There’s rarely time to write about every cool science story that comes our way. That’s why we’re posting a special Twelve Days of Christmas series of posts again this year, highlighting one science story every day from December 25 to January 5 that fell through the cracks in 2022. Today: A military historian argues that Edward the Black Prince died of malaria and inflammatory bowel disease – not chronic dysentery, as previously believed.
Known as the Black Prince, Edward of Woodstock was a formidable warrior of the mid-14th century who emerged from multiple battles relatively unscathed – only to be struck down by illness at the relatively young age of 45. Historians have long believed he died of chronic dysentery, but James Robert Anderson, a military historian with 21 Engineer Regiment, believes the Black Prince was more likely brought down by malaria or an inflammatory bowel disease. He and his co-authors made their case in a short December paper published in the journal BMJ Military Health.
“There are several infections or inflammatory conditions that may have led to his death,” Anderson said et al. wrote. “These could be malaria, brucellosis, inflammatory bowel disease or long-term complications of acute dysentery. However, chronic dysentery is probably unlikely.”
As we previously reported, Edward of Woodstock was King Edward III’s eldest son and heir apparent. He was schooled in philosophy and logic and well-trained in the art of warfare—skills that came in handy during this particular period of the Hundred Years’ War, when invasion by the French was a constant threat.
Edward’s first foray into battle was at the forefront of the famous Battle of Crécy in 1346, when he was only 16. Beset by a dangerous counter-attack, the young knight sent word to his father asking for reinforcements. Edward III declined the request, insisting that he wanted his son to “prove his mark” in battle. The young prince was victorious and embarked on an impressive military career. One of his greatest victories was the Battle of Poitiers in 1356, where he and his men routed the French army and captured King John II of France.
Historians disagree on how he was called the Black Prince. The first known reference to Edward as the Black Prince is in two manuscript notes by the 16th-century 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 (circa 1595). So by the end of the 16th century, the nickname was well established.
A popular theory is that Edward wore black armor in battle; there is one French account describing him as clothed and armure noir en fer bruni (“in black armor of polished steel”). But beyond that, the evidence for this is sparse. The other hypothesis is that the name derives from Edward’s well-documented reputation for brutality in battle. In England, of course, he was praised as the epitome of noble chivalry, but the French in Aquitaine had a completely different opinion.
Edward’s health deteriorated rapidly when he returned to England in 1371. He died on June 8, 1376 at the Palace of Westminster. Historians have long argued that he suffered from violent dysentery and sometimes passed out from the attacks. There are stories of dysentery going all the way back to Hippocrates, sometimes called the “bloody flux” 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 killed several monarchs: Henry the Younger 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 arose after his victory at the Battle of Najera in early summer in 1367, the authors said. Historical accounts indicate that as many as 80 percent of Edward’s army died of dysentery and other diseases, having endured considerable hardship and starvation during the campaign. He is described in 1370 as “lying sick in his bed” and is to be carried in a palanquin to lead the siege of Limoges. He had recovered enough to board a ship for his last military campaign in 1372, but does not appear to have been active during 1374-1375, suggesting that his symptoms may have recurred.
National Library of France
Amoebic dysentery often leads to chronic complications such as colitis, toxic megacolon, and colonic ulcers, which would be consistent with Edward’s recurrent illness and long-term decline. But Anderson et al. claiming that he was unlikely to have come aboard that ship in 1372 with chronic dysentery, citing a 2009 review article that suggested a fistula, nephritis, or cirrhosis (or a combination thereof) as alternative diagnoses. Complications of acute however, dysentery could fit.
Other possibilities include dropsy, known today as a swelling under the skin (edema), often related to liver, heart or kidney failure, but Anderson et al. think Edward was unlikely to survive several years without treatment. It is more likely that dehydration from the Spanish campaign led to kidney stones. Inflammatory bowel disease also fits the pattern of the Black Prince’s disease, especially if it led to a painful fistula.
Alternatively, Edward may have suffered from brucellosis, a bacterial infection usually contracted from eating unpasteurized dairy products or raw meat, resulting in 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 anaemia, fatigue and increased susceptibility to infection) could lead to multiple organ failure.
Regardless of the cause of death, Edward’s untimely passing changed the course of English history, causing 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 deposed in 1399 by the exiled Henry Bolingbroke – son of the Black Prince’s younger brother, John of Gaunt, and another grandson of Edward III – who became Henry IV. The 15th century brought the Wars of the Roses, in which infighting between two branches of the House of Plantagenet (Lancaster and York) essentially wiped out male heirs in both lines, leading to the rise of the House of Tudor.
“Even in modern conflict and war zones, disease has caused tremendous morbidity and loss of life, something that has been consistent for centuries,” Anderson said. et al. closed. “Efforts to protect and treat deployed troops are as important now as they were in the 1370s.”
DOI: BMJ Military Health, 2022. 10.1136/military-2022-002282 (About DOIs).
