The Black Prince :: Essays Papers

The Black Prince (1330-1376) The Black Prince was the eldest son of King Edward the 3rd. His real name was Prince Edward Plantagenet and he was born in June of 1330 at the royal palace of Woodstock. The Black Prince grew up to become one of the most famous me diaeval warriors of all time. It is not really known where his nickname (the Black Prince) stemmed from, however, it is certain that it originated about two hundred years after his death. There is no evidence to support that he wore black armor, which seems to have inspired the very famous nickname. He did, however, carry a shield of peace which was predominantly black. This is probably the most likely reason for his nickname. The Black Prince was an exceptional knight who also had a gift for commanding armies. His skills as a commander became legendary throughout Europe. His most exceptional achievement, which was probably the main reason for his name becoming a legend, was his remarkable defeat of the French forces at Poitiers in 1356 during the Hundred Years War. This defeat also lead to the capture of the French King John the II. In order to celebrate his many victories the Black Prince would often hold vast celebrations which consisted of tournaments and banquets. These celebrations would often be very expensive and they would draw large amounts of money from his estates. This careless spending of money would usually lead to disorder throughout his Kingdom. The Black Prince was the King of England from 1327 to 1377. While King he was capable of being very cruel. His cruelties ranged from spending money on parties, which was badly needed by the people of his estates, to the horrible offense of torture. While he was King, at age 31, the Black Prince married Joan Plantagenet who was 33 at the time of her marriage to the Black Prince. While he may have been able to cheat death on the battlefield he wasn't, however, able to cheat death off the battlefield. The Black Prince caught a disease while in Spain.