This course will study the life of Edward of Woodstock, the oldest son of King Edward III, known to posterity as the Black Prince. He was one of the great military heroes of the late middle ages, and we will consider how far that reputation was justified, considering the reactions of contemporaries and the more recent evaluations of historians. We will look at his life in terms of medieval concepts of chivalry and the broader political, social and economic context of the Hundred Years War.
The course will begin by looking at the origins of the war, the dynastic claims of Edward III and the circumstances that brought them into effect, including the relationship between England and France in the early 14th century and the profound changes – sometimes termed a ‘military revolution’ – in the methods of recruitment and training of England’s armies, as well as the new tactics employed on the battlefield. We will then trace the campaigns and battles (Crecy and Poitiers) which made the Black Prince famous, alongside the broader diplomacy that would ultimately lead to the Treaty of Bretigny in 1360, the high-water mark of English fortunes in the 14th century phase of the Hundred Year War. We will then consider the Black Prince’s marriage to Joan of Kent, his rule over Aquitaine, the tensions between England and France that simmered under the surface and the ill-fated Spanish campaign of 1367.
Finally, we will look at the reasons for the resumption of the war in 1369, the Prince’s controversial sack of Limoges a year later and why he renounced his command and returned to England in January 1371. We will follow in the footsteps of a military commander who fascinated his age, and evaluate his life by drawing upon contemporary source material and recent historical research.
