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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Duke Bedford is in Dukedoms of England Alphabetically.
1414 Henry V awards his brothers Dukedoms
1433 John Duke of Bedford marries Jacquetta Luxemburg
There have been six creations of Duke Bedford:
1st. 16th May 1414. John Lancaster 1st Duke Bedford. Extinct. 14th September 1435. Death of John of Bedford.
2nd. 1433. John Lancaster 1st Duke Bedford. Extinct. 14th September 1435. Death of John of Bedford.
3rd. 27th March 1470. George Neville 1st Duke Bedford. Forfeit. 1478.
4th. 1478. George York 1st Duke Bedford. Extinct. March 1479.
5th. 28th October 1485. Jasper Tudor 1st Duke Bedford. Extinct. 21st December 1495. Death of Jasper Tudor Duke Bedford.
6th. 11th May 1694. William Russell 1st Duke Bedford. Extant.
Duke Bedford is also in Dukedoms of England Chronologically, Extinct Dukedoms of England.
Summary
16th May 1414. John Lancaster 1st Duke Bedford [aged 24] created. See Henry V awards his brothers Dukedoms.
14th September 1435. John Lancaster 1st Duke Bedford extinct. See Death of John of Bedford.
On 16th May 1414 King Henry V of England [aged 27] created Dukedoms for his two brothers:
Humphrey Lancaster 1st Duke Gloucester [aged 23] was created 1st Duke Gloucester, 1st Earl Pembroke.
John Lancaster 1st Duke Bedford [aged 24] was created 1st Duke Bedford, 1st Earl Kendal.
On 13th May 1423 John Lancaster 1st Duke Bedford [aged 33] and Anne Valois Duchess of Bedford [aged 18] were married at Troyes, France [Map]. She by marriage Duchess Bedford She the daughter of John "Fearless" Valois Duke Burgundy and Margaret Wittelsbach Duchess Burgundy. He the son of King Henry IV of England and Mary Bohun. They were third cousins. She a great x 4 granddaughter of King Edward I of England.
On 14th September 1435 John Lancaster 1st Duke Bedford [aged 46] died at Rouen Castle [Map] without legitimate issue. Duke Bedford, Duke Bedford, Earl Kendal and Earl Richmond extinct. Humphrey Lancaster 1st Duke Gloucester [aged 44] became heir to the throne.
Duke Bedford is also in Dukedoms of England Chronologically, Extinct Dukedoms of England.
Summary
1433. John Lancaster 1st Duke Bedford [aged 43] created.
14th September 1435. John Lancaster 1st Duke Bedford extinct. See Death of John of Bedford.
In 1433 John Lancaster 1st Duke Bedford [aged 43] was created 1st Duke Bedford. It isn't clear what had happened to the original title? Possibly re-created with a different remainder?
On 22nd April 1433 John Duke Bedford [aged 43] and Jacquetta Luxemburg [aged 18] were married at Thérouanne [Map]. She by marriage Duchess Bedford. The difference in their ages was 25 years. She the daughter of Peter Luxemburg I Count Saint Pol [aged 43] and Margherita Baux [aged 39]. He the son of King Henry IV of England and Mary Bohun. They were half fifth cousins. She a great x 5 granddaughter of King Henry III of England.
The marriage caused a rift with Philip "Good" Duke Burgundy [aged 36], John's late wife's brother, who regarded the marriage, some five months after his sister's death, an insult to her memory. There was no issue from the marriage with John dying a year and a half later.
On 14th September 1435 John Lancaster 1st Duke Bedford [aged 46] died at Rouen Castle [Map] without legitimate issue. Duke Bedford, Duke Bedford, Earl Kendal and Earl Richmond extinct. Humphrey Lancaster 1st Duke Gloucester [aged 44] became heir to the throne.
Duke Bedford is also in Dukedoms of England Chronologically, Forfeit Dukedoms of England.
Summary
27th March 1470. George Neville 1st Duke Bedford [aged 9] created. See Earldom of Northumberland returned to the Percy Family.
