Case vignette

A man in his 40s, of high socioeconomic status, suffered from a chronic illness for almost 9 years, characterised by relapsing and remitting episodes. He had an extensive travel history, first becoming unwell after returning from Spain. He had previously been in excellent health, highly active, participating in almost continuous military service since the age of 16 and was heralded as the greatest English soldier ever to have lived. After so many years of warfare without being injured, Edward of Woodstock, the Black Prince, died from disease in 1376. His early demise meant that the crown passed directly to his 10-year-old son after the death of King Edward III. This young King, Richard II, was later deposed and murdered, stimulating over a century of instability, including the Wars of the Roses and the rise of the Tudors. Disease—rather than battle injury—has been the biggest killer during warfare for millennia, and in this instance significantly changed the course of English history.