This is a translation of the 'Memoires of Jacques du Clercq', published in 1823 in two volumes, edited by Frederic, Baron de Reissenberg. In his introduction Reissenberg writes: 'Jacques du Clercq tells us that he was born in 1424, and that he was a licentiate in law and a counsellor to Philip the Good, Duke of Burgundy, in the castellany of Douai, Lille, and Orchies. It appears that he established his residence at Arras. In 1446, he married the daughter of Baldwin de la Lacherie, a gentleman who lived in Lille. We read in the fifth book of his Memoirs that his father, also named Jacques du Clercq, had married a lady of the Le Camelin family, from Compiègne. His ancestors, always attached to the counts of Flanders, had constantly served them, whether in their councils or in their armies.' The Memoires cover a period of nineteen years beginning in in 1448, ending in in 1467. It appears that the author had intended to extend the Memoirs beyond that date; no doubt illness or death prevented him from carrying out this plan. As Reissenberg writes the 'merit of this work lies in the simplicity of its narrative, in its tone of good faith, and in a certain air of frankness which naturally wins the reader’s confidence.' Du Clercq ranges from events of national and international importance, including events of the Wars of the Roses in England, to simple, everyday local events such as marriages, robberies, murders, trials and deaths, including that of his own father in Book 5; one of his last entries.
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Paternal Family Tree: Habsburg
In or before 1627 [her father] Leopold Habsburg Spain V Archduke Austria [aged 40] and [her mother] Claudia Medici [aged 22] were married.
On 20th February 1631 [her future husband] Ferdinand III Holy Roman Emperor [aged 22] and Maria Anna of Spain Holy Roman Empress [aged 24] were married. She by marriage Queen Consort Bohemia. She the daughter of Philip III King Spain and [her aunt] Margaret of Austria Queen Consort Spain. He the son of [her uncle] Ferdinand of Spain II Holy Roman Emperor [aged 52] and Maria Anna Wittelsbach Holy Roman Empress. They were first cousins.
On 6th April 1632 Maria Leopoldine Habsburg Spain Queen Consort Bohemia was born to Leopold Habsburg Spain V Archduke Austria [aged 45] and Claudia Medici [aged 27].
On 13th September 1632 [her father] Leopold Habsburg Spain V Archduke Austria [aged 45] died.
On 18th November 1637 [her future husband] Ferdinand III Holy Roman Emperor [aged 29] succeeded III Holy Roman Emperor. Maria Anna of Spain Holy Roman Empress [aged 31] by marriage Holy Roman Empress.
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 25th December 1648 [her mother] Claudia Medici [aged 44] died.
In 1649 Philip IV King Spain [aged 43] and [her step-daughter] Mariana of Austria Queen Consort Spain [aged 14] were married. She by marriage Queen Consort Spain. The difference in their ages was 29 years. She the daughter of [her husband] Ferdinand III Holy Roman Emperor [aged 40] and Maria Anna of Spain Holy Roman Empress. He the son of Philip III King Spain and [her aunt] Margaret of Austria Queen Consort Spain. They were uncle and niece.
On 7th July 1649 Maria Leopoldine Habsburg Spain Queen Consort Bohemia [aged 17] died.
On 7th August 1649 [her son] Karl Josef Habsburg Spain Archduke Austria was born to [her former husband] Ferdinand III Holy Roman Emperor [aged 41] and Maria Leopoldine Habsburg Spain Queen Consort Bohemia [deceased]. Coefficient of inbreeding 10.98%.
On 30th April 1651 [her former husband] Ferdinand III Holy Roman Emperor [aged 42] and Eleonora Gonzaga Queen Consort Bohemia [aged 21] were married. She by marriage Queen Consort Bohemia. The difference in their ages was 21 years. She the daughter of Charles Gonzaga Duke Nevers Duke Rethel and Maria Gonzaga Duchess of Montferrat [aged 41]. He the son of [her uncle] Ferdinand of Spain II Holy Roman Emperor and Maria Anna Wittelsbach Holy Roman Empress. They were second cousin twice removed.
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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On 2nd April 1657 [her former husband] Ferdinand III Holy Roman Emperor [aged 48] died.
