• THE DEATH OF THE BLACK PRINCE

    Edward was born on 15th June 1330 at Woodstock in Oxfordshire. He was the eldest son of Edward III and as such was held the title of The Prince of Wales. During his lifetime he was a key player in his father’s military campaigns in France. When he was just sixteen he was heralded for his involvement in the Battle of Crecy and the defeat of the French army. After being appointed his father’s lieutenant he led another victory against the French at Poitiers and took the French king prisoner. In 1362 Edward married Joan of Kent. There is a love story attached to their coming together in that another…

  • The Anarchy

    The period between 1135 and 1154 was a time of huge unrest in England, a Civil War which Victorian historians would later name The Anarchy. On December 1st 1135 King Henry I of England fell ill and died whilst on campaign in Normandy, supposedly after eating vast quantities of Lamprey, although poison has also been suggested as a possible cause. His only legitimate male heir, William Adelin had perished in The White Ship tragedy, 15 years earlier, and despite Henry’s hasty remarriage to Adeliza of Louvain (The King’s first wife Queen Matilda had died in 1118), no more male heirs would follow. This left only a daughter, Matilda, who had…

  • THE BATTLE OF CRECY

    Known as one of the most decisive battles in English history and The Hundred Years war, Crecy has come to be known as a military revolution in its massive use of the longbow and the ultimate demise of the age of chivalry. Previous battles had been fought mostly by the infantry and mounted knights. Battles before had adhered to chivalric code that had mostly kept the knights protected. Crecy was a game changer. Edward III had inherited an England at war. He was fighting on two fronts, Scotland and Aquitaine in south west France. The battle of Dupplin Muir (moor) in Scotland proved to be a crucial turning point for…