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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Austria is in Europe.
On 25th December 1584 Margaret of Austria Queen Consort Spain was born to Charles Habsburg Spain II Archduke Austria [aged 44] and Maria Anna Wittelsbach [aged 33] at Graz. Coefficient of inbreeding 13.84%. She married 18th April 1599 her first cousin once removed Philip III King Spain, son of Philip "The Prudent" II King Spain and Anna of Austria Queen Consort Spain, and had issue.
On 10th July 1590 Charles Habsburg Spain II Archduke Austria [aged 50] died at Graz.
Before 9th July 1526 Ferdinand I Holy Roman Emperor [aged 23] and Anne Jagiellon [aged 22] were married at Linz. She the daughter of Vladislaus II King Hungary and Anna Foix Queen Consort of Hungary and Bohemia. He the son of Philip "Handsome Fair" King Castile and Joanna "The Mad" Trastámara Queen Castile [aged 47]. They were half second cousin once removed. He a great x 4 grandson of King Edward III of England.
On 2nd July 1648 Ferdinand III Holy Roman Emperor [aged 39] and Maria Leopoldine Habsburg Spain Queen Consort Bohemia [aged 16] were married at Linz. She by marriage Queen Consort Bohemia. The difference in their ages was 23 years. He the son of Ferdinand of Spain II Holy Roman Emperor and Maria Anna Wittelsbach Holy Roman Empress. They were first cousins.
On 10th June 1414 Beatrix Hohenzollern Duchess Austria [aged 52] died at Perchtoldsdorf.
On 24th December 1407 Frederick "Empty Pockets" Habsburg 4th Duke Austria [aged 25] and Elizabeth Wittelsbach Duchess Austria were married at Innsbruck. She by marriage Duchess Austria. She the daughter of Rupert King Germany [aged 55]. He the son of Leopold "The Just" Habsburg III Duke Austria and Viridis Visconti Duchess Austria [aged 55]. They were third cousin twice removed.
On 26th October 1427 Sigismund Habsburg 4th Duke Austria was born to Frederick "Empty Pockets" Habsburg 4th Duke Austria [aged 45] and Anna of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel Duchess Austria at Innsbruck. He married 12th February 1449 Eleanor Stewart Duchess Austria, daughter of King James I of Scotland and Joan Beaufort Queen Consort Scotland.
On 4th March 1496 Sigismund Habsburg 4th Duke Austria [aged 68] died at Innsbruck.
On 12th February 1449 Sigismund Habsburg 4th Duke Austria [aged 21] and Eleanor Stewart Duchess Austria [aged 16] were married at Merano. She by marriage Duchess Austria. She the daughter of King James I of Scotland and Joan Beaufort Queen Consort Scotland. He the son of Frederick "Empty Pockets" Habsburg 4th Duke Austria and Anna of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel Duchess Austria.
Around 25th December 1192 King Richard "Lionheart" I of England [aged 35] was captured near Vienna [Map] by Leopold V Duke of Austria [aged 35] who blamed Richard for the death of his cousin Conrad of Montferrat. Further, Richard had offended Leopold by casting down his standard from the walls of Acre. Leopold imprisoned Richard at Dürnstein Castle [Map]. Leopold was excommunicated by Pope Celestine III for having imprisoned a crusader. He, Richard, had travelled from Aquileia [Map] which suggests he was taking an easterly route around the Alps rather than travelling westerly through Lombardy, or across the Alps, both of which would have been shorter.