[Ponte Alto] Timeline of the Age of the Black Prince

[Scott Cozad]

The theme for this weekends Highland River Melees is the 'Age of the Black
Prince'.  Since this event is also a demo for the public I thought it
might be useful to have an overview of the time period.  I hope you find
this useful.

Lord Edward de Clare

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Timeline of the “Age of the Black Prince.”

* June 15 1330: Edward “The Black Prince” of Woodstock is born at
Woodstock Palace, Oxfordshire.
* 1343: Invested as Prince of Wales
* August 26 1346: Battle of Crecy.  Edward commands the English right. 
Legend has it that when his position was threatened his father (King
Edward III) would not send aid and is purported to have said “let him earn
his spurs”.  Then English win the battle in large part to their archers. 
The “legend” of the English archer can be said to really start here.
* 1349: Black Death arrives in England.
* 1355: Edward leads his first chevauchée starting in Bordeaux (north
western France), traveling south along the Pyrenées Mountains and then
eastward into Languedoc.
* August 4 1356: Edward leads his second chevauchée.  This one started
with an attack on the town of Bourges (central France) and headed west
along the Loire River.
* September 19 1356: Battle of Poitiers.  Edward leads the English to
victory over the French.
* 1360: Treaty of Bretigney is signed bringing a truce to the Hundred
Years War.
* October 1361: Edward marries Joan, Countess of Kent.
* July 1362: Edward is made Prince of Aquitaine (south western France).
* February 1363: Edward moves his primary residence to Bordeaux
* February 1367: Edward marches an army into Spain in support of the
deposed Spanish King Pedro of Castile.
* April 3 1367: Battle of Najera where Edward defeats Bertrand du Guesclin.
* 1369: Charles V declares all English possessions in France forfeited. 
Aquitaine revolts against English control.
* September 19 1370: Despite being very ill Edward leads his troops to
victory in capturing the city of Limoges.  This turns out to be his last
victory.
* 1371: Edward returns to England.  By this point his health is getting
worse.
* June 8 1376: Edward “The Black Prince” of Woodstock dies at Westminster.
 He is buried at Canterbury Cathedral.

Biographies of important people:
* Bertrand du Guesclin: A Knight of the lower nobility who went on to
become on of the most highly regarded Knights of the Middle Ages.
* Charles V (of France): January 21, 1338 – September 16, 1380.  King of
France from 1364 to 1380.
* Edward III (of England): November 13, 1312 until June 21, 1377. Edward
of Woodstock's father and King of England from January 35, 1327 to June
21, 1377.
* Joan, Countess of Kent: Edward of Woodstock's wife.  She was born
September 29, 1328 and died August 7, 1385.
* Pedro of Castile: August 30, 1334 – March 23, 1369.  King of Castile
from 1350 until 1369.

Glossary:
* Aquitaine: South western region of modern day France.
* Bordeaux: A city located in Aquitaine.
* Bourges: A city located about 150 miles south of Paris
* Canterbury: A city in south eastern England.  About 60 miles east of
London.
* Chevauchée: A raid involving burning, theft, torture and other acts of
terror.
* Crecy: A city located in north east France.
* Languedoc: South eastern region of France.
* Limoges: A city located about 140 miles south west of Paris.
* Najera: A city located on the now Spanish side of the Pyrenées Mountains.
* Poitiers: A city located about 200 miles south west of Paris.
* Pyrenées Mountains: Mountian range separating Spain and France.
* Westminster: A town now part of London.

Further Reading:
The Hundred Years War: The English in France 1337-1453
by Desmond Seward
Publisher: Penguin (Non-Classics) (August 1, 1999)
ISBN-10: 0140283617
ISBN-13: 978-0140283617

The Hundred Years' War
by Anne Curry
Publisher: Osprey Publishing (November 13, 2002)
ISBN-10: 1841762695
ISBN-13: 978-1841762692

Chronicles
by Jean Froissart (Author), Geoffrey Brereton (Translator)
Publisher: Penguin Classics (April 27, 1978)
ISBN-10: 0140442006
ISBN-13: 978-0140442007

A Distant Mirror: The Calamitous 14th Century
by Barbara W. Tuchman
Publisher: Ballantine Books (July 12, 1987)
ISBN-10: 0345349571
ISBN-13: 978-0345349576

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Wrestle well; grab the lance, spear, sword and falchion. Do this manly and
make it useless in other hands.
Johannes Liechtenauer