Edward of Woodstock, known as the Black Princewas a formidable warrior of the mid-14th century who emerged from several battles relatively unscathed – only to be struck down by disease at the relatively young age of 45. Historians have long believed that he died of a chronic illness dysenterybut James Robert Anderson, a military historian with Pioneer Regiment 21, believes that the Black Prince was more likely to have been overthrown by malaria or inflammatory bowel disease. He and his co-authors briefly presented their arguments December sheet published in the journal BMJ Military Health.
“There are several different infections or inflammatory conditions that could have led to his death,” Anderson said et al. wrote. “These include malaria, brucellosis, inflammatory bowel disease or long-term complications of acute dysentery. However, chronic dysentery is probably unlikely.”
As we have previously reported, Edward of Woodstock was the eldest son of King Edward III and heir to the throne. He was trained in philosophy and logic, and well versed in the art of war—skills that came in handy in this particular period of the 19th century Hundred Years Warwhen invasion by the French was a constant threat.
Edward’s first foray into battle was at the head of the famous Battle of Crecy in 1346 when he was just 16 years old. Beset by a dangerous counterattack, the young knight sent a message to his father to call for reinforcements. Edward III refused the request, insisting that his son should “prove his spurs” in battle. The young prince prevailed and launched an impressive military career. One of his greatest victories was the 1356 Battle of Poitierswhere he and his men routed the French army and captured King John II of France.
Historians disagree as to how he came to be called the Black Prince. The first known reference to Edward as the Black Prince is found in two 16th-century manuscript notes by the poet and historian John Leland. Shakespeare refers to him as “that black name, Edward, Black Prince of Wales”. Henry Vwritten about 1599, and contains a reference in Richard III (c. 1595). So the nickname was well established by the end of the 16th century.
A popular theory holds that Edward wore black armor in battle; There is a French account describing him as clothed en armor noir en fer bruni (“in black armor of blued steel”). But other than that, the evidence is sparse. The other hypothesis is that the name derives from Edward’s well-documented reputation for brutality in combat. In England, of course, he was hailed as the epitome of noble chivalry, but the French in Aquitaine took a very different view.
Edward’s health was declining rapidly when he returned to England in 1371. He died at the Palace of Westminster on June 8, 1376. Historians have long claimed that he suffered from violence dysentery and sometimes passed out from the attacks. There are reports of dysentery dating back to Hippocrates, sometimes referred to as “bloody diarrhea” because the main symptom is bloody diarrhea – usually accompanied by fever and abdominal pain and often leading to dehydration. Dysentery was rampant in the Middle Ages and fell victim to several monarchs: Henry the Young King (1183), John, King of England (1216), Louis IX. of France (1270), Edward I of England (1307), Philip V of France ( 1322) and Henry V of England (1422).
The Black Prince’s illness emerged after his victory at the Battle of Najera at the beginning of summer in 1367, according to the authors. Historical accounts suggest that up to 80 percent of Edward’s army may have died of dysentery and other diseases, having suffered significant deprivation and starvation during the campaign. He is described in 1370 as “lying ill in his bed” and had to be carried in a palanquin to direct that Siege of Limoges. He had recovered sufficiently to board ship for his final campaign in 1372, but appears to have been inactive between 1374 and 1375, suggesting that his symptoms may have recurred.
Amoebic dysentery often leads to chronic complications such as colitis, toxic megacolon, and colon ulcers, which would be consistent with Edward’s recurrent illness and protracted decline. But Anderson et al. arguing that it was unlikely that he should have been allowed to board that ship with chronic dysentery in 1372, citing a Review article 2009 Suggestion of fistula, nephritis, or cirrhosis (or a combination thereof) as alternative diagnoses. complications acute However, Ruhr could fit.
Other possibilities include dropsy, now known as swelling under the skin (edema) and often associated with liver, heart, or kidney failure, but Anderson et al. think Edward probably wouldn’t have survived several years without treatment. It is more likely that dehydration from the Spanish campaign led to kidney stones. Inflammatory bowel diseases also fit into the Black Prince’s clinical picture, especially if they led to a painful fistula.
Alternatively, Edward may have suffered from brucellosis, a bacterial infection usually transmitted by eating unpasteurized milk or raw meat that causes fatigue, recurrent fevers, and inflammation of the heart and joints. Malaria would also fit the fluctuating nature of the prince’s illness, and its symptoms (fever, headache, myalgia, gastrointestinal distress, chronic anemia, fatigue, and increased susceptibility to infection) can lead to multiple organ failure.
Regardless of the cause of death, Edward’s untimely death changed the course of English history and sparked more than a century of instability. His father died the following year (1372), and Edward’s 10-year-old son ascended the throne as Richard II. Richard II was in turn succeeded in 1399 by the exiled Henry Bolingbroke – son of the Black Prince’s younger brother, John of Gaunt, and another grandson of Edward III. – deposed, which it was Henry IV. The 15th century brought the Wars of the Roseswith power struggles between two branches of the House of Plantagenet (Lancaster and York) essentially wiping out the male heirs in both lines, leading to the rise of the House Tudor.
“Even in modern conflict and war zones, disease has resulted in tremendous morbidity and death, something that has remained the same for centuries,” Anderson said et al. completed. “Efforts to protect and treat responders are just as important today as they were in the 1370s.”
DOI: BMJ Military Health, 2022. 10.1136/Military-2022-002282 (About DOIs).
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