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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Murder is in Death.
In 1210 Maud "Lady of Hay" St Valery Baroness Bramber [aged 55] starved to death at Corfe Castle, Dorset [Map].
In 1210 William de Braose was starved to death at Corfe Castle, Dorset [Map].
In 1213 Maud de Clare [aged 29] starved to death.
In February 1332 Walter Liath de Burgh starved to death whilst imprisoned by his cousin William Donn Burgh 3rd Earl of Ulster [aged 19]. Walter's sister Gylle de Burgh planned William's assassination in revenge.
On 26th March 1402 David Stewart 1st Duke Rothesay [aged 23] starved to death.
In July 1182 Maria Komnene [aged 30] was fatally poisoned, probably on the orders of his wife's step-mother Maria of Antioch, who would also poison her husband Renier of Montferrat [aged 20] a year later.
In 1183 Renier of Montferrat [aged 21] was fatally poisoned, as his wife Maria Komnene had been a year before, probably on the orders of his wife's step-mother Maria of Antioch.
Before 2nd August 1218 Louis II Count Loon was fatally poisoned. His brother Henry [aged 82] succeeded Count Loon.
On 2nd August 1218 Henry Count Loon [aged 82] was fatally poisoned a few days after his brother had been. His brother Arnold succeeded III Count Loon.
Anne Boleyn. Her Life as told by Lancelot de Carle's 1536 Letter.
In 1536, two weeks after the execution of Anne Boleyn, her brother George and four others, Lancelot du Carle, wrote an extraordinary letter that described Anne's life, and her trial and execution, to which he was a witness. This book presents a new translation of that letter, with additional material from other contemporary sources such as Letters, Hall's and Wriothesley's Chronicles, the pamphlets of Wynkyn the Worde, the Memorial of George Constantyne, the Portuguese Letter and the Baga de Secrets, all of which are provided in Appendices.
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In 1777 Catherine Bradford was fatally poisoned with arsenic by a servant according to the plaque at a Cheltenham church.
On 29th August 1780 Theodosius Boughton 7th Baronet [aged 20] was was fatally poisoned by his brother-in-law Captain John Donnellan who was subsequently executed for the crime
William de de Clare was fatally poisoned by his steward whilst having breakfast with his brother Richard, who was also poisoned but survived, and Prince Edward.