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: Stanley
Maternal Family Tree: Emmeline Riddlesford 1223-1276
Before 1423 [his father] Thomas Stanley 1st Baron Stanley [aged 17] and [his mother] Jane Goushill Baroness Stanley [aged 21] were married. She the daughter of [his grandfather] Robert Goushill and [his grandmother] Elizabeth Fitzalan Duchess Norfolk [aged 56]. They were fifth cousin once removed. She a great x 3 granddaughter of King Edward I of England.
Before 1434 Roger Corbet [aged 33] and [his future wife] Elizabeth Hopton Countess of Worcester [aged 6] were married. The difference in their ages was 27 years.
Around 1435 William Stanley was born to Thomas Stanley 1st Baron Stanley [aged 30] and Jane Goushill Baroness Stanley [aged 34] at Lytham, Lancashire. He a great x 4 grandson of King Edward I of England.
In 1451 [his brother] Thomas Stanley 1st Earl of Derby [aged 16] and [his sister-in-law] Eleanor Neville Baroness Stanley [aged 4] were married in the Chapel at Middleham Castle [Map]. She the daughter of Richard Neville Earl Salisbury [aged 51] and Alice Montagu 5th Countess of Salisbury [aged 44]. They were third cousins. He a great x 4 grandson of King Edward I of England. She a great x 2 granddaughter of King Edward III of England.
After 1452 John "Butcher of England" Tiptoft 1st Earl of Worcester [aged 24] and [his future wife] Elizabeth Hopton Countess of Worcester [aged 25] were married. She by marriage Countess Worcester.
Before 1456 John Lovell 8th Baron Lovel 5th Baron Holand [aged 22] and [his future wife] Joan Beaumont Baroness Lovel [aged 20] were married. She by marriage Baroness Lovel of Titchmarsh. She the daughter of John Beaumont 1st Viscount Beaumont [aged 46] and [his future mother-in-law] Katherine Neville Duchess Norfolk [aged 55]. They were second cousin once removed. She a great x 2 granddaughter of King Edward III of England.
In 1456 [his father] Thomas Stanley 1st Baron Stanley [aged 51] was created 1st Baron Stanley. [his mother] Jane Goushill Baroness Stanley [aged 55] by marriage Baroness Stanley.
On 20th February 1459 [his father] Thomas Stanley 1st Baron Stanley [aged 54] died at Knowsley, Lancashire. He was buried at Burscough Priory [Map]. His son [his brother] Thomas [aged 24] succeeded King Mann, 2nd Baron Stanley. [his sister-in-law] Eleanor Neville Baroness Stanley [aged 12] by marriage Baroness Stanley.
On 23rd September 1459 a Lancastrian army of James Tuchet 5th Baron Audley, 2nd Baron Tuchet [aged 61] and John Sutton 1st Baron Dudley [aged 58] fought with a Yorkist army commanded by Richard Neville Earl Salisbury [aged 59] at Blore Heath, Staffordshire [Map] whilst he, Salisbury, was travelling to Ludlow [Map] to join up with the main Yorkist army. Forewarned by scouts Salisbury arranged his troops into battle order the night before, arranging his wagons defensively, and digging trenches.
The Yorkist army included John Conyers [aged 48], Thomas Harrington [aged 59], James Harrington [aged 29], John Neville 1st Marquess Montagu [aged 28], William Stanley [aged 24], Roger Kynaston of Myddle and Hordley [aged 26], John Savile, Walter Strickland [aged 48] and John Wenlock 1st Baron Wenlock [aged 59].
The Lancastrian army included brothers John Dutton, Thomas Dutton [aged 38] and Peter Dutton who were killed.
James Tuchet 5th Baron Audley, 2nd Baron Tuchet was killed, probably by Roger Kynaston of Myddle and Hordley. His son John [aged 33] succeeded 6th Baron Audley of Heighley in Staffordshire, 3rd Baron Tuchet. Anne Echingham Baroness Audley Heighley [aged 39] by marriage Baroness Audley of Heighley in Staffordshire, Baroness Audley of Heighley in Staffordshire.
