Why the BLACK PRINCE was called the Black Prince | Edward of Woodstock | History Calling

Why was the BLACK PRINCE called the Black Prince, given that his real name was Edward of Woodstock, Prince of Wales? In this week’s medieval English royal history documentary from History Calling, we look at the story of this famous medieval Prince, who was the son of Edward III, husband of Joan of Kent and the father of Richard II but who was destined to be one of history’s many heirs to the throne who never became monarchs, after predeceasing his father in 1376. I’ll explain why the Black Prince was famous, tell you some of the most notable events in his life and above all, explain when and where the Black Prince got his name, for this is not a moniker he was ever called during his lifetime. In fact, it cannot be traced back any further than the Tudor era. We’ll hear from early modern writers including John Leland and William Shakespeare as we trace the history of this famous warrior prince, who is one of the best remembered members of the sprawling Plantagenet dynasty to have lived during the 14th century. I’ll show you some disputed portraits of Edward as well as his tomb in Canterbury Cathedral and explain the leading theories as to why later generations remembered him by such an unusual nickname. We’ll ask, was the Black Prince's armour black and is that where his name came from, or was the Black Prince a bad person, who was needlessly cruel and ruthless on the battlefield (especially in France) and is that what the sobriquet refers to?
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READ MORE
Jack Ogden, The Black Prince's Ruby: Investigating the Legend, Journal of Gemmology (2020)
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[@HistoryCalling]

Why do you think Edward might have gained the name the Black Prince? Let me know below and remember to check out my Patreon at

[@The1adventurebound]

His father sent him off to fight a war for him. When he was a teenager, I couldn't send my son outside to cut the grass without having to fight a war.

[@andrewcarter7503]

I remember my grandmother telling me "I don't care what they tell you at school, the Black Prince was Chinese".

[@TheRealRedAce]

Amazing how a cool sounding epithet that was probably never used in his day can become part of history just BECAUSE it sounds cool,

[@Mousy677]

truly just delighted by the pigeon sitting on the statue's gauntlet.

[@FandersonUfo]

the Black Prince - Pedro the cruel - the 100 years war - good times - 🛸✨

[@peterchaloner2877]

When one tours Carcassone, the guide mentions the Black Prince-- who could not enter the fortified town, so trashed the entire surroundings to vent his spleen.

[@rosbif4960]

An alternative theory is that he was known as the Black Prince for the background colour of the shield he used for jousting. "The Black Prince bore (as an alternative to his differenced royal arms) a shield of Sable, three ostrich feathers argent, described as his "shield for peace", probably meaning the shield he used for jousting. These arms appear several times on his chest tomb in Canterbury Cathedral, alternating with his paternal royal arms (the royal arms of King Edward III differenced by a label of three points argent)."

[@gillianlloyd-griffiths292]

Richard 111 had scoliosis but his armour shows a slightly lower shoulder exactly the same condition as Princess Eugenie of York who had surgery. At her wedding you could see her scar on her back. It didn’t affect Richard 111 fighting ability

[@user-ft5kx2ew2c]

There is a stained glass window in the old town hall in Dover, Kent depicting Edward 3rd (in gold armour) & son (in blackened armour) boarding ships departing for France.

[@sgregg5257]

One thought is that is from his arms of peace. Nobility did not always just have one set of arms ( heraldic devices) The Plantagenet arms of war were the quartered arms of England and France, which was a giant F-U to the kings of France and was shocking when initially displayed. Edward's arms of peace (the heraldry) was white ostrich feathers on a sable (black) field. During his funeral, two knights road before his coffin, one wearing his royal arms (arms of war) and the other his arms of peace of the black shield with three ostrich feathers argent.

[@virginia3222]

Those were the days - if the king wanted to wage war he would actually fight, and his relatives would too. Yet they still had frequent battles, and highborn men and boys got killed.

[@pep2651]

As always your research is impeccable! I do appreciate the amount of time you must be spending preparing, reading, digging out old sources. It’s always a treat to hear yet another story from you with your lovely accent. You are my favourite TH-cam history channel.

[@mumther_chaos2824]

I've recently found your channel and enjoy it very much! As a teenager, I found a "historical romance" called The Lady Royal published in 1962 (and very much in the vein of more modern historical romances) that sparked my interest in the Plantagents (an on and off special interest!). I have really enjoyed your channel and the real history. Thank you so much!

[@kate_cooper]

When I first heard of him when I was a kid, I assumed he had a black suit of armour, and I later read that theory given as fact and so stuck with it for many years. In more recent years, I’ve seen other sources that basically say no one really knows.

[@FoxEyes]

During that time Black wasn't seen as something deragatory as is today. It really was a word to denote grand scale. Keep in mind they called the plague, the black death= death of a grand scale. Black prince= prince of a grand scale💯!

[@ardiffley-zipkin9539]

Well researched and presented. Thank you.

[@noreenclark2568]

I read that it was due to his black armour, then elsewhere it was his hair, thank you for your take on this conumdrum as always you're a favourite person of mine as your content on the historical side of things sound pretty accurate to me . ❤

[@redemptivepete]

It seems to me that a man who fought at Crecy at the age of 16. Who won the battle of Poitiers at incredible odds capturing the King of France would be a legendary figure. He would have attracted a powerful oral tradition as well as mentions in chronicles ....many of which could be lost.

[@scottobryant1]

Thank you as always!!