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: Fitzmaldred aka Neville
Maternal Family Tree: Aoife ni Diarmait Macmurrough Countess Pembroke and Buckingham 1145-1188
Around 1404 John Clifford 7th Baron Clifford [aged 15] and [his future wife] Elizabeth Percy Countess of Westmoreland [aged 9] were married. She by marriage Baroness de Clifford. They were 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 4th April 1406 [his father] John Neville [aged 19] and [his mother] Elizabeth Holland were married. She the daughter of [his grandfather] Thomas Holland 2nd Earl Kent and [his grandmother] Alice Fitzalan Countess Kent [aged 56]. He the son of Ralph Neville 1st Earl of Westmoreland [aged 42] and Margaret Stafford Baroness Neville Raby. They were 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 I of England.
On 4th April 1406 Ralph Neville 2nd Earl of Westmoreland was born to [his father] John Neville [aged 19] and [his mother] Elizabeth Holland at Cockermouth Castle [Map]. He a great x 3 grandson of King Edward I of England.
Before 20th May 1420 [his father] John Neville [aged 33] died at Raby Castle, County Durham [Map].
On 21st October 1425 [his grandfather] Ralph Neville 1st Earl of Westmoreland [aged 61] died. He was buried at St Mary's Church, Staindrop [Map]. His grandson Ralph [aged 19] succeeded 2nd Earl of Westmoreland. [his future wife] Elizabeth Percy Countess of Westmoreland [aged 30] by marriage Countess of Westmoreland.
Monument to Ralph Neville 1st Earl of Westmoreland and his wives [his grandmother] Margaret Stafford Baroness Neville Raby and Joan Beaufort Countess of Westmoreland [aged 46]. Early Plate Bascinet Period. Orle. Man with Two Wives.
Elizabeth Percy Countess of Westmoreland: Around 1395 she was born to Henry "Hotspur" Percy and Elizabeth Mortimer Baroness Camoys at Alnwick Castle, Northumberland [Map]. She a great x 2 granddaughter of King Edward III of England. Around 1404 John Clifford 7th Baron Clifford and she were married. She by marriage Baroness de Clifford. They were 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. In 1426 Ralph Neville 2nd Earl of Westmoreland and she were married. They were second cousin once removed. He a great x 3 grandson of King Edward I of England. She a great x 2 granddaughter of King Edward III of England. On 26th October 1436 Elizabeth Percy Countess of Westmoreland died.
In 1426 Ralph Neville 2nd Earl of Westmoreland [aged 19] and Elizabeth Percy Countess of Westmoreland [aged 31] were married. They were second cousin once removed. He a great x 3 grandson of King Edward I of England. She a great x 2 granddaughter of King Edward III of England.
On 14th May 1426 Ralph Neville 2nd Earl of Westmoreland [aged 20] was knighted.
On 26th October 1436 [his wife] Elizabeth Percy Countess of Westmoreland [aged 41] died.
In February 1441 Ralph Neville 2nd Earl of Westmoreland [aged 34] and Margaret Cobham Countess Westmoreland were married. She by marriage Countess of Westmoreland. They were fourth cousin once removed. He a great x 3 grandson of King Edward I of England.
Before 5th January 1442 [his brother] John Neville 1st Baron Neville of Raby [aged 32] and [his future daughter-in-law] Anne Holland Countess Douglas and Avondale were married. She the daughter of John Holland 2nd Duke Exeter [aged 46] and Anne Stafford Duchess Exeter. They were second cousins. He a great x 3 grandson of King Edward I of England. She a great x 2 granddaughter of King Edward III of England.
Before 16th March 1450 John Neville and Anne Holland Countess Douglas and Avondale were married. She the daughter of John Holland 2nd Duke Exeter and Anne Stafford Duchess Exeter. He the son of Ralph Neville 2nd Earl of Westmoreland [aged 43] and Elizabeth Percy Countess of Westmoreland. They were second cousin once removed. He a great x 3 grandson of King Edward III of England. She a great x 2 granddaughter of King Edward III of England.