1478. George Neville 1st Duke Bedford forfeit.
On 27th March 1470 George Neville 1st Duke Bedford [aged 9] was created 1st Duke Bedford by King Edward IV of England [aged 27] in preparation for his marriage to Elizabeth York Queen Consort England [aged 4] which didn't, in the end, take place. He, George, was nephew to Richard "Kingmaker" Neville Earl Warwick, 6th Earl Salisbury [aged 41] whose defection to the Lancastrian side may have caused the King to change his mind about his daughter's marriage.
In 1478 George Neville 1st Duke Bedford [aged 17], by an Act of Parliament, Duke Bedford forfeit. Ostensibly for lack of money to maintain the style of a duke but more likely to ensure he didn't make claim on his inheritance.
Duke Bedford is also in Dukedoms of England Chronologically, Extinct Dukedoms of England.
Summary
1478. George York 1st Duke Bedford created.
March 1479. George York 1st Duke Bedford extinct.
In 1478 George York 1st Duke Bedford was created 1st Duke Bedford by King Edward IV of England [aged 35].
Annals of the six Kings of England by Nicholas Trivet
Translation of the Annals of the Six Kings of England by that traces the rise and rule of the Angevin aka Plantagenet dynasty from the mid-12th to early 14th century. Written by the Dominican scholar Nicholas Trivet, the work offers a vivid account of English history from the reign of King Stephen through to the death of King Edward I, blending political narrative with moral reflection. Covering the reigns of six monarchs—from Stephen to Edward I—the chronicle explores royal authority, rebellion, war, and the shifting balance between crown, church, and nobility. Trivet provides detailed insight into defining moments such as baronial conflicts, Anglo-French rivalry, and the consolidation of royal power under Edward I, whose reign he describes with particular immediacy. The Annals combines careful year-by-year reporting with thoughtful interpretation, presenting history not merely as a sequence of events but as a moral and political lesson. Ideal for readers interested in medieval history, kingship, and the origins of the English state, this chronicle remains a valuable and accessible window into the turbulent world of the Plantagenet kings.
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In March 1479 George York 1st Duke Bedford [aged 2] died of plague at Windsor Castle [Map]. Duke Bedford extinct.
Duke Bedford is also in Dukedoms of England Chronologically, Extinct Dukedoms of England.
Summary
28th October 1485. Jasper Tudor 1st Duke Bedford [aged 53] created. See Coronation of Henry VII.
21st December 1495. Jasper Tudor 1st Duke Bedford extinct. See Death of Jasper Tudor Duke Bedford.
On 28th October 1485 Jasper Tudor 1st Duke Bedford [aged 53] was created 1st Duke Bedford by Henry VII [aged 28] for having supported Henry's claim to the throne. Catherine Woodville Duchess Buckingham and Bedford [aged 27] by marriage Duchess Bedford.
Thomas Stanley 1st Earl of Derby [aged 50] was created 1st Earl Derby.
Edward Courtenay 1st Earl Devon [aged 26] was created 1st Earl Devon. It is believed he was restored as 11th Baron Okehampton at the same time?
Reginald Bray [aged 45], John Fitzwalter, Thomas Cokesge, Roger Lewknor, Henry Haydon and John Verney were appointed Knight of the Bath.
On 21st December 1495 Jasper Tudor 1st Duke Bedford [aged 64] died at Thornbury Manor without legitimate issue. He was buried at Keynsham Abbey [Map]. Duke Bedford, Earl Pembroke extinct.
Duke Bedford is also in Dukedoms of England Chronologically, Extant Dukedoms of England.
Summary
11th May 1694. William Russell 1st Duke Bedford [aged 77] created.
7th September 1700. Grandson Wriothesley Russell 2nd Duke Bedford [aged 19] succeeded.
26th May 1711. Son Wriothesley Russell 3rd Duke Bedford [aged 3] succeeded.
