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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Paternal Family Tree: Boteler
Maternal Family Tree: Audrey Saunders 1551-1588
Before 1600 [her father] John Boteler 1st Baron Boteler [aged 33] and [her mother] Elizabeth Villiers Baroness Boteler Brantfield [aged 26] were married.
Around 1600 Anne Boteler Countess Newport and Portland was born to [her father] John Boteler 1st Baron Boteler [aged 34] and [her mother] Elizabeth Villiers Baroness Boteler Brantfield [aged 27].
Before 1608 [her brother-in-law] Francis Anderson [aged 26] and [her sister] Audrey Boteler Countess Chichester were married.
On 31st July 1617 [her brother-in-law] Francis Leigh 1st Earl Chichester [aged 19] and [her sister] Audrey Boteler Countess Chichester were married.
After 1618 [her brother-in-law] James Ley 1st Earl of Marlborough [aged 66] and [her sister] Jane Boteler Countess Marlborough were married.
On 5th February 1626 [her brother-in-law] James Ley 1st Earl of Marlborough [aged 74] was created 1st Earl Marlborough by King Charles I of England, Scotland and Ireland [aged 25]. [her sister] Jane Boteler Countess Marlborough by marriage Countess Marlborough.
On 7th February 1626 Mountjoy Blount 1st Earl Newport [aged 29] and Anne Boteler Countess Newport and Portland [aged 26] were married. He the illegitmate son of Charles Blount 1st Earl Devonshire and Penelope Devereux Countess Devonshire.
In July 1627 [her husband] Mountjoy Blount 1st Earl Newport [aged 30] was created 1st Earl Newport in the Isle of Wight. Anne Boteler Countess Newport and Portland [aged 27] by marriage Countess Newport in the Isle of Wight.
On 8th November 1627 [her husband] Mountjoy Blount 1st Earl Newport [aged 30] was captured at the Battle of the Pont du Feneau in Pont du Feneau, Île de Ré. He was released soon after.
On 8th November 1627 Ralph Bingley [aged 57] was killed in action at the Battle of the Pont du Feneau.
In 1628 [her brother-in-law] Francis Leigh 1st Earl Chichester [aged 29] was created 1st Baron Dunsmore of Dunsmore in Warwickshire with special remainder to his stepson [her nephew] John Anderson 1st Baronet who was the son of his second wife [her sister] Audrey Boteler Countess Chichester and Francis Anderson. John Anderson 1st Baronet predeceased Francis Leigh 1st Earl Chichester so the remainder had no effect.
On 30th July 1628 [her father] John Boteler 1st Baron Boteler [aged 62] was created 1st Baron Boteler of Brantfield. [her mother] Elizabeth Villiers Baroness Boteler Brantfield [aged 55] by marriage Baroness Boteler of Brantfield.
Around 1630 [her daughter] Isabella Blount was born to [her husband] Mountjoy Blount 1st Earl Newport [aged 33] and Anne Boteler Countess Newport and Portland [aged 30]. She married before February 1655 her first cousin twice removed Nicholas Knollys 3rd Earl Banbury, son of William Knollys 1st Earl Banbury and Elizabeth Howard Countess Banbury.
The Deeds of the Dukes of Normandy
The Gesta Normannorum Ducum [The Deeds of the Dukes of Normandy] is a landmark medieval chronicle tracing the rise and fall of the Norman dynasty from its early roots through the pivotal events surrounding the Norman Conquest of England. Originally penned in Latin by the monk William of Jumièges shortly before 1060 and later expanded at the behest of William the Conqueror, the work chronicles the deeds, politics, battles, and leadership of the Norman dukes, especially William’s own claim to the English throne. The narrative combines earlier historical sources with firsthand information and oral testimony to present an authoritative account of Normandy’s transformation from a Viking settlement into one of medieval Europe’s most powerful realms. William’s history emphasizes the legitimacy, military prowess, and governance of the Norman line, framing their expansion, including the conquest of England, as both divinely sanctioned and noble in purpose. Later chroniclers such as Orderic Vitalis and Robert of Torigni continued the history, extending the coverage into the 12th century, providing broader context on ducal rule and its impact. Today this classic work remains a foundational source for understanding Norman identity, medieval statesmanship, and the historical forces that reshaped England and Western Europe between 800AD and 1100AD.
