dward the Black Prince, who afterward became Richard the
Second, king of England, was born at Bordeaux, in the southwestern
part of France, in the year 1367, in the midst of a scene of great
military bustle and excitement. The circumstances were these.

When peace was finally made between England and France, after the wars
described in the last chapter were over, one of the results of the
treaty which was made was that certain provinces in the southwestern
part of France were ceded to England, and formed into a principality
called Aquitaine, and this principality was placed under the dominion
of the Black Prince. The title of the prince was thenceforth not only
Prince of Wales, but also Prince of Aquitaine. The city of Bordeaux,
near the mouth of the Garonne, as shown by the map,[E] was the chief
city of Aquitaine. There the prince established his court, and
reigned, as it were, for several years in great splendor. The fame
which he had acquired attracted to his court a great number of knights
and nobles from all lands, and whenever a great personage had any
wrongs, real or imaginary, to be redressed, or any political end to
gain which required the force of arms, he was very likely to come to
the Prince of Aquitaine, in order, if possible, to secure his aid.
Prince Edward was rather pleased than otherwise with these
applications, for he loved war much better than peace, and, though he
evinced a great deal of moderation and generosity in his conduct in
the treatment of his vanquished enemies, he was none the less really
excited and pleased with the glory and renown which his victories
gained him.

[Footnote E: See map on page 110.]

About six months before Richard was born, while Edward was living with
the princess, his wife, in Bordeaux, he received an application for
aid from a certain Don Pedro, who claimed to be King of Navarre in
Spain, but who had been expelled from his kingdom by his brother.
There was also a certain James who claimed to be the King of Majorca,
a large island in the Mediterranean Sea, who was in much the same
situation in respect to _his_ kingdom. Prince Edward promised to aid
Don Pedro in recovering his throne, and he forthwith began to make
preparations to this end. He also promised James that, as soon as he
had accomplished the work which he had undertaken for Don Pedro, he
would fit out an expedition to Majorca, and so restore him too to his
kingdom.

The preparations which he made for th