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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Uncle and Niece is in Uncles and Aunts.
In 142BC or 141BC Ptolemy VIII Physcon 184BC 116BC (age 42) and Cleopatra III 160BC 101BC (age 18) were married. The difference in their ages was 24 years. They were uncle and niece.
Before 69BC Ptolemy XII Auletes Pharoah of Egypt 117BC 51BC (age 47) and Cleopatra V Tryphaena 57BC were married. They were uncle and niece.
In or before 1029 Jarl Haakon Sigurdsson and Gunilda were married. They were uncle and niece.
In 1424 Prince John Aviz Constable Portugal (age 23) and Isabella of Braganza (age 21) were married. He the son of King John I of Portugal (age 72) and Philippa of Lancaster Queen Consort Portugal. They were uncle and niece. He a great grandson of King Edward III of England.
In 1475 Alfonso "The African" V King Portugal (age 42) and Joanna "La Beltraneja" Trastámara Queen Consort Portugal (age 12) were married. She by marriage Queen Consort Portugal. The difference in their ages was 30 years. She the daughter of Henry IV King Castile and Joan Aviz Queen Consort Castile (age 35). He the son of Edward "The Philosopher" I King Portugal and Eleanor Trastámara Queen Consort Portugal. They were uncle and niece. He a great x 2 grandson of King Edward III of England. She a great x 3 granddaughter of King Edward III of England.
In 1484 Giacomo or Jacques Savoy Count Romont (age 33) and Marie Luxemburg Countess Vendôme and Soissons were married. She the daughter of Peter Luxemburg II Count Saint Pol and Soissons and Margaret Savoy Countess Saint Pol. He the son of Louis Savoy I Count Savoy and Anne Cyprus Countess Savoy. They were uncle and niece. He a great x 5 grandson of King Edward I of England. She a great x 4 granddaughter of King Edward III of England.
Around 1559 Charles Brydges (age 33) and Jane Carne were married. They were uncle and niece.
In 1570 Philip "The Prudent" II King Spain (age 42) and Anna of Austria Queen Consort Spain (age 20) were married. She by marriage Queen Consort Spain. The difference in their ages was 22 years. She the daughter of Maximilian Habsburg Spain II Holy Roman Emperor (age 42) and Maria of Spain Holy Roman Empress (age 41). He the son of Charles V Holy Roman Emperor and Isabel Aviz Queen Consort Spain. They were uncle and niece. He a great x 5 grandson of King Edward III of England.
On 26th August 1571 Charles Habsburg Spain II Archduke Austria (age 31) and Maria Anna Wittelsbach (age 20) were married at Vienna [Map]. She the daughter of Albert V Wittelsbach V Duke Bavaria (age 43) and Anna Habsburg Spain Duchess Bavaria (age 43). He the son of Ferdinand I Holy Roman Emperor and Anne Jagiellon. They were uncle and niece. He a great x 5 grandson of King Edward III of England.
William of Worcester's Chronicle of England
William of Worcester, born around 1415, and died around 1482 was secretary to John Fastolf, the renowned soldier of the Hundred Years War, during which time he collected documents, letters, and wrote a record of events. Following their return to England in 1440 William was witness to major events. Twice in his chronicle he uses the first person: 1. when writing about the murder of Thomas, 7th Baron Scales, in 1460, he writes '… and I saw him lying naked in the cemetery near the porch of the church of St. Mary Overie in Southwark …' and 2. describing King Edward IV's entry into London in 1461 he writes '… proclaimed that all the people themselves were to recognize and acknowledge Edward as king. I was present and heard this, and immediately went down with them into the city'. William’s Chronicle is rich in detail. It is the source of much information about the Wars of the Roses, including the term 'Diabolical Marriage' to describe the marriage of Queen Elizabeth Woodville’s brother John’s marriage to Katherine, Dowager Duchess of Norfolk, he aged twenty, she sixty-five or more, and the story about a paper crown being placed in mockery on the severed head of Richard, 3rd Duke of York.
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On 14th May 1582 Ferdinand Habsburg Spain II Archduke Austria (age 52) and Anna Caterina Gonzaga Archduchess Austria (age 16) were married. She by marriage Archduke Austria. The difference in their ages was 36 years. She the daughter of William Gonzaga I Duke Mantua (age 44) and Eleanor of Austria Duchess Mantua (age 47). He the son of Ferdinand I Holy Roman Emperor and Anne Jagiellon. They were uncle and niece. He a great x 5 grandson of King Edward III of England.
