A remarkable and very important unpublished chronicle written by two soldiers, covering in detail the English campaigns in France from 1415 to 1429. It lists many individuals who served in the war, and was written specifically for Sir John Fastolf, the English commander.This previously unpublished chronicle from the mid-fifteenth century covers the English wars in France from 1415 to 1429. It is highly unusual in that it was written by two soldiers, Peter Basset and Christopher Hanson. William Worcester, secretary to the English commander Sir John Fastolf, also had a hand in it, and it was specifically written for Sir John. The content is unusual, as it includes many lists of individuals serving in the war, and records their presence at battles, naming more than 700 in all. Over half these individuals are French or Scottish, so it would seem that the authors had a particularly detailed knowledge of French military participation. The narrative is important for the English campaigns in Maine in the 1420s in which Fastolf was heavily involved and which otherwise receive little attention in chronicles written on either side of the Channel. The progress of the war is well mapped, with around 230 place names mentioned.The chronicle was extensively used in the sixteenth century by several heralds and by Edward Hall. As a result, it had an influence on Shakespeare. The death of the earl of Salisbury at Orleans in 'Henry VI Part I' Follows the chronicle closely. The 'Mirror for Magistrates' Salisbury narrative is also derived from the chronicle. Another point of interest is that the chronicle is by a scribe who can be identified, and proves to be the only known fifteenth-century account of the war written in England in French, which adds an important linguistic dimension to its study.

List of IllustrationsAcknowledgementsAbbreviationsIntroduction Chapter 1. The M 9 chronicle and its authors The chronicle manuscript and its scribe, Luket Nantron (Deborah Ellen Thorpe)Peter BassetChristopher HansonWilliam WorcesterTeam workChapter 2. The format and content of the M 9 chronicle A work of two halves?The English in the M 9 chronicleThe French in the M 9 chronicleThe listsChapter 3. The portrayal of war in the M 9 chronicleThe justification of warStrategy and tacticsBattlesSiegesNumbers and organisationBravery and cowardiceOath taking and oath breakingConclusionChapter 4. French in fifteenth-century England: what linguistic choices? (Richard Ingham)Indications of non-native authorship?Central French and other continental varietiesThe French of EnglandLinguistic analysis of the M 9 chronicle i. Orthography and grammarii. Lexis and phraseologyConclusionsChapter 5. The post-medieval history of the chronicle and its use by the heraldsThe immediate fate of the chronicleHeralds and the M 9 chroniclea. Walter Bellengierb. Christopher BarkerOther heralds and the annotations within the M 9 chronicle The use of the chronicle by Robert GloverChapter 6. The M 9 chronicle and the histories of the mid Tudor periodEdward HallHall and the M 9 chronicleComparison of the M 9 chronicle and Hall's UnionThe influence of Hall's UnionShakespeareThe Basset problemChapter 7. 'In the Mids of his Glory': the M 9 chronicle, 'A Mirror for Magistrates', and the tragedy of English imperialism (Scott Lucas) The Edition of College of Arms MS M 9 folios 31r-66r Editorial practicesEdition of the original text and its annotationsEnglish translation, identifications and commentaryAppendix: Additional material by William Worcester bound into College of Arms MS M 9BibliographyIndex