23rd October 1732. Brother John Russell 4th Duke Bedford [aged 22] succeeded.
5th January 1771. Grandson Francis Russell 5th Duke Bedford [aged 5] succeeded.
2nd March 1802. Brother John Russell 6th Duke Bedford [aged 35] succeeded.
20th October 1839. Son Francis Russell 7th Duke Bedford [aged 51] succeeded.
14th May 1861. Son William Russell 8th Duke Bedford [aged 51] succeeded.
27th May 1872. First Cousin Francis Russell 9th Duke Bedford [aged 52] succeeded.
14th January 1891. Son George William Sackville Russell 10th Duke Bedford [aged 38] succeeded.
23rd March 1893. Brother Herbrand Arthur Russell 11th Duke Bedford [aged 35] succeeded.
27th August 1940. Son Hastings William Russell 12th Duke Bedford [aged 51] succeeded.
9th October 1953. Son John Ian Robert Russell 13th Duke Bedford [aged 36] succeeded.
25th October 2002. Son Henry Robin Ian Russell 14th Duke Bedford [aged 62] succeeded.
13th June 2003. Son Andrew Ian Henry Russell 15th Duke Bedford [aged 41] succeeded.
On 11th May 1694 William Russell 1st Duke Bedford [aged 77] was created 1st Duke Bedford, 1st Marquess Tavistock.
On 7th September 1700 William Russell 1st Duke Bedford [aged 84] died at Bedford House Covent Garden. His grandson Wriothesley [aged 19] succeeded 2nd Duke Bedford, 2nd Marquess Tavistock, 6th Earl Bedford, 6th Baron Russell of Cheneys, 4th Baron Russell of Thornhaugh, 2nd Baron Howland of Streatham.
Before 13th August 1703 Wriothesley Russell 2nd Duke Bedford [aged 22] and Elizabeth Howland Duchess Bedford [aged 21] were married. She by marriage Duchess Bedford.
On 26th May 1711 Wriothesley Russell 2nd Duke Bedford [aged 30] died. His son Wriothesley [aged 3] succeeded 3rd Duke Bedford, 3rd Marquess Tavistock, 7th Earl Bedford, 7th Baron Russell of Cheneys, 5th Baron Russell of Thornhaugh, 3rd Baron Howland of Streatham.
On 22nd April 1725 Wriothesley Russell 3rd Duke Bedford [aged 16] and Anne Egerton Duchess Bedford were married. She by marriage Duchess Bedford. She was the step-daughter of his sister Rachel Russell Duchess Bridgewater [aged 18]. She the daughter of Scroop Egerton 1st Duke Bridgewater [aged 43] and Elizabeth Churchill Countess Bridgewater. He the son of Wriothesley Russell 2nd Duke Bedford and Elizabeth Howland Duchess Bedford. They were sixth cousins.
On 23rd October 1732 Wriothesley Russell 3rd Duke Bedford [aged 24] died at A Coruña. He was buried at Bedford Chapel, St Michael's Church, Chenies. His brother John [aged 22] succeeded 4th Duke Bedford, 4th Marquess Tavistock, 8th Earl Bedford, 8th Baron Russell of Cheneys, 6th Baron Russell of Thornhaugh, 4th Baron Howland of Streatham. Diana Spencer Duchess Bedford [aged 22] by marriage Duchess Bedford.
In April 1737 John Russell 4th Duke Bedford [aged 26] and Gertrude Leveson-Gower Duchess Bedford were married. She by marriage Duchess Bedford. She the daughter of John Leveson-Gower 1st Earl Gower [aged 42] and Evelyn Pierrepont Baroness Gower. He the son of Wriothesley Russell 2nd Duke Bedford and Elizabeth Howland Duchess Bedford.
