Edward the Black Prince

Edward the Black Prince (1330–76), prince of Wales and eldest son of Edward III of England. When only 16 he fought bravely at the Battle of Crécy (1346), his father's great victory, supposedly wearing black armor, which gave rise to his name. In 1356, at the Battle of Poitiers during the Hundred Years War, he defeated and captured King John II of France. In 1361 he married his cousin Joan, “the fair maid of Kent,” and the following year was put in charge of the English possessions of France. After further fighting in Castile and in France, he gave up his military career but continued to play an important part in the political struggles of England. He died before his father and thus never became king. He was considered a model of medieval chivalry.

See also: Crécy, Battle of; Hundred Years War.