Froissart's Chronicles
Encyclopedia
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
by Jean Froissart
Jean Froissart
Jean Froissart , often referred to in English as John Froissart, was one of the most important chroniclers of medieval France. For centuries, Froissart's Chronicles have been recognized as the chief expression of the chivalric revival of the 14th century Kingdom of England and France...
. It covers the years 1322 until 1400 and describes the conditions that created the Hundred Years' War
Hundred Years' War
The Hundred Years' War was a series of separate wars waged from 1337 to 1453 by the House of Valois and the House of Plantagenet, also known as the House of Anjou, for the French throne, which had become vacant upon the extinction of the senior Capetian line of French kings...
and the first fifty years of the conflict. For centuries it has been recognized as the chief expression of the chivalric revival of fourteenth-century England and France.
Inspiration and creation of Froissart's Chronicles
Jean Froissart was an eye-witness to the events of the Siege of Paris. Although it seems Froissart never saw battle, he did visit Sluys in 1386 to see the preparations for an invasion of England. The invasion was ultimately aborted. However, he was present at other significant events such as the baptismBaptism
In Christianity, baptism is for the majority the rite of admission , almost invariably with the use of water, into the Christian Church generally and also membership of a particular church tradition...
of Richard II
Richard II of England
Richard II was King of England, a member of the House of Plantagenet and the last of its main-line kings. He ruled from 1377 until he was deposed in 1399. Richard was a son of Edward, the Black Prince, and was born during the reign of his grandfather, Edward III...
.
Philippa of Hainault
Philippa of Hainault, or, Philippe de Hainaut was the Queen consort of King Edward III of England. Edward, Duke of Guyenne, her future husband, promised in 1326 to marry her within the following two years...
that is now lost. He began Book I of the surviving chronicle in 1369 at the insistence of Robert de Namur
Robert de Namur
Robert of Namur, KG was a noble from the Low Countries close to King Edward III of England. He was made Knight of the Garter in 1369.His was the son of John I, Count of Namur, and Marie, Lady of Merode....
. He finished it in 1373; his own experiences, combined with those of interviewed witnesses, supply much of the detail.
The other important source for the early part of the chronicle was the Vrayes Chroniques of Jean Le Bel
Jean Le Bel
Jean Le Bel was a Medieval Flemish chronicler. His father, Gilles le Beal des Changes, was an alderman of Liege, where Jean himself was active....
, of which Froissart directly copied large parts. Le Bel wrote his chronicle for Jean, lord of Beaumont; and Jean's grandson, Guy II, Count of Blois. He later became the patron of Book II of Froissart's Chronicles. This second volume of Froissart's Chronicles was completed in 1388 and is entirely Froissart's work. Book III was completed in 1390 and Book IV in 1400.
Historical events included in the Chronicles
Book I 1322–1377
- Edward IIEdward II of EnglandEdward II , called Edward of Caernarfon, was King of England from 1307 until he was deposed by his wife Isabella in January 1327. He was the sixth Plantagenet king, in a line that began with the reign of Henry II...
deposed and accession of Edward IIIEdward III of EnglandEdward III was King of England from 1327 until his death and is noted for his military success. Restoring royal authority after the disastrous reign of his father, Edward II, Edward III went on to transform the Kingdom of England into one of the most formidable military powers in Europe... - Execution of Hugh the younger DespenserHugh the younger DespenserHugh Despenser, 1st Lord Despenser , also referred to as "the younger Despenser", was the son and heir of Hugh le Despenser, Earl of Winchester , and Isabella daughter of William, 9th Earl of Warwick.-Titles and possessions:Hugh Despenser the younger was knight of Hanley Castle, Worcestershire,...
- Battle of SluysBattle of SluysThe decisive naval Battle of Sluys , also called Battle of l'Ecluse was fought on 24 June 1340 as one of the opening conflicts of the Hundred Years' War...
- Battle of CrécyBattle of CrécyThe Battle of Crécy took place on 26 August 1346 near Crécy in northern France, and was one of the most important battles of the Hundred Years' War...
- The Siege of Calais
- Battle of Neville's CrossBattle of Neville's CrossThe Battle of Neville's Cross took place to the west of Durham, England on 17 October 1346.-Background:In 1346, England was embroiled in the Hundred Years' War with France. In order to divert his enemy Philip VI of France appealed to David II of Scotland to attack the English from the north in...
