Edward the Black Prince

Edward the Black Prince, also known as Edward of Woodstock, was the eldest son of Edward III. He fought at Crecy, won the Battle of Poitiers in 1356, captured John II of France, ruled Aquitaine and died before he could inherit the English throne.

Born: 1330 CE
Died: 1376 CE
Role: Prince of Wales

Prince of Wales and military commander (1330-1376)

1330-1376 CE

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Portrait of Edward the Black Prince in armour and heraldic surcoat

Quick facts

Profile details

Additional identity and tagging details that are not already covered in the introduction.

Also known as: Edward of Woodstock, the Black Prince, Black Prince

Facts

Edward the Black Prince timeline facts

Selected specifics from this profile's life story.

1330-1346: Heir to ambition
1346: Crecy
1360s: Aquitaine
1376: Death before the crown

Life Journey

The prince whose victories made conquest seem possible

Follow Edward of Woodstock from Crecy to Poitiers, Aquitaine and an unfinished inheritance.

1 of 5/Heir to ambition

Next: Crecy

1330-1346

Heir to ambition

Edward was the eldest son of Edward III and grew up as heir to a monarchy increasingly focused on war with France.

1346

Crecy

The prince fought at Crecy as a teenager, where English tactics defeated a larger French army.

1356

Poitiers

At Poitiers, the Black Prince defeated a larger French army and captured King John II of France.

1360s

Aquitaine

The Black Prince governed Aquitaine, but taxation and local disputes helped reopen the conflict with France.

1376

Death before the crown

The Black Prince died before Edward III, so the throne passed next to his young son Richard II.

1330-1346

Heir to ambition

Edward was the eldest son of Edward III and grew up as heir to a monarchy increasingly focused on war with France.

Complete chronology

Full overview and deeper context for every journey step.

1330-1346

Heir to ambition

Edward of Woodstock was born into the restored confidence of Edward III's reign. His father's claim to France gave the prince a military and dynastic role from an early age. He represented the future of English kingship and the possibility that victories in France could become a permanent inheritance.

A royal heir can become a symbol of a war before he has shaped it himself.

1346

Crecy

Crecy helped build the Black Prince's reputation. Although Edward III directed the campaign, the prince's presence in the fighting became part of English memory of the battle. The victory suggested that disciplined English armies could defeat the cavalry power of France and gave the young heir a heroic place in the war's story.

Early battlefield fame can attach itself to a prince for life.

1356

Poitiers

Poitiers was the prince's greatest military achievement. Leading an Anglo-Gascon army under pressure, he defeated a larger French force and captured the French king. The result gave England extraordinary leverage and made the Treaty of Bretigny possible. Few medieval victories produced such immediate diplomatic power.

Capturing a king turns battlefield success into political earthquake.

1360s

Aquitaine

Ruling Aquitaine proved harder than winning battles. The prince needed revenue to sustain authority, but fiscal demands alienated subjects and created appeals to the French king. Charles V used those disputes to reassert French authority. The same region that had made English power possible became a trap of legitimacy and administration.

Winning territory is easier than governing it in a way that people accept.

1376

Death before the crown

Illness and political difficulty clouded the prince's final years. He died in 1376, one year before Edward III, leaving his son Richard as heir. His reputation remained brilliant but complicated: a model of chivalric command, a symbol of English military success, and a reminder that spectacular victories did not solve the deeper problem of ruling France.

A prince can win fame without living long enough to turn it into kingship.

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