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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Biography of King Haakon V 1270-1319

Paternal Family Tree: Sverre

On 11th September 1261 [his father] King Magnus VI of Norway (age 23) and [his mother] Queen Ingeborg of Norway (age 17) were married. She the daughter of [his grandfather] King Eric IV of Denmark and [his grandmother] Jutta of Saxony (age 38). He the son of [his grandfather] King Haakon IV of Norway (age 57).

On 10th April 1270 King Haakon V was born to [his father] King Magnus VI of Norway (age 31) and [his mother] Queen Ingeborg of Norway (age 26).

On 9th May 1280 [his father] King Magnus VI of Norway (age 42) died. His son [his brother] Eric (age 12) succeeded King Norway.

On 31st August 1281 [his brother] Eric II King Norway (age 13) and [his sister-in-law] Margaret Dunkeld Queen Consort Norway (age 20) were married at Bergen. She the daughter of King Alexander III of Scotland (age 39) and Margaret Queen of Scotland. He the son of [his father] King Magnus VI of Norway and [his mother] Queen Ingeborg of Norway (age 37). They were half fourth cousin once removed. She a granddaughter of King Henry III of England.

On 24th March 1287 or 26th March 1287 [his mother] Queen Ingeborg of Norway (age 43) died.

In 1293 [his brother] Eric II King Norway (age 25) and [his sister-in-law] Isabel Bruce Queen Norway (age 21) were married. She by marriage Queen Norway. She the daughter of Robert Bruce Earl Carrick (age 49) and Marjorie Carrick 3rd Countess Carrick. He the son of [his father] King Magnus VI of Norway and [his mother] Queen Ingeborg of Norway.

In 1295 King Haakon V (age 24) and Isabel Joigny were married. He the son of King Magnus VI of Norway and Queen Ingeborg of Norway.

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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In 1297 [his wife] Isabel Joigny died.

In 1299 King Haakon V (age 28) and Euphemia of Rügen Queen Norway (age 19) were married. He the son of King Magnus VI of Norway and Queen Ingeborg of Norway.

On 15th July 1299 [his brother] Eric II King Norway (age 31) died. His brother Haakon (age 29) succeeded V King Norway. [his wife] Euphemia of Rügen Queen Norway (age 19) by marriage Queen Norway.

In 1301 [his son] Ingeborg of Norway was born to King Haakon V (age 30). He died aged less than one years old.

On 17th June 1301 [his son] Ingeborg of Norway died.

In May 1312 [his wife] Euphemia of Rügen Queen Norway (age 32) died.

On 8th May 1319 King Haakon V (age 49) died.