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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Paternal Family Tree: Savoy
Maternal Family Tree: Margaret Geneva Countess Savoy 1180-1252
In 1195 [his father] Thomas Savoy I Count Savoy [aged 17] and [his mother] Margaret Geneva Countess Savoy [aged 15] were married. She by marriage Countess Savoy. He the son of [his grandfather] Humbert Savoy III Count Savoy and [his grandmother] Beatrice Macon Countess Savoy.
In 1197 Amedeo Savoy IV Count Savoy was born to [his father] Thomas Savoy I Count Savoy [aged 19] and [his mother] Margaret Geneva Countess Savoy [aged 17].
Around 1217 Amedeo Savoy IV Count Savoy [aged 20] and Margaret Burgundy Countess Savoy [aged 25] were married. She by marriage Countess Savoy. She the daughter of Hugh III Duke Burgundy and Beatrice of Albon Duchess Burgundy [aged 56]. He the son of Thomas Savoy I Count Savoy [aged 39] and Margaret Geneva Countess Savoy [aged 37]. They were fourth cousins. She a great x 3 granddaughter of King William "Conqueror" I of England.
On 6th July 1218 [his brother-in-law] Odo III Duke Burgundy [aged 52] died. His son Hugh [aged 5] succeeded IV Duke Burgundy.
On 5th June 1219 [his brother-in-law] Raymond IV Count Provence [aged 21] and [his sister] Beatrice Savoy Countess Provence [aged 21] were married. She by marriage Countess Provence. She the daughter of [his father] Thomas Savoy I Count Savoy [aged 41] and [his mother] Margaret Geneva Countess Savoy [aged 39]. He the son of Alfonso Barcelona II Count Provence and Gersenda II Sabran Countess Provence [aged 39]. They were fourth cousins.
Before 4th March 1223 [his daughter] Beatrice Savoy Marchioness of Saluzzo was born to Amedeo Savoy IV Count Savoy [aged 26] and [his wife] Margaret Burgundy Countess Savoy [aged 31]. She a great x 4 granddaughter of King William "Conqueror" I of England. She married (1) 1233 Manfred III Marquess Saluzzo and had issue (2) 1233 her fifth cousin Manfred King Sicily and had issue.
In 1224 [his brother] Bishop William of Savoy was elected Bishop Valence.
In 1233 [his son-in-law] Manfred King Sicily [aged 1] and Beatrice Savoy Marchioness of Saluzzo [aged 9] were married. She the daughter of Amedeo Savoy IV Count Savoy [aged 36] and Margaret Burgundy Countess Savoy [aged 41]. He the illegitmate son of Frederick I King Jerusalem II Holy Roman Emperor [aged 38] and Bianca Lancia. They were fifth cousins. She a great x 4 granddaughter of King William "Conqueror" I of England.
In 1233 [his son-in-law] Manfred III Marquess Saluzzo and Beatrice Savoy Marchioness of Saluzzo [aged 9] were married. She the daughter of Amedeo Savoy IV Count Savoy [aged 36] and Margaret Burgundy Countess Savoy [aged 41].
On 1st March 1233 [his father] Thomas Savoy I Count Savoy [aged 55] died. His son Amedeo [aged 36] succeeded IV Count Savoy.