- The founding of the Order of the GarterOrder of the GarterThe Most Noble Order of the Garter, founded in 1348, is the highest order of chivalry, or knighthood, existing in England. The order is dedicated to the image and arms of St...
- The Black Death
- Battle of Les Espagnols sur Mer, a sea battle off WinchelseaWinchelseaWinchelsea is a small village in East Sussex, England, located between the High Weald and the Romney Marsh, approximately two miles south west of Rye and seven miles north east of Hastings...
- Battle of PoitiersBattle of Poitiers (1356)The Battle of Poitiers was fought between the Kingdoms of England and France on 19 September 1356 near Poitiers, resulting in the second of the three great English victories of the Hundred Years' War: Crécy, Poitiers, and Agincourt....
- Étienne MarcelÉtienne MarcelEtienne Marcel was provost of the merchants of Paris under King John II, called John the Good .Etienne Marcel was born into the wealthy Parisian bourgeoisie, being the son of the clothier Simon Marcel and his wife Isabelle Barbou...
leads a merchant revolt in ParisParisParis is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region... - The JacquerieJacquerieThe Jacquerie was a popular revolt in late medieval Europe by peasants that took place in northern France in the summer of 1358, during the Hundred Years' War. The revolt, which was violently suppressed after a few weeks of violence, centered in the Oise valley north of Paris...
- The Death of King John II of FranceJohn II of FranceJohn II , called John the Good , was the King of France from 1350 until his death. He was the second sovereign of the House of Valois and is perhaps best remembered as the king who was vanquished at the Battle of Poitiers and taken as a captive to England.The son of Philip VI and Joan the Lame,...
- The end of Edward III reign
Book II 1376–1385
- The Great SchismWestern SchismThe Western Schism or Papal Schism was a split within the Catholic Church from 1378 to 1417. Two men simultaneously claimed to be the true pope. Driven by politics rather than any theological disagreement, the schism was ended by the Council of Constance . The simultaneous claims to the papal chair...
- The Peasants' RevoltPeasants' RevoltThe Peasants' Revolt, Wat Tyler's Rebellion, or the Great Rising of 1381 was one of a number of popular revolts in late medieval Europe and is a major event in the history of England. Tyler's Rebellion was not only the most extreme and widespread insurrection in English history but also the...
- The Battle of RoosebekeBattle of RoosebekeThe Battle of Roosebeke took place on November 27, 1382 on the Goudberg between a Flemish army under Philip van Artevelde and a French army under Louis II of Flanders who had called upon the help of the French king Charles VI after he had suffered a defeat during the Battle of Beverhoutsveld...
- The marriage of Charles VICharles VI of FranceCharles VI , called the Beloved and the Mad , was the King of France from 1380 to 1422, as a member of the House of Valois. His bouts with madness, which seem to have begun in 1392, led to quarrels among the French royal family, which were exploited by the neighbouring powers of England and Burgundy...
to Isabella of Bavaria
Book III 1386–1388
- The French preparations for an aborted invasion of England
- The final trial by combatTrial by combatTrial by combat was a method of Germanic law to settle accusations in the absence of witnesses or a confession, in which two parties in dispute fought in single combat; the winner of the fight was proclaimed to be right. In essence, it is a judicially sanctioned duel...
ordered by French courts between Jean de CarrougesJean de CarrougesSir Jean de Carrouges IV was a fourteenth century French knight who governed estates in Normandy as a vassal of Count Pierre d'Alençon and served under Admiral Jean de Vienne in several campaigns against the English and the forces of the Ottoman Empire...
and Jacques Le GrisJacques Le GrisSir Jacques Le Gris was a squire and knight in fourteenth century France who gained fame and infamy when he engaged in the last judicial duel permitted by the Parlement of Paris after he was accused of rape by the wife of his neighbour and rival Sir Jean de Carrouges... - Richard IIRichard II of EnglandRichard II was King of England, a member of the House of Plantagenet and the last of its main-line kings. He ruled from 1377 until he was deposed in 1399. Richard was a son of Edward, the Black Prince, and was born during the reign of his grandfather, Edward III...
in conflict with his uncles - The Battle of OtterburnBattle of OtterburnThe Battle of Otterburn took place on the 5 August 1388, as part of the continuing border skirmishes between the Scottish and English.The best remaining record of the battle is from Jean Froissart's Chronicles in which he claims to have interviewed veterans from both sides of the battle...
