House of Plantagenet
Encyclopedia
The House of Plantagenet (icon ), a branch of the Angevins, was a royal house
founded by Geoffrey V of Anjou, father of Henry II of England
. Plantagenet kings first ruled the Kingdom of England
in the 12th century. Their paternal ancestors originated in the French province of Gâtinais
and gained the County of Anjou through marriage during the 11th century. The dynasty accumulated several other holdings, building the Angevin Empire
that at its peak stretched from the Pyrenees to Ireland and the border with Scotland.
In total fifteen Plantagenet monarchs, including those belonging to cadet branch
es, ruled England from 1154 until 1485. The senior branch ruled from Henry II of England until the deposition of Richard II of England
in 1399. After that a junior branch, the House of Lancaster
, ruled for some fifty years before clashing over control of England with another branch, the House of York
, in a civil war known as the Wars of the Roses
. After three ruling Lancastrian monarchs the crown passed to three Yorkist monarchs, the last of whom, Richard III
, was killed in battle during 1485. The legitimate male line went extinct with the execution of Richard's nephew, Edward, Earl of Warwick
in 1499. However an illegitimate scion, Arthur Plantagenet, Viscount Lisle
, was active at the court of Henry VIII of England
. Several illegitimate lines persist, including the Dukes of Beaufort.
A distinctive English culture and art
emerged during the Plantagenet era, encouraged by some of the monarchs who were patrons of the "father of English poetry", Geoffrey Chaucer
. The Gothic architecture
style was popular during the time, with buildings such as Westminster Abbey
and York Minster
remodelled in that style. There were also lasting developments in the social sector, such as John of England
's sealing of the Magna Carta
. This was influential in the development of constitutional law
. Political institutions such as the Parliament of England
and the Model Parliament
originate from the Plantagenet period, as do educational institutions including the universities of Cambridge and Oxford.
The eventful political climate of the day saw the Hundred Years' War
, where the Plantagenets battled with the House of Valois for control of the Kingdom of France
, and the War of the Roses. Some of the Plantagenet kings were renowned as warriors: Henry V of England
left his mark with a famous victory against larger numbers at the Battle of Agincourt
, and Richard the Lionheart had earlier distinguished himself in the Third Crusade
; he was later romanticised as an iconic figure in English folklore
.
, father of both Edward IV
and Richard III
, assumed the name about 1448.
The Plantagenets are also called Angevins in reference to their progenitors' positions as Counts of Anjou, once an autonomous county in northern France. The male line descends from a Count of Gâtinais
who married an heiress to the county. Her Anjou ancestors derived from an obscure 9th-century nobleman, Ingelger
. It is due to this lineage that the Plantagenets are sometimes referred to as the First House of Anjou. One of the more notable counts was Fulk
, a crusader
who became King of Jerusalem. Fulk's son Geoffrey Plantagenet gave his name to the dynasty and Fulk's grandson Henry
was the first of the family to rule England.
Henry claimed the English throne through his mother, the Empress Matilda
, who had been named as heir by her father Henry I of England
. Matilda's brother William Adelin
died in the wreck of the White Ship
, leaving Matilda to be her father's only surviving legitimate child. After Henry's death in 1135 Matilda's cousin Stephen of Blois
had enough support from the Anglo-Norman
nobility to have himself crowned instead. Matilda gained support from her illegitimate half-brother, Robert, 1st Earl of Gloucester
, and a tightly-fought civil war known as The Anarchy
ensued. The balance swayed both ways during the war; Matilda gained control at one point and carried the title "Lady of the English" but when Stephen besieged her in Oxford Castle
she escaped and fled to Anjou
. Unrest and instability continued throughout Stephen's reign. Geoffrey managed to place the Duchy of Normandy
under Angevin control in 1141 but did not show interest in campaigning across the English Channel.
legend. For example, Gerald wrote in his De instructione principis
of "a certain countess of Anjou" who rarely attended mass and one day flew away, never to be seen again. A similar story was attached to Eleanor of Aquitaine
in the thirteenth century romance Richard Coeur-de-lion. Gerald also presents a list of sins committed by Geoffrey V and Henry II
as further evidence of their "corrupt" origins.
According to Gerald these legends were not always discouraged by the Angevins. Richard the Lionheart was said to have often remarked of his family that they "come of the devil, and to the devil they would go." A similar statement is attributed to St Bernard
regarding Henry II. Henry II's sons reportedly defended their frequent infighting by saying "Do not deprive us of our heritage; we cannot help acting like devils." The legends surrounding the Angevins grew into English folklore and led some historians to give them the epithet "The Devil's Brood".
Matilda's son, the future King Henry II of England
, became a skilled military tactician and arrived in England to pursue his family claim to the throne. By his marriage to Eleanor of Aquitaine
the Duchy of Aquitaine had become part of the Plantagenets' vast land holdings in the emerging Angevin Empire
. After arriving in England, Henry came to an agreement with Stephen and in November 1153 they signed the Treaty of Wallingford
recognising Henry as heir to Stephen's throne. Scholars regard Henry's reign as energetic with effective government. Henry overhauled the English judicial system, restoring royal authority to replace the manipulated feudal law of barons who had undermined Stephen's reign. The system and reforms put in place by Henry restored law and order to create a self-standing system which used competent government clerks and sheriffs
. It could operate smoothly with common law
prevailing even if the king was absent or less skilled monarchs reigned.