Abbot John Whethamstede’s Chronicle of the Abbey of St Albans
Abbot John Whethamstede's Register aka Chronicle of his second term at the Abbey of St Albans, 1451-1461, is a remarkable text that describes his first-hand experience of the beginning of the Wars of the Roses including the First and Second Battles of St Albans, 1455 and 1461, respectively, their cause, and their consequences, not least on the Abbey itself. His text also includes Loveday, Blore Heath, Northampton, the Act of Accord, Wakefield, and Towton, and ends with the Coronation of King Edward IV. In addition to the events of the Wars of the Roses, Abbot John, or his scribes who wrote the Chronicle, include details in the life of the Abbey such as charters, letters, land exchanges, visits by legates, and disputes, which provide a rich insight into the day-to-day life of the Abbey, and the challenges faced by its Abbot.
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Around 16th March 1450 [his son] John Neville died.
On 8th October 1453, the council wrote to the earl of Westmorland [aged 47] and congratulated him on not assisting the Middleham branch. It also wrote again to [his uncle] Salisbury [aged 53] and [his former brother-in-law] Northumberland [aged 60]
In retaliation, Sir John Neville raided the absent Earl of Northumberland's house at Catton, in Yorkshire, and all but ruined it. The next day, Richard Percy attacked a house on Neville property.
On 20th November 1459 [his brother] John Neville 1st Baron Neville of Raby [aged 49] was created 1st Baron Neville Raby. [his former daughter-in-law] Anne Holland Countess Douglas and Avondale by marriage Baroness Neville Raby.
On 30th December 1460 the Lancastrian army took their revenge for the defeats of the First Battle of St Albans and the Battle of Northampton at the Battle of Wakefield near Sandal Castle [Map]. The Lancastrian army was commanded by Henry Holland 3rd Duke Exeter [aged 30], Henry Beaufort 2nd or 3rd Duke of Somerset [aged 24] and Henry Percy 3rd Earl of Northumberland [aged 39], and included John Courtenay 7th or 15th Earl Devon [aged 25] and William Gascoigne XIII [aged 30], both knighted, and James Butler 1st Earl Wiltshire 5th Earl Ormonde [aged 40], John "Butcher" Clifford 9th Baron Clifford [aged 25], [his brother] John Neville 1st Baron Neville of Raby [aged 50], Thomas Ros 9th Baron Ros Helmsley [aged 33], Henry Roos and Thomas St Leger [aged 20].
The Yorkist army was heavily defeated.
Richard Plantagenet 3rd Duke of York [aged 49] was killed. His son Edward [aged 18] succeeded 4th Duke York, 7th Earl March, 9th Earl of Ulster, 3rd Earl Cambridge, 9th Baron Mortimer of Wigmore.
Thomas Neville [aged 30], and Edward Bourchier were killed.
Father and son Thomas Harrington [aged 60] and John Harrington [aged 36] were killed, the former dying of his wounds the day after.
William Bonville 6th Baron Harington [aged 18] was killed. His daughter Cecily succeeded 7th Baroness Harington.
Thomas Parr [aged 53] fought in the Yorkist army.
Following the battle [his uncle] Richard Neville Earl Salisbury [aged 60] was beheaded by Thomas "Bastard of Exeter" Holland. William Bonville [aged 40] was executed.
Edmund York 1st Earl of Rutland [aged 17] was killed on Wakefield Bridge [Map] by John "Butcher" Clifford. Earl of Rutland extinct.
In 1484 [his wife] Margaret Cobham Countess Westmoreland died. She was buried at Carmelite Priory, Doncaster [Map], in a white marble tomb that was removed to the parish church on the Dissolution.
On 3rd November 1484 Ralph Neville 2nd Earl of Westmoreland [aged 78] died. He was buried at St Brandon's Church, Brancepeth. His nephew Ralph [aged 28] succeeded 3rd Earl of Westmoreland.
