.

Before 1140 William Beauchamp 1st Baron Beauchamp (age 34) and Bertha de Braose Baroness Beauchamp were married.

Around 1140 [his daughter] Emma Beauchamp was born to William Beauchamp 1st Baron Beauchamp (age 35) and [his wife] Bertha de Braose Baroness Beauchamp at Elmley Castle, Worcestershire. She married Ralph Sudeley and had issue.

In 1142 [his son] William Beauchamp was born to William Beauchamp 1st Baron Beauchamp (age 37) and [his wife] Bertha de Braose Baroness Beauchamp. He married before 1195 Jeanne de Saint Valéry and had issue.

In 1157 William Beauchamp 1st Baron Beauchamp (age 52) was appointed High Sheriff of Warwickshire and High Sheriff of Gloucestershire.

In 1160 William Beauchamp 1st Baron Beauchamp (age 55) was appointed High Sheriff of Hertfordshire.

Jean de Waurin's Chronicle of England Volume 6 Books 3-6: The Wars of the Roses

Jean de Waurin was a French Chronicler, from the Artois region, who was born around 1400, and died around 1474. Waurin’s Chronicle of England, Volume 6, covering the period 1450 to 1471, from which we have selected and translated Chapters relating to the Wars of the Roses, provides a vivid, original, contemporary description of key events some of which he witnessed first-hand, some of which he was told by the key people involved with whom Waurin had a personal relationship.

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Before 1161 William Ferrers 3rd Earl of Derby (age 24) and [his sister-in-law] Sybil de Braose Countess Derby (age 3) were married. She by marriage Countess Derby. The difference in their ages was 21 years. He the son of Robert Ferrers 2nd Earl of Derby and Margaret Peverell Countess Derby.

Before 1170 William Beauchamp 1st Baron Beauchamp (age 64) was created 1st Baron Beauchamp of Elmley in Worcestershire. [his wife] Bertha de Braose Baroness Beauchamp by marriage Baroness Beauchamp of Elmley in Worcestershire.

Annals of Worcester. 1170. William de Beauchamp (age 65) died and was buried at the chapter house door of Worcester [Cathedral] [Map]."

Willemus de Bello Campo obiit, et ad ostium capituli Wigorniæ sepelitur.

In 1170 William Beauchamp 1st Baron Beauchamp (age 65) died at Elmley Castle, Worcestershire. He was buried at Worcester Cathedral [Map]. Baron Beauchamp of Elmley in Worcestershire extinct. It isn't clear whether his son [his son] William Beauchamp (age 28) was called to Parliament so the Barony is assumed to extinct.

On 19th November 1200 [his former wife] Bertha de Braose Baroness Beauchamp died at Abergavenny, Monmouthshire [Map].

[his son] Robert Beauchamp was born to William Beauchamp 1st Baron Beauchamp and Bertha de Braose Baroness Beauchamp.

[his father] Walter Beauchamp and [his mother] Emmeline d'Abetot were married. She, being the heir of her father, brought Elmley Castle, Worcestershire and Holt Manor [Map] into the possession of Walter Beauchamp. It remained the family seat until his descendant William Beauchamp 1215-1268 married Isabel Maudit by which Warwick Castle [Map] came in to the possession of the Beauchamp family.

[his son] Walter Beauchamp was born to William Beauchamp 1st Baron Beauchamp and Bertha de Braose Baroness Beauchamp.

[his son] John Beauchamp was born to William Beauchamp 1st Baron Beauchamp and Bertha de Braose Baroness Beauchamp.

[his son] Peter Beauchamp was born to William Beauchamp 1st Baron Beauchamp and Bertha de Braose Baroness Beauchamp.

Biography of William Beauchamp 1st Baron Beauchamp 1105-1170

Royal Descendants of William Beauchamp 1st Baron Beauchamp 1105-1170
Number after indicates the number of unique routes of descent. Descendants of Kings and Queens not included.

Ancestors of William Beauchamp 1st Baron Beauchamp 1105-1170

Biography of William Beauchamp 1st Baron Beauchamp 1105-1170

Royal Descendants of William Beauchamp 1st Baron Beauchamp 1105-1170Number after indicates the number of unique routes of descent. Descendants of Kings and Queens not included.

Ancestors of William Beauchamp 1st Baron Beauchamp 1105-1170

Royal Descendants of William Beauchamp 1st Baron Beauchamp 1105-1170
Number after indicates the number of unique routes of descent. Descendants of Kings and Queens not included.