Edward, Prince of Wales

Edward, Prince of Wales, better known to history as the Black Prince was born at Woodstock, Oxfordshire, on 15 June 1330. The eldest son of King Edward III and Philippa of Hainault, he was known during his lifetime simply as Edward of Woodstock.

Curiously, he was never called "the Black Prince" during his own lifetime. The nickname only appears in historical writings from the sixteenth century onwards. Although it is often said that the name came from his black armour, no contemporary evidence confirms this, and its true origin remains uncertain.

Edward's rise through the ranks of the English nobility was rapid. He became Earl of Chester in 1333, and in 1337 was created Duke of Cornwall, the first dukedom ever created in England. The title remains traditionally held by the heir to the English throne today.

Prince of Wales

Although Edward acted as nominal guardian of England during his father's absences in 1338 and 1342, he was not formally invested as Prince of Wales until 1343.

His heraldic badge of three white ostrich feathers and the German motto "Ich Dien" ("I Serve") remain associated with the Prince of Wales today. Their exact origin is debated. One tradition suggests the feathers came from his mother's family, while another claims Edward adopted them after the Battle of Crécy from the fallen King John of Bohemia, whose own arms included the motto. Historians remain divided, and the true source is uncertain.

Crécy and the Hundred Years' War

Edward first accompanied his father on campaign in 1345, but his military reputation was established during Edward III's invasion of Normandy in 1346. Shortly after landing at La Hogue he was knighted by his father and soon became one of the original Knights of the Garter.

Later that year he commanded the English right wing at the Battle of Crécy, one of the most famous victories of the Hundred Years' War. Despite his youth, Edward acquitted himself brilliantly. The campaign concluded with the successful Siege of Calais, after which he returned to England in 1347.

Victory at Poitiers

In 1355 Edward was sent to Gascony to command English forces in south-west France. After devastating campaigns through Armagnac and Languedoc, he launched another expedition in 1356 which culminated in the Battle of Poitiers on 19 September. Despite being heavily outnumbered, Edward achieved one of medieval England's greatest victories. Superior tactics, disciplined troops and the devastating effectiveness of English longbowmen shattered the French army. King John II of France was captured during the battle, an event that stunned medieval Europe.

Edward treated his royal prisoner with remarkable courtesy, escorting him first to Bordeaux and then to England in 1357. The captive king was ceremonially led through the streets of London in one of the greatest triumphs of Edward's career.

Prince of Aquitaine

Edward married his cousin Joan of Kent, known to history as The Fair Maid of Kent, in 1361. Although the marriage initially took his father by surprise, Edward III soon approved the match. The following year the king granted Edward control of the English territories in south-west France under the title Prince of Aquitaine.

For almost eight years Bordeaux became Edward's principal residence. He maintained a magnificent court and generally enjoyed good relations with the towns, encouraging trade and commerce. However, many powerful nobles, led by the Count of Armagnac, viewed English rule with increasing hostility. Edward's attempts to strengthen central administration threatened long-established feudal privileges and gradually alienated the regional aristocracy.

Nevertheless, he maintained relative peace in Aquitaine for nearly six years, no small achievement during such a turbulent period.

The Spanish Campaign

In 1367 the exiled King Pedro I of Castile, better known as Pedro the Cruel, persuaded Edward to restore him to the Castilian throne. Crossing the Pyrenees through the Pass of Roncesvalles, Edward defeated the forces of the renowned French commander Bertrand du Guesclin at the Battle of Nájera on 3 April 1367. It proved to be his final great battlefield victory.

The campaign, however, came at an enormous cost. The English army suffered badly in the Spanish summer, while Edward himself contracted the illness that would ultimately end his life. Returning to Bordeaux exhausted and heavily in debt, he was forced to impose an unpopular hearth tax upon Aquitaine.

The tax triggered widespread resentment. The Count of Armagnac appealed directly to King Charles V of France, giving the French crown the opportunity it had been seeking to reopen the war.