Effigy of a Nevill and Lady in Brancepeth Church, Durham. THESE are most probably the effigies of Ralph second Earl of Westmorland, and one of his wives. He was the son of John Nevill (who died in the lifetime of his father, Ralph, first Earl of Westmorland), by Elizabeth, daughter of Thomas Holland, Earl of Kent.
[his son] John Neville was born to Ralph Neville 2nd Earl of Westmoreland and Elizabeth Percy Countess of Westmoreland. He a great x 3 grandson of King Edward III of England. Coefficient of inbreeding 2.57%. He married before 16th March 1450 his second cousin once removed Anne Holland Countess Douglas and Avondale, daughter of John Holland 2nd Duke Exeter and Anne Stafford Duchess Exeter.
King Edward I of England 1239-1307
Ralph Neville 1st Earl of Westmoreland 1364-1425
John Neville 3rd Baron Neville of Raby 1337-1388
Maud Percy Baroness Neville Raby
Eleanor Plantagenet Countess Arundel and Surrey 1318-1372
Richard Fitzalan 3rd or 10th Earl of Arundel 8th Earl of Surrey 1306-1376
Thomas Holland 2nd Earl Kent 1350-1397
Kings Wessex: Great x 11 Grand Son of King Edmund "Ironside" I of England
Kings Gwynedd: Great x 8 Grand Son of Owain "Great" King Gwynedd
Kings Seisyllwg: Great x 14 Grand Son of Hywel "Dda aka Good" King Seisyllwg King Deheubarth
Kings Powys: Great x 9 Grand Son of Maredudd ap Bleddyn King Powys
Kings England: Great x 3 Grand Son of King Edward I of England
Kings Scotland: Great x 10 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 12 Grand Son of Hugh I King of the Franks
Kings Duke Aquitaine: Great x 15 Grand Son of Ranulf I Duke Aquitaine
Great x 4 Grandfather: Robert Neville 
Great x 3 Grandfather: Ralph Neville 1st Baron Neville of Raby
Great x 2 Grandfather: Ralph Neville 2nd Baron Neville of Raby 8 x Great Grand Son of King Henry I "Beauclerc" England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Robert Fitzroger 5th Baron Warkworth 
Great x 3 Grandmother: Euphemia Clavering Baroness Neville Raby 
7 x Great Grand Daughter of King Henry I "Beauclerc" England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Margaret Zouche Baroness Warkworth 
6 x Great Grand Daughter of King Henry I "Beauclerc" England
Great x 1 Grandfather: John Neville 3rd Baron Neville of Raby 4 x Great Grand Son of King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: James Audley 
Great x 3 Grandfather: Hugh Audley 1st Baron Audley of Stratton Audley 2 x Great Grand Son of King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Ela Longespée 
Great Grand Daughter of King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England
Great x 2 Grandmother: Alice Audley Baroness Greystoke and Neville 3 x Great Grand Daughter of King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Edmund Mortimer 2nd Baron Mortimer of Wigmore 
2 x Great Grand Son of King John of England
Great x 3 Grandmother: Iseult Mortimer 3 x Great Grand Daughter of King John of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Margaret Fiennes 
4 x Great Grand Daughter of King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England
GrandFather: Ralph Neville 1st Earl of Westmoreland 5 x Great Grand Son of King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Henry Percy 7th Baron Percy Topcliffe
Great x 3 Grandfather: Henry Percy 9th and 1st Baron Percy
Great x 4 Grandmother: Eleanor Warenne Baroness Percy Topcliffe
Great x 2 Grandfather: Henry Percy 10th and 2nd Baron Percy 5 x Great Grand Son of King John 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 Grandmother: Eleanor Fitzalan Baroness Percy 4 x Great Grand Daughter 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 1 Grandmother: Maud Percy Baroness Neville Raby 5 x Great Grand Daughter of King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Roger Clifford 
Great x 3 Grandfather: Robert Clifford 1st Baron Clifford 6 x Great Grand Son of King Henry I "Beauclerc" England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Isabella Vipont 5 x Great Grand Daughter of King Henry I "Beauclerc" England
