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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In August 1596 Mary Fitz was born.
Around 1608 Alan Percy and Mary Fitz [aged 11] were married. He the son of Henry Percy 8th Earl of Northumberland and Katherine Neville Countess Northumberland.
Around 1613 Charles Howard [aged 22] and Mary Fitz [aged 16] were married. He the son of Thomas Howard 1st Earl Suffolk [aged 51] and Catherine Knyvet Countess Suffolk [aged 49].
Around 1613 Thomas Darcy [aged 27] and Mary Fitz [aged 16] were married. He the son of Thomas Darcy 1st Earl Rivers [aged 48] and Mary Kitson Countess Rivers [aged 45].
Around 1613 [her husband] Thomas Darcy [aged 27] died.
In 1613 [her husband] Alan Percy died.
On 25th September 1613 Robert Devereux 3rd Earl Essex [aged 22] and [her sister-in-law] Frances Howard Countess Essex and Somerset [aged 23] marriage annulled by King James I of England and Ireland and VI of Scotland [aged 47]. She married Robert Carr 1st Earl Somerset [aged 26] three months later.
On 26th December 1613 Robert Carr 1st Earl Somerset [aged 26] and [her sister-in-law] Frances Howard Countess Essex and Somerset [aged 23] were married. She by marriage Countess Somerset. She the daughter of [her father-in-law] Thomas Howard 1st Earl Suffolk [aged 52] and [her mother-in-law] Catherine Knyvet Countess Suffolk [aged 49].
Her marriage with her first husband Robert Devereux 3rd Earl Essex [aged 22] had been annulled on the grounds of his impotence three months before causing something of a scandal.
In 1614 [her brother-in-law] Thomas Howard 1st Earl Berkshire [aged 26] and Elizabeth Cecil Countess Berkshire [aged 18] were married. She the daughter of William Cecil 2nd Earl Exeter [aged 48] and Elizabeth Drury Countess Exeter [aged 35]. He the son of [her father-in-law] Thomas Howard 1st Earl Suffolk [aged 52] and [her mother-in-law] Catherine Knyvet Countess Suffolk [aged 50]. They were fourth cousins.
In 1616 William Knollys 1st Earl Banbury [aged 72] was created 1st Viscount Wallingford. [her sister-in-law] Elizabeth Howard Countess Banbury [aged 33] by marriage Viscountess Wallingford.
Letters of John Chamberlain Volume 2.315. [30th January 1619] Our new bride-groome Sir John Smith1 is arrested by the small pockes, and his Lady Isabella forgetting her late promise of better or worse in sicknes and in health is fled to save her faire skin. That disease hath likewise seased on Sir Charles Howards [aged 28] Lady [aged 22] that was Sir Allen Percies widow. Her husband and she were upon termes of parting before, and yt is like this will put them quite of.
Note 1. Cf. Letters 305, 306, 309.
The True Chronicles of Jean le Bel Volume 1 Chapters 1-60 1307-1342
The True Chronicles of Jean le Bel offer one of the most vivid and immediate accounts of 14th-century Europe, written by a knight who lived through the events he describes, and experienced some of them first hand. Covering the early decades of the Hundred Years’ War, this remarkable chronicle follows the campaigns of Edward III of England, the politics of France and the Low Countries, and the shifting alliances that shaped medieval warfare. Unlike later historians, Jean le Bel writes with a strong sense of eyewitness authenticity, drawing on personal experience and the testimony of fellow soldiers. His narrative captures not only battles and sieges, but also the realities of military life, diplomacy, and the ideals of chivalry that governed noble society. A key source for Jean Froissart, Le Bel’s chronicle stands on its own as a compelling and insightful work, at once historical record and literary achievement. This translation builds on the 1905 edition published in French by Jules Viard, adding extensive translations from other sources Rymer's Fœdera, the Chronicles of Adam Murimuth, William Nangis, Walter of Guisborough, a Bourgeois of Valenciennes, Geoffrey le Baker of Swinbroke and Richard Lescot to enrich the original text and Viard's notes.
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In 1621 [her brother-in-law] Thomas Howard 1st Earl Berkshire [aged 33] was created 1st Viscount Andover in Hampshire, 1st Baron Howard of Charlton in Wiltshire. Elizabeth Cecil Countess Berkshire [aged 25] by marriage Baroness Howard of Charlton in Wiltshire.
In 1626 William Knollys 1st Earl Banbury [aged 82] was created 1st Earl Banbury. [her sister-in-law] Elizabeth Howard Countess Banbury [aged 43] by marriage Countess Banbury.
On 7th February 1626 [her brother-in-law] Thomas Howard 1st Earl Berkshire [aged 38] was created 1st Earl Berkshire. Elizabeth Cecil Countess Berkshire [aged 30] by marriage Countess Berkshire.
On 28th May 1626 [her father-in-law] Thomas Howard 1st Earl Suffolk [aged 64] died at Charing Cross [Map]. He was buried at Waldon Priory and Abbey [Map]. His son [her brother-in-law] Theophilus [aged 43] succeeded 2nd Earl Suffolk. Elizabeth Home Countess Suffolk [aged 27] by marriage Countess Suffolk.
On 21st June 1626 [her husband] Charles Howard [aged 35] died.
In 1672 Mary Fitz [aged 75] died.