Black Frince

Black Frince, The, the name by which Edward, Prince of Wales, son of Edward III., is usually known, was born in 1330 at Woodstock. He early distinguished himself as a soldier in the wars with France, leading a division at Crecy when only sixteen. In 1356 he won the battle of Poitiers, taking King John and his son prisoners, with whom in the following year he entered London in triumph. In 1361 he married Joan, the Fair Maid of Kent, widow first of Sir Thomas Holland, and next of the Earl of Salisbury; and having been created Duke of Aquitaine, settled in 1363 at Bordeaux. His next exploit was an expedition in support of Pedro the Cruel, who had been deposed from the Castilian throne by his brother, Henry of Trastamare. The Black Prince, crossing the Pyrenees, defeated Henry at Navarette; but Pedro, who had promised to pay the expenses of the expedition, failed to do so, and the Prince was obliged to tax his subjects. This led to a fresh rupture between England and France, and during the hostilities that ensued occurred the capture of Limoges, at which the Prince cruelly ordered the massacre of every soul found within its walls. This is the only stain on his chivalrous character; it was also the crowning act in his military career. In 1371 he returned to England, broken in health, and died at Westminster in 1376, being interred in Canterbury Cathedral.