William of Worcester's Chronicle of England
William of Worcester, born around 1415, and died around 1482 was secretary to John Fastolf, the renowned soldier of the Hundred Years War, during which time he collected documents, letters, and wrote a record of events. Following their return to England in 1440 William was witness to major events. Twice in his chronicle he uses the first person: 1. when writing about the murder of Thomas, 7th Baron Scales, in 1460, he writes '… and I saw him lying naked in the cemetery near the porch of the church of St. Mary Overie in Southwark …' and 2. describing King Edward IV's entry into London in 1461 he writes '… proclaimed that all the people themselves were to recognize and acknowledge Edward as king. I was present and heard this, and immediately went down with them into the city'. William’s Chronicle is rich in detail. It is the source of much information about the Wars of the Roses, including the term 'Diabolical Marriage' to describe the marriage of Queen Elizabeth Woodville’s brother John’s marriage to Katherine, Dowager Duchess of Norfolk, he aged twenty, she sixty-five or more, and the story about a paper crown being placed in mockery on the severed head of Richard, 3rd Duke of York.
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On 5th January 1771 John Russell 4th Duke Bedford [aged 60] died at Woburn, Bedfordshire. He was buried at Bedford Chapel, St Michael's Church, Chenies. His grandson Francis [aged 5] succeeded 5th Duke Bedford, 5th Marquess Tavistock, 9th Earl Bedford, 9th Baron Russell of Cheneys, 7th Baron Russell of Thornhaugh, 5th Baron Howland of Streatham.
On 2nd March 1802 Francis Russell 5th Duke Bedford [aged 36] died unmarried at Woburn, Bedfordshire. He was buried at Bedford Chapel, St Michael's Church, Chenies. His brother John [aged 35] succeeded 6th Duke Bedford, 6th Marquess Tavistock, 10th Earl Bedford, 10th Baron Russell of Cheneys, 8th Baron Russell of Thornhaugh, 6th Baron Howland of Streatham.
On 23rd June 1803 John Russell 6th Duke Bedford [aged 36] and Georgiana Gordon Duchess Bedford [aged 21] were married. She by marriage Duchess Bedford. She the daughter of Alexander Gordon 4th Duke Gordon [aged 60] and Jane Maxwell Duchess Gordon [aged 55]. They were sixth cousins. He a great x 2 grandson of King Charles II of England Scotland and Ireland.
On 20th October 1839 John Russell 6th Duke Bedford [aged 73] died. His son Francis [aged 51] succeeded 7th Duke Bedford, 7th Marquess Tavistock, 11th Earl Bedford, 11th Baron Russell of Cheneys, 9th Baron Russell of Thornhaugh, 7th Baron Howland of Streatham. Anna Maria Stanhope Duchess Bedford [aged 56] by marriage Marchioness Tavistock.
On 18th January 1844 Francis Russell 9th Duke Bedford [aged 24] and Elizabeth Sackville-West Duchess Bedford [aged 25] were married. She by marriage Duchess Bedford. She the daughter of George Sackville-West 5th Earl De La Warr [aged 52] and Elizabeth Sackville Countess De La Warr [aged 48]. They were third cousin once removed. He a great x 4 grandson of King Charles II of England Scotland and Ireland.
On 14th May 1861 Francis Russell 7th Duke Bedford [aged 73] died. His son William [aged 51] succeeded 8th Duke Bedford, 8th Marquess Tavistock, 12th Earl Bedford, 12th Baron Russell of Cheneys, 10th Baron Russell of Thornhaugh, 8th Baron Howland of Streatham.
On 27th May 1872 William Russell 8th Duke Bedford [aged 62] died. His first cousin Francis [aged 52] succeeded 9th Duke Bedford, 9th Marquess Tavistock, 13th Earl Bedford, 13th Baron Russell of Cheneys, 11th Baron Russell of Thornhaugh, 9th Baron Howland of Streatham
On 14th January 1891 Francis Russell 9th Duke Bedford [aged 71] shot himself as a result of insanity at 81 Eaton Square, Belgravia. His son George [aged 38] succeeded 10th Duke Bedford, 10th Marquess Tavistock, 14th Earl Bedford, 14th Baron Russell of Cheneys, 12th Baron Russell of Thornhaugh, 10th Baron Howland of Streatham. Adeline Marie Somers Duchess Bedford [aged 38] by marriage Duchess Bedford.
