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: Coventry
Before 1764 [his father] George Coventry 7th Earl Coventry [aged 5] and Catherine Henley were married. She the daughter of Robert Henley 1st Earl Northington [aged 55] and Jane Huband. He the son of [his grandfather] George Coventry 6th Earl Coventry [aged 41] and [his grandmother] Maria Gunning Countess Coventry.
On 10th January 1783 [his father] George Coventry 7th Earl Coventry [aged 24] and [his mother] Margaret "Peggy" Pitches Countess Coventry [aged 23] were married at St George's Church, Hanover Square. He the son of [his grandfather] George Coventry 6th Earl Coventry [aged 60] and [his grandmother] Maria Gunning Countess Coventry.
On 16th October 1784 George Coventry 8th Earl Coventry was born to George Coventry 7th Earl Coventry [aged 26] and Margaret "Peggy" Pitches Countess Coventry [aged 24].
On 16th January 1808 George Coventry 8th Earl Coventry [aged 23] and Emma Susanna Lygon were married. She the daughter of William Lygon 1st Earl Beauchamp [aged 60] and Catherine Denn Countess Beauchamp. He the son of George Coventry 7th Earl Coventry [aged 49] and Margaret "Peggy" Pitches Countess Coventry [aged 48].
Around December 1808 [his son] George William Coventry was born to George Coventry 8th Earl Coventry [aged 24] and [his wife] Emma Susanna Lygon. He married 15th March 1836 Harriet Anne Cockerell, daughter of Charles Cockerell 1st Baronet and Harriet Rushout.
On 3rd September 1809 [his grandfather] George Coventry 6th Earl Coventry [aged 87] died. His son [his father] George [aged 51] succeeded 7th Earl Coventry. [his mother] Margaret "Peggy" Pitches Countess Coventry [aged 49] by marriage Countess Coventry.
In 1810 [his wife] Emma Susanna Lygon died.
On 6th November 1811 George Coventry 8th Earl Coventry [aged 27] and Mary Beauclerk Countess Coventry [aged 20] were married. She the daughter of Aubrey Beauclerk 6th Duke St Albans [aged 46] and Jane Moses. He the son of George Coventry 7th Earl Coventry [aged 53] and Margaret "Peggy" Pitches Countess Coventry [aged 51].
In 1812 [his daughter] Mary Augusta Coventry Baroness Fox was born to George Coventry 8th Earl Coventry [aged 27] and [his wife] Mary Beauclerk Countess Coventry [aged 20]. She a great x 4 granddaughter of King Charles II of England Scotland and Ireland. She married 9th May 1833 her fifth cousin Henry Fox 4th Baron Holland, son of Henry Vassal-Fox 3rd Baron Holland.
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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Before 8th February 1812 George Coventry 8th Earl Coventry [aged 27] and Sophia Dubochet [aged 17] eloped together. Discovered after only one night both claimed nothing untoward had happened.
On 12th August 1815 [his father-in-law] Aubrey Beauclerk 6th Duke St Albans [aged 49] died. His son [his brother-in-law] Aubrey succeeded 7th Duke St Albans, 7th Earl Burford, 7th Baron Heddington, 4th Baron Vere of Hanworth in Middlesex. He was four months old.
On 15th October 1815 [his son] Henry Amelius Beauclerk Coventry was born to George Coventry 8th Earl Coventry [aged 30] and [his wife] Mary Beauclerk Countess Coventry [aged 24]. He a great x 4 grandson of King Charles II of England Scotland and Ireland. He married 2nd August 1837 Caroline Stirling Dundas and had issue.
On 19th February 1816 Louisa Grace Manners Duchess St Albans [aged 39] died. The same day her son [his brother-in-law] Aubrey Beauclerk 7th Duke St Albans died. His uncle William [aged 49] succeeded 8th Duke St Albans, 8th Earl Burford, 8th Baron Heddington, 5th Baron Vere of Hanworth in Middlesex. Maria Janetta Nelthorpe Duchess St Albans by marriage Duchess St Albans. Both at the home of her sister Laura Manners Countess Stair and her husband John Dalrymple 7th Earl of Stair [aged 31] at Portman Square Marylebone.
On 26th March 1831 [his father] George Coventry 7th Earl Coventry [aged 72] died at Coventry House, Piccadilly [Map]. His son George [aged 46] succeeded 8th Earl Coventry. [his wife] Mary Beauclerk Countess Coventry [aged 39] by marriage Countess Coventry.
On 9th May 1833 [his son-in-law] Henry Fox 4th Baron Holland [aged 31] and Mary Augusta Coventry Baroness Fox [aged 21] were married. She the daughter of George Coventry 8th Earl Coventry [aged 48] and Mary Beauclerk Countess Coventry [aged 42]. They were fifth cousins. He a great x 4 grandson of King Charles II of England Scotland and Ireland. She a great x 4 granddaughter of King Charles II of England Scotland and Ireland.
On 15th March 1836 George William Coventry [aged 27] and Harriet Anne Cockerell [aged 23] were married. He the son of George Coventry 8th Earl Coventry [aged 51] and Emma Susanna Lygon.
On 2nd August 1837 Henry Amelius Beauclerk Coventry [aged 21] and Caroline Stirling Dundas [aged 22] were married. He the son of George Coventry 8th Earl Coventry [aged 52] and Mary Beauclerk Countess Coventry [aged 46].
On 5th November 1838 [his son] George William Coventry [aged 29] died.
On 15th January 1840 [his mother] Margaret "Peggy" Pitches Countess Coventry [aged 80] died.
On 15th May 1843 George Coventry 8th Earl Coventry [aged 58] died. His grandson George [aged 5] succeeded 9th Earl Coventry.
On 11th September 1845 [his former wife] Mary Beauclerk Countess Coventry [aged 54] died.
Great x 4 Grandfather: Thomas Coventry 
Great x 3 Grandfather: Walter Coventry
Great x 2 Grandfather: Walter Coventry of St Peter-le-Poor in London
Great x 1 Grandfather: William Coventry 5th Earl Coventry
Great x 3 Grandfather: Humphrey Holcombe of St Andrew's in Holborn
Great x 2 Grandmother: Anne Holcombe
GrandFather: George Coventry 6th Earl Coventry
Great x 2 Grandfather: John Allen of Westminster
Great x 1 Grandmother: Elizabeth Allen Countess Coventry
Father: George Coventry 7th Earl Coventry
Great x 1 Grandfather: John Barnaby Gunning
GrandMother: Maria Gunning Countess Coventry
Great x 2 Grandfather: Theobald Bourke
Great x 1 Grandmother: Bridget Bourke
George Coventry 8th Earl Coventry
Mother: Margaret "Peggy" Pitches Countess Coventry