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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Church Monument Details is in Church Monuments.
Mantling. In French: Lambrequin. Drapery tied to the helmet above the shield.
In 1527 Hans Holbein The Younger [aged 30]. Portrait of Henry Guildford [aged 38] wearing the Garter and Inter twined Knots Collar with St George Pendant. Standing three-quarter length, richly dressed in velvet, fur and cloth-of-gold. Holbein has meticulously shown the varied texture of his cloth-of-gold double which is woven into a pomegranate pattern with a variety of different weaves including loops of gold thread. Similarly, he has carefully articulated the band of black satin running down Guildford's arm against the richer black of the velvet of his sleeve. A lavish use of both shell-gold paint and gold leaf (which has been used to emulate the highlights of the gold thread in the material) emphasises the luxuriousness of the sitter's dress and his high status. In his right-hand he holds the Comptroller of the Household Staff of Office.
After 1st September 1414 William Ros 6th Baron Ros Helmsley [deceased] was buried at Belvoir Priory [Map]. At the dissolution of the monasteries his monument was moved to the Chancel of St Mary the Virgin Church, Bottesford, Leicestershire [Map] on the right side of the High Altar. Alabaster Monument of the Camail and Jupon Period. Possibly Sutton and Prentys.
Scabbard with IHS. Wire Wrapped Grip. Hip Belt.
Detail of the Ros Family Peacock Crest surmounting his Great Helm.
Detail of decorated Orle and Vervelle Cover.
Detail of Lancastrian Esses Collar and face. Note the twisted moustache that is frequently seen on Sutton and Prentys monuments. The fixing of the Esses Collar to the Camail using a small trefoil.