Book IV 1389–1400
- A festival in honor of Isabeau of BavariaIsabeau of BavariaIsabeau of Bavaria was Queen consort of France as spouse of King Charles VI of France, a member of the Valois Dynasty...
- A tournament in SmithfieldSmithfield, LondonSmithfield is an area of the City of London, in the ward of Farringdon Without. It is located in the north-west part of the City, and is mostly known for its centuries-old meat market, today the last surviving historical wholesale market in Central London...
held by Richard IIRichard II of EnglandRichard II was King of England, a member of the House of Plantagenet and the last of its main-line kings. He ruled from 1377 until he was deposed in 1399. Richard was a son of Edward, the Black Prince, and was born during the reign of his grandfather, Edward III... - The death of Gaston III of Foix-BéarnGaston III of Foix-BéarnGaston III/X of Foix-Béarn, also Gaston Fébus or Gaston Phoebus was the 11th count of Foix, and viscount of Béarn . Officially, he was Gaston III of Foix and Gaston X of Béarn.-Early life:...
- The madness of Charles VICharles VI of FranceCharles VI , called the Beloved and the Mad , was the King of France from 1380 to 1422, as a member of the House of Valois. His bouts with madness, which seem to have begun in 1392, led to quarrels among the French royal family, which were exploited by the neighbouring powers of England and Burgundy...
- Richard II deposed and accession of Henry IVHenry IV of EnglandHenry IV was King of England and Lord of Ireland . He was the ninth King of England of the House of Plantagenet and also asserted his grandfather's claim to the title King of France. He was born at Bolingbroke Castle in Lincolnshire, hence his other name, Henry Bolingbroke...
- Battle of Nicopol and massacre of the prisoners
Modern reception and criticisms
Froissart's work is perceived as being of vital importance to modern understanding of 14th century events. However, modern historians also recognize that his Chronicles betray many shortcomings: erroneous dates, misplaced geography, inaccurate estimations of casualties, and biases in favor of his patrons. He also omits information about the common people of the time. Sir Walter Scott once remarked that Froissart had "marvelous little sympathy" for the "villain churls."The Chronicles are almost 3 million words long, yet few complete editions are published. Froissart is often repetitive or covers insignificant subjects. Nevertheless, his battle descriptions are lively and engaging; he provides a wealth of information for the social historian
Social history
Social history, often called the new social history, is a branch of History that includes history of ordinary people and their strategies of coping with life. In its "golden age" it was a major growth field in the 1960s and 1970s among scholars, and still is well represented in history departments...
. Enguerrand de Monstrelet
Enguerrand de Monstrelet
Enguerrand de Monstrelet , French chronicler, belonged to a noble family of Picardy.In 1436 and later he held the office of lieutenant of the gavenier at Cambrai, and he seems to have made this city his usual place of residence...
continued the chronicle to 1440.
The text of Froissart's Chronicles is preserved in more than 100 manuscripts which are illustrated by a variety of miniaturists. One of the most lavishly illuminated copies was commissioned by Louis of Gruuthuse, a Flemish nobleman, in the 1470s. The four volumes of this copy (BNF, Fr 2643-6) contain 112 miniatures painted by the best Brugeois
Bruges
Bruges is the capital and largest city of the province of West Flanders in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is located in the northwest of the country....
artists of the day. Among them is Loiset Lyédet, to whom the miniatures in the first two volumes are attributed. The illustrations here come from this copy.
External links and literature
- Jean Froissart, Chronicles, Penguin Classics, 1978 ISBN 0-14-044200-6 (at close to 500 pages even this is only an excerpt).
- Chronicles of England France, Spain, etc.' Continuing project to web the entirety of the 1805 Thomas JohnesThomas JohnesThomas Johnes , born in Ludlow, Shropshire, England was a Member of Parliament, landscape architect, farmer, printer, writer and social benefactor...
translation. Currently 95 chapters online, new chapter(s) added weekly, Monday updates. - Tales from Froissart excerpts from 1849 edition of the Thomas Johnes translation (1805).
- The Chronicles of Froissart excerpts from John Bourchier and Lord Berners 1910 Harvard Classics translation.
- An extensive bibliography collected by Dr Godfried Croenen
- Full edition of Froissart's Chronicles in 12 volumes, translated by Thomas Johnes