Edward of Woodstock, the English prince and knight who became famous during the Hundred Years’ War, was known as the Black Prince.
He was the eldest son of King Edward III and was born in 1330 at Woodstock in Oxfordshire. Edward won major victories at Crécy in 1346 and Poitiers in 1356. At Poitiers, the English captured King John II of France, one of the most important royal prisoners of the war.
The prince was a commander rather than an ordinary knight, but medieval writers and later tradition celebrated his battlefield reputation. His nickname appears in sources after his death, and its precise origin is uncertain. It may refer to his armor, shield, or reputation, but no single explanation is proven.
Edward never became king because he died in 1376, one year before his father. His son became King Richard II. The Black Prince’s tomb is in Canterbury Cathedral, where his effigy shows the military status associated with his career.