Chronica Majora by Matthew Paris. January 1236. Anno Domini 1236, which was the twentieth year of the reign of King Henry the Third, he held his court at Winchester at Christmas, where he observed that festival with rejoicings. He was at this time anxiously looking for the return of the special messengers, whom he had sent into Provence to [his brother-in-law] Raymond [aged 38], count of that province, with letters containing his own inmost thoughts about contracting a marriage with his daughter [his niece] Eleanor [aged 13]. This said count was a man of illustrious race and brave in battle, but, by continual wars, he had wasted almost all the money he possessed. He had married the daughter [aged 38] of Thomas, the late count of Savoy, and sister of the present count, Amadeus [aged 39], a woman of remarkable beauty, by name Beatrice. This lady had issue by the aforesaid count, two daughters of great beauty, the elder of whom, named Margaret [aged 15], was married to Louis [aged 21], the French king, as we are told by a clerk named John de Gates; and the king of England had now, by the aforesaid messengers, demanded the younger one, a young lady of handsome appearance, in marriage. In order to obtain this favour, he had secretly sent Richard, prior of Hurle, in advance, who faithfully and with diligence brought the matter to a conclusion. On the prior's returning and telling the king the result, the latter sent him back to the count with some other messengers, namely, the bishops Hugh of Ely, and Robert of Hereford, and the brother of Robert de SANFORD, the master of the Knights Templars. These messengers were received by the count on their arrival in Provence with the greatest honour and respect, and from his hands received his daughter Eleanor, for the purpose of being united to the King of England; she was also attended by her uncle, William, bishop elect of Valentia; a man of distinction, and by the count of Champagne, a relation of the English king. The king of Navarre, on learning that they would travel through his territories, went joyfully to meet them, and accompanied them as a guide through his dominions during a journey of five days and more; he also, from his natural generosity, paid all their expenses, both for horses and attendants. Their retinue consisted of more than three hundred horsemen, not including the people who followed them in great numbers. On reaching the boundaries of France, they obtained not only a safe but honourable passage through that country, under conduct of the French king and his queen, the sister of the lady about to be married to the English king, and also of Blanche [aged 47], the French king's mother. They embarked at the port of Sandwich [Note. Should be Wissant], and with full sail made for Dover, Kent [Map], where they arrived, after a quick passage, before they were expected.
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In 1239 [his brother] Bishop William of Savoy died.
Chronicle of Abbot Ralph of Coggeshall
The Chronicle of Abbot Ralph of Coggeshall (Chronicon Anglicanum) is an indispensable medieval history that brings to life centuries of English and European affairs through the eyes of a learned Cistercian monk. Ralph of Coggeshall, abbot of the Abbey of Coggeshall in Essex in the early 13th century, continued and expanded his community’s chronicle, documenting events from the Norman Conquest of 1066 into the tumultuous reign of King Henry III. Blending eyewitness testimony, careful compilation, and the monastic commitment to record-keeping, this chronicle offers a rare narrative of political intrigue, royal power struggles, and social upheaval in England and beyond. Ralph’s work captures the reigns of pivotal figures such as Richard I and King John, providing invaluable insights into their characters, decisions, and the forces that shaped medieval rule. More than a simple annal, Chronicon Anglicanum conveys the texture of medieval life and governance, making it a rich source for scholars and readers fascinated by English history, monastic authorship, and the shaping of the medieval world.
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In 1241 [his brother] Archbishop Philip of Savoy [aged 34] was elected Bishop Valence.
In 1243 [his wife] Margaret Burgundy Countess Savoy [aged 51] died.
On 18th December 1244 Amedeo Savoy IV Count Savoy [aged 47] and Cecilia Baux Countess Savoy [aged 14] were married. She by marriage Countess Savoy. The difference in their ages was 33 years. He the son of Thomas Savoy I Count Savoy and Margaret Geneva Countess Savoy [aged 64].
In 1245 [his brother] Archbishop Philip of Savoy [aged 38] was elected Archbishop of Lyons.
In 1245 [his son] Boniface Savoy was born to Amedeo Savoy IV Count Savoy [aged 48] and [his wife] Cecilia Baux Countess Savoy [aged 15].
On 15th January 1245 [his brother] Archbishop Boniface Savoy [aged 38] was consecrated Archbishop of Canterbury at Lyon, France [Map] by Pope Innocent IV during the First Council of Lyon.
In 1250 [his daughter] Beatrice Savoy was born to Amedeo Savoy IV Count Savoy [aged 53] and [his wife] Cecilia Baux Countess Savoy [aged 20]. She married 1274 her third cousin once removed Manuel Ivrea, son of Ferdinand III King Castile III King Leon and Elisabeth Hohenstaufen Queen Consort Castile Queen Consort Leon, and had issue.
