Nowadays we hop in a train or a plane and travel hundreds of miles in just a few hours. It is hard to imagine what it meant to cover that kind of distance centuries ago, especially in the Middle Ages. Who could imagine that in such period knights could ride such long distances as from London to Paris, to Bordeaux, or even to Spain?
That is exactly what happened with Edward Plantagenet, Edward of Woodstock, the Prince of Wales; better known as the Black Prince (1330 – 1376); who came to La Rioja (north of Spain) in the 14th century. A research project funded by el Instituto de Estudios Riojanos has been digging into the chronicles that tell his story.
The ‘winning of spurs’ in battle
The Black Prince fought for England in France during the Hundred Years’ War and even took part in the civil war for the Castilian throne, following the English interests. He was born in Woodstock, and his nickname ‘Black’ was due to both the colour of his armour and to the severity he displayed in battle. At sixteen, he took part in the Battle of Crécy (1346), where his bravery earned him his father’s recognition. It was then that Edward III uttered the famous phrase ‘Let the boy win his spurs’ symbolizing his son’s initiation as a knight. After the death in battle of King John of Bohemia, Edward of Woodstock, the Black Prince, adopted the monarch’s emblem of three feathers and his motto ‘Ich dien’ (I serve), which still distinguishes the Prince of Wales today. He became a member of the Order of the Garter, and that was the beginning of his being associated with the ideal of the English medieval chivalry.
In 1356, his fame kept on growing after the Battle of Poitiers. There he defeated the French army of 20,000 soldiers with only 6,000 men. Moreover, those 20,000 were led by King John of France, whom the Black Prince took prisoner. In reward for his service, he was appointed Duke of Aquitaine, ruling that region with great autonomy between 1360 and 1367. Besides, it was a moment when the Black Prince was highly honoured in both the military and political fields.
In the 1360s, Castile (in the north of Spain) was torn apart by the civil war. Enrique de Trastámara had the backing of France, while Pedro I, called both ‘el cruel’ and ‘el justiciero’ turned to England for help. Edward III sent his son, the Black Prince, with an army of English knights and archers, who were famous for their deadly longbows. This event turned the Castilian civil war into an extension of the ongoing war between England and France.
The two armies clashed in Nájera, a town in La Rioja, northern Spain. The English troops, better equipped and trained, prevailed over Enrique de Trastámara’s forces who were weakened by lack of provisions, poor organization, and tactical errors by their commanders. Pedro I and the Black Prince achieved a total victory, capturing many nobles and high-ranking prisoners. Afterwards Edward, the Black Prince was also known as ‘the victor of Nájera.’
However, the glory was quite short. Pedro I of Castile did not fulfil his promises of payment and compensation to Edward; he fell into debt and became ill, probably with dysentery. Once in Aquitaine, the Black Prince imposed heavy taxes to pay his men, which caused him to lose popularity among his subjects. In 1369, Pedro I was murdered by his stepbrother Enrique de Tratámara, who proclaimed himself king of Castile with French support. Although military victorious, the Castilian campaign proved to be a political and a personal failure for the Black Prince. He returned to England ill in 1371 and died in 1376. His tomb in Canterbury cathedral bears the quartered arm of England and France, symbolizing England’s claim to the French throne.
Legend of the Black Prince’s ruby; after Nájera
One of the most famous objects linked to the battle of Nájera is the so-called Black Prince’s ruby, which now forms part of the British Crown Jewels. The Black Prince’s ruby is, in fact, a red spinel of Nasrid origin. Legend has it that it was part of the treasure of the Virgin of Santa María la Real de Nájera, and Pedro I (el cruel) gave it to Edward Plantagenet as a token of gratitude. The Black Prince wore it on his helmet, and later it adorned the helmets of Henry V at Agincourt and Richard III at Bosworth. The gem was later transformed into a pendant and, since 1838, has occupied the centre of the Imperial State Crown of Great Britain, worn by Queen Victoria and her successors.
After his victory at Nájera, on April 5th 1367, the Black Prince wrote a letter from the battlefield to his wife, Joan of Kent, who was in Bordeaux. He wrote it in Anglo-Norman, the old French dialect used by the English nobility. The letter mixed personal affection with politics. Edward of Woodstock reports his victory, but omits the casualties suffered. It was not just a love letter. It was also propaganda. In it, he called Enrique de Trastámara a ‘bastard,’ and firmly sided with Pedro I’s legitimate claim. The letter reached England on April 20th, 1367, and was publicly read by the Archbishop of Canterbury, who celebrated the English victory on Riojan soil.
Medieval chroniclers
Several chroniclers wrote about these events, including Jean Froissart, Herald Chandos (from the English side), and Pedro López de Ayala (from the Castilian side). The latter two witnessed the battle. López de Ayala, Chancellor of Castile and a humanist nobleman, took part in the conflict as standard-bearer of the Order of the Band. His political and military experience allowed him to write detailed chronicles, trying to legitimize the Trastámara dynasty and justify the fall of Pedro I (the Spanish king’s downfall appears in the monk’s tale in Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales). For him, the Castilian war was a clash between two legitimacies: that of legitimate lineage, represented by Pedro I, and that of good governance, embodied by Enrique de Trastámara. In his texts, he records the exchange of letters between both sides before the battle, where the Prince of Wales appeals to Christian faith and dynastic justice, while Enrique invokes the defence of the realm against tyranny. López de Ayala notes that the troops fought invoking their respective patrons, St. George and St. James, as symbols of faith and power. After the victory, the chronicler describes the tension between the Prince of Wales and Pedro I, provoked by the executions ordered by the Castilian king and his failure to keep his word and pay the Black Prince. At the end, the reader can find a sort of moral message, tyranny, and disloyalty lead to ruin.
On the other hand, the Anglo-Norman poem Le Prince Noir, written by Herald Chandos1, herald of Sir John Chandos, exalts the figure of the Black Prince as the embodiment of the Christian knight. Edward of Woodstock is compared to Julius Caesar and King Arthur, as another example of the heroic ideal of medieval chivalry. Herald Chandos depicts him as brave, loyal, courteous, and pious, but also as a loving husband capable of consoling his wife before going to war. He is a great warrior and a man of noble feelings. The poem also reproduces the letters exchanged between Edward and Enrique, in which both address each other with courtesy and respect, following the classic chivalric style and diplomacy. The Prince of Wales reaffirms his support for Pedro I because of the alliances and hereditary legitimacy, insisting that ‘a bastard should not be king.’ After the battle of Nájera, Edward asks for clemency for the defeated and advises Pedro I to rule justly, embodying the ideal of the righteous king guided by virtue and faith. The poem ends with the hero’s decline: the Prince’s illness, Pedro I’s betrayal, and the death of his friend Sir John Chandos foretell his own end. Edward Plantagenet returns to England weak and dies soon after, mourned by all. He did not become king. His son did, and ruled England as Richard II.
The figure of Edward Plantagenet transcends military history and becomes a symbol of medieval England and European chivalry. For López de Ayala, he was a just knight deceived by the ambition of an unjust king. For Herald Chandos, he was a model of nobility, courage, and faith. Both medieval chroniclers depict the Black Prince as an example of 14th century chivalry, where honour, one’s word, and justice were as important as the sword and bravery.
1 Harald Chandos; real name unknown.
