At 16, Edward `the Black Prince' played a leading part in the battle of Crecy; at 26 he captured the king of France at Poitiers; and eleven years later he restored Pedro of Castile to his throne at the battle of Najera. Such a heroic career has an air of unreality about it, heightened by the chivalric attitudes of contemporary writers. This selection aims to correct the traditional view of Edward as far as the materials allow, by using reports sent home bythe prince's companions-in-arms, and by looking at the semi-official campaign diaries.