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: Hanover
Maternal Family Tree: Eleonore Esmier D'Olbreuse Duchess Brunswick-Lüneburg
On 21st November 1682 George Louis of Hanover [aged 22] and Sophia Dorothea of Celle [aged 16] were married. The marriage had been arranged by their respective fathers Ernest Augustus Hanover Elector Brunswick-Lüneburg [aged 53] and George Wilhelm Hanover Duke Brunswick-Lüneburg [aged 58], and his mother Electress Sophia Palatinate Simmern [aged 52]. She the illegitmate daughter of George Wilhelm Hanover Duke Brunswick-Lüneburg and Eleonore Esmier D'Olbreuse Duchess Brunswick-Lüneburg. He the son of Ernest Augustus Hanover Elector Brunswick-Lüneburg and Electress Sophia Palatinate Simmern. They were first cousins. He a great grandson of King James I of England and Ireland and VI of Scotland.
On 26th March 1687 Sophia Dorothea Hanover Queen Consort Prussia was born to King George I [aged 26] and Sophia Dorothea of Celle [aged 20]. She a great x 2 granddaughter of King James I of England and Ireland and VI of Scotland. Coefficient of inbreeding 6.25%.
Around 1690. Jacques Vaillant [aged 47]. Portrait of [her mother] Sophia Dorothea of Celle [aged 23] with her two children [her brother] George [aged 6] and Sophia [aged 2].
On 28th December 1694 the marriage of the future [her father] King George I [aged 34] and [her mother] Sophia Dorothea of Celle [aged 28] was dissolved. Sophia Dorothea was named as the guilty party for "maliciously leaving her husband". She was forbidden to remarry or to see her children again; her name was removed from official documents, she was stripped of her title of Electoral Princess. She was imprisoned for life.
On 22nd August 1705 [her brother] King George II of Great Britain and Ireland [aged 21] and [her sister-in-law] Caroline Hohenzollern Queen Consort England [aged 22] were married. He the son of [her father] King George I [aged 45] and [her mother] Sophia Dorothea of Celle [aged 38].
On 28th November 1706 Frederick William "Soldier King" I King Prussia [aged 18] and Sophia Dorothea Hanover Queen Consort Prussia [aged 19] were married. She the daughter of King George I [aged 46] and Sophia Dorothea of Celle [aged 40]. He the son of Frederick I King Prussia [aged 49] and Sophia Charlotte Hanover Queen Consort Prussia. They were first cousins. He a great x 2 grandson of King James I of England and Ireland and VI of Scotland. She a great x 2 granddaughter of King James I of England and Ireland and VI of Scotland.
On 23rd November 1707 [her son] Frederick Louis Hohenzollern was born to [her husband] Frederick William "Soldier King" I King Prussia [aged 19] and Sophia Dorothea Hanover Queen Consort Prussia [aged 20]. He a great x 3 grandson of King James I of England and Ireland and VI of Scotland. Coefficient of inbreeding 8.31%. He died aged less than one years old.
On 13th May 1708 [her son] Frederick Louis Hohenzollern died.
On 3rd July 1709 [her daughter] Friedrike Wilhelmine Hohenzollern was born to [her husband] Frederick William "Soldier King" I King Prussia [aged 20] and Sophia Dorothea Hanover Queen Consort Prussia [aged 22]. She a great x 3 granddaughter of King James I of England and Ireland and VI of Scotland. Coefficient of inbreeding 8.31%.
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 16th August 1710 [her son] Frederick William Hohenzollern was born to [her husband] Frederick William "Soldier King" I King Prussia [aged 22] and Sophia Dorothea Hanover Queen Consort Prussia [aged 23]. He a great x 3 grandson of King James I of England and Ireland and VI of Scotland. Coefficient of inbreeding 8.31%. He died aged less than one years old.
On 21st July 1711 [her son] Frederick William Hohenzollern died.
