Jean Froissart

Jean Froissart (c. 1333-c. 1410), French chronicler, especially noted for his accounts of the Hundred Years' War between England and France. Froissart was born in Valenciennes. In 1361 he went to England, where he was appointed secretary to Philippa, queen consort of England, the wife of King Edward III. Froissart visited Scotland in 1365, later journeying to Brussels and travelling widely in France and Italy. Throughout his travels he devoted himself to gathering information about contemporary events. About 1372 he entered the Church and was appointed priest of the village of Lestines in the diocese of Liège.

During the next 12 years Froissart composed a verse romance entitled Méliador and worked on the Chronique de France, d'Angleterre, d'Ecosse et d'Espagne, which was translated by the English diplomat and man of letters John Bourchier, 2nd Baron Berners, as Chronicle of France, England, Scotland, and Spain (1523-1525). Resuming his travels around 1386, Froissart visited England and many parts of the Continent, continuing to expand the Chronicle. The death of Richard II, King of England, is the last notable event recorded in the work.

In the Chronicle, Froissart described many of the significant events of the last three-quarters of the 14th century. Imbued with the ideals of chivalry, he concerned himself exclusively with the activities of the nobility and the military.