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Before 23rd April 1631 [her son] Charles Blount died.
Before 16th September 1632 [her daughter] Henrietta Maria Blount was born to [her husband] Mountjoy Blount 1st Earl Newport [aged 35] and Anne Boteler Countess Newport and Portland [aged 32]. She died aged one point nine four eight five five in 1634.
Before 10th January 1634 [her son] Charles Blount was born to [her husband] Mountjoy Blount 1st Earl Newport [aged 37] and Anne Boteler Countess Newport and Portland [aged 34].
Before 1st April 1634 [her daughter] Henrietta Maria Blount [aged 1] died.
In 1637 [her daughter] Anne Blount was born to [her husband] Mountjoy Blount 1st Earl Newport [aged 40] and Anne Boteler Countess Newport and Portland [aged 37].
On 27th May 1637 [her father] John Boteler 1st Baron Boteler [aged 71] died at St Martin in the Fields Church [Map]. He was buried at Higham Gobion, Bedfordshire. His son [her brother] William succeeded 2nd Baron Boteler of Brantfield, 2nd Baronet Boteler of Hatfield Woodhall in Hertfordshire.
Around 1638. Follower of Anthony Van Dyck [aged 38]. Portrait of Anne Boteler Countess Newport and Portland [aged 38].
In 1644 [her brother-in-law] Francis Leigh 1st Earl Chichester [aged 45] was created 1st Earl Chichester with special remainder to Thomas Wriothesley 4th Earl of Southampton 2nd Earl Chichester [aged 36] who was the husband of his daughter [her niece] Elizabeth Leigh Countess Southampton [aged 23]. [her sister] Audrey Boteler Countess Chichester by marriage Countess Chichester.
After 1646 [her brother-in-law] Robert Rich 2nd Earl Warwick [aged 58] and Eleanor Wortley Countess Sussex Warwick Manchester were married. She by marriage Countess Warwick. She the daughter of Richard Wortley and Elizabeth Boughton Countess Devonshire. He the son of Robert Rich 1st Earl Warwick and Penelope Devereux Countess Devonshire. They were fifth cousin once removed.
In 1647 [her brother] William Boteler 2nd Baron Boteler died. Baron Boteler of Brantfield, Baronet Boteler of Hatfield Woodhall in Hertfordshire extinct.
The Battle of St Neots on 10th July 1648 was a skirmish during the Second English Civil War at St Neots in Cambridgeshire. A Royalist force led by [her brother-in-law] Henry Rich 1st Earl Holland [aged 57], who was captured, and Colonel John Dalbier, who was killed, was defeated by a hundred veteran troops from the New Model Army, commanded by Colonel Adrian Scrope [aged 47].
Kenelm Digby [aged 23] drowned whilst attempting to cross the River Great Ouse.
On 16th September 1652 [her sister] Audrey Boteler Countess Chichester died.
Before February 1655 [her son-in-law] Nicholas Knollys 3rd Earl Banbury [aged 24] and Isabella Blount [aged 25] were married. She the daughter of Mountjoy Blount 1st Earl Newport [aged 58] and Anne Boteler Countess Newport and Portland [aged 55]. He the son of William Knollys 1st Earl Banbury and Elizabeth Howard Countess Banbury [aged 72]. They were first cousin twice removed.
Jean de Waurin's Chronicle of England Volume 6 Books 3-6: The Wars of the Roses
Jean de Waurin was a French Chronicler, from the Artois region, who was born around 1400, and died around 1474. Waurin’s Chronicle of England, Volume 6, covering the period 1450 to 1471, from which we have selected and translated Chapters relating to the Wars of the Roses, provides a vivid, original, contemporary description of key events some of which he witnessed first-hand, some of which he was told by the key people involved with whom Waurin had a personal relationship.
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Before February 1655 [her daughter] Isabella Blount [aged 25] died.
On 19th April 1658 [her brother-in-law] Robert Rich 2nd Earl Warwick [aged 70] died. His son Robert [aged 46] succeeded 3rd Earl Warwick, 5th Baron Rich of Leez.