When in 1166 Dermot MacMurrough, King of Leinster, was chased out of his lands by Tiernan O'Rourke on behalf of Rory O'Connor
, High King of Ireland
, he asked Henry for help. Henry allowed MacMurrough enough soldiers to constitute a Norman invasion of Ireland
, restoring MacMurrough to Leinster and inserting Henry's son John
as Lord of Ireland. Henry also recovered Northumberland
and Cumbria
, which had been taken from England during the reigns of Malcolm II
and David I
of Scotland. Henry's first son, William, died at age two. His second son, also named Henry, was crowned coregent at the age of fifteen and was known thereafter as Henry the Young King
. The coronation was performed by the Archbishop of York
. This angered Thomas Becket
, the Archbishop of Canterbury
and a former close friend of Henry. Knight
s killed Becket after Henry asked, "Who would rid me of this turbulent priest?" The Pope thereupon excommunicated the King. Henry regretted his friend's death and exhibited a penance in public: walking barefoot into Canterbury Cathedral
and there allowing monks to scourge him. His excommunication was rescinded.
In his will Henry envisaged a situation similar to a federal monarchy for the Plantagenet Empire. He planned that his four sons would inherit different parts: England, Normandy and Anjou for the younger Henry, Aquitaine for Richard
, Brittany for Geoffrey
and Ireland for John. Each would preside over a separate monarchy. Under the leadership of his son Henry the Young King, who wanted more power during Henry II's lifetime, his wife and sons rebelled in the Revolt of 1173–1174. The rebels drew support from the king of France, Henry's cousin the king of Scotland, and English barons. Despite being attacked on various different fronts, Henry II and his loyalists fought a defensive campaign that humiliated all their enemies. Led by Ranulf de Glanvill, Henry's men captured William I of Scotland
at the Battle of Alnwick
, but allowed him to swear fealty
to Henry at York Castle
. Henry the Young King instigated another rebellion against his father in 1183 but during this he died of dysentery.
Richard the Lionheart, as Henry II's third son would later be known, became monarch in 1189. Richard did not focus on local governance as his father did and rarely spent time in England. Rather, he built up a reputation as a great military leader and warrior for his efforts in the Third Crusade
, achieving considerable victories against his Muslim counterpart Saladin
. For a time Richard was Lord of Cyprus
but sold the island in 1192 to Guy of Lusignan
, whose wife was Richard's second cousin. Since his death Richard has been romanticised in English folklore
. His name remains synonymous with bravery and courage.
His brother John of England
, nicknamed Lackland (because he was the fifth son and there had originally been no lands left for him to inherit) succeeded the throne in 1199 and eventually inherited the entirety of his family's holdings. Geoffrey would have been next in line but had died in 1186. His son Arthur
, formerly Richard's designated heir, inherited Anjou. On Arthur's behalf Philip II of France
clashed with John to control the Plantagenet territories in the European mainlands and even supported Arthur's claim to the English crown. However, John had Arthur killed and Eleanor
, sister of Arthur, imprisoned for life. The Norman and Angevin lords rebelled against Plantagenet rule and John lost much of the continent to the House of Capet
, a process solidified by defeat at the Battle of Bouvines
. John also had to deal with rebellion in England and was forced by barons to place his seal upon the Magna Carta
in 1215 to limit his power. That is regarded as an early first step in the evolution of modern democracy. As John failed to abide by this document signed under duress, the First Barons' War
broke out with the barons inviting an invasion by Prince Louis
, son of King Philip II of France and also a grandson-in-law of Henry II. The barons switched their allegiance back to the Plantagenets when John died in 1216 and his son Henry III
succeeded him.
and Hubert de Burgh dominated the early years of his reign. Henry made unsuccessful attempts to regain Plantagenet land in northern France. He handed out various honours to foreigners related to his wife, Eleanor of Provence
, which aggravated the local nobility. The Provisions of Oxford
were imposed on the king by barons led by Simon de Montfort
, setting up a council of fifteen nobles to help govern the country. Henry reasserted himself and the Second Barons' War
began. At the Battle of Lewes
, de Montfort captured Henry's son Prince Edward
and assumed a role as de facto ruler of the nation until royalists won the war at the Battle of Evesham
. It was during this period that the Parliament of England
originated. Henry was passionate about aesthetics and had many of England's buildings such as Westminster Abbey
and York Minster
re-built in the Gothic
style. The reign of Edward I
, nicknamed Longshanks due to his tall height, saw much legislative activity and improvements in the administration of the judiciary
that would last almost unchanged for centuries. Due to this he is sometimes called "The English Justinian
", a reference to the Byzantine Emperor.
Edward clashed with Llywelyn ap Gruffydd
, who directly ruled the Kingdom of Gwynedd
while other parts of the Principality of Wales
were English-controlled Marcher Lordships existing since Norman times. Llywelyn refused to pay homage
or attend Edward's coronation; thus in 1277 the two men went to war. Edward was quickly victorious and the Treaty of Aberconwy
was issued. Llywelyn and his brother Dafydd ap Gruffudd broke the treaty and continued to attack. Edward was again victorious but this time the Principality of Wales was seized and Edward's son, also named Edward
, was crowned Prince of Wales
.