Great x 2 Grandmother: Idonia Clifford Baroness Percy 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: Maud Clare Baroness Clifford Baroness Welles 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
Father: John Neville 4 x Great Grand Son of King Edward I of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Nicholas Stafford 
Great x 3 Grandfather: Edmund Stafford 1st Baron Stafford
Great x 4 Grandmother: Eleanor Clinton 
Great x 2 Grandfather: Ralph Stafford 1st Earl Stafford 7 x Great Grand Son of King Henry I "Beauclerc" England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Ralph Basset 1st Baron Basset Drayton 
5 x Great Grand Son of King Henry I "Beauclerc" England
Great x 3 Grandmother: Margaret Basset 6 x Great Grand Daughter of King Henry I "Beauclerc" England
Great x 1 Grandfather: Hugh Stafford 2nd Earl Stafford 2 x Great Grand Son of King Edward I of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Hugh Audley 1st Baron Audley of Stratton Audley 2 x Great Grand Son of King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England
Great x 3 Grandfather: Hugh Audley 1st Earl Gloucester 3 x Great Grand Son of King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Iseult Mortimer 3 x Great Grand Daughter of King John of England
Great x 2 Grandmother: Margaret Audley Countess Stafford Great Grand Daughter of King Edward I of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Gilbert "Red Earl" Clare 7th Earl Gloucester 6th Earl Hertford 4 x Great Grand Son of King Henry I "Beauclerc" England
Great x 3 Grandmother: Margaret Clare Countess Gloucester Grand Daughter of King Edward I of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Joan of Acre Countess Gloucester and Hertford Daughter of King Edward I of England
GrandMother: Margaret Stafford Baroness Neville Raby 3 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward I of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: William Beauchamp 9th Earl Warwick 
Great x 3 Grandfather: Guy Beauchamp 10th Earl Warwick
Great x 4 Grandmother: Maud Fitzjohn Countess Warwick
Great x 2 Grandfather: Thomas Beauchamp 11th Earl Warwick 6 x Great Grand Son of King Henry I "Beauclerc" England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Ralph Tosny 
4 x Great Grand Son of King Henry I "Beauclerc" England
Great x 3 Grandmother: Alice Tosny Countess Warwick 5 x Great Grand Daughter of King Henry I "Beauclerc" England
Great x 1 Grandmother: Philippa Beauchamp Countess Stafford 5 x Great Grand Daughter of King John of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Edmund Mortimer 2nd Baron Mortimer of Wigmore 2 x Great Grand Son of King John of England
Great x 3 Grandfather: Roger Mortimer 1st Earl March 3 x Great Grand Son of King John of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Margaret Fiennes 4 x Great Grand Daughter of King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England
Great x 2 Grandmother: Katherine Mortimer Countess Warwick 4 x Great Grand Daughter of King John of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Piers Geneville
Great x 3 Grandmother: Joan Geneville Baroness Mortimer 2nd Baroness Geneville 7 x Great Grand Daughter of King Henry I "Beauclerc" England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Jeanne Lusignan 
6 x Great Grand Daughter of King Henry I "Beauclerc" England
Ralph Neville 2nd Earl of Westmoreland 3 x Great Grand Son of King Edward I of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Thurstan de Holland 
Great x 3 Grandfather: Robert de Holand of Upholland 
Great x 2 Grandfather: Robert Holland 1st Baron Holand
Great x 1 Grandfather: Thomas Holland 1st Earl Kent 4 x Great Grand Son of King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Roger Zouche 6 x Great Grand Son of King Henry I "Beauclerc" England
Great x 3 Grandfather: Alan Zouche 1st Baron Zouche Ashby 2 x Great Grand Son of King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Ela Longespée Great Grand Daughter of King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England
Great x 2 Grandmother: Maud Zouche Baroness Holand 3 x Great Grand Daughter of King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Nicholas Segrave 1st Baron Segrave 
