Firstborn son of King Edward III of England, Edward II became protagonist of some of the most important battles of the “Hundred years' war”. Nicknamed “The Black Prince” because of the dark colour of his armour, in 1346 at 16, Edward II flanked his father during the Normandy campaign, which led to the victory of Crecy. The decisive factor for the English success was the use of the longbow as the English soldiers could thus shoot a shower of arrows, piercing the breastplates of the cavalry. The use of the longbow and good military organization led the Black Pince to the successful Battle of Poitiers (1356), where the French were defeated and King John II was taken prisoner. Edward II became Prince of the French territories of Guascogna and Acquitania but soon left for Spain for a new military campaign. The French noblemen rebelled during his absence supported by Charles V King of France, forced Prince Edward to give up his possessions and return to England. He died in 1376, a year before his father's death.