John Sutton 1st Baron Dudley and Edmund Sutton [aged 34] were captured. Lionel Welles 6th Baron Welles [aged 53] fought.
William Troutbeck [aged 23], Richard Molyneux of Sefton and John Egerton [aged 55] were killed.
After the battle Margaret of Anjou Queen Consort England [aged 29] took refuge at Eccleshall Castle, Staffordshire [Map]. Thomas Harrington, John Neville 1st Marquess Montagu and Thomas Neville [aged 29] were captured at Acton Bridge, Tarporley [Map] and imprisoned at Chester Castle [Map] having been detached from the main Yorkist force.
On 12th January 1460 [his brother-in-law] John Boteler [aged 30] and [his sister] Margaret Stanley Baroness Grey Codnor [aged 25] were married at Bewsey, Warrington, Lancashire. They were fourth cousin once removed. She a great x 4 granddaughter of King Edward I of England.
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.
Available at Amazon in eBook and Paperback format.
After 28th February 1463 William Stanley [aged 28] and Joan Beaumont Baroness Lovel [aged 28] were married. She the daughter of John Beaumont 1st Viscount Beaumont and Katherine Neville Duchess Norfolk [aged 63]. They were half third cousin once removed. He a great x 4 grandson of King Edward I of England. She a great x 2 granddaughter of King Edward III of England.
Before 1466 [his step-son] Francis Lovell 1st Viscount Lovell [aged 9] and Anne Fitzhugh Viscountess Lovell were married. She by marriage Baroness Lovel of Titchmarsh. They were second cousins. He a great x 3 grandson of King Edward III of England. She a great x 3 granddaughter of King Edward III of England.
In 1466 [his mother] Jane Goushill Baroness Stanley [aged 65] died. She was buried at Burscough Priory [Map]
On 5th August 1466 [his wife] Joan Beaumont Baroness Lovel [aged 31] died at Titchmarsh, Northamptonshire.
Around 1467 [his son] William Stanley was born to William Stanley [aged 32] and Elizabeth Hopton Countess of Worcester [aged 40]. The date based on the marriage of his father William Stanley and mother Elizabeth Hopton Countess of Worcester which must have taken place after 5th August 1666 when his first wife Joan Beaumont Baroness Lovel died? He married before 1498 his fifth cousin once removed Joan Massey.
In or after 1467 [his daughter] Jane Marie Stanley was born to William Stanley [aged 32] and Elizabeth Hopton Countess of Worcester [aged 40]. The date based on the marriage of her father William Stanley and mother Elizabeth Hopton Countess of Worcester which must have taken place after 5th August 1666 when his first wife Joan Beaumont Baroness Lovel died? She married 1487 John Warburton.
In September 1467 William Stanley [aged 32] and Elizabeth Hopton Countess of Worcester [aged 40] were married.
Around 12th June 1472 [his brother] Thomas Stanley 1st Earl of Derby [aged 37] and [his sister-in-law] Margaret Beaufort Countess Richmond [aged 29] were married. She by marriage Queen Mann, Baroness Stanley. She the daughter of John Beaufort 1st Duke of Somerset and Margaret Beauchamp Duchess Somerset [aged 62]. They were third cousins. He a great x 4 grandson of King Edward I of England. She a great x 2 granddaughter of King Edward III of England.
Before 1481 [his brother-in-law] Henry Grey 4th or 7th Baron Grey of Codnor [aged 45] and [his sister] Margaret Stanley Baroness Grey Codnor [aged 45] were married. She by marriage Baroness Grey of Codnor. They were fourth cousin once removed. She a great x 4 granddaughter of King Edward I of England.
In 1481 [his sister] Margaret Stanley Baroness Grey Codnor [aged 46] died.
On 22nd August 1485 King Richard III of England [aged 32] was killed during the Battle of Bosworth. His second cousin once removed Henry Tudor [aged 28] succeeded VII King of England.
Humphrey Cotes [aged 35] died. It isn't clear on which side he was fighting.