Kings Wessex: Great x 17 Grand Daughter of King Edmund "Ironside" I of England
Kings Gwynedd: Great x 15 Grand Daughter of Owain "Great" King Gwynedd
Kings Seisyllwg: Great x 21 Grand Daughter of Hywel "Dda aka Good" King Seisyllwg King Deheubarth
Kings Powys: Great x 16 Grand Daughter of Maredudd ap Bleddyn King Powys
Kings Godwinson: Great x 16 Grand Daughter of King Harold II of England
Kings England: Great x 7 Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England
Kings Scotland: Great x 16 Grand Daughter of King Duncan I of Scotland
Kings Franks: Great x 23 Grand Daughter of Charles "Charlemagne aka Great" King of the Franks King Lombardy Holy Roman Emperor
Kings France: Great x 9 Grand Daughter of Louis X King France I Navarre
Kings Duke Aquitaine: Great x 21 Grand Daughter of Ranulf I Duke Aquitaine
Great x 4 Grandfather: Frederick "Peaceful or Fat" Habsburg III Holy Roman Emperor
Great x 3 Grandfather: Maximilian Habsburg I Holy Roman Emperor 3 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Eleanor Aviz Holy Roman Empress 
2 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England
Great x 2 Grandfather: Philip "Handsome Fair" King Castile 4 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Charles "Bold" Valois Duke Burgundy 
2 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 3 Grandmother: Mary Valois Duchess Burgundy 3 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Isabella Bourbon 5 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward I of England
Great x 1 Grandfather: Ferdinand I Holy Roman Emperor 4 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: John II King Aragon 
7 x Great Grand Son of King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England
Great x 3 Grandfather: Ferdinand II King Aragon 8 x Great Grand Son of King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Juana Enríquez Queen Consort Aragon 8 x Great Grand Daughter of King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England
Great x 2 Grandmother: Joanna "The Mad" Trastámara Queen Castile 3 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: John II King Castile Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 3 Grandmother: Isabella Queen Castile 2 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Isabella Aviz Queen Consort Castile 2 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England
GrandFather: Charles Habsburg Spain II Archduke Austria 5 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Władysław II Jagiełło
Great x 3 Grandfather: Casimir IV King Poland
Great x 4 Grandmother: Sophia of Halshany
Great x 2 Grandfather: Vladislaus II King Hungary 8 x Great Grand Son of King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Albert Habsburg V Duke Austria 6 x Great Grand Son of King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England
Great x 3 Grandmother: Elisabeth Habsburg Queen Consort Poland 7 x Great Grand Daughter of King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Elizabeth Luxemburg Duchess Austria 
9 x Great Grand Daughter of King William "Conqueror" I of England
Great x 1 Grandmother: Anne Jagiellon 8 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward I of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: John Foix 1st Earl Kendal 7 x Great Grand Son of King Henry III of England
Great x 3 Grandfather: Gaston de Foix 2nd Earl Kendal 6 x Great Grand Son of King Edward I of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Margaret Kerdeston Countess Foix 5 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward I of England
Great x 2 Grandmother: Anna Foix Queen Consort of Hungary and Bohemia 7 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward I of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Gaston IV Count Foix
Great x 3 Grandmother: Catherine of Foix Countess Kendal 7 x Great Grand Daughter of King Henry III of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Eleanor Trastámara Queen Consort Navarre 6 x Great Grand Daughter of King Henry III of England
Father: Leopold Habsburg Spain V Archduke Austria 6 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Albert Wittelsbach III Duke Bavaria 
7 x Great Grand Son of King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England
Great x 3 Grandfather: Albert Wittelsbach IV Duke Bavaria 8 x Great Grand Son of King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Anna Brunswick Grubenhagen Duchess Bavaria 8 x Great Grand Daughter of King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England
Great x 2 Grandfather: William Wittelsbach IV Duke Bavaria 4 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Frederick "Peaceful or Fat" Habsburg III Holy Roman Emperor
Great x 3 Grandmother: Kunigunde Habsburg Duchess Bavaria 3 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Eleanor Aviz Holy Roman Empress 2 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England
Great x 1 Grandfather: Albert V Wittelsbach V Duke Bavaria 5 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Christopher I Margrave Baden 10 x Great Grand Son of King Stephen I England
Great x 3 Grandfather: Philip Baden 1st Margrave Baden 11 x Great Grand Son of King Stephen I England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Ottilie of Katzenelnbogen
Great x 2 Grandmother: Marie Jakobaea Baden Duchess Bavaria 7 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward I of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Philip Elector Palatinate 5 x Great Grand Son of King Edward I of England
Great x 3 Grandmother: Elisabeth of the Palatinate 6 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward I of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Margaret of Bavaria 8 x Great Grand Daughter of King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England
GrandMother: Maria Anna Wittelsbach 6 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Maximilian Habsburg I Holy Roman Emperor 3 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 3 Grandfather: Philip "Handsome Fair" King Castile 4 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Mary Valois Duchess Burgundy 3 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England
Great x 2 Grandfather: Ferdinand I Holy Roman Emperor 4 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Ferdinand II King Aragon 8 x Great Grand Son of King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England
Great x 3 Grandmother: Joanna "The Mad" Trastámara Queen Castile 3 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Isabella Queen Castile 2 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England
Great x 1 Grandmother: Anna Habsburg Spain Duchess Bavaria 5 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Casimir IV King Poland
Great x 3 Grandfather: Vladislaus II King Hungary 8 x Great Grand Son of King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Elisabeth Habsburg Queen Consort Poland 7 x Great Grand Daughter of King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England
Great x 2 Grandmother: Anne Jagiellon 8 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward I of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Gaston de Foix 2nd Earl Kendal 6 x Great Grand Son of King Edward I of England
Great x 3 Grandmother: Anna Foix Queen Consort of Hungary and Bohemia 7 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward I of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Catherine of Foix Countess Kendal 7 x Great Grand Daughter of King Henry III of England
Maria Leopoldine Habsburg Spain Queen Consort Bohemia 7 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Pierfrancesco "The Elder" de Medici
Great x 3 Grandfather: Giovanni de' Medici
Great x 2 Grandfather: Lodovico de Medici aka Giovanni delle Bande Nere
Great x 1 Grandfather: Cosimo I de Medici Grand Duke of Tuscany
GrandFather: Ferdinando I de Medici Grand Duke of Tuscany
Mother: Claudia Medici