The Black Prince

The Black Prince

The Black Prince

By Michael Jones (2018)
Buy this book
Buy this book

In 1346, at the age of sixteen, he won his spurs at Crécy; nine years later he conducted a brutal raid across Languedoc; in 1356 he captured the king of France at Poitiers; as lord of Aquitaine he ruled a vast swathe of southwestern France. He was Edward of Woodstock, eldest son of Edward III, but better known to posterity as 'the Black Prince'.

Michael Jones tells the remarkable story of a great warrior-prince – and paints an unforgettable portrait of warfare and chivalry in the late Middle Ages.

Fact of the Day

There was no greater shame for a Frankish nobleman than to be seen carrying a dog.

Quote of the Day

"A French bastard arriving with armed banditti and establishing himself the King of England against the consent of the natives is in plain terms a very paltry rascally original and certainly has no divinity in it. "
~ Thomas Paine, 1776

On This Day

1284 The future Edward II was born at Caernarfon Castle, Wales. He was the only son from Edward I's first marriage to Eleanor of Castile to outlive his father.
1719 The much-loved Daniel Defoe story Robinson Crusoe was published.
1792 French highwayman Nicolas Jacques Pelletier became the first person to be executed by the guillotine.
1915 Ninety thousand Australian, New Zealand, British and French forces began landing on the Turkish Gallipoli Peninsula. They hoped to secure the northern bank of the Dardanelles, but were forced to withdraw after eight months of intense fighting.
1916 British authorities declared martial law in Dublin for a month, in response to the Easter Rising.
1984 David A. Kennedy, son of Robert F. Kennedy (of the political Kennedy family), died of a drug overdose in Palm Beach, aged 28.
1990 The US shuttle Discovery released the Hubble Telescope into orbit. It remains one of the largest, most versatile and best known space telescopes.