Those supporting Henry Tudor included:
John Blount 3rd Baron Mountjoy [aged 35].
John Cheney 1st Baron Cheyne [aged 43].
Richard Guildford [aged 35].
Walter Hungerford [aged 21].
[his brother] Thomas Stanley 1st Earl of Derby [aged 50].
Edward Woodville Lord Scales [aged 29].
Edward Courtenay 1st Earl Devon [aged 26].
Rhys ap Thomas Deheubarth [aged 36].
Jasper Tudor 1st Duke Bedford [aged 53].
[his former brother-in-law] William Beaumont 2nd Viscount Beaumont [aged 47].
Giles Daubeney 1st Baron Daubeney [aged 34].
William Stanley [aged 50].
Roger Kynaston of Myddle and Hordley [aged 52].
Henry Marney 1st Baron Marney [aged 38].
William Brandon [aged 29] was killed.
James Harrington [aged 55] was killed.
John Howard 1st Duke of Norfolk [aged 60] was killed and attainted. He was buried firstly at Thetford Priory, Norfolk [Map] and therafter at Church of St Michael the Archangel, Framlingham [Map]. Duke Norfolk, Baron Mowbray, Baron Segrave, Baron Howard forfeit.
John Sacheverell [aged 85] was killed.
Philibert Chandee 1st Earl Bath
William Norreys [aged 44], Gilbert Talbot [aged 33], John de Vere 13th Earl of Oxford [aged 42] and John Savage [aged 41] commanded,.
Robert Poyntz [aged 35] was knighted.
Those who fought for Richard III included:
John Bourchier 6th Baron Ferrers of Groby [aged 47].
John Conyers [aged 74].
Thomas Dacre 2nd Baron Dacre Gilsland [aged 17].
William Berkeley 1st Marquess Berkeley [aged 59].
Richard Fitzhugh 6th Baron Fitzhugh [aged 28].
John Scrope 5th Baron Scrope of Bolton [aged 48].
Thomas Scrope 6th Baron Scrope of Masham [aged 26].
Henry Grey 4th or 7th Baron Grey of Codnor [aged 50].
Edmund Grey 1st Earl Kent [aged 68].
Ralph Neville 3rd Earl of Westmoreland [aged 29].
John de la Pole Earl Lincoln 1st [aged 23].
Humphrey Stafford [aged 59].
George Talbot 4th Earl of Shrewsbury [aged 17].
Thomas Howard 2nd Duke of Norfolk [aged 42] was wounded, captured and imprisoned in the Tower of London [Map] for three years. He was attainted; Earl Surrey forfeit.
Francis Lovell 1st Viscount Lovell [aged 29] fought and escaped.
John Zouche 7th Baron Zouche Harringworth [aged 26] was captured.
John Babington [aged 62], William Alington [aged 65], Robert Mortimer [aged 43], Robert Brackenbury, Richard Ratclyffe [aged 55] and Richard Bagot [aged 73] were killed
Walter Devereux Baron Ferrers of Chartley [aged 53] was killed.
William Catesby [aged 35] was executed at Leicester, Leicestershire [Map] after the battle.
George Stanley 9th Baron Strange Knockin 5th Baron Mohun Dunster [aged 25] held as a hostage by Richard III before the Battle of Bosworth.
Henry Percy 4th Earl of Northumberland [aged 36] betrayed King Richard III of England by not committing his forces at the Battle of Bosworth.
John Iwardby [aged 35] was killed.
The History of William Marshal was commissioned by his son shortly after William’s death in 1219 to celebrate the Marshal’s remarkable life; it is an authentic, contemporary voice. The manuscript was discovered in 1861 by French historian Paul Meyer. Meyer published the manuscript in its original Anglo-French in 1891 in two books. This book is a line by line translation of the first of Meyer’s books; lines 1-10152. Book 1 of the History begins in 1139 and ends in 1194. It describes the events of the Anarchy, the role of William’s father John, John’s marriages, William’s childhood, his role as a hostage at the siege of Newbury, his injury and imprisonment in Poitou where he met Eleanor of Aquitaine and his life as a knight errant. It continues with the accusation against him of an improper relationship with Margaret, wife of Henry the Young King, his exile, and return, the death of Henry the Young King, the rebellion of Richard, the future King Richard I, war with France, the death of King Henry II, and the capture of King Richard, and the rebellion of John, the future King John. It ends with the release of King Richard and the death of John Marshal.
