Edward (1330-1376), known as the Black Prince, was one of the most famous English warriors in history. He was the oldest son of King Edward III and the father of King Richard II. Edward’s official titles included the Prince of Wales and the first Duke of Cornwall. During his lifetime, he was known as Edward of Woodstock. In later tradition, he became known as the Black Prince. The name may refer to the black armor he was believed to have worn in combat. Edward died before his father and never became king.
In 1346, aged just 16, Edward commanded a wing of his father’s army at the Battle of Crécy in northern France. Crécy, a key English victory, was the first great battle of the Hundred Years’ War (1337-1453). In 1355, Edward was made his father’s lieutenant in Gascony, or Gascogne, in the Aquitaine region of southwestern France. In 1356, Edward defeated a French army and captured France’s King John II at the Battle of Poitiers.
In 1362, Edward became prince of Aquitaine and set up court in Bordeaux. In 1367, he led an army into neighboring Spain, helping restore Pedro I as king of Castile. Upon Edward’s return to Aquitaine, the local nobles rebelled against him. Edward crushed the revolt, massacring 3,000 people in the rebel city of Limoges. Edward returned to England in 1371.
Edward was born on June 15, 1330, at Woodstock, Oxfordshire. With his wife Joan of Kent, he had two sons, Edward (1365-1371) and Richard (1367-1400)—later King Richard II. Edward died of an illness on June 8, 1376, at Westminster. He was buried in Canterbury Cathedral.
See also Edward III; Hundred Years’ War; Richard II.
