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: Keith
Around 1358 Muriella Keith Duchess Albany was born to William Keith Great Marischal of Scotland [aged 43].
In 1361 [her future husband] Robert Stewart 1st Duke Albany [aged 21] was created 1st Earl Fife. Margaret Graham 3rd Countess Menteith [aged 27] by marriage Countess Fife.
On 28th September 1361 [her future husband] Robert Stewart 1st Duke Albany [aged 21] and Margaret Graham 3rd Countess Menteith [aged 27] were married. He by marriage Earl Menteith. See Dispensation. She the daughter of John Graham Earl Menteith and Margaret Graham 2nd Countess Menteith and Mar. He the son of [her future father-in-law] King Robert II of Scotland [aged 45] and Elizabeth Mure Queen Consort Scotland. They were fourth cousin once removed. He a great x 4 grandson of King John of England.
In 1381 Robert Stewart 1st Duke Albany [aged 41] and Muriella Keith Duchess Albany [aged 23] were married. He the son of King Robert II of Scotland [aged 64] and Elizabeth Mure Queen Consort Scotland.
In 1381 [her son] John Stewart 2nd Earl Buchan was born to [her husband] Robert Stewart 1st Duke Albany [aged 41] and Muriella Keith Duchess Albany [aged 23]. He married 1390 his first cousin once removed Elizabeth Douglas Countess Buchan and Orkney, daughter of Archibald Douglas 1st Duke Touraine and Margaret Stewart Duchess Touraine, and had issue.
On 24 or 25th February 1382 [her brother-in-law] Alexander "The Wolf of Badenoch" Stewart 3rd Earl Buchan [aged 39] and Euphemia 6th Countess of Ross were married. He by marriage Earl Ross. She the daughter of William 5th Earl Ross. He the son of [her father-in-law] King Robert II of Scotland [aged 65] and Elizabeth Mure Queen Consort Scotland. They were second cousin once removed. He a great x 4 grandson of King John of England.
Around 1385 [her daughter] Elizabeth Stewart was born to [her husband] Robert Stewart 1st Duke Albany [aged 45] and Muriella Keith Duchess Albany [aged 27]. She married 1405 Malcolm Fleming of Biggar and Cumbernauld and had issue.
Around 1385 [her son] Robert Stewart Earl Ross was born to [her husband] Robert Stewart 1st Duke Albany [aged 45] and Muriella Keith Duchess Albany [aged 27].
Before March 1386 [her brother-in-law] David Stewart 3rd Earl Strathearn 1st Earl Caithness [aged 30] and Eupheme Lindsay Countess Strathearn Caithness [aged 24] were married. She by marriage Countess Caithness. He the son of [her father-in-law] King Robert II of Scotland [aged 69] and Euphemia Ross Queen Consort Scotland.
Around March 1386 [her brother-in-law] David Stewart 3rd Earl Strathearn 1st Earl Caithness [aged 30] died. His daughter Eupheme succeeded 2nd Countess Strathearn, 2nd Countess Caithness.
Before 1387 David Lindsay 1st Earl Crawford [aged 26] and [her sister-in-law] Elizabeth Stewart Countess Crawford [aged 24] were married. She the daughter of [her father-in-law] King Robert II of Scotland [aged 70] and Euphemia Ross Queen Consort Scotland. They were half first cousin once removed. She a great x 4 granddaughter of King John of England.
Adam Murimuth's Continuation and Robert of Avesbury’s 'The Wonderful Deeds of King Edward III'
This volume brings together two of the most important contemporary chronicles for the reign of Edward III and the opening phases of the Hundred Years’ War. Written in Latin by English clerical observers, these texts provide a vivid and authoritative window into the political, diplomatic, and military history of fourteenth-century England and its continental ambitions. Adam Murimuth Continuatio's Chronicarum continues an earlier chronicle into the mid-fourteenth century, offering concise but valuable notices on royal policy, foreign relations, and ecclesiastical affairs. Its annalistic structure makes it especially useful for establishing chronology and tracing the development of events year by year. Complementing it, Robert of Avesbury’s De gestis mirabilibus regis Edwardi tertii is a rich documentary chronicle preserving letters, treaties, and official records alongside narrative passages. It is an indispensable source for understanding Edward III’s claim to the French crown, the conduct of war, and the mechanisms of medieval diplomacy. Together, these works offer scholars, students, and enthusiasts a reliable and unembellished account of a transformative period in English and European history. Essential for anyone interested in medieval chronicles, the Hundred Years’ War, or the reign of Edward III.
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In 1390 John Stewart 2nd Earl Buchan [aged 9] and Elizabeth Douglas Countess Buchan and Orkney were married. She the daughter of Archibald Douglas 1st Duke Touraine [aged 18] and Margaret Stewart Duchess Touraine. He the son of Robert Stewart 1st Duke Albany [aged 50] and Muriella Keith Duchess Albany [aged 32]. They were first cousin once removed. He a great x 5 grandson of King John of England.
On 15th February 1390 [her brother] Alexander Keith [aged 50] and [her sister-in-law] Marjorie Stewart Countess Moray [aged 42] were married. She the daughter of [her father-in-law] King Robert II of Scotland [aged 73] and Elizabeth Mure Queen Consort Scotland.
