On June 8, 1376, Edward of Woodstock, known as the Black Prince, died at the age of 45, leaving his father King Edward III to outlive him by a year. The Black Prince was one of the most celebrated military commanders of the Hundred Years' War, known for his victories at Crécy and Poitiers, and his death was a profound blow to English morale. His passing left his young son, Richard II, as heir to the throne, setting the stage for political instability in the years to come.

The death of the Black Prince was mourned in contemporary chronicles and elegies, which portrayed him as the ideal chivalric hero and lamented the loss of English martial glory. The Black Prince became a legendary figure in English poetry, celebrated in ballads and later in the works of poets such as Shakespeare, who depicted him as a symbol of noble kingship in his history plays. The prince's death also marked a turning point in English literary culture, as the chivalric ideals he embodied began to give way to more complex and questioning portrayals of war and politics in the poetry of the late 14th century.