The two main witnesses—Biblioteca Publica Municipal do Porto 886 and Casa dos Duques de Cadaval M-VIIl-15—both date to the 16th century.
Long sections of the text were incorporated into the chronicles of António Galvão and Rui de Pina.
[6] The different names come from the fact that the manuscript Porto 886 is incomplete, breaking off in the reign of Afonso III.
[7] The common name of the chronicle comes from the date of the start of composition, 1 July 1457 of the Hispanic era, corresponding to AD 1419, as revealed in an early passage.
It appears the original intention was to bring the work down to the reign of John I (1385–1433), but it was never completed.