Edward the Black Prince, 1330–76, eldest son of Edward III of England. He was created duke of Cornwall in 1337, the first duke to be created in England, and prince of Wales in 1343. Joining his father in the campaigns of the Hundred Years War, he established his reputation for valor at the battle of Crécy (1346). It was apparently the French who called him the Black Prince, perhaps because he wore black armor; the name was not recorded in England until the 16th cent. In 1355 the prince led an expedition into Aquitaine, and in 1356 he defeated and captured John II of France in the battle of Poitiers. Edward became ruler of the newly created English principality of Aquitaine in 1363 and, with his wife Joan of Kent, maintained a brilliant court at Bordeaux. In 1367 he went to the support of Peter the Cruel of Castile and temporarily restored him to his throne by the victory of Nájera. However, the expenses of the war compelled Edward to levy a tax in Aquitaine that was protested by his nobles and by Charles V of France on their behalf. War with Charles resulted, and the prince, though ill, directed the capture and burning of Limoges (1370) with needless massacre of the citizens. By 1372 his bad health forced him to resign his principalities, leaving his brother, John of Gaunt, to attempt the impossible task of holding them for England. The aging Edward III had relaxed his hold on the government, and the Black Prince, aware that he would not live to succeed his father, tried to strengthen the hand of the clerical party against John of Gaunt so that the accession of his son (later Richard II) would be assured. To that end he supported (and possibly directed) the proceedings of the so-called Good Parliament of 1376, which, among other things, impeached two followers of John of Gaunt and removed Alice Perrers, the king's mistress, from court. The Black Prince died shortly thereafter.
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Fue el que llevo el Rubi de 170 kilates, joya principal de la corona, a Inglaterra en pago por sus servicios a Pedro el Cruel de Castilla. El rubi, ahora se sabe, es en realidad un Spinel.

Breathtaking, all consuming and at times overwhelming, The Black Prince Ruby rests proudly at the center of the British Imperial State Crown and is arguably one of the most prized gemstones in the world. Out-shining other gems and diamonds in the British Royal Collection, this magnificent red gemstone, 170 Carats in weight, glows with an enigmatic fire all of its very own.

Without a doubt, the true story of The Black Prince Ruby would make a gripping Hollywood movie. Back in the early 1300’s, Southern Spain was ruled by a group of idle corrupt monarchs. Abu Said was then Prince of Granada and Don Pedro the Cruel presided over nearby Seville. One crisp spring morning the pair had a small difference of opinion over the size of Don Pedro’s oranges, so the Prince Abu Said was slain, his crown claimed and the phenomenal 170 Carat ruby he owned changed address to begin a new life in Seville.

In 1366 Don Pedro’s brother mounted a major attack on him in the hope of seizing his assets. With help from the armies of The Black Prince, the son of English King Edward III, Don Pedro the Cruel was able to overcome his brother’s treacherous attack. After which, The Black Prince demanded Don Pedro’s prize red jewel as payment for his assistance and so the gemstone changed hands once more, taking on its new name in the process.

Exactly how the glowing red orb arrived in England is unknown, but the super-ruby reappeared on the royal battlefield at Agincourt in 1415 in a bejeweled helmet worn by King Henry V. The helmet saved the King‚Äôs life when the French Duke of Alencon, perhaps inflamed by a remark made by Henry about the shape of the Frenchman’s onions, brought his battle axe crashing down onto the helmet, almost destroying it in the process. Luckily both the king and his helmet survived the war, and the mighty red ruby remained in English hands.