The Great Chronicle Of London

This modernized extract from The Great Chronicle of London covers the reign of England's first Tudor king, Henry VII (1485-1509). It gives an eye-witness account of events in London, and of news from elsewhere, from the viewpoint of a well-to- do citizen who was closely involved in civic administration. It describes many notable public events: riots and uprisings, executions, coronations, royal marriages and funerals, and ceremonial activities involving the mayor and aldermen. Its year by year entries also cover matters like the weather, the cost of living, taxes, and the effects of building work undertaken in the city. Although its compiler worked to a scheme common to other London chronicles from the period, he was ready to express his own views on a number of matters, and wrote with keen observation and occasional wit.

Excerpt from Chronicles of London: Edited With Introduction and Notes Sir henry ellis, in the Preface to his edition Of Robert Fabyan's Chronicle, praised the author as 'the rare instance of a citizen and merchant in the fifteenth century devoting himself to the pleasures of learning. Herein he did the worthy alderman more than justice; for Robert F abyan was but one of the last In a long line, and built only a little that was new on the foundations which others had laid. From the beginning at least of the fifteenth century aldermen and citizens of London had shown their interest in civic and general history by compiling, or encouraging others to compile, English Chronicles arranged under the years of the municipality. The Chronicles of London, which, as we now know them, thus came into being, can, however, trace their ancestry much further back. Early in the growth of municipal life there must have arisen the desire for a readily accessible record, giving at least the succession of city Officers. To the record thus established it was natural to add year by year notices, whether of landmarks in the history of the City, or Of some great event which had made the year in question memorable 1. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.