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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Earl Abergavenny is in Earldoms of England Alphabetically, Earldoms of England Chronologically, Extant Earldoms of England.
Summary
17th May 1784. George Neville 1st Earl Abergavenny [aged 56] created.
9th September 1785. Son Henry Neville 2nd Earl Abergavenny [aged 30] succeeded.
27th March 1843. Son John Neville 3rd Earl Abergavenny [aged 53] succeeded.
12th April 1845. Brother William Neville 4th Earl Abergavenny [aged 52] succeeded.
17th August 1868. Son William Neville 1st Marquess Abergavenny [aged 41] succeeded.
12th December 1915. Son Reginald Neville 2nd Marquess Abergavenny [aged 62] succeeded.
13th October 1927. Brother Henry Neville 3rd Marquess Abergavenny [aged 73] succeeded.
10th January 1938. Nephew Guy Larnach Neville 4th Marquess Abergavenny [aged 54] succeeded.
30th March 1954. Son John Henry Guy Neville 5th Marquess Abergavenny [aged 39] succeeded.
23rd February 2000. Nephew Christopher Neville 6th Marquess Abergavenny [aged 44] succeeded.
On 17th May 1784 George Neville 1st Earl Abergavenny [aged 56] was created 1st Earl Abergavenny, 1st Viscount Neville.
On 9th September 1785 George Neville 1st Earl Abergavenny [aged 58] died. His son Henry [aged 30] succeeded 2nd Earl Abergavenny, 2nd Viscount Neville, 3rd Baron Abergavenny. Mary Robinson Countess Abergavenny [aged 25] by marriage Countess Abergavenny.
On 27th March 1843 Henry Neville 2nd Earl Abergavenny [aged 88] died. His son John [aged 53] succeeded 3rd Earl Abergavenny, 3rd Viscount Neville, 4th Baron Abergavenny.
On 12th April 1845 John Neville 3rd Earl Abergavenny [aged 55] died. His brother William [aged 52] succeeded 4th Earl Abergavenny, 4th Viscount Neville, 5th Baron Abergavenny. Caroline Leeke Countess Abergavenny by marriage Countess Abergavenny.
On 17th August 1868 William Neville 4th Earl Abergavenny [aged 76] died. His son William [aged 41] succeeded 5th Earl Abergavenny, 5th Viscount Neville, 6th Baron Abergavenny. Caroline Vanden Bempte Johnston Marchioness Abergavenny by marriage Countess Abergavenny.
On 12th December 1915 William Neville 1st Marquess Abergavenny [aged 89] died. His son Reginald [aged 62] succeeded 2nd Marquess Abergavenny, 6th Earl Abergavenny, 6th Viscount Neville, 2nd Earl Lewes, 7th Baron Abergavenny.
On 13th October 1927 Reginald Neville 2nd Marquess Abergavenny [aged 74] died at Cheadle, Cheshire [Map]. His brother Henry [aged 73] succeeded 3rd Marquess Abergavenny, 7th Earl Abergavenny, 7th Viscount Neville, 3rd Earl Lewes, 8th Baron Abergavenny.
On 10th January 1938 Henry Neville 3rd Marquess Abergavenny [aged 83] died. His nephew Guy [aged 54] succeeded 4th Marquess Abergavenny, 8th Earl Abergavenny, 8th Viscount Neville, 4th Earl Lewes. Baron Abergavenny abeyant between David George Pratt 6th Marquess Camden [aged 7] and Delaval Thomas Harold Astley 23rd Baron Hastings. Isabel "Nellie" Larnach Marchioness Abergavenny [aged 47] by marriage Marchioness Abergavenny.
On 30th March 1954 Guy Larnach Neville 4th Marquess Abergavenny [aged 70] died. His son John [aged 39] succeeded 5th Marquess Abergavenny, 9th Earl Abergavenny, 9th Viscount Neville, 5th Earl Lewes. Mary Patricia Harrison Marchioness Abergavenny [aged 38] by marriage Marchioness Abergavenny.
Henrici Quinti, Angliæ Regis, Gesta, is a first-hand account of the Agincourt Campaign, and subsequent events to his death in 1422. The author of the first part was a Chaplain in King Henry's retinue who was present from King Henry's departure at Southampton in 1415, at the siege of Harfleur, the battle of Agincourt, and the celebrations on King Henry's return to London. The second part, by another writer, relates the events that took place including the negotiations at Troye, Henry's marriage and his death in 1422.
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On 23rd February 2000 John Henry Guy Neville 5th Marquess Abergavenny [aged 85] died. His nephew Christopher [aged 44] succeeded 6th Marquess Abergavenny, 10th Earl Abergavenny, 10th Viscount Neville, 6th Earl Lewes. Venetia Maynard Marchioness Abergavenny [aged 42] by marriage Marchioness Abergavenny.