
As a child he was given his own suit of armour; in 1346 at the age of 16 he helped defeat the French at Crecy; & in 1356 he captured the King of France at Poitiers For the chronicler Jean Froissart ' He was the flower of all chivalry'; for the Chandos Herald who fought with him he was 'the embodiment of all valour' Edward of Woodstock eldest son & heir of Edward III of England better known as 'the Black Prince' was England's pre-eminent military leader during the first phase of the Hundred Years War Michael Jones uses contemporary chronicles & documentary material including the Prince's own letters & those of his closest followers to tell the tale of an authentic English hero & to paint a memorable portrait of warfare & society in the tumultuous fourteenth century