In 1252 [his brother] Thomas Savoy II Count Flanders [aged 53] and [his sister-in-law] Beatrice Fieschi were married. He the son of [his father] Thomas Savoy I Count Savoy and [his mother] Margaret Geneva Countess Savoy [aged 72].
In 1252 [his mother] Margaret Geneva Countess Savoy [aged 72] died.
On 24th June 1253 Amedeo Savoy IV Count Savoy [aged 56] died without male issue. His son Boniface [aged 8] succeeded Count Savoy.
In 1275 [his former wife] Cecilia Baux Countess Savoy [aged 45] died.
Chronicle of Walter of Guisborough
A canon regular of the Augustinian Guisborough Priory, Yorkshire, formerly known as The Chronicle of Walter of Hemingburgh, describes the period from 1066 to 1346. Before 1274 the Chronicle is based on other works. Thereafter, the Chronicle is original, and a remarkable source for the events of the time. This book provides a translation of the Chronicle from that date. The Latin source for our translation is the 1849 work edited by Hans Claude Hamilton. Hamilton, in his preface, says: 'In the present work we behold perhaps one of the finest samples of our early chronicles, both as regards the value of the events recorded, and the correctness with which they are detailed; Nor will the pleasing style of composition be lightly passed over by those capable of seeing reflected from it the tokens of a vigorous and cultivated mind, and a favourable specimen of the learning and taste of the age in which it was framed.'
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[his daughter] Margaret Savoy was born to Amedeo Savoy IV Count Savoy and Margaret Burgundy Countess Savoy. She a great x 4 granddaughter of King William "Conqueror" I of England.
[his daughter] Eleanor Savoy was born to Amedeo Savoy IV Count Savoy and Cecilia Baux Countess Savoy.
[his daughter] Constance Savoy was born to Amedeo Savoy IV Count Savoy and Cecilia Baux Countess Savoy.
Kings Franks: Great x 14 Grand Son of Charles "Charlemagne aka Great" King of the Franks King Lombardy Holy Roman Emperor
Constance Hohenstaufen Queen Consort Aragon [1]
Constanza Manuel Queen Consort Castile [1]
Eleanor of Castile Queen Consort Navarre [1]
Philippa Lancaster Queen Consort Denmark [1]
Joan Beaufort Queen Consort Scotland [1]
King Richard III of England [2]
Anne Neville Queen Consort England [3]
King Henry VII of England and Ireland [1]
Queen Anne Boleyn of England [3]
Catherine Parr Queen Consort England [4]
Queen Catherine Howard of England [2]
Jane Grey I Queen England and Ireland [5]
George Wharton [29]
President George Washington [2]
Brigadier-General Charles Fitz-Clarence [126]
Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom [508]
Queen Consort Camilla Shand [165]
Diana Spencer Princess Wales [1435]
Great x 4 Grandfather: Otto Savoy
Great x 3 Grandfather: Amadeus Savoy II Count Savoy
Great x 2 Grandfather: Humbert "Fat" Savoy II Count Savoy
Great x 1 Grandfather: Amadeus Savoy III Count Savoy
Great x 4 Grandfather: Reginald Ivrea I Count Burgundy 
Great x 3 Grandfather: William I Count Burgundy
Great x 4 Grandmother: Alice Normandy Countess Burgundy 
Great x 2 Grandmother: Gisela Ivrea Countess Savoy
Great x 3 Grandmother: Ettiennette Countess Burgundy
GrandFather: Humbert Savoy III Count Savoy
Great x 1 Grandmother: Mahaut Albon Countess Savoy
Father: Thomas Savoy I Count Savoy
GrandMother: Beatrice Macon Countess Savoy
GrandFather: William I Count Geneva
Mother: Margaret Geneva Countess Savoy