Monument in the Bedford Chapel, St Michael's Church, Chenies erected by Elizabeth Sackville-West Duchess Bedford [aged 72] in 1892.
On 23rd March 1893 George William Sackville Russell 10th Duke Bedford [aged 40] died. George William Sackville Russell 10th Duke Bedford was buried at Bedford Chapel, St Michael's Church, Chenies. His brother Herbrand [aged 35] succeeded 11th Duke Bedford, 11th Marquess Tavistock, 15th Earl Bedford, 15th Baron Russell of Cheneys, 13th Baron Russell of Thornhaugh, 11th Baron Howland of Streatham. Mary Caurroy Tribe Duchess Bedford [aged 27] by marriage Duchess Bedford.
On 27th August 1940 Herbrand Arthur Russell 11th Duke Bedford [aged 82] died. His son Hastings [aged 51] succeeded 12th Duke Bedford, 12th Marquess Tavistock, 16th Earl Bedford, 16th Baron Russell of Cheneys, 14th Baron Russell of Thornhaugh, 12th Baron Howland of Streatham. Louisa Crommelin Roberta Jowitt Whitwell Duchess Bedford by marriage Duchess Bedford.
Chronicle of Geoffrey le Baker of Swinbroke
Baker was a secular clerk from Swinbroke, now Swinbrook, an Oxfordshire village two miles east of Burford. His Chronicle describes the events of the period 1303-1356: Gaveston, Bannockburn, Boroughbridge, the murder of King Edward II, the Scottish Wars, Sluys, Crécy, the Black Death, Winchelsea and Poitiers. To quote Herbert Bruce 'it possesses a vigorous and characteristic style, and its value for particular events between 1303 and 1356 has been recognised by its editor and by subsequent writers'. The book provides remarkable detail about the events it describes. Baker's text has been augmented with hundreds of notes, including extracts from other contemporary chronicles, such as the Annales Londonienses, Annales Paulini, Murimuth, Lanercost, Avesbury, Guisborough and Froissart to enrich the reader's understanding. The translation takes as its source the 'Chronicon Galfridi le Baker de Swynebroke' published in 1889, edited by Edward Maunde Thompson.
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On 9th October 1953 Hastings William Russell 12th Duke Bedford [aged 64] died. His son John [aged 36] succeeded 13th Duke Bedford, 13th Marquess Tavistock, 17th Earl Bedford, 17th Baron Russell of Cheneys, 15th Baron Russell of Thornhaugh, 13th Baron Howland of Streatham. Lydia Yarde-Buller Duchess Bedford [aged 35] by marriage Duchess Bedford.
On 4th September 1960 John Ian Robert Russell 13th Duke Bedford [aged 43] and Nicole Schnedier Duchess Bedford [aged 40] were married. She by marriage Duchess Bedford. He the son of Hastings William Russell 12th Duke Bedford and Louisa Crommelin Roberta Jowitt Whitwell Duchess Bedford.
On 25th October 2002 John Ian Robert Russell 13th Duke Bedford [aged 85] died at Santa Fe. His son Henry [aged 62] succeeded 14th Duke Bedford, 14th Marquess Tavistock, 13th Marquess Tavistock, 18th Earl Bedford, 18th Baron Russell of Cheneys, 16th Baron Russell of Thornhaugh, 14th Baron Howland of Streatham. Henrietta Joan Tiarks Duchess Bedford [aged 62] by marriage Duchess Bedford.
On 13th June 2003 Henry Robin Ian Russell 14th Duke Bedford [aged 63] died. His son Andrew [aged 41] succeeded 15th Duke Bedford, 15th Marquess Tavistock, 19th Earl Bedford, 19th Baron Russell of Cheneys, 17th Baron Russell of Thornhaugh, 15th Baron Howland of Streatham.