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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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Count Guînes is in Counts of France.
Around 1169 Baldwin Guines II Count Guînes (age 34) succeeded II Count Guînes. Christine Viscountess Ardres and Guînes by marriage Countess Guînes.
In 1205 Arnoul Guines II Count Guînes (age 35) succeeded II Count Guînes.
In or before 1220 Arnoul Guines II Count Guînes (age 49) and Beatrix Bourborg Countess Guînes were married. She by marriage Countess Guînes. He the son of Baldwin Guines II Count Guînes and Christine Viscountess Ardres and Guînes.
In 1220 Baldwin Guines III Count Guînes (age 20) succeeded III Count Guînes.
Before 1233 Baldwin Guines III Count Guînes (age 32) and Mauhaut Fiennes Countess Guînes (age 22) were married. She by marriage Countess Guînes. He the son of Arnoul Guines II Count Guînes and Beatrix Bourborg Countess Guînes.
Before 2nd February 1283 Arnoul Guines III Count Guînes (age 53) and Alix Coucy Countess Guînes (age 61) were married. She by marriage Countess Guînes. He the son of Baldwin Guines III Count Guînes and Mauhaut Fiennes Countess Guînes. They were half third cousin once removed.
On 2nd February 1283 Arnoul Guines III Count Guînes (age 53) died at Guines Castle, Guines. His brother Baldwin (age 40) succeeded 4th Count Guînes.
The History of William Marshal was commissioned by his son shortly after William’s death in 1219 to celebrate the Marshal’s remarkable life; it is an authentic, contemporary voice. The manuscript was discovered in 1861 by French historian Paul Meyer. Meyer published the manuscript in its original Anglo-French in 1891 in two books. This book is a line by line translation of the first of Meyer’s books; lines 1-10152. Book 1 of the History begins in 1139 and ends in 1194. It describes the events of the Anarchy, the role of William’s father John, John’s marriages, William’s childhood, his role as a hostage at the siege of Newbury, his injury and imprisonment in Poitou where he met Eleanor of Aquitaine and his life as a knight errant. It continues with the accusation against him of an improper relationship with Margaret, wife of Henry the Young King, his exile, and return, the death of Henry the Young King, the rebellion of Richard, the future King Richard I, war with France, the death of King Henry II, and the capture of King Richard, and the rebellion of John, the future King John. It ends with the release of King Richard and the death of John Marshal.
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In 1332 Raoul Brienne I Count of Eu I Count Guînes succeeded I Count Guînes. Jeanne Melo Countess Eu and Guines by marriage Countess Guînes.
In 1344 Raoul Brienne I Count of Eu I Count Guînes was killed in a tournament at Paris [Map]. His son Raoul (age 29) succeeded II Count Eu, II Count Guînes. Catherine Countess Eu and Guînes (age 20) by marriage Countess Eu, Countess Guînes.
Arnoul Guines III Count Guînes succeeded III Count Guînes.
Arnoul Guines II Count Guînes succeeded II Count Guînes. Mahaut St Omer Countess Guînes by marriage Countess Guînes.
Jeanne Guines Countess Eu I and Guînes succeeded I Countess Guînes.