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 Geoffrey Chateaudun II Count Mortain III Count Perche -1100

Paternal Family Tree: Chateaudun

Geoffrey Chateaudun II Count Mortain III Count Perche and Beatrix de Ramerupt Montdidier Countess Mortain and Perche were married. She by marriage Countess Mortain Mortagne. She the daughter of Hilduin Montdidier IV Count Montdidier. He the son of Rotrou Chateaudun II Count Perche and Adeliza de Bellême Countess Perche.

Geoffrey Chateaudun II Count Mortain III Count Perche was born to [his father] Rotrou Chateaudun II Count Perche and [his mother] Adeliza de Bellême Countess Perche.

In 1044 [his father] Rotrou Chateaudun II Count Perche succeeded II Count Perche.

In 1060 Geoffrey Chateaudun II Count Mortain III Count Perche succeeded II Count Mortain Mortagne.

14th October 1066 Battle of Hastings

                    On 14th October 1066 the Norman army led by King William "Conqueror" I of England [aged 38] defeated the English army of King Harold II of England [aged 44] at the 14th October 1066 Battle of Hastings fought at Senlac Hill Hastings. Aimery Thouars [aged 42], Ralph de Gael 2nd Earl East Anglia [aged 24], Eustace II Count Boulogne [aged 51], William Fitzosbern 1st Earl Hereford [aged 46], Geoffrey Chateaudun II Count Mortain III Count Perche, William Warenne 1st Earl of Surrey, Raoul Tosny, Robert Beaumont 1st Earl of Leicester Count Meulan [aged 26], Hugh Grandesmil [aged 34], Roger "The Great" Montgomery 1st Earl of Shrewsbury (possibly), Robert Mortain Count Mortain 1st Earl Cornwall [aged 35] and Bishop Odo of Bayeux fought for William.
                
                    King Harold II of England was killed. Earl Wessex, Earl Hereford extinct.
                
                    Leofwine Godwinson 2nd Earl Kent [aged 31] was killed. Earl Kent extinct.
                
                    His brothers Gyrth Godwinson Earl East Anglia [aged 34] and Engenulphe Aigle [aged 56] were killed.

In 1080 [his father] Rotrou Chateaudun II Count Perche died. His son Geoffrey succeeded III Count Perche. Beatrix de Ramerupt Montdidier Countess Mortain and Perche by marriage Countess Perche.

Around 1080 [his son] Routrou "The Great" Chateaudun III Count Perche was born to Geoffrey Chateaudun II Count Mortain III Count Perche and Beatrix de Ramerupt Montdidier Countess Mortain and Perche. He married (1) before 1120 Matilda Fitzroy Countess Perche and had issue (2) before 1135 Hawise Salisbury Countess Dreux, daughter of Walter of Salisbury 2nd Baron Chitterne and Sybilla Chaworth Baroness Chitterne, and had issue.

Before 1100 [his son-in-law] Henry Beaumont 1st Earl Warwick [aged 49] and Marguerite Chateaudun Countess Warwick were married. She by marriage Countess Warwick. She the daughter of Geoffrey Chateaudun II Count Mortain III Count Perche and Beatrix de Ramerupt Montdidier Countess Mortain and Perche.

In October 1100 Geoffrey Chateaudun II Count Mortain III Count Perche died. His son Routrou [aged 20] succeeded III Count Perche.

[his daughter] Marguerite Chateaudun Countess Warwick was born to Geoffrey Chateaudun II Count Mortain III Count Perche and Beatrix de Ramerupt Montdidier Countess Mortain and Perche. She married before 1100 Henry Beaumont 1st Earl Warwick and had issue.

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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[his daughter] Juliette du Perche Chateaudun was born to Geoffrey Chateaudun II Count Mortain III Count Perche and Beatrix de Ramerupt Montdidier Countess Mortain and Perche. She married Gilbert Aigle Lord Aigle and had issue.

[his daughter] Mathilde Chateaudun was born to Geoffrey Chateaudun II Count Mortain III Count Perche and Beatrix de Ramerupt Montdidier Countess Mortain and Perche.

Biography of Geoffrey Chateaudun II Count Mortain III Count Perche -1100

Royal Descendants of Geoffrey Chateaudun II Count Mortain III Count Perche -1100
Number after indicates the number of unique routes of descent. Descendants of Kings and Queens not included.

Ancestors of Geoffrey Chateaudun II Count Mortain III Count Perche -1100

Biography of Geoffrey Chateaudun II Count Mortain III Count Perche -1100

Royal Descendants of Geoffrey Chateaudun II Count Mortain III Count Perche -1100Number after indicates the number of unique routes of descent. Descendants of Kings and Queens not included.

Ancestors of Geoffrey Chateaudun II Count Mortain III Count Perche -1100

Royal Descendants of Geoffrey Chateaudun II Count Mortain III Count Perche -1100
Number after indicates the number of unique routes of descent. Descendants of Kings and Queens not included.