On 19th April 1390 [her father-in-law] King Robert II of Scotland [aged 74] died at Dundonald Castle, Dundonald. He was buried at Scone Abbey [Map]. His son [her brother-in-law] Robert [aged 53] succeeded III King Scotland. Annabella Drummond Queen Consort Scotland [aged 40] by marriage Queen Consort Scotland. His son David succeeded 3rd Earl Strathearn.
On 5th or 15th December 1392 [her brother-in-law] Alexander "The Wolf of Badenoch" Stewart 3rd Earl Buchan [aged 49] and Euphemia 6th Countess of Ross were divorced.
In 1394 [her husband] Robert Stewart 1st Duke Albany [aged 54] was created 1st Earl Buchan. Muriella Keith Duchess Albany [aged 36] by marriage Countess Buchan.
In 1398 David Lindsay 1st Earl Crawford [aged 38] was created 1st Earl Crawford by [her father-in-law] King Robert II of Scotland (his wife's father) who also gave him Crawford Castle, Crawford. [her sister-in-law] Elizabeth Stewart Countess Crawford [aged 36] by marriage Countess Crawford.
In 1398 [her husband] Robert Stewart 1st Duke Albany [aged 58] was created 1st Duke Albany. Muriella Keith Duchess Albany [aged 40] by marriage Duchess Albany.
Before 1400 [her step-son] Murdoch Stewart 2nd Duke Albany [aged 37] and Isabel Countess Lennox Duchess Albany were married. She by marriage Duchess Albany. She the daughter of Duncan Lennox 8th Earl Lennox [aged 54]. He the son of [her husband] Robert Stewart 1st Duke Albany [aged 59] and Margaret Graham 3rd Countess Menteith.
In 1403 [her husband] Robert Stewart 1st Duke Albany [aged 63] was created 1st Earl Atholl. Muriella Keith Duchess Albany [aged 45] by marriage Countess Atholl.
In 1404 [her brother-in-law] Walter Stewart 1st Earl Atholl 3rd Earl Caithness [aged 44] was created 1st Earl Atholl.
Chronicle of Abbot Ralph of Coggeshall
The Chronicle of Abbot Ralph of Coggeshall (Chronicon Anglicanum) is an indispensable medieval history that brings to life centuries of English and European affairs through the eyes of a learned Cistercian monk. Ralph of Coggeshall, abbot of the Abbey of Coggeshall in Essex in the early 13th century, continued and expanded his community’s chronicle, documenting events from the Norman Conquest of 1066 into the tumultuous reign of King Henry III. Blending eyewitness testimony, careful compilation, and the monastic commitment to record-keeping, this chronicle offers a rare narrative of political intrigue, royal power struggles, and social upheaval in England and beyond. Ralph’s work captures the reigns of pivotal figures such as Richard I and King John, providing invaluable insights into their characters, decisions, and the forces that shaped medieval rule. More than a simple annal, Chronicon Anglicanum conveys the texture of medieval life and governance, making it a rich source for scholars and readers fascinated by English history, monastic authorship, and the shaping of the medieval world.
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Around 1405 [her son-in-law] Malcolm Fleming of Biggar and Cumbernauld [aged 22] and Elizabeth Stewart [aged 20] were married. She the daughter of Robert Stewart 1st Duke Albany [aged 65] and Muriella Keith Duchess Albany [aged 47].
In 1405 [her brother-in-law] Alexander "The Wolf of Badenoch" Stewart 3rd Earl Buchan [aged 62] died.
On 4th April 1406 [her brother-in-law] King Robert III of Scotland [aged 69] died at Rothesay Castle, Isle of Bute. His son James [aged 11] succeeded I King Scotland. He, James, was a prisoner of King Henry IV having been captured by an English ship two weeks before when attempting to travel to France. He would remain in captivity for eighteen years until 1424.
Around 1410 [her father] William Keith Great Marischal of Scotland [aged 95] died.
In 1410 [her sister-in-law] Isabella Stewart Countess Douglas died.
On 6th May 1417 [her sister-in-law] Marjorie Stewart Countess Moray [aged 69] died.
In 1420 [her step-daughter] Mary Stewart [aged 54] died.
On 3rd September 1420 [her husband] Robert Stewart 1st Duke Albany [aged 80] died at Stirling Castle [Map]. His son [her step-son] Murdoch [aged 58] succeeded 2nd Duke Albany. His son John [aged 39] succeeded 2nd Earl Buchan. Elizabeth Douglas Countess Buchan and Orkney by marriage Countess Buchan.
On 17th August 1424 the English forces led by John Lancaster 1st Duke Bedford [aged 35] inflicted a significant defeat on the French and Scottish army at the Battle of Verneuil; a second Agincourt. For the English Edmund Hungerford [aged 15], Ralph Longford [aged 23], John "Old Talbot" Talbot 1st Earl of Shrewsbury [aged 41] and Richard Waller [aged 29] fought.
On the French and Scottish side Pierre Valois, Archibald Douglas 1st Duke Touraine [aged 52], his son James Douglas, William Seton Master of Seton [aged 34], Alexander Home of Home and Dunglas [aged 56] were killed
John Stewart 2nd Earl Buchan [aged 43] was killed. His brother Robert [aged 39] de jure Earl Ross and Earl Buchan although he didn't claim the title since both titles had reverted to the Crown.
Jean Poton Xaintrailles [aged 34] fought.
In 1446 [her daughter] Elizabeth Stewart [aged 61] died.
On 1st June 1449 Muriella Keith Duchess Albany [aged 91] died.
GrandFather: Edward Keith of Sinton