On 24th January 1712 [her son] Frederick "The Great" I King Prussia was born to [her husband] Frederick William "Soldier King" I King Prussia [aged 23] and Sophia Dorothea Hanover Queen Consort Prussia [aged 24]. He a great x 3 grandson of King James I of England and Ireland and VI of Scotland. Coefficient of inbreeding 8.31%.
On 25th February 1713 [her father-in-law] Frederick I King Prussia [aged 55] died. His son [her husband] Frederick [aged 24] succeeded I King Prussia. Sophia Dorothea Hanover Queen Consort Prussia [aged 25] by marriage Queen Consort Prussia.
On 5th May 1713 [her daughter] Charlotte Albertine Hohenzollern was born to [her husband] Frederick William "Soldier King" I King Prussia [aged 24] and Sophia Dorothea Hanover Queen Consort Prussia [aged 26]. She a great x 3 granddaughter of King James I of England and Ireland and VI of Scotland. Coefficient of inbreeding 8.31%. She died aged one in 1714.
On 10th June 1714 [her daughter] Charlotte Albertine Hohenzollern [aged 1] died.
On 1st August 1714 Queen Anne of England Scotland and Ireland [aged 49] died at Kensington Palace. Her second cousin [her father] George [aged 54] succeeded I King Great Britain and Ireland.
On 28th September 1714 [her daughter] Frederica Louise Hohenzollern was born to [her husband] Frederick William "Soldier King" I King Prussia [aged 26] and Sophia Dorothea Hanover Queen Consort Prussia [aged 27]. She a great x 3 granddaughter of King James I of England and Ireland and VI of Scotland. Coefficient of inbreeding 8.31%. She married before 7th April 1733 her half fourth cousin twice removed Charles William Frederick "The Wild Margrave" Hohenzollern and had issue.
On 13th March 1716 [her daughter] Princess Philippine Charlotte of Prussia was born to [her husband] Frederick William "Soldier King" I King Prussia [aged 27] and Sophia Dorothea Hanover Queen Consort Prussia [aged 28]. She a great x 3 granddaughter of King James I of England and Ireland and VI of Scotland. Coefficient of inbreeding 8.31%.
On 2nd May 1717 [her son] Louis Charles William Hohenzollern was born to [her husband] Frederick William "Soldier King" I King Prussia [aged 28] and Sophia Dorothea Hanover Queen Consort Prussia [aged 30]. He a great x 3 grandson of King James I of England and Ireland and VI of Scotland. Coefficient of inbreeding 8.31%. He died aged two in 1719.
On 25th January 1719 [her daughter] Sophia Dorothea Hohenzollern was born to [her husband] Frederick William "Soldier King" I King Prussia [aged 30] and Sophia Dorothea Hanover Queen Consort Prussia [aged 31]. She a great x 3 granddaughter of King James I of England and Ireland and VI of Scotland. Coefficient of inbreeding 8.31%. She married 1734 her first cousin once removed Friedrich Wilhelm Hohenzollern and had issue.
On 28th April 1719 Charles Montagu 1st Duke Manchester [aged 57] was created 1st Duke Manchester by [her father] King George I [aged 58]. Doddington Greville Duchess Manchester [aged 47] by marriage Duchess Manchester.
On 31st August 1719 [her son] Louis Charles William Hohenzollern [aged 2] died.
Chronicle of Geoffrey le Baker of Swinbroke
Baker was a secular clerk from Swinbroke, now Swinbrook, an Oxfordshire village two miles east of Burford. His Chronicle describes the events of the period 1303-1356: Gaveston, Bannockburn, Boroughbridge, the murder of King Edward II, the Scottish Wars, Sluys, Crécy, the Black Death, Winchelsea and Poitiers. To quote Herbert Bruce 'it possesses a vigorous and characteristic style, and its value for particular events between 1303 and 1356 has been recognised by its editor and by subsequent writers'. The book provides remarkable detail about the events it describes. Baker's text has been augmented with hundreds of notes, including extracts from other contemporary chronicles, such as the Annales Londonienses, Annales Paulini, Murimuth, Lanercost, Avesbury, Guisborough and Froissart to enrich the reader's understanding. The translation takes as its source the 'Chronicon Galfridi le Baker de Swynebroke' published in 1889, edited by Edward Maunde Thompson.
