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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Biography of Georgiana Carolina Dashwood Lady Astley 1796-1835

Paternal Family Tree: Dashwood

On 17th July 1780 [her father] Henry Watkin Dashwood 3rd Baronet (age 34) and [her mother] Helen Graham (age 17) were married.

In 1796 Georgiana Carolina Dashwood Lady Astley was born to [her father] Henry Watkin Dashwood 3rd Baronet (age 50) and [her mother] Helen Graham (age 33).

In 1796 [her mother] Helen Graham (age 33) died.

On 22nd March 1806 Charles Tottenham aka Loftus 1st Marquess Ely (age 68) died. His son [her future brother-in-law] John (age 36) succeeded 2nd Marquess Ely in County Wexford, 2nd Viscount Loftus of Ely. [her sister] Anna Maria Dashwood Marchioness Ely (age 16) by marriage Marchioness Ely in County Wexford.

On 22nd May 1810 [her brother-in-law] John Loftus 2nd Marquess Ely (age 40) and [her sister] Anna Maria Dashwood Marchioness Ely (age 20) were married at St George's Church, Hanover Square. He the son of Charles Tottenham aka Loftus 1st Marquess Ely and Jane Myhill Marchioness Ely.

On 28th April 1817 Jacob Astley 5th Baronet (age 60) died. His son [her future husband] Jacob (age 19) succeeded 6th Baronet Astley of Hill Morton.

In 1819 Jacob Astley 16th Baron Hastings (age 21) and Georgiana Carolina Dashwood Lady Astley (age 23) were married. She by marriage Lady Astley of Hill Morton.

On 21st March 1822 [her son] Jacob Henry Delaval Astley 17th Baron Hastings was born to [her husband] Jacob Astley 16th Baron Hastings (age 24) and Georgiana Carolina Dashwood Lady Astley (age 26).

On 24th March 1825 [her son] Delaval Loftus Astley 18th Baron Hastings was born to [her husband] Jacob Astley 16th Baron Hastings (age 27) and Georgiana Carolina Dashwood Lady Astley (age 29). He married before 1855 Frances Diana Manners-Sutton Baroness Hastings, daughter of Charles Manners-Sutton 1st Viscount Canterbury and Lucy Maria Denison, and had issue.

1826 Henry William Pickersgill (age 43). Portrait of Georgiana Carolina Dashwood Lady Astley (age 30).

On 10th June 1828 [her father] Henry Watkin Dashwood 3rd Baronet (age 82) died. His son [her half-brother] George (age 41) succeeded 4th Baronet Dashwood of Kirtlington Park in Oxfordshire.

On 24th June 1829 Georgiana Carolina Dashwood Lady Astley (age 33) eloped with Captain Thomas Garth (age 28).

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 October 1830 Captain Thomas Garth (age 30) was committed for debt to the King's Bench Prison [Map] and Georgiana Carolina Dashwood Lady Astley (age 34) lived with him there.

In 1835 Georgiana Carolina Dashwood Lady Astley (age 39) died of scarlet fever at King's Bench Prison [Map].

On 27th December 1859 [her former husband] Jacob Astley 16th Baron Hastings (age 62) died. His son Jacob (age 37) succeeded 17th Baron Hastings, 7th Baronet Astley of Hill Morton.