Prince Edward of Woodstock, who came from the Plantagenet family, is considered one of the great military leaders in English history and is still nicknamed “the Black Prince”. But although the heir to the throne was never wounded in battle, he died in 1376 at the age of 45 after nine years of intermittent illness before he could become king. For a long time, amoebic dysentery was considered a possible cause of the prince’s death, but researchers now disagree.
The “Black Prince” Edward of Woodstock was born in 1330 as the eldest son of King Edward III. and his wife Philippa. As heir to the Plantagenet dynasty, Prince Edward learned horseback riding, fighting and chivalrous behavior at an early age. At 15 he accompanied his father on a campaign to Flanders for the first time, at 16 he was knighted and from then on took command of various troops of the king. His success as a leader, especially in the war against France, was so great that the young prince quickly gained a reputation as a heroic, skilful and yet knightly general and warrior.
Mysterious death at just 45 years old
But the heir to the throne’s brilliant career came to a premature end: he died on June 8, 1376 at the age of 45 before he could become king. With the death of Prince Edward, English history took a momentous turn. After the death of his father just a year later, Edward’s only ten-year-old son became King of England as Richard II. His position of weakness led to a war of succession among the descendants of Edward III, which ultimately sparked the nearly 30-year War of the Roses between the houses of York and Lancaster.
However, the cause of the Black Prince’s death was not an injury in battle, but a long-lasting illness that periodically recurred over a period of nine years, the nature and cause of which remains a mystery to this day. “Most reports of the Black Prince’s death suggest that he died of chronic diarrhea, probably from amoebic dysentery,” report three military experts and medics led by James Robert Anderson of the 21st Regiment of Engineers in Britain. This disease, common in medieval Europe, is caused by parasitic amoebas and can cause persistent diarrhea, bleeding intestinal ulcers, and life-threatening abscesses of the liver and other organs.
Recurrent rather than chronic
By reviewing historical sources and medical case descriptions, Anderson and his team have now reopened the Black Prince’s case. “It is believed that Edward’s illness began after his victory at the Battle of Najera in 1367,” the researchers report. The Black Prince and his army were resting near the northern Spanish city of Valladollid, where, according to contemporary reports, they were suffering from heat, hunger and thirst. “One chronicle suggests that up to 80 percent of the Prince’s army died at the time from dysentery and other diseases,” the scientists said.
However, historical documents show that the prince was still too ill in 1370 to take part in the siege of Limoges on horseback – he directed his troops from a palanquin. In 1372, however, he seemed to be doing much better, because he boarded a ship to take part in a final campaign in France. “But if the prince was indeed suffering from chronic diarrhea, then it would be questionable whether he was fit enough to embark and whether he would even have been welcome on board,” explain Anderson and his colleagues. In their opinion, the indications of a more sporadic and periodic aggravation of the disease do not match amoebic dysentery.
Malaria, brucellosis or similar
But then what was it? One possibility is that the Black Prince contracted malaria in Spain. This tropical disease, caused by the protozoa Plasmodium vivax, was also quite common in southern Europe at the time. An infestation typically leads to recurrent bouts of fever with muscle pain, weakness, intestinal problems, anemia, and an increased susceptibility to serious infections such as pneumonia, which can lead to death. ‘The malaria would be consistent with the fluctuating nature of his illness and also the progressive debilitation towards the end of his life,’ the scientists explain. Because in the last two years of his life, Prince Edward hardly left his home in Woodstock.
According to the researchers, other diseases characterized by recurring flare-ups would also be conceivable, including brucellosis caused by bacteria, which is transmitted, among other things, by consuming contaminated dairy products or meat. Paratyphoid, inflammatory bowel disease or recurring kidney stones are also possible. “Ultimately, multiple infections or inflammatory syndromes are possible causes of death for the Black Prince. However, amoebic dysentery is unlikely,” the scientists conclude.
Source: BMJ, Article: BMJ Military Health, doi: 10.1136/military-2022-002282