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Jean de Waurin or Wavrin (c. 1400c. 1474) was a medieval
French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...
chronicler and compiler, also a soldier and politician. He belonged to a noble family of Artois, and witnessed the
Battle of Agincourt The Battle of Agincourt ( ; french: Azincourt ) was an English victory in the Hundred Years' War. It took place on 25 October 1415 (Saint Crispin's Day) near Azincourt, in northern France. The unexpected English victory against the numerica ...
from the French side, but later fought on the Anglo-Burgundian side in the later stages of the
Hundred Years' War The Hundred Years' War (; 1337–1453) was a series of armed conflicts between the kingdoms of Kingdom of England, England and Kingdom of France, France during the Late Middle Ages. It originated from disputed claims to the French Crown, ...
. As a historian, he put together the first chronicle intended as a complete history of England, very extensive but largely undigested and uncritical.
"Jean de Wavrin"
in ''Medieval France; in Encyclopedia
Written in French, in its second version it extends from 688 to 1471, though the added later period covering the Wars of the Roses shows a strong bias towards Burgundy's Yorkist allies. Strictly his subject is Great Britain, but essentially only England is covered, with a good deal on French and Burgundian events as well.


Life

He was illegitimate, the son of Robert de Wavrin, Lord of
Wavrin Wavrin () is a commune in the Nord department in northern France. It was established around the year . It is part of the Métropole Européenne de Lille. Heraldry Population People * Jean de Waurin See also *Communes of the Nord department ...
, a town in France near the present Belgian border, and Michielle de Croix. His father was hereditary
seneschal The word ''seneschal'' () can have several different meanings, all of which reflect certain types of supervising or administering in a historic context. Most commonly, a seneschal was a senior position filled by a court appointment within a royal, ...
of Flanders and "conseiller-chambellan" of the Duke of Burgundy. Wavrin was legitimated in 1437 by
Philip the Good Philip III (french: Philippe le Bon; nl, Filips de Goede; 31 July 1396 – 15 June 1467) was Duke of Burgundy from 1419 until his death. He was a member of a cadet line of the Valois dynasty, to which all 15th-century kings of France belonge ...
and knighted five years later. He fought for the Burgundians at the Battle of Verneuil and elsewhere, and then occupying a high position at the court of
Philip the Good Philip III (french: Philippe le Bon; nl, Filips de Goede; 31 July 1396 – 15 June 1467) was Duke of Burgundy from 1419 until his death. He was a member of a cadet line of the Valois dynasty, to which all 15th-century kings of France belonge ...
, duke of Burgundy, was sent as ambassador to Rome in 1463. His first documented visit to England was in 1467, long after he produced the first version of his work, when he was present at the famous tournament between Anthony, bastard of Burgundy, and Anthony Woodville, 2nd Earl Rivers.


''Recueil des croniques et anchiennes istories de la Grant Bretaigne''

Jehan compiled the ''Recueil des croniques et anchiennes istories de la Grant Bretaigne'' ("Account of the chronicles and old histories of Great Britain"), a collection of the sources of English history from the earliest times to 1471. For this work, he borrowed from Froissart, Monstrelet and others; but for the period between 1444 and 1471 the ''Recueil'' is original and valuable, although somewhat untrustworthy with regard to affairs in England itself. It also includes an off-topic contemporary chronicle relating to the Crusade of Varna. He gives a valuable account of the impulsive love marriage of
Edward IV Edward IV (28 April 1442 – 9 April 1483) was King of England from 4 March 1461 to 3 October 1470, then again from 11 April 1471 until his death in 1483. He was a central figure in the Wars of the Roses, a series of civil wars in England ...
to the obscure widow
Elizabeth Woodville Elizabeth Woodville (also spelt Wydville, Wydeville, or Widvile;Although spelling of the family name is usually modernised to "Woodville", it was spelt "Wydeville" in contemporary publications by Caxton, but her tomb at St. George's Chapel, Wind ...
, and the horrified reaction of the
Privy Council A privy council is a body that advises the head of state of a state, typically, but not always, in the context of a monarchic government. The word "privy" means "private" or "secret"; thus, a privy council was originally a committee of the mon ...
who told the King with great frankness that "he must know that she was no wife for a prince such as himself". The first version in four volumes was apparently completed around 1445, ending in 1413 with the death of
Henry IV of England Henry IV ( April 1367 – 20 March 1413), also known as Henry Bolingbroke, was King of England from 1399 to 1413. He asserted the claim of his grandfather King Edward III, a maternal grandson of Philip IV of France, to the Kingdom of F ...
; This relied heavily on other works and covered French and Burgundian affairs also. A second "edition" took events to 1469 in six volumes, with more original material as Wavrin covered his own lifetime. The text remained in manuscript. The only complete version was in the library of
Louis de Gruuthuse Louis de Bruges, Lord of Gruuthuse, Prince of Steenhuijs, Earl of Winchester (Dutch: Lodewijk van Brugge; c. 1427 – 24 November 1492), was a Flemish courtier, bibliophile, soldier and nobleman. He was awarded the title of Earl of Winchester b ...
, now in the BnF in Paris, with a second nearly complete one in the library of the House of Nassau (now dispersed between The Hague,
Baltimore Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic, and the 30th most populous city in the United States with a population of 585,708 in 2020. Baltimore was d ...
, Oxford and elsewhere). A luxury illustrated copy of one volume made for
Edward IV of England Edward IV (28 April 1442 – 9 April 1483) was King of England from 4 March 1461 to 3 October 1470, then again from 11 April 1471 until his death in 1483. He was a central figure in the Wars of the Roses, a series of civil wars in England ...
is in the Royal manuscripts, British Library as Royal Ms 14 E. v., and represents the start of an incomplete third "edition", probably compiled after Wavrin's death. The manuscript was made in Bruges in about 1475 and illuminated by the Master of the London Wavrin, who also illuminated a copy of ''Julius Caesar'' (translation of his Gallic Wars with a biography) for Edward. This master is not to be confused with the
Master of Wavrin The Maître de Wavrin, Master of Wavrin or Master of Jean Wavrin, Wavrin Master (and other variants), was a French painter and manuscript illuminator active in the region of Lille in the third quarter of the fifteenth century. His name is deri ...
, who was based in Lille and is thought to have worked for Wavrin.McKendrick, 276-278 From the beginning to 688, and again from 1399 to 1471, the text was edited for the Rolls Series (5 vols, London, 1864–1891), by William Hardy and E. L. C. P. Hardy, who also translated most of it into English. The section from 1325 to 1471 was edited by L. M. E. Dupont (Paris, 1858–1863), though much material relating to English as opposed to Burgundian affairs was omitted.


Notes


References

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online text
(in French


Further reading

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External links


CERL page
{{DEFAULTSORT:Waurin 1474 deaths 15th-century French historians People of the Hundred Years' War Year of birth uncertain Arts in the court of Philip the Good French male writers