He was born at Woodstock Palace, Oxfordshire in 1330. In 1333 he was made Earl of Chester and created the first Duke of Cornwall on March 13, 1337. In 1343, at the age of thirteen, he was proclaimed Prince of Wales, in his as heir to his father's throne. He was also appointed as a member of the Order of the Garter, created by his father. He was a brilliant military leader, showing his bravery at the age of sixteen at the Battle of Crécy. He also participated in a risky and determined way against the French during the Hundred Years War. After signing a pact with King Carlos II of Navarre, he fought against the armies of Juan II of France.
In the year 1356, participating in the operations of the war against France, Eduardo commanded an army of more than seven thousand soldiers. He led his forces in the fight, achieving a grand victory over the French heavy cavalry at the Battle of Poitiers. In that decisive action, he apprehended King John II of France, whom he took to England as a hostage. With the signing of the Treaty of Brétigny (1360), the King of France regained his freedom by ceding valuable land to the British, and on that occasion his father named him Duke and lieutenant of Guyenne and Aquitaine. Later he moved his residence to Castile, became politically linked to King Pedro I and together they fought against Enrique de Trastámara, an ally of Carlos V of France. In said war his forces won the Battle of Nájera in 1367.
King Pedro I of Castilla (brother of the Infante Don Enrique de Castilla) entered into constant disagreements and a whole series of actions against the Black Prince, because of not paying what was agreed to for giving him armed aid, for which he decided to leave Castilla , leaving only the ungrateful Pedro I in the fight.
On October 10, 1361, in the town of Windsor, he married Countess Juana de Kent, granddaughter of King Edward I. This marriage was for true love, having taken place without the consent of King Edward III -due to the scandal caused by the bigamy of the Countess of Kent-, with the couple having to remain in France until 1371, when they can return to England, already with the sovereign's blessing.