Available at Amazon in eBook and Paperback format.
After 22nd August 1485 William Stanley [aged 50] was appointed Lord Chamberlain.
Around 1487 William Stanley [aged 52] was appointed 232nd Knight of the Garter by King Henry VII of England and Ireland [aged 29].
Around 1487 [his son-in-law] John Warburton [aged 28] and Jane Marie Stanley [aged 19] were married. She the daughter of William Stanley [aged 52] and niece of Thomas Stanley 1st Earl of Derby [aged 52] She the daughter of William Stanley and Elizabeth Hopton Countess of Worcester [aged 60].
On 16th February 1495 William Stanley [aged 60] and Simon Montfort were beheaded at Tower Hill [Map] for their part in the Perkin Warbeck Plot.
Gilbert Debenham [aged 63] was attainted and condemned to death for treason for having supported Stanley. He remained in prison until 1499 when his sister Elizabeth Brewes, in return for paying a large fine, obtained a pardon for her brother and a promise that the attainder would be reversed.
Wriothesley's Chronicle [1508-1562]. 1495. This yeare was beheaded Sir William Stanley [aged 60], Lord Chamberlayne, Sir Symon Monforde and his sonne, and manye other that landed in the Downes,b to the number of viiixx, that came from Perkin Werbeck [aged 21],c callinge himselfe King Edwardes sonne.d
Note c. Other authorities say Warbeck's followers, to the number of 169, were on this occasion made captives and gibbeted; but our author has copied Arnold, who has "viii skore."
Note d. Warbeck pretended to be Richard Duke of York, son of Edward lV.
On 22nd June 1498 [his former wife] Elizabeth Hopton Countess of Worcester [aged 71] died at Hopton Castle, Shropshire [Map].
Kings Wessex: Great x 12 Grand Son of King Edmund "Ironside" I of England
Kings Gwynedd: Great x 10 Grand Son of Owain "Great" King Gwynedd
Kings Seisyllwg: Great x 15 Grand Son of Hywel "Dda aka Good" King Seisyllwg King Deheubarth
Kings Powys: Great x 11 Grand Son of Maredudd ap Bleddyn King Powys
Kings England: Great x 4 Grand Son of King Edward I of England
Kings Scotland: Great x 11 Grand Son of King Duncan I of Scotland
Kings Franks: Great x 18 Grand Son of Charles "Charlemagne aka Great" King of the Franks King Lombardy Holy Roman Emperor
Kings France: Great x 13 Grand Son of Hugh I King of the Franks
Kings Duke Aquitaine: Great x 16 Grand Son of Ranulf I Duke Aquitaine
Great x 4 Grandfather: William Stanley 
Great x 3 Grandfather: John Stanley
Great x 2 Grandfather: William Stanley
Great x 3 Grandmother: Mabel Hawkset
Great x 1 Grandfather: John Stanley
Great x 2 Grandmother: Alice Massey
GrandFather: John Stanley 9 x Great Grand Son of King Henry I "Beauclerc" England
Great x 3 Grandfather: Thomas Lathom 
Great x 2 Grandfather: Thomas Lathom 7 x Great Grand Son of King Henry I "Beauclerc" England
Great x 4 Grandfather: John Ferrers 1st Baron Ferrers of Chartley 
5 x Great Grand Son of King Henry I "Beauclerc" England
Great x 3 Grandmother: Eleanor Ferrers 6 x Great Grand Daughter of King Henry I "Beauclerc" England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Hawise Muscegros Baroness Ferrers Chartley
Great x 1 Grandmother: Isabel Lathom 8 x Great Grand Daughter of King Henry I "Beauclerc" England
Father: Thomas Stanley 1st Baron Stanley 10 x Great Grand Son of King Henry I "Beauclerc" England
Great x 4 Grandfather: John Harrington 1st Baron Harington 
Great x 3 Grandfather: Robert Harrington
Great x 4 Grandmother: Juliana Barlingham
Great x 2 Grandfather: John Harrington 2nd Baron Harington
Great x 4 Grandfather: Thomas de Multon 1st Baron Multon 
Great x 3 Grandmother: Elizabeth Multon