After Edward's brother-in-law Alexander III of Scotland
died leaving Margaret, Maid of Norway
, as his sole heir, her marriage to Edward, Prince of Wales
was proposed to foster an alliance that would make Scotland a Plantagenet holding within the next generation. The death of seven-year-old Margaret on the voyage from her native Norway to Scotland opened the way to various competitors for the Scottish throne
. Edward was asked to arbitrate and chose the hereditarily-superior John Balliol while claiming for himself the role of feudal overlord. Balliol later betrayed Edward by setting up the Auld Alliance
with France and the Wars of Scotland
began. Edward's effective campaign led to the capture of the Stone of Scone
coronation stone and the defeat of William Wallace
at the Battle of Falkirk
. Edward died at Burgh by Sands
on the way to fight Robert I of Scotland
, never having solidified his claim to Scotland.
Edward I's son and successor Edward II of England
was the polar opposite of his warrior statesman father. Edward II's reign was largely unpopular for several reasons; he was regarded as a poor general and lost out in Scotland to Robert I at the Battle of Bannockburn
. He also angered nobility by giving large sums of money and gifts to favourites such as Piers Gaveston
. This annoyed the barons to the extent that they rallied around Edward's cousin Thomas, Earl of Lancaster, and had Gaveston murdered. Another favourite and rumoured homosexual lover of the king, Hugh Despenser, was further cause of conflict. Edward defeated his cousin Thomas at the resulting Battle of Boroughbridge
and had him executed in 1322.
Edward's downfall came when his wife Isabella of France
and her baronial lover Roger Mortimer set out to depose the king with the help of Henry, Earl of Lancaster
, brother of the executed Earl Thomas. In defeat Edward agreed to abdicate the throne in favour of his and Isabella's son, Edward III of England
. Edward II was subsequently moved to Berkeley Castle
as a prisoner where he is believed to have remained for five months before being murdered on 11 October 1327. After four years of court control by his mother and her lover, the eighteen-year-old Edward III staged a revolt and had Mortimer executed. He overturned the Treaty of Northampton and supported Edward Balliol
's claim to Scotland against king David II
of the House of Bruce
. The Plantagenet-backed campaign was a success
for Balliol, resulting in David's capture at the Battle of Neville's Cross
; he spent some time in the Tower of London
before signing the Treaty of Berwick
and paying a large ransom for his release. David's invasion into northern England had been under the terms of the Auld Alliance
with the House of Valois of France.
The right of succession to the House of Capet
fell into dispute when the three sons of Philip IV of France
all died without having produced male issue aside from John
, son of Louis X
, who lived for only five days (a sister of John was ignored in the resulting disputes). Edward III of England, as son of Philip IV's daughter and sole remaining child, Isabella of France
, claimed the French throne. However Philip VI
of the House of Valois, a more distantly related Capetian cadet branch, invoked Salic law
to deny the right of inheritance to the French throne to pass to or through any female, and was crowned King of France.
Philip confiscated the Duchy of Aquitaine from Edward III for "disobedience" and Edward decided to pursue his claim to the entire Kingdom of France
with force; thus began the Hundred Years' War
between the Plantagenets and Valois. The Hundred Years' War took place over three periods in time. The Plantagenets were particularly successful in the first of these, the Edwardian War, 1337–1360, their victories in battles at Crécy
and Poitiers
leading to the Treaty of Brétigny
.
In spite of having to deal with the Black Death
during his reign, Edward was able to make vital developments in legislature and government. In England his reign developed a strong sense of national identity
due partly to the ongoing wars. He founded the chivalric Order of the Garter
which essentially saw nationalisation of the aristocracy. His later years were less successful in comparison, with political problems at home and renewed problems with Valois. The death of Valois' John II
in English captivity during 1364 instigated the rise of Charles V of France
with his capable allies, and the second period of the Hundred Years' War known as the Caroline War broke out. In this the Plantagenets were led by Edward's sons Edward, the Black Prince
and John of Gaunt. The Black Prince died in 1376 of an illness which may have been cancer, and Edward III himself died of a stroke the following year, having suffered an illness caused by an abscess.
Upon the deaths of his father Edward the Black Prince and grandfather Edward III, 10-year-old Richard II of England
succeeded to the throne. The Parliamentary House of Commons
feared the political decisions Richard's uncle John of Gaunt might exercise were he to be made regent, and so they created an environment in which a series of councils could control politics.
The continuing Hundred Years' War with Valois was an expensive venture and a poll tax
covering 60% of the population was levied three times to finance it. The 1381 tax cost one shilling for each person over 15 and proved particularly unpopular. This was one of the main reasons behind the Great Rising of 1381
. In spite of being only fourteen at the time, Richard showed considerable statesmanship qualities in riding out on horseback to meet with the rebel leaders.
Due to the king's dependence on a small number of courtiers, governance was taken over by a group known as the Lords Appellant
in 1389. Richard regained control the same year and after eight years of relative harmony decided to take revenge on the appellants, executing some and exiling others. After John of Gaunt died the king disinherited his son, Henry of Bolingbroke, who had previously been exiled. Henry invaded England in June 1399 with a small force that quickly grew in numbers. Meeting little resistance he deposed Richard to have himself crowned Henry IV of England
. Richard died in captivity early the next year; he was probably murdered.
. Edmund and his brother Roger were just children when Henry took the throne and though he kept them in custody he treated them honourably despite the threat of rebellion they could eventually pose.
