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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Paternal Family Tree: Dunkeld
Before 1060 [his father] King Malcolm III of Scotland (age 28) and [his mother] Ingibiorg Finnsdottir Queen Consort Scotland were married. She by marriage Queen Consort Scotland. He the son of [his grandfather] King Duncan I of Scotland and [his grandmother] Bethóc Unknown Queen Consort Scotland.
Around 1060 King Duncan II of Scotland was born to [his father] King Malcolm III of Scotland (age 28) and [his mother] Ingibiorg Finnsdottir Queen Consort Scotland.
Before 1070 [his father] King Malcolm III of Scotland (age 38) and [his step-mother] Margaret Wessex Queen Consort Scotland (age 24) were married. She by marriage Queen Consort Scotland. He the son of [his grandfather] King Duncan I of Scotland and [his grandmother] Bethóc Unknown Queen Consort Scotland.
Around 1087 Eustace II Count Boulogne (age 72) died. His son [his brother-in-law] Eustace succeeded III Count Boulogne. [his half-sister] Mary Dunkeld Countess Boulogne (age 5) by marriage Countess Boulogne.
Around 1087 [his brother-in-law] Eustace Flanders III Count Boulogne and [his half-sister] Mary Dunkeld Countess Boulogne (age 5) were married. She the daughter of [his father] King Malcolm III of Scotland (age 55) and [his step-mother] Margaret Wessex Queen Consort Scotland (age 42). He the son of Eustace II Count Boulogne (age 72) and Ida of Lorraine Countess Boulogne (age 47). They were half sixth cousins.
On 13th November 1093 the Battle of Alnwick was fought at Alnwick, Northumberland [Map] between the forces of [his father] King Malcolm III of Scotland (age 62) and Robert de Mowbray 1st Earl Northumbria.
King Malcolm III of Scotland was killed at The Peth Alnwick [Map]. His son Duncan (age 33) succeeded II King Scotland. He died a year minus day later.
Malcolm's son [his half-brother] Edward Dunkeld was killed.
Edward Dunkeld: he was born to King Malcolm III of Scotland and Margaret Wessex Queen Consort Scotland. On 16th November 1093 Margaret Wessex Queen Consort Scotland died three days after her husband King Malcolm III of Scotland and her son Edward Dunkeld were killed at the Battle of Alnwick.






On 16th November 1093 [his step-mother] Margaret Wessex Queen Consort Scotland (age 48) died three days after her husband [his father] King Malcolm III of Scotland (deceased) and her son [his half-brother] Edward Dunkeld were killed at the Battle of Alnwick.
Chronicon ex Chronicis by Florence and John of Worcester. After 16th November 1093. After her death the Scots elected for their king, [his uncle] Donald (age 61), brother of king Malcolm, and expelled from Scotland all the English who belonged to the king's court. Duncan (age 33), king Malcolm's son, hearing of these events, besought king William, in whose army he then served, to grant him his father's kingdom, and obtaining his request swore fealty to him. He then hastened to Scotland, with a host of English and Normans, and expelling his uncle Donald reigned in his stead. Thereupon some of the Scots banded together and slew nearly all his men, a few only escaping with him. But afterwards they restored him to the throne, on condition that he should no longer harbour either Englishmen or Normans in Scotland, and permit them to serve in his army.
Abbot John Whethamstede’s Chronicle of the Abbey of St Albans
Abbot John Whethamstede's Register aka Chronicle of his second term at the Abbey of St Albans, 1451-1461, is a remarkable text that describes his first-hand experience of the beginning of the Wars of the Roses including the First and Second Battles of St Albans, 1455 and 1461, respectively, their cause, and their consequences, not least on the Abbey itself. His text also includes Loveday, Blore Heath, Northampton, the Act of Accord, Wakefield, and Towton, and ends with the Coronation of King Edward IV. In addition to the events of the Wars of the Roses, Abbot John, or his scribes who wrote the Chronicle, include details in the life of the Abbey such as charters, letters, land exchanges, visits by legates, and disputes, which provide a rich insight into the day-to-day life of the Abbey, and the challenges faced by its Abbot.
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In or before 1094 [his son] William FitzDuncan was born to King Duncan II of Scotland (age 33) and Ethelreda of Northumbria. The year of his birth derived from the year his father died; possibly 1095 if posthumous.
On 12th November 1094 King Duncan II of Scotland (age 34) ambushed and killed in battle. His uncle [his uncle] Donald (age 62) succeeded III King Scotland.
Chronicon ex Chronicis by Florence and John of Worcester. 12th November 1094. Meanwhile, the Scots perfidiously murdered their king, Duncan (age 34), and some others, at the instigation of Donald, who was again raised to the throne.
John of Fordun's Chronicle. [12th November 1094]. Meanwhile Duncan (age 34), King Malcolm's illegitimate son, when he was with King William Rufus, in England, as a hostage, was by him dubbed knight; and, backed up by his help, he arrived in Scotland, put his uncle Donald to flight, and was set up as king. But when he had reigned a year and six months, he fell slain at Monthechin by the Earl of Mernys, by name Malpetri, in Scottish, Malpedir, through the wiles of his uncle [his uncle] Donald (age 62), whom he had often vanquished in battle; and he was buried in the island of Iona.
Kings Scotland: Grand Son of King Duncan I of Scotland
GrandFather: King Duncan I of Scotland
Father: King Malcolm III of Scotland
GrandMother: Bethóc Unknown Queen Consort Scotland