History of the English line of succession Prince Louis of France as king. However, with John's death, his barons saw his young son as a safer option. John's eldest son became Henry III, and the French were driven away from the country. On Henry III's death, on 16 November 1272, the throne passed to his eldest son, Edward I. On Edward I's death, on 7 July 1307, the throne passed to his eldest son, Edward II. On the day of Edward II's abdication, 25 January 1327, the throne passed to his eldest son, Edward III. The succession to Edward III was governed according to his entail to
Edward the Black Prince in demolishing a large piece of wall which filled the ditches with its ruins. The town was then stormed, with the inevitable destruction and loss of life. The Victorian historian, William Hunt and author of the Black Prince's biography in the "Dictionary of National Biography" (1889) relying on Froissart as a source wrote that when the bishop (who was the most responsible for the surrender) was brought before the Prince, the Prince told him that his head should be cut off (Lancaster persuaded him not to carry out the deed), but that the city was never the less pillaged and