Henry IV had to deal with rebellions in Wales under Owain Glyndŵr
and in England. A falling out between the king and Henry Percy, Earl of Northumberland
resulted in the Percy Rebellion and the Battle of Bramham Moor
. Henry's wife Joanna of Navarre was accused of practising necromancy
(and convicted of witchcraft in 1419, during Henry V's reign). This exacerbated the declining support for the Lancastrians. The Archbishop of York, Richard le Scrope
, was executed after another rebellion, further diminishing support, and many saw it as a punishment from God when Henry was later struck down with leprosy and epilepsy. Henry was so ill during his last two years as king that his son and heir Henry of Monmouth
took up the majority of royal responsibilities.
Henry V of England
was a soldier from age 14 and a commander at the Battle of Shrewsbury
at age 16. He crushed the Southampton Plot
in 1415 and proved to be the warrior-statesman archetype of his ancestors. Henry desired the ancestral Plantagenet lands of the Duchy of Normandy
and County of Anjou
, earlier confiscated by Valois. He first attempted this diplomatically by suggesting that he and Charles VI of France
's daughter Catherine of Valois
should marry. The rejection of this proposal began the third part of the Hundred Years War, the Lancastrian War (1415–1429). Two political purposes lay behind this war for Henry, to gain land and to unite his cousins under a common cause in the hopes of dissuading further rebellion at home. Henry presented himself as a chaste and pious king, which was a relief to the masses after his father's reign. At the Battle of Agincourt
Henry led his vastly outnumbered men to a famous victory. The Plantagenets allied with the Duchy of Burgundy
despite Duke Philip the Good being of a Valois cadet branch. The Plantagenets took back Normandy as well as Picardy
and much of the Île-de-France
. A settlement was reached with the Treaty of Troyes
in which it was agreed that not only would Catherine marry Henry but Charles VI would pass over his own son to name Henry the heir to the French crown. Henry died of dysentery in 1422 at Bois de Vincennes
, two months before he was to be crowned King of France.
The nine-month-old baby Henry VI of England
was crowned King of England on 31 August 1422 and king of France on 21 October the same year and was to actually reign, rather than simply claim to be king of France as had many Plantagenet monarchs during the Hundred Years' War. As he was still a child, during the early years of his reign his kinsmen, John, Duke of Bedford, Humphrey, Duke of Gloucester
and Henry Beaufort, were regents. The rise of Joan of Arc
and of the Valois claimant to France, Charles VII
, sparked a continuation of the Lancastrian War. Between 1449 and 1453 the territories of Brittany, Normandy, and Gascony were lost, leaving the Plantagenets with only the Pale of Calais
on Europe's mainland.
In England the government became increasingly unpopular due to the losses, breakdown in law and order, and corruption. Henry had a mental breakdown
in 1453 and while he was suffering this illness his cousin Richard Plantagenet, Duke of York was named regent and Protector of the Realm. Richard benefited from influential allies such as Richard Neville, Earl of Warwick. Richard had a legitimist claim to the throne as senior descendant of Lionel, Duke of Clarence, elder brother of Henry's great-grandfather John of Gaunt. What separated Richard from past potential legitimists was that he united this claim with his Plantagenet paternal line through his grandfather Edmund, Duke of York, a younger brother of Lionel and John. By the time Henry had regained his senses a movement in favour of Richard, known as the Yorkists
, had emerged. Henry himself was trusting and not a man of war. He was more interested in his foundation projects of educational institutions such as Eton College
. However, Henry's wife Margaret of Anjou
was more assertive, showing open enmity toward Richard. From these events a civil war for the English throne known as the Wars of the Roses
began.
The first phase of conflict took place between 1455–1460. The Yorkists were victorious at the First Battle of St Albans
and attempts were made to reconcile differences. Margaret resisted attempts to have her son Edward of Westminster
disinherited and Richard was forced to return to Ireland as a lieutenant. Hostilities picked up again after the Duke of York returned and the war continued. At the Battle of Northampton
Henry was found abandoned in a tent experiencing another mental breakdown. The Act of Accord
was agreed in which it was outlined that Henry would remain as monarch for his lifetime but Richard and his descendants would succeed him. The conflict continued because Margaret and the Lancastrian supporters found this unacceptable. Richard was slain at the Battle of Wakefield
and his head set on display at Micklegate Bar, York
.. His son Edmund, Earl of Rutland
and Richard Neville, Earl of Salisbury
were captured and beheaded by the Lancastrians. Another son, Edward, Earl of March
, took up the cause. Margaret formed an alliance with Mary of Guelders, Queen of Scots
against the Yorkists and the Scottish army pillaged its way down to southern England. London's gates remained closed to the Scottish army after hearing of the plundering and the capital city enthusiastically welcomed Edward when the Yorkists arrived. The people demanded that he be made king, which was quickly confirmed by the Parliament of England
and he was unofficially crowned Edward IV of England
at Westminster Abbey
. After a battle at Towton
, Edward's official coronation in the capital city took place in June 1461.
