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 Agnes Poitiers Queen Consort Leon Queen Consort Castile 1059-1078

Paternal Family Tree: Poitiers

In or after 1058 Agnes Poitiers Queen Consort Leon Queen Consort Castile was born to [her father] Guy William Poitiers VIII Duke Aquitaine (age 33) and [her mother] Mateoda Duchess Aquitaine.

Around October 1058 [her uncle] William VII Duke Aquitaine (age 35) died. His brother [her father] Guy (age 33) succeeded VIII Duke Aquitaine.

Before November 1058 [her father] Guy William Poitiers VIII Duke Aquitaine (age 33) and Garsende Perigord Duchess Aquitaine were married. She by marriage Duchess Aquitaine. He the son of [her grandfather] William "Great" V Duke Aquitaine and [her grandmother] Agnes Ivrea Duchess Aquitaine.

In November 1058 [her father] Guy William Poitiers VIII Duke Aquitaine (age 33) and Garsende Perigord Duchess Aquitaine were divorced.

After November 1058 [her father] Guy William Poitiers VIII Duke Aquitaine (age 33) and [her mother] Mateoda Duchess Aquitaine were married. She by marriage Duchess Aquitaine. He the son of [her grandfather] William "Great" V Duke Aquitaine and [her grandmother] Agnes Ivrea Duchess Aquitaine.

In May 1068 [her father] Guy William Poitiers VIII Duke Aquitaine (age 43) and [her mother] Mateoda Duchess Aquitaine were divorced.

In 1069 Alfonso "Brave" VI King Leon VI King Castile (age 28) and Agnes Poitiers Queen Consort Leon Queen Consort Castile (age 10) were married. She the daughter of Guy William Poitiers VIII Duke Aquitaine (age 44) and Mateoda Duchess Aquitaine. He the son of Ferdinand "Great" I King Leon and Sancha Astur Leonese.

Before 22nd October 1071 [her father] Guy William Poitiers VIII Duke Aquitaine (age 46) and [her step-mother] Hildegarde Burgundy Duchess Aquitaine (age 15) were married. She by marriage Duchess Aquitaine. The difference in their ages was 31 years. She the daughter of Robert I Duke Burgundy (age 60) and Ermengarde Blanche Ingelger Duchess Burgundy (age 53). He the son of [her grandfather] William "Great" V Duke Aquitaine and [her grandmother] Agnes Ivrea Duchess Aquitaine. They were second cousin once removed.

On 12th January 1072 [her brother-in-law] Sancho "Strong" II King Leon II King Castile (age 35) was crowned II King Leon. He reigned for only nine months.

On 7th October 1072 [her brother-in-law] Sancho "Strong" II King Leon II King Castile (age 35) died. His brother [her husband] Alfonso (age 31) succeeded VI King Castile. Agnes Poitiers Queen Consort Leon Queen Consort Castile (age 14) by marriage Queen Consort Castile.

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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In 1078 Agnes Poitiers Queen Consort Leon Queen Consort Castile (age 19) died.

In 1079 [her former husband] Alfonso "Brave" VI King Leon VI King Castile (age 38) and Constance Burgundy Queen Consort Castile and Leon (age 33) were married. She by marriage Queen Consort Castile, Queen Consort Castile. She the daughter of Robert I Duke Burgundy and Helie Samur Duchess Burgundy. He the son of Ferdinand "Great" I King Leon and Sancha Astur Leonese.