Skip to content

Edward of Woodstock, ‘The Black Prince’

Edward of Woodstock, the Black Prince, was one of the most important English commanders of the Hundred Years War. The eldest son of Edward III, he played a leading role in the English victories at Crécy and Poitiers, conducted major chevauchées through France, and became Prince of Aquitaine. His career also took the war beyond France, with his intervention in the Castilian Civil War in support of Peter of Castile.

The Black Prince’s career reflects both the successes and the limitations of English military power. His campaigns brought major victories and extensive territorial gains, but the costs of warfare, political difficulties in Aquitaine and declining health increasingly restricted his ability to continue campaigning. His death in 1376 came shortly before the death of Edward III and the beginning of a new phase of the Hundred Years War.

Edward, the Black Prince, commanding at the Battle of Crecy. from Froissart's Chronicles.
Edward, the Black Prince, commanding at the Battle of Crecy. from Froissart’s Chronicles.

The Black Prince and the Hundred Years War

Crécy and the Early War

The Black Prince first established his military reputation during the campaigns of Edward III. He fought at the Battle of Crécy in 1346, where the English defeated the army of Philip VI, and was subsequently involved in the capture of Calais.

The Chevauchée of 1355

In 1355 the Black Prince launched a major chevauchée from Gascony into southern France. The campaign demonstrated the value of rapid movement, dispersed forces and attacks on the economic resources supporting French warfare. The army reached Narbonne before returning towards Gascony.

Poitiers and the Capture of John II

The Black Prince’s most famous victory came at the Battle of Poitiers in September 1356. The French army was defeated and John II of France was captured. The victory had major political and financial consequences for France and led to the negotiations that produced the Treaty of Brétigny.

The Prince of Aquitaine

In 1362 Edward was made Prince of Aquitaine by his father. The territory became the centre of his political and military activities, but governing Aquitaine presented different problems from campaigning through France. The Black Prince relied upon men such as Sir John Chandos to administer and defend the principality.

Castile and the Battle of Nájera

In 1367 the Black Prince intervened in the Castilian Civil War on behalf of Peter of Castile. His Anglo-Gascon army defeated the forces supporting Henry of Trastámara at the Battle of Nájera. The campaign demonstrated the international character of the Hundred Years War, but its financial consequences contributed to tensions between Peter and the Black Prince.

Limoges and the Later War

The Black Prince returned to Aquitaine as the French recovery gathered pace. In 1370 he led the assault on Limoges, where the subsequent killing of inhabitants became one of the most controversial episodes associated with his military career. By this stage the French were increasingly recovering territory lost during the earlier phases of the war.

Illness and Withdrawal

The Castilian campaign had damaged the Black Prince’s health, and he increasingly suffered from illness. His ability to campaign declined at the same time as French forces under commanders including Bertrand du Guesclin recovered territory. He eventually withdrew from active government in Aquitaine and returned to England.

The Black Prince’s Place in the Hundred Years War

The Black Prince was central to the English military successes of the mid-fourteenth century. Crécy, Poitiers and Nájera established his reputation as a commander, while his chevauchées demonstrated the destructive reach of English armies operating from Gascony. His later career also illustrates the limits of those successes: maintaining English power required substantial financial and military resources, while French resistance and recovery steadily altered the balance of the war.

Further Reading