The Black Prince : England's greatest medieval warrior
(Book)

Includes bibliographical references (pages 409-441) and index.

Jones's engaging biography of Edward of Woodstock (1330?76), eldest son of King Edward III and known to posterity as "the Black Prince," seeks to place his subject into the events and culture of the later Middle Ages and away from the mythologized versions of him. Although Edward never reigned?his father outlived him?his life and person, Jones argues, embodied the ideal of the medieval knight. Edward was acclaimed for his martial achievements (e.g., Battles at Crécy and Poitiers) as well as his adherence to chivalric notions of piety and conduct, both in war and as an aristocrat, and for influencing the major events of the tumultuous time in which he lived. Jones's study moves away from a mere time line to offer historical analyses using contemporary evidence (chronicles, personal letters, etc.) and general period context to argue his point aptly: that the Prince was a product of his age, for better and for worse. --,Library Journal.