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On 24th June 1720 [her daughter] Louisa Ulrika of Prussia Queen Consort of Sweden was born to [her husband] Frederick William "Soldier King" I King Prussia [aged 31] and Sophia Dorothea Hanover Queen Consort Prussia [aged 33]. She a great x 3 granddaughter of King James I of England and Ireland and VI of Scotland. Coefficient of inbreeding 8.31%. She married 29th August 1744 her fourth cousin once removed Adolph Frederick King Sweden and had issue.
On 9th August 1722 [her son] Augustus William Hohenzollern was born to [her husband] Frederick William "Soldier King" I King Prussia [aged 33] and Sophia Dorothea Hanover Queen Consort Prussia [aged 35]. He a great x 3 grandson of King James I of England and Ireland and VI of Scotland. Coefficient of inbreeding 8.31%.
On 9th November 1723 [her daughter] Anna Amalia Hohenzollern was born to [her husband] Frederick William "Soldier King" I King Prussia [aged 35] and Sophia Dorothea Hanover Queen Consort Prussia [aged 36]. She a great x 3 granddaughter of King James I of England and Ireland and VI of Scotland. Coefficient of inbreeding 8.31%.
On 18th January 1726 [her son] Frederick Henry Louis Hohenzollern was born to [her husband] Frederick William "Soldier King" I King Prussia [aged 37] and Sophia Dorothea Hanover Queen Consort Prussia [aged 38]. He a great x 3 grandson of King James I of England and Ireland and VI of Scotland. Coefficient of inbreeding 8.31%.
On 13th November 1726 [her mother] Sophia Dorothea of Celle [aged 60] died shortly before midnight. An autopsy revealed liver failure and gall bladder occlusion due to 60 gallstones. Her former husband [her father] King George I [aged 66] died seven months later.
On 11th June 1727 [her father] King George I [aged 67] died. His son [her brother] George [aged 43] succeeded II King Great Britain and Ireland. [her sister-in-law] Caroline Hohenzollern Queen Consort England [aged 44] by marriage Queen Consort England.
On 22nd October 1727 [her brother] King George II of Great Britain and Ireland [aged 43] was crowned II King Great Britain and Ireland at Westminster Abbey [Map].
On 23rd May 1730 [her grandson-in-law] Augustus Ferdinand Hohenzollern was born to [her husband] Frederick William "Soldier King" I King Prussia [aged 41] and Sophia Dorothea Hanover Queen Consort Prussia [aged 43]. He a great x 3 grandson of King James I of England and Ireland and VI of Scotland. Coefficient of inbreeding 8.31%. He married 27th September 1755 his niece Princess Elisabeth Louise Hohenzollern, daughter of Friedrich Wilhelm Hohenzollern and Sophia Dorothea Hohenzollern.
On 8th December 1731 Francis Howard 1st Earl of Effingham [aged 48] was created 1st Earl of Effingham by [her brother] King George II of Great Britain and Ireland [aged 48].
Before 7th April 1733 [her son-in-law] Charles William Frederick "The Wild Margrave" Hohenzollern [aged 20] and Frederica Louise Hohenzollern [aged 18] were married. She the daughter of Frederick William "Soldier King" I King Prussia [aged 44] and Sophia Dorothea Hanover Queen Consort Prussia [aged 46]. They were half fourth cousin twice removed. She a great x 3 granddaughter of King James I of England and Ireland and VI of Scotland.
On 5th September 1733 [her brother-in-law] Philip Stanhope 4th Earl Chesterfield [aged 38] and [her illegitimate half-sister] Petronilla Melusine Schulenburg Countess Chesterfield [aged 40] were married at Isleworth. She by marriage Countess Chesterfield. She the illegitmate daughter of [her father] King George I and Melusine Schulenburg 1st Duchess Munster 1st Duchess Kendal [aged 65]. He the son of Philip Stanhope 3rd Earl Chesterfield and Elizabeth Savile.