Great x 3 Grandmother: Eleanor Segrave
Great x 4 Grandmother: Maud de Lucy 
GrandFather: Thomas Holland 2nd Earl Kent Great Grand Son of King Edward I of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: King Henry III of England Son of King John of England
Great x 3 Grandfather: King Edward I of England Son of King Henry III of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Eleanor of Provence Queen Consort England 
Great x 2 Grandfather: Edmund of Woodstock 1st Earl Kent Son of King Edward I of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: King Philip III of France 
2 x Great Grand Son of King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England
Great x 3 Grandmother: Margaret of France Queen Consort England 3 x Great Grand Daughter of King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Maria of Brabant Queen Consort France 3 x Great Grand Daughter of King Stephen I England
Great x 1 Grandmother: Joan "Fair Maid of Kent" Princess Wales Grand Daughter of King Edward I of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Baldwin Wake 
Great x 3 Grandfather: John Wake 1st Baron Wake of Liddell 2 x Great Grand Son of King John of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Hawise Quincy Great Grand Daughter of King John of England
Great x 2 Grandmother: Margaret Wake Countess Kent 3 x Great Grand Daughter of King John of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: William Fiennes
Great x 3 Grandmother: Joan Fiennes Baroness Wake Liddell 4 x Great Grand Daughter of King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Blanche Beaumont 
3 x Great Grand Daughter of King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England
Mother: Elizabeth Holland 2 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward I of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: John Fitzalan 7th Earl of Arundel 5 x Great Grand Son of King Henry I "Beauclerc" England
Great x 3 Grandfather: Richard Fitzalan 1st or 8th Earl of Arundel 3 x Great Grand Son of King John of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Isabella Mortimer Countess Arundel 2 x Great Grand Daughter of King John of England
Great x 2 Grandfather: Edmund Fitzalan 2nd or 9th Earl of Arundel 4 x Great Grand Son of King John of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Thomas I Marquess Saluzzo 5 x Great Grand Son of King William "Conqueror" I of England
Great x 3 Grandmother: Alice Saluzzo Countess Arundel 6 x Great Grand Daughter of King William "Conqueror" I of England
Great x 1 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: John Warenne 6th Earl of Surrey
Great x 3 Grandfather: William Warenne
Great x 4 Grandmother: Alice Lusignan Countess of Surrey
Great x 2 Grandmother: Alice Warenne Countess Arundel
Great x 4 Grandfather: Robert de Vere 5th Earl of Oxford 
Great x 3 Grandmother: Joan Vere
Great x 4 Grandmother: Alice Sanford Countess of Oxford
GrandMother: Alice Fitzalan Countess Kent 2 x Great Grand Daughter of King Henry III of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: King Henry III of England Son of King John of England
Great x 3 Grandfather: Edmund "Crouchback" Plantagenet 1st Earl of Leicester 1st Earl Lancaster Son of King Henry III of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Eleanor of Provence Queen Consort England
Great x 2 Grandfather: Henry Plantagenet 3rd Earl of Leicester 3rd Earl Lancaster Grand Son of King Henry III of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Robert Capet Count of Artois Great Grand Son of King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England
Great x 3 Grandmother: Blanche Capet Queen Navarre 2 x Great Grand Daughter of King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Matilda Reginar Countess Saint Pol 2 x Great Grand Daughter of King Stephen I England
Great x 1 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 Grandfather: Patrick Chaworth
Great x 2 Grandmother: Maud Chaworth
Great x 4 Grandfather: William Beauchamp 9th Earl Warwick
Great x 3 Grandmother: Isabella Beauchamp
Great x 4 Grandmother: Maud Fitzjohn Countess Warwick