Notes: Edward of Woodstock, later known as the Black Prince, was the son of King Edward III of England, and heir to the throne, named Prince of Wales in 1343. One of the
most prominent participants in the Hundred Years War, his exceptional military talent was made apparent through his courageous actions in the Battle of Crecy in 1346, when he was
only sixteen, and solidified through his leadership of the English forces at the Battle of Poitiers in 1356, where the French king Jean II was captured. Edward was made Prince of
Aquitaine in 1362, and sent there to rule the English territory independant of his father's administration in London. While his military prowess was unquestionable, his political
skills were lacking. Perhaps his greatest error was to support the claim of Pedro I 'the Cruel' to the Castillian throne. In 1367 Edward led a force into Castille, and his
victory over Pedro's opponents at the Battle of Najera was instrumental in Pedro's reinstatement in 1368. Unfortunately, only Pedro benefited from this endeavor. The campaign
proved taxing on Edward's health, and Pedro failed to honor his commitment to repay Edward's war expenses. As a result, the administration of Aquitaine was nearly bankrupt, and
the Prince's attempts to raise revenue undermined his support among his French nobles. This directly led to the resumption of hositilities between the English and French, with
the French reclaiming much of its territory over the subsequent three years. By 1371 it was clear that the Prince was too ill to continue to rule, and he was recalled to England,
where he surrendered his principality to his father. Edward never fully recovered from these misfortunes or his poor health, and he died in 1376. The premature death of his
illustrious son was a staggering blow to the English king, and triggered a sudden decline in his health and fortunes, leading to his own death a year later.
This coin was part of the first coinage of the Black Prince which comprised the currency of Aquitaine for the years 1362-1368. The obverse type occurs on all three silver
denominations of this coinage, but the exact meaning of such an innovative and novel type is uncertain. At the very least, it is a purely militaristic type, and reflects the
tenor of Edward's time. More interestingly, the portrait on these issues is strikingly similar to depictions of the prince in contemporary paintings - highly unusual in the
Medieval period. The sterling was replaced by the Hardi d'Argent in Edward's second coinage that was struck following a revaluation of the currency of Aquitaine on 1 May 1368
(which probably resulted from the Spanish adventure).
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