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: Brienne
On 15th August 1209 [her future husband] Frederick I King Jerusalem II Holy Roman Emperor (age 14) and Constance Barcelona (age 30) were married at Messina, Sicily [Map]. She the daughter of Alfonso II King Aragon and Sancha Ivrea Queen Consort Aragon. He the son of Henry Hohenstaufen VI Holy Roman Emperor. They were third cousin once removed.
Before 1212 [her father] John de Brienne I King Jerusalem (age 41) and [her mother] Maria the Marquise Unknown were married. He the son of [her grandfather] Erard Brienne II Count Brienne and [her grandmother] Agnès Montfaucon Countess Brienne.
In 1212 Isabella Brienne II Queen Jerusalem was appointed II King Jerusalem.
In 1212 Isabella Brienne II Queen Jerusalem was born to [her father] John de Brienne I King Jerusalem (age 42) and [her mother] Maria the Marquise Unknown.
In 1214 [her father] John de Brienne I King Jerusalem (age 44) and Stephanie Lambron were married. He the son of [her grandfather] Erard Brienne II Count Brienne and [her grandmother] Agnès Montfaucon Countess Brienne.
On 9th November 1225 Frederick I King Jerusalem II Holy Roman Emperor (age 30) and Isabella Brienne II Queen Jerusalem (age 13) were married. He by marriage John I King Jerusalem. She the daughter of John de Brienne I King Jerusalem (age 55) and Maria the Marquise Unknown. He the son of Henry Hohenstaufen VI Holy Roman Emperor.
In November 1226 [her daughter] Margareta Hohenstaufen was born to [her husband] Frederick I King Jerusalem II Holy Roman Emperor (age 31) and Isabella Brienne II Queen Jerusalem (age 14). She died aged less than one years old.
On 25th April 1228 [her son] Conrad Hohenstaufen King Germany was born to [her husband] Frederick I King Jerusalem II Holy Roman Emperor (age 33) and Isabella Brienne II Queen Jerusalem (age 16).
On 20th July 1235 [her husband] Frederick I King Jerusalem II Holy Roman Emperor (age 40) and Isabella Plantagenet Holy Roman Empress (age 21) were married at Worms Cathedral [Map]. She the daughter of King John of England and Isabella of Angoulême Queen Consort England (age 47). He the son of Henry Hohenstaufen VI Holy Roman Emperor. They were fourth cousin once removed.
Jean de Waurin's Chronicle of England Volume 6 Books 3-6: The Wars of the Roses
Jean de Waurin was a French Chronicler, from the Artois region, who was born around 1400, and died around 1474. Waurin’s Chronicle of England, Volume 6, covering the period 1450 to 1471, from which we have selected and translated Chapters relating to the Wars of the Roses, provides a vivid, original, contemporary description of key events some of which he witnessed first-hand, some of which he was told by the key people involved with whom Waurin had a personal relationship.
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On 13th December 1250 [her husband] Frederick I King Jerusalem II Holy Roman Emperor (age 55) died. [her step-son] Henry VII King Germany was appointed VII King Germany.
[her father] John de Brienne I King Jerusalem and Beregaria Ivrea were married. The difference in their ages was 34 years. She the daughter of Alfonso IX King Leon and Berengaria Ivrea I Queen Castile. He the son of [her grandfather] Erard Brienne II Count Brienne and [her grandmother] Agnès Montfaucon Countess Brienne.
GrandFather: Erard Brienne II Count Brienne
Father: John de Brienne I King Jerusalem
Great x 1 Grandfather: Amadeus Montfaucon
GrandMother: Agnès Montfaucon Countess Brienne
Isabella Brienne II Queen Jerusalem
Mother: Maria the Marquise Unknown