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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Wroxeter, Shropshire, Welsh March, England, British Isles [Map]

Wroxeter, Shropshire is in Shropshire.

See: Eyton on Severn, Wroxeter, St Andrew's Church, Wroxeter [Map], Viroconium Cornoviorum [Map].

Watling Street was a major Roman Road that travels from the Kent ports broadly north-west through London and St Albans, Hertfordshire [Map] to Viroconium Cornoviorum [Map]. Significant parts of Watling Street remain now being known as the A5.

Welsh Border Road describes an unamed Roman Road, and unnumbered by Margery, that went from Caerleon [Map] to Wroxeter, Shropshire [Map], passing through Usk, Monmouthshire [Map], Abergavenny, Monmouthshire [Map], Hereford [Map], Mortimer's Cross, Herefordshire [Map], Wigmore, Herefordshire [Map] and Leintwardine Bridge, Herefordshire [Map] where it crosses the River Teme just after its convergence with the River Clun.

Around 200AD. Bravinium Roman Station [Map] on the XII Antonine Iter, 22 M.P. from Magnis (Kenchester) and 27 M.P. from Uriconium (Wroxeter [Map]). The Roman site forms a roughly rectangular area with an internal extent of about 10 acres, formerly enclosed by earth banks but these are now partly obliterated by the village which occupies much of the area.

On 23rd February 1620 Andrew Newport was born to Richard Newport 1st Baron Newport (age 32) and Frances Leveson Baroness Gower at Wroxeter, Shropshire [Map].

On 23rd February 1620 Francis Newport 1st Earl Bradford was born to Richard Newport 1st Baron Newport (age 32) and Frances Leveson Baroness Gower at Wroxeter, Shropshire [Map]. He married 28th April 1642 Diana Russell Countess Bradford, daughter of Francis Russell 4th Earl Bedford and Catherine Brydges Countess Bedford, and had issue.

On 27th May 1719 Thomas Newport 1st Baron Torrington (age 64) died without issue. Baron Torrington of Torrington in Devon extinct. He was buried at Wroxeter, Shropshire [Map].

Eyton on Severn, Wroxeter, Shropshire, Welsh March, England, British Isles

On 3rd March 1582 Edward Herbert 1st Baron Herbert Chirbury was born to Richard Herbert (age 25) and Magdalen Newport at Eyton on Severn, Wroxeter. He married 28th February 1599 his fourth cousin once removed Mary Herbert Baroness Herbert Chirbury and had issue.

St Andrew's Church, Wroxeter, Shropshire, Welsh March, England, British Isles [Map]

St Andrew's Church, Wroxeter is also in Churches in Shropshire.

On 15th May 1555 Thomas Bromley died. He was buried at St Andrew's Church, Wroxeter [Map].

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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On 12th September 1570 Richard Newport (age 60) died. He was buried at St Andrew's Church, Wroxeter [Map].

On 1st October 1708 Francis Newport 1st Earl Bradford (deceased) was buried at St Andrew's Church, Wroxeter [Map].

On 13th June 1723 Richard Newport 2nd Earl Bradford (age 78) died at Soho Square [Map]. He was buried at St Andrew's Church, Wroxeter [Map]. His son Henry (age 40) succeeded 3rd Earl Bradford, 3rd Viscount Newport of Bradford in Shropshire, 4th Baron Newport of High Ercall in Shropshire.

Thomas Newport was buried at St Andrew's Church, Wroxeter [Map].

Margaret Bromley was buried at St Andrew's Church, Wroxeter [Map].

St Andrew's Church, Wroxeter [Map]To Do List.

Anne Corbet was born to Robert Corbet and Elizabeth Vernon. She was buried at St Andrew's Church, Wroxeter [Map]. She married Thomas Newport and had issue.

Viroconium Cornoviorum, Wroxeter, Shropshire, Welsh March, England, British Isles [Map]