Jean Froissart(1337 — 1410)
Jean Froissart
Royaume de France
9 min read
A fourteenth-century French chronicler and poet, Jean Froissart is the author of the famous Chronicles, a vast narrative tapestry recounting the events of the Hundred Years' War. His work stands as one of the most valuable historical sources on chivalry and the European conflicts of his era.
Frequently asked questions
Key Facts
- Born around 1337 in Valenciennes, in the County of Hainaut
- Composed his Chronicles in four books covering the period 1327–1400
- Traveled to England, Scotland, Italy, and across France to gather eyewitness accounts and narratives
- Stayed at the court of Edward III of England and several European princes
- Died around 1405, leaving a monumental work of more than one million words
Works & Achievements
Froissart's masterpiece, the Chronicles cover the events of the Hundred Years' War from approximately 1327 to 1400. A vast prose panorama recounting battles, tournaments, negotiations, and court life, they remain the most valuable narrative source on fourteenth-century chivalry.
Froissart's first major poem, composed in the tradition of courtly love and offered to Queen Philippa of Hainaut upon his arrival in England. It reveals the decisive influence of Guillaume de Machaut on his poetic development.
A long autobiographical poem blending a love narrative with childhood memories from Valenciennes. Froissart shares his early reading, his childhood games, and his first poetic stirrings, offering a rare glimpse into the formation of a medieval writer.
An Arthurian verse romance of more than 30,000 lines, written at the request of Wenceslas I of Bohemia. Froissart wove in lyric poems composed by his patron himself, making the work a unique collaborative literary project.
A work mixing prose and verse (a prosimetrum) depicting a fictional correspondence between a noble prisoner and his poet friend. It showcases Froissart's skill at interweaving lyric and narrative forms in the tradition of fourteenth-century courts.
Anecdotes
Born in Valenciennes around 1337, Jean Froissart came under the patronage of Queen Philippa of Hainaut, wife of King Edward III of England, at a very young age. Hailing from the same county as the queen, he was welcomed at the English court as early as 1361, where he was able to observe up close the knights and great lords who would populate his Chronicles.
In 1388, Froissart undertook a long journey to Orthez, in Gascony, to meet Gaston Fébus, the powerful Count of Foix. Over several months, he made use of the evenings at the castle to question knights and messengers who had come from across Europe, gathering a wealth of information about events he had not witnessed himself.
Froissart was also a poet: his verse romance *Meliador*, running to more than 30,000 lines, depicted chivalric adventures and was read aloud before the court of Wenceslaus I of Bohemia. This patron prince was himself a poet, and the two men exchanged verses and literary ideas during evenings at the castle.
Unlike many chroniclers of his era who wrote from the confines of their monastery, Froissart spent his entire life travelling — England, Scotland, Italy, Flanders, Gascony… He questioned eyewitnesses of battles directly, sometimes ordinary soldiers, sometimes great knights, which gave his Chronicles a vividness and attention to detail unmatched for the period.
Froissart revised and rewrote his Chronicles several times over the years, sometimes adjusting his judgements to suit his current patrons. His portrayal of the Black Prince or the King of England, for instance, shifted depending on whether he was writing under English or French patronage — making his work both a precious source and a telling reflection of the political games of the late Middle Ages.
Primary Sources
So that the honourable enterprises, noble adventures, and deeds of arms which have taken place in the wars between France and England may be duly recorded and held in perpetual remembrance, I, Jean Froissart, cleric, have undertaken to set them down and put them in writing…
Then came forth six burghers with their heads bare, unshod and in their shirts, with halters about their necks and the keys of the town and castle in their hands; and they made their way toward the king of England.
The Genoese began to set up a great shout in order to frighten the English; but the English held their ground in good order and answered with such a flight of arrows that the Genoese, struck and wounded, broke ranks and turned their backs.
At Orthez, I took great pleasure in hearing Sir Espaing du Lion speak — squire to the Count of Foix — who told me of many deeds of arms that had occurred in Spain, Portugal, and Navarre, which I could not otherwise have known.
At the age of twelve I was put to the study of letters, and since then I have never ceased to set in rhyme and in prose the adventures and histories that I have seen or heard told by princes and knights.
Key Places
Birthplace of Jean Froissart, then part of the County of Hainaut (in present-day northern France). It was here that he received his clerical education and composed his earliest poems before setting out to seek patronage at the English court.
Froissart was welcomed at the court of Edward III from 1361 onwards, under the patronage of Queen Philippa of Hainaut. He spent several years there, observing the knights and gathering accounts of the battles of the Hundred Years' War.
Residence of Gaston Fébus, Count of Foix, whom Froissart visited in 1388. This stay of several months proved decisive for the composition of Book III of the *Chronicles*, thanks to the many testimonies gathered from knights passing through.
Around 1373, Froissart obtained a canonry at the church of Saint-Georges in Chimay, under the patronage of Guy II de Châtillon. He resided there intermittently and wrote part of his *Chronicles* there, benefiting from the financial support of the count.
Froissart traveled to Scotland around 1365, gathering information on Scottish military campaigns fought in alliance with France against England. This research enriched the pan-European scope of his *Chronicles*.