In 1666 [her husband] Mountjoy Blount 1st Earl Newport [aged 69] died at Oxford, Oxfordshire [Map]. His son Mountjoy succeeded 2nd Earl Newport in the Isle of Wight.
After 1666 Thomas Weston 4th Earl of Portland [aged 56] and Anne Boteler Countess Newport and Portland [aged 66] were married. She by marriage Countess of Portland. He the son of Richard Weston 1st Earl of Portland and Frances Waldegrave Countess Portland. They were half fifth cousins.
On 26th May 1669 Anne Boteler Countess Newport and Portland [aged 69] died.
In May 1688 [her former husband] Thomas Weston 4th Earl of Portland [aged 78] died. Earl of Portland, Baron Weston of Nayland in Suffolk extinct.
[her son] Mountjoy Blount 2nd Earl Newport was born to Mountjoy Blount 1st Earl Newport and Anne Boteler Countess Newport and Portland.
[her son] Charles Blount was born to Mountjoy Blount 1st Earl Newport and Anne Boteler Countess Newport and Portland.
[her son] Thomas Blount 3rd Earl Newport was born to Mountjoy Blount 1st Earl Newport and Anne Boteler Countess Newport and Portland.
[her son] Henry Blount 4th Earl Newport was born to Mountjoy Blount 1st Earl Newport and Anne Boteler Countess Newport and Portland.
Kings Wessex: Great x 19 Grand Daughter of King Edmund "Ironside" I of England
Kings Gwynedd: Great x 16 Grand Daughter of Owain "Great" King Gwynedd
Kings Seisyllwg: Great x 22 Grand Daughter of Hywel "Dda aka Good" King Seisyllwg King Deheubarth
Kings Powys: Great x 17 Grand Daughter of Maredudd ap Bleddyn King Powys
Kings England: Great x 12 Grand Daughter of King Edward I of England
Kings Scotland: Great x 18 Grand Daughter of King Duncan I of Scotland
Kings Franks: Great x 26 Grand Daughter of Charles "Charlemagne aka Great" King of the Franks King Lombardy Holy Roman Emperor
Kings France: Great x 20 Grand Daughter of Hugh I King of the Franks
Kings Duke Aquitaine: Great x 24 Grand Daughter of Ranulf I Duke Aquitaine
Great x 4 Grandfather: John Boteler
Great x 3 Grandfather: John Boteler
Great x 2 Grandfather: Philip Boteler
Great x 4 Grandfather: William Tyrrell 
Great x 3 Grandmother: Dorothy Tyrrell
Great x 4 Grandmother: Margaret Darcy 
Great x 1 Grandfather: John Boteler 9 x Great Grand Son of King Edward I of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Roger Drury of Hawstead in Suffolk
Great x 3 Grandfather: Robert Drury
Great x 2 Grandmother: Elizabeth Drury 8 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward I of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: William Calthorpe 
9 x Great Grand Son of King John of England
Great x 3 Grandmother: Anne Calthorpe 7 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward I of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Elizabeth Stapleton 
6 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward I of England
GrandFather: Henry Boteler 10 x Great Grand Son of King Edward I of England
Great x 1 Grandmother: Griselda Roche
Father: John Boteler 1st Baron Boteler 11 x Great Grand Son of King Edward I of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Richard Waller
Great x 3 Grandfather: John Waller
Great x 2 Grandfather: Richard Waller
Great x 1 Grandfather: Robert Waller
GrandMother: Catherine Waller
Anne Boteler Countess Newport and Portland 12 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward I of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: William Villiers 
Great x 3 Grandfather: John Villiers
Great x 2 Grandfather: John Villiers
Great x 1 Grandfather: William Villiers of Brooksby Leicestershire
GrandFather: George Villiers of Brokesby
Great x 2 Grandfather: Richard Clarke
Great x 1 Grandmother: Collette Clarke
Mother: Elizabeth Villiers Baroness Boteler Brantfield
Great x 1 Grandfather: William Saunders of Harrington Northamptonshire
GrandMother: Audrey Saunders