Froissart (1337 to 1410) was first asked to write a chronicle, detailing the wars and feats of chivalry of the time, at the age of twenty by the Lord of Beaufort. This was the start of a lifelong obsession - he was revising his fourth volume when he died. The resulting four volumes are central to the understanding of the fourteenth century and the tortuous development of the Hundred Years' War. Froissart travelled throughout Europe and was invited into many courtly circles. In 1361 he was invited to the English court by Queen Philippa of Hainaut, the wife of Edward III, and was further commissioned to "search Christendom for stories of knights and squires" to complete his Chronicles. He journeyed into Scotland and the Welsh marshes, quizzed the French nobles held captive in London after the capture of Poitiers, and travelled back into mainland Europe several times. Returning to London from Italy in 1369 he learned of Queen Philippa's death and decided to stay in the Netherlands. First under the patronage of Robert de Namur, count of Hainaut, then with Wenceslaus of Luxemburg, duke of Brabant, and finally Guy de Chatillion, count of Blois. Froissart returned to England in 1395 to the court of Richard II, where five years later he recorded Richard's downfall.
The Chronicles begin with the crowning of Edward III in 1326 and details life, chivalry and war until the death of Richard II at the end of the century. Each of the four volumes of Froissart's Chronicles was produced some time after completing its predecessor, and commissioned by different people. This means that much of the history is repeated, often with additional information, and occasionally inconsistent in its facts; the four volumes were never written to be viewed as a whole. In addition Froissart continually revised his work and much of the first volume was rewritten (twice) following its first distribution. The Chronicles were a great success during Froissart's life and their popularity continued long after his death. Today there are more than 100 manuscripts, many of which are lavishly illustrated.
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