Michael Jones

And the French become confident enough to resume the war.

So I think for a brief period, it was a win in that through military prowess, we got a very advantageous settlement.

It's just we weren't able to keep it.

Yes, and the prince, I argue, is not supported fully by his father.

His father is more concerned about Calais and the north of France.

But crucially, the prince also becomes ill, not, I believe, through dysentery, although some of the soldiers in his army succumbed to dysentery in Spain.

But by the autumn of 1368, the prince becomes ill.

It's a long illness.

My own belief is that it's rectal cancer.

So he has periods of extreme weakness where he's stretcher bound and then he makes a partial recovery.

It's very interesting that the behavior of some Gascon nobles is almost like a kind of health check because when the prince is very ill, they're saying,

to the Valois king, Charles V. Actually, I think I'll join you.

You know, maybe pay me a bit of money.

Then they hear the prince is recovering and they say, actually, just hold on a moment.

So it's so much still his personality.

But he is waning in terms of health.

And the military position, Charles V has built up a good financial reserve, something the prince was not very good at.

As you said, he spent a lot of money going over to Spain and coming back again.

The position starts hemorrhaging, and there are a lot of defections.

And that will get us on to Limoges.