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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Sudeley Castle is in Sudeley, Winchcombe, Castles in Gloucestershire.
Around 1120 Ralph Sudeley was born at Sudeley Castle [Map].
Around 1548 Giles Brydges 3rd Baron Chandos was born to Edmund Brydges 2nd Baron Chandos [aged 26] and Dorothy Braye Baroness Chandos and Knollys [aged 24] at Sudeley Castle [Map]. He married before 1573 his fifth cousin once removed Anne Clinton, daughter of Edward Clinton 1st Earl Lincoln and Ursula Stourton Baroness Clinton, and had issue.
On 30th August 1548 Mary Seymour was born to Thomas Seymour 1st Baron Seymour [aged 40] and Catherine Parr Queen Consort England [aged 36] at Sudeley Castle [Map]. Her mother died six days later.
On 5th September 1548 Catherine Parr Queen Consort England [aged 36] died from childbirth having given birth to her daughter Mary Seymour six days before. She was buried at Sudeley Castle [Map]. William Harvey [aged 38] as Somerset Herald of Arms in Ordinary was the only herald to attend her funeral.
On 8th April 1554 John Brydges 1st Baron Chandos [aged 62] was given Sudeley Castle [Map] by Queen Mary I of England and Ireland [aged 38].
On 12th April 1557 John Brydges 1st Baron Chandos [aged 65] died at Sudeley Castle [Map]. His son Edmund [aged 35] succeeded 2nd Baron Chandos of Sudeley. Dorothy Braye Baroness Chandos and Knollys [aged 33] by marriage Baroness Chandos of Sudeley.
On 3rd May 1557 John Brydges 1st Baron Chandos [deceased] was buried at the Chapel at Sudeley Castle [Map].
On 2nd December 1777 Horace Beckford aka Pitt-Rivers 3rd Baron Rivers was born to Peter Beckford [aged 37] and Louisa Pitt [aged 23] at Sudeley Castle [Map]. He married 8th April 1788 Frances Rigby and had issue.
On 25th March 1855 John Coucher Dent died. He left Sudeley Castle [Map] to his wife Emma Brocklehurst [aged 31] for her lifetime.
On 22nd February 1900 Emma Brocklehurst [aged 76] died. She is commemorated on two brass plaques in the chapel at Sudeley Castle [Map].