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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In 1734 [her son-in-law] Friedrich Wilhelm Hohenzollern [aged 33] and Sophia Dorothea Hohenzollern [aged 14] were married. She the daughter of Frederick William "Soldier King" I King Prussia [aged 45] and Sophia Dorothea Hanover Queen Consort Prussia [aged 46]. They were first cousin once removed. She a great x 3 granddaughter of King James I of England and Ireland and VI of Scotland.
On 8th May 1740 [her grandson-in-law] Frederick Hesse-Kassel [aged 19] and [her niece] Mary Hanover [aged 17] were married. She the daughter of [her brother] King George II [aged 56]. She the daughter of King George II of Great Britain and Ireland and [her former sister-in-law] Caroline Hohenzollern Queen Consort England. He the son of William Hesse-Kassel [aged 58]. They were fourth cousins.
On 31st May 1740 [her husband] Frederick William "Soldier King" I King Prussia [aged 51] died. His son Frederick [aged 28] succeeded I King Prussia.
On 29th August 1744 [her son-in-law] Adolph Frederick King Sweden [aged 34] and Louisa Ulrika of Prussia Queen Consort of Sweden [aged 24] were married. She the daughter of Frederick William "Soldier King" I King Prussia and Sophia Dorothea Hanover Queen Consort Prussia [aged 57]. They were fourth cousin once removed. She a great x 3 granddaughter of King James I of England and Ireland and VI of Scotland.
On 27th September 1755 [her grandson-in-law] Augustus Ferdinand Hohenzollern [aged 25] and Princess Elisabeth Louise Hohenzollern [aged 17] were married. He the son of Frederick William "Soldier King" I King Prussia and Sophia Dorothea Hanover Queen Consort Prussia [aged 68]. They were uncle and niece. He a great x 3 grandson of King James I of England and Ireland and VI of Scotland. She a great x 4 granddaughter of King James I of England and Ireland and VI of Scotland.
On 28th June 1757 Sophia Dorothea Hanover Queen Consort Prussia [aged 70] died.
Kings Wessex: Great x 19 Grand Daughter of King Edmund "Ironside" I of England
Kings Gwynedd: Great x 16 Grand Daughter of Owain "Great" King Gwynedd
Kings Seisyllwg: Great x 22 Grand Daughter of Hywel "Dda aka Good" King Seisyllwg King Deheubarth
Kings Powys: Great x 17 Grand Daughter of Maredudd ap Bleddyn King Powys
Kings Godwinson: Great x 19 Grand Daughter of King Harold II of England
Kings England: Great x 2 Grand Daughter of King James I of England and Ireland and VI of Scotland
Kings Scotland: Great x 18 Grand Daughter of King Duncan I of Scotland
Kings Franks: Great x 25 Grand Daughter of Charles "Charlemagne aka Great" King of the Franks King Lombardy Holy Roman Emperor
Kings France: Great x 9 Grand Daughter of Charles "Beloved Mad" VI King France
Kings Duke Aquitaine: Great x 23 Grand Daughter of Ranulf I Duke Aquitaine
Great x 1 Grandfather: George Hanover Duke Brunswick-Lüneburg 
GrandFather: Ernest Augustus Hanover Elector Brunswick-Lüneburg 13 x Great Grand Son of King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Landgrave Philip I of Hesse 10 x Great Grand Son of King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England
Great x 3 Grandfather: Landgrave George I of Hesse Darmstadt 10 x Great Grand Son of King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Christine of Saxony 9 x Great Grand Daughter of King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England
Great x 2 Grandfather: Landgrave Louis V of Hesse-Darmstadt 11 x Great Grand Son of King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England
Great x 1 Grandmother: Anne Eleonore Hesse Darmstadt Duchess Brunswick-Lüneburg 12 x Great Grand Daughter of King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England
Father: King George I Great Grand Son of King James I of England and Ireland and VI of Scotland
Great x 4 Grandfather: Frederick III Elector Palatine 
9 x Great Grand Son of King Edward I of England
