England

Later Years

With the Treaty of audio buttonBrétigny in 1360, Edward appeared to have achieved most of what he wanted. He was not yet king of the French, but things were already unravelling. In the wake of audio buttonPoitiers in 1356, he had demanded a huge portion of France along with an enormous ransom for King Jean, but was unable in 1359 to back it up with another successful invasion. The Treaty was therefore something of a compromise, forced mainly because while the French lacked the resources to resist, the English lacked the money to attack. It was a stalemate between two utterly exhausted fighters.

Edward spent much of the 1360s repairing the damage at home, though France soon enough occupied his attention again. He made the Black Prince ruler of audio buttonAquitaine in 1362 and it was because of the Prince's misrule there that the Hundred Years' War picked up again in 1369.

Over these years, Edward III seems to become more and more isolated. The friends of his youth were passing away, and control at court was passing to a younger generation. Edward became increasingly distrustful of his advisers and spent more and more time with his young mistress. The war went badly for England in the 1370s, but Edward did not take a strong hand in managing it, relying instead on his sons and the friends of his sons.

Then came the death of the Black Prince in 1376. The blow was a heavy one for the old king. He did not last another year. Despite all the good work he had done, he spent the last fifteen years of his life in steady retreat from power, leaving a kingdom broke at home, defeated in the field, and with several contending factions ready to snatch at power upon his death.