On 15th July 1635 Maximilian "The Great" Wittelsbach I Duke Bavaria I Elector Bavaria (age 62) and Maria Anna Habsburg Spain Duchess Bavaria (age 25) were married. She by marriage Duchess Bavaria. The difference in their ages was 36 years. She the daughter of Ferdinand of Spain II Holy Roman Emperor (age 57) and Maria Anna Wittelsbach Holy Roman Empress. He the son of William Wittelsbach V Duke Bavaria and Renata Lorraine Duchess Bavaria. They were uncle and niece.
On or after 25th January 1642, the date of the License, Ellis Crispe (age 23) and Anne Strode were married. They were uncle and niece.
In 1649 Philip IV King Spain (age 43) and Mariana of Austria Queen Consort Spain (age 14) were married. She by marriage Queen Consort Spain. The difference in their ages was 29 years. She the daughter of Ferdinand III Holy Roman Emperor (age 40) and Maria Anna of Spain Holy Roman Empress. He the son of Philip III King Spain and Margaret of Austria Queen Consort Spain. They were uncle and niece.
In 1666 Leopold Habsburg Spain I Holy Roman Emperor (age 25) and Margaret Theresa Habsburg Holy Roman Empress (age 14) were married. She by marriage Holy Roman Empress. She the daughter of Philip IV King Spain and Mariana of Austria Queen Consort Spain (age 31). He the son of Ferdinand III Holy Roman Emperor and Maria Anna of Spain Holy Roman Empress. They were uncle and niece.
Before 1700 Colonel Thomas Salusbury of Bach-y-graig in Denbighshire (age 24) and Lucy Salusbury were married. They were uncle and niece. He a great x 3 grandson of King Henry VII of England and Ireland. She a great x 4 granddaughter of King Henry VII of England and Ireland.
On 3rd September 1724 John Cocks of Castleditch in Eastnor in Herefordshire and Mary Cocks were married. They were uncle and niece.
On 27th September 1755 Augustus Ferdinand Hohenzollern (age 25) and Princess Elisabeth Louise Hohenzollern (age 17) were married. He the son of Frederick William "Soldier King" I King Prussia and Sophia Dorothea Hanover Queen Consort Prussia (age 68). They were uncle and niece. He a great x 3 grandson of King James I of England and Ireland and VI of Scotland. She a great x 4 granddaughter of King James I of England and Ireland and VI of Scotland.
Before 1800 John Acton 6th Baronet (age 63) and Mary-Ann Acton Lady Acton (age 17) were married. She by marriage Lady Acton of Aldenham Hall. The difference in their ages was 45 years. They were uncle and niece.
On 11th July 1824 Jacob "James" Mayer de Rothschild (age 32) and Betty von Rothschild (age 19) were married. They were uncle and niece.
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 1829 Ferdinand VII King Spain (age 44) and Maria Christina of the Two Sicilies Queen Consort Spain (age 22) were married. She by marriage Queen Consort Spain. The difference in their ages was 21 years. He the son of Charles IV King Spain and Maria Luisa of Parma. They were uncle and niece. He a great x 5 grandson of King Charles I of England, Scotland and Ireland.
On 23rd December 1832 Ernest Saxe Coburg Gotha I Duke Saxe Coburg Gotha (age 48) and Marie Württemberg Duchess Saxe Coburg Gotha (age 33) were married. She by marriage Duchess Saxe Coburg Gotha. She the daughter of Alexander Württemberg Duke Württemberg (age 61) and Antoinette Ernestine Amalie Saxe Coburg Gotha Duchess Württemberg. He the son of Francis Saxe Coburg Gotha I Duke Saxe Coburg Gotha and Augusta Reuss Duchess Saxe Coburg Gotha. They were uncle and niece.
Cadwaladr ap Gruffudd Aberffraw and Tangwystl ferch Cadwallon were married. He the son of King Gruffudd ap Cynan of Gwynedd and Angharad Queen Consort Gwynedd. They were uncle and niece.
Benedetto Maria Maurizio Savoy and Maria Anna Savoy Duchess Chablais were married. She the daughter of Victor Amadeus III King Sardinia and Infanta Maria Antonia Spain. He the son of Charles Emmanuel III King Sardinia and Elisabeth Therese Lorraine Queen Consort Sardinia. They were uncle and niece. He a great x 2 grandson of King Charles I of England, Scotland and Ireland. She a great x 3 granddaughter of King Charles I of England, Scotland and Ireland.