Edward of Woodstock, eldest son of Edward III, Prince of Wales, duke of Cornwall, earl of Chester, and in due course prince of Aquitaine, or the Black Prince as he was to become known many years after his death, was a remarkable man. He fought with distinction at Crécy at only sixteen years of age, was present at the siege of Calais, and at a little over twenty-six years old was the victor at Poitiers.

To some he was a skilled general, an effective lieutenant for his father in Aquitaine, and a fine example of chivalry. To others he was little more than a figurehead, reliant on the experience of those who served him and the tactical skills of his men, a brigand, and a spendthrift during his time as Prince of Aquitaine. In those parts of France through which he passed he is often known simply as le terrible Prince Noir. Whatever the truth, which probably lies somewhere in the middle, he was completely loyal to his father at a time when disloyalty within royal families was commonplace. Henry II, with his rebellious and troublesome brood of Henry the Young King, Geoffrey Duke of Brittany and the future kings of England Richard the Lionheart and the much maligned John, would surely have looked with envy at the good fortune of Edward III.