Edward was involved in governance far more directly than his predecessor. Though he had helped Edward come to power and wished to influence him, Warwick the Kingmaker was deeply unhappy at the new king's marriage with Elizabeth Woodville
. Edward's family was also unhappy with this, leading his mother to declare him a bastard and his brother George, Duke of Clarence to revolt. After a counter-rebellion, Edward defeated Warwick who eventually entered into a pact with the Lancastrians. In late 1470, Warwick helped the Lancastrians depose the Yorkists and Henry VI returned briefly to the throne. Edward and his loyal brother, Richard, Duke of Gloucester
, took refuge in Burgundy until the following year when they returned to England. George, Duke of Clarence, switched sides at the Battle of Barnet
, leading to Warwick's death and Edward's restoration. After his restoration, Edward returned some stability with heavy personal control in government. He signed a peace treaty with France
on favourable terms, tightened management of royal revenues, paid for the country's administration with Crown Estate
profits, and patronised William Caxton
who set up England's first printing press. Edward's son was crowned Edward V of England
at age 12. The protectorship of the young king and his brother Richard of Shrewsbury
was entrusted to their uncle Richard, Duke of Gloucester, who was suspicious of the influential Woodville faction who he blamed for the death of his brother George.
In 1483 the Parliament of England issued a statute known as "Titulus Regius
" declaring the children of Edward IV illegitimate and thus passing the crown to Richard III of England
. This was due to evidence presented by Ralph Shaa
that Edward had entered contract to marry Lady Eleanor Talbot
before he married Elizabeth Woodville, making his marriage to Elizabeth invalid and their issue bastards. The two boys became the Princes in the Tower
, the Tower of London
being a royal residence at the time. Their ultimate fate is unknown and suspicion has fallen on Richard. Richard had a strong power base in the North of England and founded the Council of the North
to improve governance there. He also founded the College of Arms
office of heraldry
. The king's son and heir Edward of Middleham, Prince of Wales
, died before him in 1484. Henry Tudor
, a Welshman who was grandson of the former Queen, Margaret of Anjou, and maternally descended from John of Gaunt took up leadership of the House of Lancaster and landed at Milford Haven
in the Principality of Wales
to invade with an army of foreign mercenaries. The invasion culminated at the Battle of Bosworth Field
. There Richard was betrayed when Henry Percy, Earl of Northumberland
, and Lord Stanley refused to send in troops. Side by side with his loyal commanders John, Duke of Norfolk
and Sir William Catesby, Richard fought until the end and was killed in action. The crown passed to the House of Tudor with the coronation of Henry VII of England
beginning the Tudor era.
, oldest daughter and heir of Edward IV. The white
and red roses
were merged together to form the Tudor rose
, intended to symbolise rapprochement and the consolidation of the Tudor dynasty. In fact, the Wars of the Roses and Yorkist attempts at restoration would continue. The Battle of Stoke Field
took place the following year. Gerald Fitzgerald, Earl of Kildare
in Ireland and John de la Pole, Earl of Lincoln
in England (a Yorkist by maternal bloodline) supported the claim of Edward Plantagenet, Earl of Warwick
, under the guise of Lambert Simnel
who was sent to Ireland by Margaret, Duchess of Burgundy
and presented as the escaped prince. As a paternal Plantagenet and son of George, Duke of Clarence
, Edward had a strong claim to the throne but rumours abounded that he had died in the Tower of London. This Yorkist attempt failed with thin support outside of the Irish and Flemish, though Henry VII was merciful to young Simnel and gave him a job in the royal household.
When Henry VII executed Edward, the Earl of Warwick
in 1499, the House of Plantagenet went extinct in the legitimate male line. Margaret Pole
, the Earl of Warwick's sister and last legitimate Plantagenet, was executed for treason by Henry VIII in 1541. Edward IV's illegitimate son Arthur Plantagenet, 1st Viscount Lisle
was a member of Henry VIII's court until he was arrested and charged with treason in 1540. He was cleared of the treason charges but just before he was to be released from the Tower of London in 1542 he suffered a heart attack and died.
Royal House
A royal house or royal dynasty consists of at least one, but usually more monarchs who are related to one another, as well as their non-reigning descendants and spouses. Monarchs of the same realm who are not related to one another are usually deemed to belong to different houses, and each house is...
founded by Geoffrey V of Anjou, father of Henry II of England
Henry II of England
Henry II ruled as King of England , Count of Anjou, Count of Maine, Duke of Normandy, Duke of Aquitaine, Duke of Gascony, Count of Nantes, Lord of Ireland and, at various times, controlled parts of Wales, Scotland and western France. Henry, the great-grandson of William the Conqueror, was the...
. Plantagenet kings first ruled the Kingdom of England
Kingdom of England
The Kingdom of England was, from 927 to 1707, a sovereign state to the northwest of continental Europe. At its height, the Kingdom of England spanned the southern two-thirds of the island of Great Britain and several smaller outlying islands; what today comprises the legal jurisdiction of England...
in the 12th century. Their paternal ancestors originated in the French province of Gâtinais
Gâtinais
Gâtinais was a province of France, containing the area around the valley of the Loing, corresponding roughly to the northeastern part of the départment of Loiret, and the south of the present departments Seine-et-Marne. Under the Bourbons, the Gâtinais had already been divided between the...
and gained the County of Anjou through marriage during the 11th century. The dynasty accumulated several other holdings, building the Angevin Empire
Angevin Empire
The term Angevin Empire is a modern term describing the collection of states once ruled by the Angevin Plantagenet dynasty.The Plantagenets ruled over an area stretching from the Pyrenees to Ireland during the 12th and early 13th centuries, located north of Moorish Iberia. This "empire" extended...
that at its peak stretched from the Pyrenees to Ireland and the border with Scotland.
