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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On 22nd July 1925 [his father] Ronald Armstrong-Jones [aged 26] and [his mother] Anne Messel [aged 23] were married.
On 7th March 1930 Antony Armstrong-Jones 1st Earl of Snowdon was born to Ronald Armstrong-Jones [aged 30] and Anne Messel [aged 28].
In 1935 [his father] Ronald Armstrong-Jones [aged 35] and [his mother] Anne Messel [aged 32] were divorced.
On 19th September 1935 [his step-father] Michael Parsons 6th Earl of Rosse [aged 28] and [his mother] Anne Messel [aged 33] were married.
Before 25th April 1939 Thomas William Anson [aged 26] and Anne Ferelith Bowes-Lyon [aged 21] were married at St Margaret's Church, Westminster [Map]. The wedding was attended by the King [aged 43] and [his future mother-in-law] Queen [aged 38], Princesses [his future sister-in-law] Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom [aged 13] and [his future wife] Princess Margaret [aged 8] - see Pathe. He the son of Thomas Edward Anson 4th Earl Lichfield [aged 55] and Evelyn Maud Keppel Countess Lichfield [aged 52].
On 21st October 1947 David Allan Bethell 5th Baron Westbury [aged 25] and Ursula James [aged 23] were married at St Martin in the Fields Church [Map]. Princesses [his future sister-in-law] Elizabeth [aged 21] and [his future wife] Margaret [aged 17] attended the wedding, as did the Duke [aged 47] and Duchess [aged 45] of Gloucester.
On 20th May 1950 [his brother-in-law] John Vesey 6th Viscount de Vesci [aged 31] and [his sister] Susan Armstrong-Jones Viscountess Vesci [aged 23] were married.
On 21st April 1956 Colin Tennant 3rd Baron Glenconner [aged 29] and Anne Veronica Coke Baroness Glenconner [aged 23] were married at St Withburga's Church, Holkham [Map]. Bishop Percy Herbert [aged 70] presided. The guests included [his future mother-in-law] Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon Queen Consort England [aged 55] and [his future wife] Princess Margaret [aged 25]. Princess Margaret's future husband Antony Armstrong-Jones 1st Earl of Snowdon [aged 26] took the photographs. She the daughter of Major Thomas William Edward Coke 5th Earl of Leicester [aged 47] and Elizabeth Mary Yorke Countess of Leicester [aged 44].
On 6th May 1960 Antony Armstrong-Jones 1st Earl of Snowdon [aged 30] and Princess Margaret [aged 29] were married at Westminster Abbey [Map]. The ceremony was the first royal wedding to be broadcast on television. She the daughter of King George VI of the United Kingdom and Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon Queen Consort England [aged 59].
Colin Tennant 3rd Baron Glenconner [aged 33] and Anne Veronica Coke Baroness Glenconner [aged 27], whose wedding the couple had attended four years before, offered them a piece of land on their privately owned island, Mustique, and agreed to build a house for the couple on the land. It was designed in 1971 by uncle to Lord Snowdon, Oliver Messel, and named "Les Jolies Eaux" aka "The Pretty Waters"
On 3rd October 1961 [his son] David Armstrong-Jones 2nd Earl of Snowdon was born to Antony Armstrong-Jones 1st Earl of Snowdon [aged 31] and [his wife] Princess Margaret [aged 31] at Clarence House. He a grandson of King George VI of the United Kingdom. He married 8th October 1993 Serena Alleyne Stanhope Countess of Snowdon, daughter of Charles Stanhope 12th Earl of Harrington.
Annals of the six Kings of England by Nicholas Trivet
Translation of the Annals of the Six Kings of England by that traces the rise and rule of the Angevin aka Plantagenet dynasty from the mid-12th to early 14th century. Written by the Dominican scholar Nicholas Trivet, the work offers a vivid account of English history from the reign of King Stephen through to the death of King Edward I, blending political narrative with moral reflection. Covering the reigns of six monarchs—from Stephen to Edward I—the chronicle explores royal authority, rebellion, war, and the shifting balance between crown, church, and nobility. Trivet provides detailed insight into defining moments such as baronial conflicts, Anglo-French rivalry, and the consolidation of royal power under Edward I, whose reign he describes with particular immediacy. The Annals combines careful year-by-year reporting with thoughtful interpretation, presenting history not merely as a sequence of events but as a moral and political lesson. Ideal for readers interested in medieval history, kingship, and the origins of the English state, this chronicle remains a valuable and accessible window into the turbulent world of the Plantagenet kings.
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On 6th October 1961 Antony Armstrong-Jones 1st Earl of Snowdon [aged 31] was created 1st Earl Snowdon, 1st Viscount Linley.
On 27th January 1966 [his father] Ronald Armstrong-Jones [aged 66] died.
7th April 1982. Lord Snowdon [aged 52]. Photograph of Sacheverell Reresby Sitwell 6th Baronet [aged 84].
In May 1986 [his sister] Susan Armstrong-Jones Viscountess Vesci [aged 59] died.
On 3rd July 1992 [his mother] Anne Messel [aged 90] died.
On 8th October 1993 David Armstrong-Jones 2nd Earl of Snowdon [aged 32] and Serena Stanhope [aged 23] were married. She the daughter of Charles Stanhope 12th Earl of Harrington [aged 48]. He the son of Antony Armstrong-Jones 1st Earl of Snowdon [aged 63] and Princess Margaret [aged 63].
On 9th February 2002 [his wife] Princess Margaret [aged 71] died at King Edward VII's Hospital. She was buried at King George VI Memorial Chapel, St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle [Map].
On 13th January 2017 Antony Armstrong-Jones 1st Earl of Snowdon [aged 86] died. His son David [aged 55] succeeded 2nd Earl Snowdon, 2nd Viscount Linley. Serena Stanhope [aged 46] by marriage Countess Snowdon.