Great x 3 Grandfather: Louis VI Elector Palatine 10 x Great Grand Son of King Edward I of England
Great x 2 Grandfather: Frederick IV Elector Palatine 11 x Great Grand Son of King Edward I of England
Great x 1 Grandfather: Frederick Palatinate Simmern V Elector Palatine Rhine 10 x Great Grand Son of King Henry III of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: William "The Rich" I Count of Nassau Dillenburg
Great x 3 Grandfather: William "The Silent" Orange Nassau I Prince Orange
Great x 2 Grandmother: Electress Louise Juliana of the Palatine Rhine 9 x Great Grand Daughter of King Henry III of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Louis Duke of Montpensier 
7 x Great Grand Son of King Henry III of England
Great x 3 Grandmother: Charlotte Bourbon Princess Orange 8 x Great Grand Daughter of King Henry III of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Jacqueline de Longwy 8 x Great Grand Daughter of King Henry III of England
GrandMother: Electress Sophia Palatinate Simmern 
Grand Daughter of King James I of England and Ireland and VI of Scotland
Great x 4 Grandfather: Matthew Stewart 4th Earl Lennox 
4 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 3 Grandfather: Henry "Lord Darnley" Stewart Great Grand Son of King Henry VII of England and Ireland
Great x 4 Grandmother: Margaret Douglas Countess Lennox 
Grand Daughter of King Henry VII of England and Ireland
Great x 2 Grandfather: King James I of England and Ireland and VI of Scotland 2 x Great Grand Son of King Henry VII of England and Ireland
Great x 4 Grandfather: King James V of Scotland 
Grand Son of King Henry VII of England and Ireland
Great x 3 Grandmother: Mary Queen of Scots Great Grand Daughter of King Henry VII of England and Ireland
Great x 4 Grandmother: Mary of Guise Queen Consort Scotland 6 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England
Great x 1 Grandmother: Princess Elizabeth Stewart Queen Bohemia 
Daughter of King James I of England and Ireland and VI of Scotland
Great x 4 Grandfather: Christian III King of Denmark 
10 x Great Grand Son of King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England
Great x 3 Grandfather: Frederick II King of Denmark 11 x Great Grand Son of King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Dorothea of Saxe Lauenburg Queen Consort Denmark and Norway
Great x 2 Grandmother: Anne of Denmark Queen Consort Scotland England and Ireland 12 x Great Grand Daughter of King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Ulrich Mecklenburg-Schwerin 11 x Great Grand Son of King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England
Great x 3 Grandmother: Sophie Mecklenburg-Schwerin Queen Consort Denmark 12 x Great Grand Daughter of King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England
Sophia Dorothea Hanover Queen Consort Prussia 2 x Great Grand Daughter of King James I of England and Ireland and VI of Scotland
Great x 1 Grandfather: George Hanover Duke Brunswick-Lüneburg
GrandFather: George Wilhelm Hanover Duke Brunswick-Lüneburg 13 x Great Grand Son of King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Landgrave Philip I of Hesse 10 x Great Grand Son of King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England
Great x 3 Grandfather: Landgrave George I of Hesse Darmstadt 10 x Great Grand Son of King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Christine of Saxony 9 x Great Grand Daughter of King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England
Great x 2 Grandfather: Landgrave Louis V of Hesse-Darmstadt 11 x Great Grand Son of King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England
Great x 1 Grandmother: Anne Eleonore Hesse Darmstadt Duchess Brunswick-Lüneburg 12 x Great Grand Daughter of King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England
Mother: Sophia Dorothea of Celle 14 x Great Grand Daughter of King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England
GrandMother: Eleonore Esmier D'Olbreuse Duchess Brunswick-Lüneburg