Product Description

Edward, prince of Wales and Aquitaine, known as the Black Prince, is one of the legendary figures of English history, victor of three great battles and a model of chivalry and courtesy. Behind this image, which many of his contemporaries accepted and eagerly believed in, it is difficult to get at the realities of his character and of the life that he led. Most of his biographers have based their work on the splendid vision of chivalry conjured up by Froissart, but the present book deliberately shuns this approach, to see what can be found in official records, particularly from the prince's household and those who campaigned with the prince. Special attention has been paid not only to the confusing and confused accounts of the great battles, but also to the prince's early years, his close companions who contributed so greatly to his successes, and to his government of Aquitaine, an obscure but very important part of his career. A number of minor but persistent errors in early histories, deriving from Froissart, are corrected. A concluding chapter examines how the legend of the Black Prince (and his curious nickname) came into being. By separating the image and the reality, a clearer picture of the prince emerges. Dr RICHARD BARBER is the author of The Arthurian Legends, King Arthur: Hero and Legend, Tournaments, a biography of Henry II, The Penguin Guide to Medieval Europe, and the recently revised seminal study of The Knight and Chivalry.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #248377 in Books
• Published on: 2003-02-21
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 330 pages

Customer Reviews

A very readable historical biography, one of my favourites
Barber's book is a highly readable historical biography of a much romanticised figure. Edward "The Black Prince" (as he subsequently became known) was the son of Edward III of England and a hero of the Hundred Years War. Much of the book, however, is devoted to the more personal details of the Prince, such as the increasing responsiblities he was given as a child, and that as an infant he kept pet hares. It is this intimacy which brings the book to life, and which also makes it an accessible introduction to both the Hundred Years War and the the ruling elite of the time.

Barber quotes enough sources to give his assertions credibility without getting bogged down in arguing finer points. In this, the book is ideal for someone like myself with a serious interest in medieval history without an academic background in it. However, in remaining readable to the lay person the book has probably left itself open to criticism from pedantics. Some military historians, for example, may be sceptical of the detail in which the battles are described. Readers of fantasy fiction, though, would be a lot more dissapointed than that- this is still a serious history book.

Gives you what you need
This book has been accused of being too 'simplistic' and narrative based, because it doesn't dwell on details of military strategy etc. I think this is because Barber is concerned with keeping the reader interested at all times. This he certainly achieves, making for a very easy read. After reading David Green's book 'The Black Prince' however, I saw that Barber wasn't as great as I had at first thought.
Basically, if you're not a historian (or crazy about military details) then you will find nothing wrong with this book and simply enjoy reading it. The other thing it does well is teach a huge amount very quickly and easily - so if you're a student this is the one to read first!
4 stars because it's not the best, but it doesn't get a great deal better.

A great book on a famous legend
Richard Barber's book on Edward of Woodstock, Prince of Wales was a great read for me. I had read much on the Prince and his father, but this was by far the best biography I've ever read on him. Barber's accounts of the battles of Crecy, Poitiers, and Najera were very imformative. This was a great portrait of a remarkable legend.

First off is Frossiat. Barber didn't pay much attention to Frossiat's great chronicles of King Edward III and his reign. I have a very mixed view of Frossiat: sometimes he is true, sometimes he was very untrue, but I think Barber did the right thing. He paid only as much attention to Frossiat as he needed to.

The battles were very descriptive. Barber gave us a detailed account of how fourteenth century medieval armies moved and were organized. He also descriped the battle in great detail. Crecy was very well recorded, but my favorite battle in the book was Poitiers. I had read enough of Crecy, and I had a medium knowledge of Poitiers, I was still fascinated by the French in the battle and how they abandoned their own king to his fate on the field. The consquences of the battle were very far reaching: the capture of the King of France was a huge card for Edward III and he ended up playing it very well.

I loved this book. Five stars all the way.