In total fifteen Plantagenet monarchs, including those belonging to cadet branch
Cadet branch
Cadet branch is a term in genealogy to describe the lineage of the descendants of the younger sons of a monarch or patriarch. In the ruling dynasties and noble families of much of Europe and Asia, the family's major assets – titles, realms, fiefs, property and income – have...
es, ruled England from 1154 until 1485. The senior branch ruled from Henry II of England until the deposition of Richard II of England
Richard II of England
Richard II was King of England, a member of the House of Plantagenet and the last of its main-line kings. He ruled from 1377 until he was deposed in 1399. Richard was a son of Edward, the Black Prince, and was born during the reign of his grandfather, Edward III...
in 1399. After that a junior branch, the House of Lancaster
House of Lancaster
The House of Lancaster was a branch of the royal House of Plantagenet. It was one of the opposing factions involved in the Wars of the Roses, an intermittent civil war which affected England and Wales during the 15th century...
, ruled for some fifty years before clashing over control of England with another branch, the House of York
House of York
The House of York was a branch of the English royal House of Plantagenet, three members of which became English kings in the late 15th century. The House of York was descended in the paternal line from Edmund of Langley, 1st Duke of York, the fourth surviving son of Edward III, but also represented...
, in a civil war known as the Wars of the Roses
Wars of the Roses
The Wars of the Roses were a series of dynastic civil wars for the throne of England fought between supporters of two rival branches of the royal House of Plantagenet: the houses of Lancaster and York...
. After three ruling Lancastrian monarchs the crown passed to three Yorkist monarchs, the last of whom, Richard III
Richard III of England
Richard III was King of England for two years, from 1483 until his death in 1485 during the Battle of Bosworth Field. He was the last king of the House of York and the last of the Plantagenet dynasty...
, was killed in battle during 1485. The legitimate male line went extinct with the execution of Richard's nephew, Edward, Earl of Warwick
Edward Plantagenet, 17th Earl of Warwick
Edward Plantagenet, 17th Earl of Warwick was the son of George Plantagenet, 1st Duke of Clarence and a potential claimant to the English throne during the reigns of both Richard III and his successor, Henry VII...
in 1499. However an illegitimate scion, Arthur Plantagenet, Viscount Lisle
Arthur Plantagenet, 1st Viscount Lisle
Arthur Plantagenet, 1st Viscount Lisle, KG was an illegitimate son of King Edward IV of England, and an important figure at the court of Henry VIII...
, was active at the court of Henry VIII of England
Henry VIII of England
Henry VIII was King of England from 21 April 1509 until his death. He was Lord, and later King, of Ireland, as well as continuing the nominal claim by the English monarchs to the Kingdom of France...
. Several illegitimate lines persist, including the Dukes of Beaufort.
A distinctive English culture and art
English art
English art is the body of visual arts made in England. Following historical surveys such as Creative Art In England by William Johnstone , Nikolaus Pevsner attempted a definition in his 1956 book The Englishness of English Art, as did Sir Roy Strong in his 2000 book The Spirit of Britain: A...
emerged during the Plantagenet era, encouraged by some of the monarchs who were patrons of the "father of English poetry", Geoffrey Chaucer
Geoffrey Chaucer
Geoffrey Chaucer , known as the Father of English literature, is widely considered the greatest English poet of the Middle Ages and was the first poet to have been buried in Poet's Corner of Westminster Abbey...
. The Gothic architecture
Gothic architecture
Gothic architecture is a style of architecture that flourished during the high and late medieval period. It evolved from Romanesque architecture and was succeeded by Renaissance architecture....
style was popular during the time, with buildings such as Westminster Abbey
Westminster Abbey
The Collegiate Church of St Peter at Westminster, popularly known as Westminster Abbey, is a large, mainly Gothic church, in the City of Westminster, London, United Kingdom, located just to the west of the Palace of Westminster. It is the traditional place of coronation and burial site for English,...
and York Minster
York Minster
York Minster is a Gothic cathedral in York, England and is one of the largest of its kind in Northern Europe alongside Cologne Cathedral. The minster is the seat of the Archbishop of York, the second-highest office of the Church of England, and is the cathedral for the Diocese of York; it is run by...
remodelled in that style. There were also lasting developments in the social sector, such as John of England
John of England
John , also known as John Lackland , was King of England from 6 April 1199 until his death...
's sealing of the Magna Carta
Magna Carta
Magna Carta is an English charter, originally issued in the year 1215 and reissued later in the 13th century in modified versions, which included the most direct challenges to the monarch's authority to date. The charter first passed into law in 1225...
. This was influential in the development of constitutional law
Constitutional law
Constitutional law is the body of law which defines the relationship of different entities within a state, namely, the executive, the legislature and the judiciary....
. Political institutions such as the Parliament of England
Parliament of England
The Parliament of England was the legislature of the Kingdom of England. In 1066, William of Normandy introduced a feudal system, by which he sought the advice of a council of tenants-in-chief and ecclesiastics before making laws...
and the Model Parliament
Model Parliament
The Model Parliament is the term, attributed to Frederic William Maitland, used for the 1295 Parliament of England of King Edward I. This assembly included members of the clergy and the aristocracy, as well as representatives from the various counties and boroughs. Each county returned two knights,...
originate from the Plantagenet period, as do educational institutions including the universities of Cambridge and Oxford.
