This is the 3rd instalment of #deanehistory.

John of Bohemia, the son of the Holy Roman Emperor, was also known as John the Blind. He was – and I may have given this away – visually impaired.

He didn’t let this get in the way of his empire building & army leading and, as was the way at the time, in the end all roads led to having a scrap with the English. At Crécy, in 1346.

It is an understatement to say that it was a bad day for the French & their allies. England’s forces, under Edward III and his son the Black Prince, demonstrated the superiority of the longbow in a comprehensive defeat of a much larger force.

By the way, after Crécy the English besieged Calais, resulting in the Pale of Calais, territory in northern France held by England for over two centuries, with MPs in our Parliament & so forth, as well as some seriously good art from Rodin.

John the Blind commanded the advance guard of King Philip VI of France at Crécy.

On hearing that the battle went against them, John ordered two noblemen to tie his mount between theirs and ride him into battle, so that he could fight.

This exceptional bravery struck the hearts of all Englishmen who saw it.

I mean, we killed him, obviously. But we were seriously impressed.

Such was the Black Prince’s admiration for John that, one version of the story goes, he took John’s symbol for his own.

Thus, nigh on 700 years later, we have the three ostrich feathers that are the symbol of the Prince of Wales to this day.

The next time you see a 2p piece, or a Welsh rugby top, you’ll think of John the Blind.