Jean Froissart was born at Valenciennes, in the Province of Hainaut which would today roughly comprise parts of Belgium and of the French department Nord. 1337 is usually retained as his year of birth. The date was hinted by Jean Froissart himself in his work: he informs us that his chronicler’s career started when he was twenty years old, after the battle of Poitiers in 1358 (Froissart 1867: XIV, p. 2), and also that he was twenty-four years old when he came to England in 1361 (Froissart 1867: XIV, pp. 143, 235). Froissart’s year of birth is all the more significant in that 1337 is the very year when Edward III pressed his claims to the throne of France and declared war on King Philip VI. The interweaving of history and …
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Citation: Souleau, Pauline. "Jean Froissart". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 21 December 2011 [https://staging.litencyc.com/php/speople.php?rec=true&UID=1642, accessed 24 November 2024.]