The eventful political climate of the day saw the Hundred Years' War
Hundred Years' War
The Hundred Years' War was a series of separate wars waged from 1337 to 1453 by the House of Valois and the House of Plantagenet, also known as the House of Anjou, for the French throne, which had become vacant upon the extinction of the senior Capetian line of French kings...
, where the Plantagenets battled with the House of Valois for control of the Kingdom of France
Kingdom of France
The Kingdom of France was one of the most powerful states to exist in Europe during the second millennium.It originated from the Western portion of the Frankish empire, and consolidated significant power and influence over the next thousand years. Louis XIV, also known as the Sun King, developed a...
, and the War of the Roses. Some of the Plantagenet kings were renowned as warriors: Henry V of England
Henry V of England
Henry V was King of England from 1413 until his death at the age of 35 in 1422. He was the second monarch belonging to the House of Lancaster....
left his mark with a famous victory against larger numbers at the Battle of Agincourt
Battle of Agincourt
The Battle of Agincourt was a major English victory against a numerically superior French army in the Hundred Years' War. The battle occurred on Friday, 25 October 1415 , near modern-day Azincourt, in northern France...
, and Richard the Lionheart had earlier distinguished himself in the Third Crusade
Third Crusade
The Third Crusade , also known as the Kings' Crusade, was an attempt by European leaders to reconquer the Holy Land from Saladin...
; he was later romanticised as an iconic figure in English folklore
English folklore
English folklore is the folk tradition which has developed in England over a number of centuries. Some stories can be traced back to their roots, while the origin of others is uncertain or disputed...
.
Etymology
The name Plantagenet has origins as a nickname of Geoffrey V of Anjou derived from the name of a shrub, the common broom, known in Latin as the Planta genista. It is claimed the nickname arose because Geoffrey of Anjou wore a sprig of the common broom in his hat. The significance has been said to relate to its golden flower and contemporary belief in its vegetative soul. Since the 15th century, Plantagenet has been applied retrospectively as a surname for the descendants of Geoffrey of Anjou. There is barely any contemporary evidence for the name before the mid fifteenth century, and the house itself used no surname until the legitimist claimant Richard Plantagenet, Duke of YorkRichard Plantagenet, 3rd Duke of York
Richard Plantagenêt, 3rd Duke of York, 6th Earl of March, 4th Earl of Cambridge, and 7th Earl of Ulster, conventionally called Richard of York was a leading English magnate, great-grandson of King Edward III...
, father of both Edward IV
Edward IV of England
Edward IV was King of England from 4 March 1461 until 3 October 1470, and again from 11 April 1471 until his death. He was the first Yorkist King of England...
and Richard III
Richard III of England
Richard III was King of England for two years, from 1483 until his death in 1485 during the Battle of Bosworth Field. He was the last king of the House of York and the last of the Plantagenet dynasty...
, assumed the name about 1448.
Background
Gâtinais
Gâtinais was a province of France, containing the area around the valley of the Loing, corresponding roughly to the northeastern part of the départment of Loiret, and the south of the present departments Seine-et-Marne. Under the Bourbons, the Gâtinais had already been divided between the...
who married an heiress to the county. Her Anjou ancestors derived from an obscure 9th-century nobleman, Ingelger
Ingelger
Ingelger was a Frankish nobleman, who stands at the head of the Plantagenet dynasty. Later generations of his family believed he was the son of Tertullus and Petronilla....
. It is due to this lineage that the Plantagenets are sometimes referred to as the First House of Anjou. One of the more notable counts was Fulk
Fulk of Jerusalem
Fulk , also known as Fulk the Younger, was Count of Anjou from 1109 to 1129, and King of Jerusalem from 1131 to his death...
, a crusader
Crusades
The Crusades were a series of religious wars, blessed by the Pope and the Catholic Church with the main goal of restoring Christian access to the holy places in and near Jerusalem...
who became King of Jerusalem. Fulk's son Geoffrey Plantagenet gave his name to the dynasty and Fulk's grandson Henry
Henry II of England
Henry II ruled as King of England , Count of Anjou, Count of Maine, Duke of Normandy, Duke of Aquitaine, Duke of Gascony, Count of Nantes, Lord of Ireland and, at various times, controlled parts of Wales, Scotland and western France. Henry, the great-grandson of William the Conqueror, was the...
was the first of the family to rule England.
Henry claimed the English throne through his mother, the Empress Matilda
Empress Matilda
Empress Matilda , also known as Matilda of England or Maude, was the daughter and heir of King Henry I of England. Matilda and her younger brother, William Adelin, were the only legitimate children of King Henry to survive to adulthood...
, who had been named as heir by her father Henry I of England
Henry I of England
Henry I was the fourth son of William I of England. He succeeded his elder brother William II as King of England in 1100 and defeated his eldest brother, Robert Curthose, to become Duke of Normandy in 1106...
. Matilda's brother William Adelin
William Adelin
William , surnamed Adelin , was the son of Henry I of England by his wife Matilda of Scotland, and was thus heir-apparent to the throne. His early death without issue caused a succession crisis.William was born in Winchester...
died in the wreck of the White Ship
White Ship
The White Ship was a vessel that sank in the English Channel near the Normandy coast off Barfleur, on 25 November 1120. Only one of those aboard survived. Those who drowned included William Adelin, the only surviving legitimate son and heir of King Henry I of England...