Great x 4 Grandmother: Eleanor Burgh Baroness Multon Egremont 
Great x 1 Grandfather: Robert Harrington 3rd Baron Harington
Great x 3 Grandfather: Walter de Bermingham
Great x 2 Grandmother: Joan Bermingham
GrandMother: Elizabeth Harrington
Great x 2 Grandfather: Neil Loring
Great x 1 Grandmother: Isabel Loring Baroness Harington
William Stanley 4 x Great Grand Son of King Edward I of England
GrandFather: Robert Goushill
Mother: Jane Goushill Baroness Stanley 3 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward I of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Richard Fitzalan 1st or 8th Earl of Arundel 
3 x Great Grand Son of King John of England
Great x 3 Grandfather: Edmund Fitzalan 2nd or 9th Earl of Arundel 4 x Great Grand Son of King John of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Alice Saluzzo Countess Arundel 
6 x Great Grand Daughter of King William "Conqueror" I of England
Great x 2 Grandfather: Richard Fitzalan 3rd or 10th Earl of Arundel 8th Earl of Surrey 5 x Great Grand Son of King John of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: William Warenne 
Great x 3 Grandmother: Alice Warenne Countess Arundel
Great x 4 Grandmother: Joan Vere 
Great x 1 Grandfather: Richard Fitzalan 9th Earl of Surrey 4th or 11th Earl of Arundel 2 x Great Grand Son of King Henry III of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Edmund "Crouchback" Plantagenet 1st Earl of Leicester 1st Earl Lancaster Son of King Henry III of England
Great x 3 Grandfather: Henry Plantagenet 3rd Earl of Leicester 3rd Earl Lancaster Grand Son of King Henry III of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Blanche Capet Queen Navarre 
2 x Great Grand Daughter of King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England
Great x 2 Grandmother: Eleanor Plantagenet Countess Arundel and Surrey 
Great Grand Daughter of King Henry III of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Patrick Chaworth 
Great x 3 Grandmother: Maud Chaworth
Great x 4 Grandmother: Isabella Beauchamp 
GrandMother: Elizabeth Fitzalan Duchess Norfolk 2 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward I of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Humphrey Bohun 3rd Earl Hereford 2nd Earl Essex 
Great x 3 Grandfather: Humphrey Bohun 4th Earl Hereford 3rd Earl Essex
Great x 4 Grandmother: Maud Fiennes Countess Essex and Hereford 
Great x 2 Grandfather: William Bohun 1st Earl of Northampton Grand Son of King Edward I of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: King Edward I of England Son of King Henry III of England
Great x 3 Grandmother: Princess Elizabeth of Rhuddlan Countess Essex, Hereford and Holland Daughter of King Edward I of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Eleanor of Castile Queen Consort England 2 x Great Grand Daughter of King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England
Great x 1 Grandmother: Elizabeth Bohun Countess Arundel and Surrey Great Grand Daughter of King Edward I of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Gunselin Badlesmere 
Great x 3 Grandfather: Bartholomew Badlesmere 1st Baron Badlesmere
Great x 4 Grandmother: Joan Fitzbernard
Great x 2 Grandmother: Elizabeth Badlesmere Countess Northampton 4 x Great Grand Daughter of King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Thomas de Clare 
4 x Great Grand Son of King Henry I "Beauclerc" England
Great x 3 Grandmother: Margaret Clare Baroness Badlesmere 3 x Great Grand Daughter of King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Juliana Fitzgerald 
2 x Great Grand Daughter of King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England