Jean de Waurin's Chronicle of England Volume 6 Books 3-6: The Wars of the Roses
Jean de Waurin was a French Chronicler, from the Artois region, who was born around 1400, and died around 1474. Waurin’s Chronicle of England, Volume 6, covering the period 1450 to 1471, from which we have selected and translated Chapters relating to the Wars of the Roses, provides a vivid, original, contemporary description of key events some of which he witnessed first-hand, some of which he was told by the key people involved with whom Waurin had a personal relationship.
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In 1660 John Closterman was born in Osnabrück.
Around 1680 John Closterman [aged 20]. Portrait of Margaret Tufton Baroness Coventry [aged 43].
Margaret Tufton Baroness Coventry: On 13th July 1636 she was born to John Tufton 2nd Earl of Thanet and Margaret Sackville Countess Isle Thanet. On 18th July 1653 George Coventry 3rd Baron Coventry and she were married. She by marriage Baroness Coventry. She the daughter of John Tufton 2nd Earl of Thanet and Margaret Sackville Countess Isle Thanet. On 30th July 1729 Margaret Tufton Baroness Coventry died.
Around 1680 John Closterman [aged 20]. Portrait of John Paulett 1st Earl Paulett [aged 12].
Around 1680 John Riley [aged 34] was assisted by John Closterman [aged 20] who finished several of Riley's pictures after his death.
Before 16th May 1680. John Riley [aged 34] and John Closterman [aged 20]. Portrait of William Blackett 1st Baronet [aged 59].
In 1681 John Closterman [aged 21] travelled to England where he worked for John Riley [aged 35] being resposible for painting the draperies in Riley's portraits.
Around 1685 John Closterman [aged 25] and John Riley [aged 39]. Portrait of Dorothy Mason Baroness Brownlow [aged 18].
Around 1685 John Closterman [aged 25] and John Riley [aged 39]. Portrait of John Brownlow 3rd Baronet [aged 25].
Around 1685 John Closterman [aged 25] and John Riley [aged 39]. Portrait of William Brownlow 4th Baronet [aged 19].
Around 1690 John Closterman [aged 30]. Portrait of Robert Constable 3rd Viscount Dunbar [aged 39].
Around 1690. John Closterman [aged 30]. Portrait of Elizabeth Percy Duchess Somerset [aged 22] with her son Algernon Seymour 7th Duke of Somerset [aged 5].
William of Worcester's Chronicle of England
William of Worcester, born around 1415, and died around 1482 was secretary to John Fastolf, the renowned soldier of the Hundred Years War, during which time he collected documents, letters, and wrote a record of events. Following their return to England in 1440 William was witness to major events. Twice in his chronicle he uses the first person: 1. when writing about the murder of Thomas, 7th Baron Scales, in 1460, he writes '… and I saw him lying naked in the cemetery near the porch of the church of St. Mary Overie in Southwark …' and 2. describing King Edward IV's entry into London in 1461 he writes '… proclaimed that all the people themselves were to recognize and acknowledge Edward as king. I was present and heard this, and immediately went down with them into the city'. William’s Chronicle is rich in detail. It is the source of much information about the Wars of the Roses, including the term 'Diabolical Marriage' to describe the marriage of Queen Elizabeth Woodville’s brother John’s marriage to Katherine, Dowager Duchess of Norfolk, he aged twenty, she sixty-five or more, and the story about a paper crown being placed in mockery on the severed head of Richard, 3rd Duke of York.
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Around 1691 John Closterman [aged 31]. Portrait of Charles Seymour 6th Duke of Somerset [aged 28] wearing his Leg Garter.
After March 1691 John Closterman [aged 31] completed a number of unfinished works of John Riley [deceased] bringing him to the attention of Charles Seymour 6th Duke of Somerset [aged 28] who then commissioned him to complete a number of paintings.
From 1692 to 1713 John Closterman [aged 32] lived at 3 Great Piazza Covent Garden.
In 1696 John Closterman [aged 36] travelled to the Court of Spain.
In 1697 John Closterman [aged 37]. Portrait of William Cavendish 1st Duke Devonshire [aged 56].
In 1702 John Closterman [aged 42]. Portrait of Eleanor Brownlow Viscountess Tyconnel [aged 11].
In 1703 John Closterman [aged 43]. Portrait of Queen Anne of England Scotland and Ireland [aged 37].
Around 1703 John Closterman [aged 43]. Portrait of Nathan Wright Keeper of the Great Seal [aged 49].
Nathan Wright Keeper of the Great Seal: In 1654 he was born. John Evelyn's Diary. 10th May 1700. The great trial between Sir Walter Clarges and Mr. Sherwin concerning the legitimacy of the late Duke of Albemarle, on which depended an estate of £1,500 a year; the verdict was given for Sir Walter, 19th. Serjeant Wright at last accepted the Great Seal. On 4th August 1721 he died.
In 1703 John Closterman [aged 43]. Portrait of Anthony Ashley-Cooper 3rd Earl Shaftesbury [aged 31] and Maurice Ashley-Cooper [aged 27].
Maurice Ashley-Cooper: On 14th April 1675 he was born to Anthony Ashley-Cooper 2nd Earl Shaftesbury and Dorothy Manners Countess Shaftesbury. On 21st October 1726 Maurice Ashley-Cooper died.
Before 28th October 1708 John Closterman [aged 48]. Portrait of Prince George of Denmark 1st Duke Cumberland [aged 55].
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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Before 24th May 1711 John Closterman [aged 51]. Possibly school of. Portrait of Queen Anne of England Scotland and Ireland [aged 46].
Before 24th May 1711 John Closterman [aged 51]. Portrait of Amabel Grey [aged 12].
Before 24th May 1711 John Closterman [aged 51]. Portrait of Robert Dashwood 1st Baronet [aged 48].
Before 24th May 1711 John Closterman [aged 51]. Portrait of Edward Montagu 3rd Earl Sandwich [aged 41].
Before 24th May 1711 John Closterman [aged 51]. Portrait of John Churchill 1st Duke of Marlborough [aged 60] known as The Triumph of the John, 1st Duke of Marlborough.
Before 24th May 1711 John Closterman [aged 51] died.
Before 24th May 1711 John Closterman [aged 51]. Portrait of John Churchill 1st Duke of Marlborough [aged 60].
Before 24th May 1711 John Closterman [aged 51]. Possibly school of. Portrait of Sarah Jennings Duchess of Marlborough [aged 50].
On 24th May 1711 John Closterman [aged 51] was buried.