Froissart’s Chronicles

"Froissart's Chronicles" describe many of the events in England and Western Europe during the period from the accession of Edward III in 1327 to the death of Richard II in 1400; including the first years of the Hundred Years War, the Black Death, the Peasants Revolt, and descriptions of the glittering courts and major personalities of that age.

Sir Jean Froissart lived from about 1333 to 1410. He is considered one of the first journalists. He traveled widely in both England and the Continent and at one stage was secretary to Queen Philippa of England. He knew Geoffrey Chaucer. He spoke to eye witnesses of the events he chronicled, including the great actions at Sluys, Crecy, Poitiers and Calais, and the commerce and diplomacy of the era. His works were first translated into English in 1523-25, and it is through them that we can “get the feel” of the “age of chivalry”.