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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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Richard Clement of Ightham Mote 1482-1538

Around 1482 Richard Clement of Ightham Mote was born to William Clement.

In 1494 [his father] William Clement died.

After 1509 Robert Sheffield [aged 48] and [his future wife] Anne Barley were married.

After 21st April 1509 Thomas Wriothesley [aged 21], who wasn't present, made a drawing of the death of Henry VII [deceased]. The drawing shows those present and in some cases provides their arms by which they can be identified. From top left clockwise:

Bishop Richard Foxe [aged 61].

Two tonsured clerics.

George Hastings 1st Earl Huntingdon [aged 22].

Richard Weston of Sutton Place [aged 44].

Richard Clement of Ightham Mote [aged 27].

Matthew Baker.

John Sharpe of Coggleshall in Essex.

Physician holding urine bottle.

William Tyler.

Hugh Denys.

William Fitzwilliam 1st Earl of Southampton [aged 19] closing the King's eyes. There is doubt as to whether the person shown is William Fitzwilliam 1st Earl of Southampton given his age of around nineteen at the King's death. He appears to be holding a Staff of Office although sources state he wasn't appointed Gentleman Usher, in which role he would have a Staff of Office, until Henry VIII's Coronation in Jun 1509.

The Arms below him are Quarterly 1 Lozengy argent & gules (FitzWilliam); 2 Arms of John Neville 1st Marquess Montagu 3 Quartered 1 possibly Plantagenet with white border ie Holland 2&3 Tibetot, 4 Unknown, overall a star for difference indicating third son. William Fitzwilliam 1st Earl of Southampton was his father's third son, and his mother was Lucy Neville [aged 41] daughter of John Neville 1st Marquess Montagu. It appears correct that the person represented is William Fitzwilliam 1st Earl of Southampton. William Fitzwilliam 1st Earl of Southampton was the childhood companion of Henry VIII [aged 17].

Physician holding urine bottle.

Richard Weston of Sutton Place: he and Anne Sandys were married. In 1465 he was born. In 1541 he died.

Matthew Baker: From 1486 he was appointed Governor of Jersey. In May 1513 he died in Bermondsey Abbey [Map].

In 1510 Richard Clement of Ightham Mote [aged 28] and Anne Catesby were married.

After 10th August 1518 John Grey and [his future wife] Anne Barley were married. He the son of Thomas Grey 1st Marquess Dorset and Cecily Bonville Marchioness Dorset [aged 58].

In 1521 Richard Clement of Ightham Mote [aged 39] purchased Ightham Mote, Kent.

In 1528 [his wife] Anne Catesby died.

In 1528 Richard Clement of Ightham Mote [aged 46] assisted his neighbour Archbishop William Warham [aged 78] in fending off a group of belligerent Kentishmen. The reason for their belligerence is unknown.

In 1529 Richard Clement of Ightham Mote [aged 47] was knighted.

Before 1530 Richard Clement of Ightham Mote [aged 47] and Anne Barley were married.

In 1531 Richard Clement of Ightham Mote [aged 49] was appointed High Sheriff of Kent.

In 1534 Richard Clement of Ightham Mote [aged 52] was imprisoned in the Fleet Prison [Map] for having used excessive force in his roile as Justice of the Peace Kent during a property dispute in Shipbourne, Kent between the rector and Robert Brenner of Hadlow, a servant of Edward Guildford [aged 60] who was the father-in-law of John Dudley 1504-1553 [aged 30], the future Duke of Northumberland.

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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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After 28th October 1538 Richard Clement of Ightham Mote [deceased] died.

Before 7th May 1558 [his former wife] Anne Barley died.