Introduction
Edward of Woodstock, the Black Prince, was the son of King Edward III of England. During his lifetime, he was an excellent commander of the army, which earned him recognition among his people. During the Hundred Years’ War, the prince became the most prominent figure who made many significant changes during this period. He gained popularity in world history due to his mysterious image and the color of his armor, which was completely black. Despite his favor today, he did not have much recognition among his people during his lifetime.
Discussion
Today, the Black Prince is known in popular culture for his armor. Edward’s defenses were made entirely of black, hence his nickname. The Black Prince is often portrayed differently, and only his image is used to show in movies or cartoons (Kelly 10). In particular, he is often used as a literary character. Still, the prominent popularity of a character was in the literature at the end of the 18th century in particular. The authors of that time tried to reveal a modern hero and texture to the world, so they used stories about the brave Black Knight. Unlike today, very little was mentioned about Edward the Black Prince after his death.
Edward’s popularity grew gradually because few people talked about him. After the death of Edward of Woodstock, the royal family artificially made the knight famous (Kelly 15). However, several researchers pay attention to the actions of the royal family. Immediately after the death of the man, the king began to actively develop his son’s fame based on the fact that the man was very religious (Kelly 16). In particular, a commemoration of the knight began to spread actively, which was also only to emphasize his significance.
The popularity of Edward of Woodstock as the prince increased after he began to be mentioned in literature. That happened in the 18th century when individual authors described Edward’s history and how he lived (Villalon and Kagay 266). In particular, various designations of it as a “black shield” were often present. Even later, at the end of the 18th century, the knight received the name Black Prince, which is still known today. Most often, he was mentioned only in a positive way and with praise for his exploits. That can say that the authors repeatedly tried to tell the story of the Hundred Years’ War, where Edward of Woodstock was always sung (Villalon and Kagay 270). That should not rule out that many of his exploits could be fictional. It is worth emphasizing that it was literature that raised the importance of the commander and returned his name to history.
During his lifetime, a prince was known for his merits in battles. As a teenager, the prince participated in the war and won very often. People started talking about Edward for the first time when, at 16, the prince took part in a significant fight (Hayle para. 2). After society learned about the young man’s achievements, they started talking about him. During the Black Prince’s lifetime, people did not use nicknames to tell stories (Villalon and Kagay 270). It is also worth saying that if in England he has only a positive connotation, then for the French, the figure of Edward of Woodstock had a negative connotation. All this was because his army: “looted merrily, murdered French people, and destroyed and burned buildings.” (Hayle para. 5) Thus, the Black Prince had different reputations and editions during his lifetime.
Many researchers stop at the fact that history does not reveal details about the life of the Black Prince. History only mentions general facts about him and his achievements, including the fact that he wore black armor (Muro 100). However, it is worth questioning the integrity of such information since, after the death of his son, the king tried to leave only good memories in history. There were many organized memorial services and, in general, the creation of many stories around the Black Prince (Villalon and Kagay 270). In particular, it is worth highlighting the fact that it was scheduled to glorify the son and give him a worthy place in the history of England.
It is unnecessary to specifically talk about the fact that the authors or the king utterly invented everything. It is essential to understand that part of the fiction was destined to take hold of this character in literature (Gribling 102). Primarily, it is worth emphasizing that literature focused so much attention on this historical figure. In this way, it is not possible to state how everything was in reality.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the Black Prince, also known as Edward of Woodstock, is an interesting and ambiguous character in both historical and literary contexts. Even though Edward of Woodstock was famous during his lifetime, the general’s most incredible popularity and recognition came from several writers who used him as a new idea for their novels and brought fame in mass media.
Works Cited
Gribling, Barbara. The Image of Edward the Black Prince in Georgian and Victorian England: Negotiating the Late Medieval Past. Royal Historical Society, 2017.
Hayle, Joanne. “Edward the Black Prince: A Flawed Medieval Hero.” Owlcation, Web.
Kelly, Sophie. “The Black Prince, the Trinity, and the Art of Commemoration.” British Art Studies, no. 23, 2022, Web.
Muro, Alicia. “The Modernisation of William Shakespeare’s Hamlet: Identity and Gender in Iris Murdoch’s The Black Prince.” Estudios irlandeses Journal of Irish Studies 13 (2018): 90-102.
Villalon, LJ Andrew, and Donald J. Kagay. “Defeat from the Jaws of Victory.” To Win and Lose a Medieval Battle. Brill, 2017. 263-300.