Edward the Black Prince was the embodiment of medieval war at its most brilliant—and most brutal. Born in 1330, the eldest son of King Edward III of England, he grew up in a world where kingship was proven not by inheritance alone, but by victory on the battlefield. From an early age, Edward showed an instinct for command that stunned contemporaries. At just sixteen, he fought at the Battle of Crécy (1346), standing firm while English longbowmen shattered French cavalry charges that embodied cen