He dedicated it to Bishop Jan van Arkel and Count William I.
His stated aim was to preserve the peace between counts and bishops by demonstrating the common origin and shared history of their territories.
[1] Johannes's sources include earlier annals and the Rhyming Chronicle of Melis Stoke.
In 1395, a Middle Dutch translation was made, to which continuations were added down to 1430.
The continuations are an important contemporary source for Dutch history.