The battle was won by Henry's forces and the Black Prince's Ruby was saved. In the Battle of Agincourt on 25 October 1415, the French Duke of Alençon struck Henry on the head with a battleaxe, and Henry nearly lost both the helmet and his life. It is assumed that the Black Prince took the Ruby back to England at that time, although it disappears from historical records until 1415.ĭuring his campaign in France, Henry V of England wore a gem-encrusted helmet that included the Black Prince's Ruby. He later returned to England with King Pedro's two daughters, Dona Constanza of Castile and Dona Isabel of Castile, and marriages were contracted for them to the Prince's brothers. The revolt was successfully put down and the Black Prince demanded the ruby in exchange for the services he had rendered. Lacking the power to put down the revolt unaided, Don Pedro made an alliance with the Black Prince, the son of Edward III of England.

In 1366, Don Pedro's illegitimate brother, Henry of Trastámara, led a revolt against Don Pedro. When Sa'īd's corpse was searched, the spinel was found and added to Don Pedro's possessions. When Abū Sa'īd met with Don Pedro, the King had Abū Sa'īd's servants killed and may have personally stabbed Sa'īd to death himself. It is recorded that he greatly desired Abū Sa'īd's wealth. What is clear is that Don Pedro welcomed his coming to Seville. According to historical accounts, Abū Sa'īd wished to surrender to Don Pedro, but the conditions he offered were unclear. Abū Sa'īd in particular was confronted by the belligerency of nascent Castile under the rule of Peter of Castile, also known to history as either Don Pedro the Cruel, or Don Pedro the Just. At that time, the rule of Castile was being centralized to Seville and the Moorish Emirate of Granada was being systematically attacked and reverted to Castilian rule as a part of the Christian Reconquest of the Iberian peninsula. The Black Prince's Ruby dates back to the middle of the 14th century as the possession of Abū Sa'īd, the Arab Muslim Prince of the Emirate of Granada. JSTOR ( November 2014) ( Learn how and when to remove this template message).Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.įind sources: 'Black Prince's Ruby' – news Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources in this section. This section needs additional citations for verification.

They both have aluminium, oxygen, and a little chromium, but spinels also have magnesium, which rubies lack. It was not until 1783 that spinels were chemically differentiated from rubies. The stone is believed to have originated from the Badakhshan mines in present day Afghanistan and Tajikistan, the principal source of large spinel gems in the Middle Ages.Īll red gemstones used to be referred to as rubies or 'balas rubies'. It has been in the possession of England's rulers since it was given in 1367 to its namesake, Edward of Woodstock (the 'Black Prince').

The spinel is one of the oldest parts of the Crown Jewels of the United Kingdom, with a history dating back to the middle of the 14th century. The Black Prince's Ruby is a large, irregular cabochon red spinel weighing 170 carats (34 g) set in the cross pattée above the Cullinan II diamond at the front of the Imperial State Crown of the United Kingdom. The gemstone at the front of the Imperial State Crown

Crown with black gems