, leaving Matilda to be her father's only surviving legitimate child. After Henry's death in 1135 Matilda's cousin Stephen of Blois
Stephen of England
Stephen , often referred to as Stephen of Blois , was a grandson of William the Conqueror. He was King of England from 1135 to his death, and also the Count of Boulogne by right of his wife. Stephen's reign was marked by the Anarchy, a civil war with his cousin and rival, the Empress Matilda...
had enough support from the Anglo-Norman
Anglo-Norman
The Anglo-Normans were mainly the descendants of the Normans who ruled England following the Norman conquest by William the Conqueror in 1066. A small number of Normans were already settled in England prior to the conquest...
nobility to have himself crowned instead. Matilda gained support from her illegitimate half-brother, Robert, 1st Earl of Gloucester
Robert, 1st Earl of Gloucester
Robert Fitzroy, 1st Earl of Gloucester was an illegitimate son of King Henry I of England. He was called "Rufus" and occasionally "de Caen", he is also known as Robert "the Consul"...
, and a tightly-fought civil war known as The Anarchy
The Anarchy
The Anarchy or The Nineteen-Year Winter was a period of English history during the reign of King Stephen, which was characterised by civil war and unsettled government...
ensued. The balance swayed both ways during the war; Matilda gained control at one point and carried the title "Lady of the English" but when Stephen besieged her in Oxford Castle
Oxford Castle
Oxford Castle is a large, partly ruined Norman medieval castle situated on the west edge of Oxford in Oxfordshire, England. The original moated, wooden motte and bailey castle was replaced with stone in the 11th century and played an important role in the conflict of the Anarchy...
she escaped and fled to Anjou
Anjou
Anjou is a former county , duchy and province centred on the city of Angers in the lower Loire Valley of western France. It corresponds largely to the present-day département of Maine-et-Loire...
. Unrest and instability continued throughout Stephen's reign. Geoffrey managed to place the Duchy of Normandy
Duchy of Normandy
The Duchy of Normandy stems from various Danish, Norwegian, Hiberno-Norse, Orkney Viking and Anglo-Danish invasions of France in the 9th century...
under Angevin control in 1141 but did not show interest in campaigning across the English Channel.
The Devil's Brood
Popular legends surrounding the Angevins suggested that they had corrupt or demonic origins. While the chronicler Gerald of Wales is the key contemporaneous source for these stories, which often borrowed elements of the wider MelusineMelusine
Melusine is a figure of European legends and folklore, a feminine spirit of fresh waters in sacred springs and rivers.She is usually depicted as a woman who is a serpent or fish from the waist down...
legend. For example, Gerald wrote in his De instructione principis
De instructione principis
De instructione principis is a Latin work by the 12th-13th century author Gerald of Wales. It is divided into three "Distinctions"...
of "a certain countess of Anjou" who rarely attended mass and one day flew away, never to be seen again. A similar story was attached to Eleanor of Aquitaine
Eleanor of Aquitaine
Eleanor of Aquitaine was one of the wealthiest and most powerful women in Western Europe during the High Middle Ages. As well as being Duchess of Aquitaine in her own right, she was queen consort of France and of England...
in the thirteenth century romance Richard Coeur-de-lion. Gerald also presents a list of sins committed by Geoffrey V and Henry II
Henry II of England
Henry II ruled as King of England , Count of Anjou, Count of Maine, Duke of Normandy, Duke of Aquitaine, Duke of Gascony, Count of Nantes, Lord of Ireland and, at various times, controlled parts of Wales, Scotland and western France. Henry, the great-grandson of William the Conqueror, was the...
as further evidence of their "corrupt" origins.
According to Gerald these legends were not always discouraged by the Angevins. Richard the Lionheart was said to have often remarked of his family that they "come of the devil, and to the devil they would go." A similar statement is attributed to St Bernard
Bernard of Clairvaux
Bernard of Clairvaux, O.Cist was a French abbot and the primary builder of the reforming Cistercian order.After the death of his mother, Bernard sought admission into the Cistercian order. Three years later, he was sent to found a new abbey at an isolated clearing in a glen known as the Val...
regarding Henry II. Henry II's sons reportedly defended their frequent infighting by saying "Do not deprive us of our heritage; we cannot help acting like devils." The legends surrounding the Angevins grew into English folklore and led some historians to give them the epithet "The Devil's Brood".
Rise of Henry II and his sons
Henry II of England
Henry II ruled as King of England , Count of Anjou, Count of Maine, Duke of Normandy, Duke of Aquitaine, Duke of Gascony, Count of Nantes, Lord of Ireland and, at various times, controlled parts of Wales, Scotland and western France. Henry, the great-grandson of William the Conqueror, was the...
, became a skilled military tactician and arrived in England to pursue his family claim to the throne. By his marriage to Eleanor of Aquitaine
Eleanor of Aquitaine
Eleanor of Aquitaine was one of the wealthiest and most powerful women in Western Europe during the High Middle Ages. As well as being Duchess of Aquitaine in her own right, she was queen consort of France and of England...
the Duchy of Aquitaine had become part of the Plantagenets' vast land holdings in the emerging Angevin Empire
Angevin Empire
The term Angevin Empire is a modern term describing the collection of states once ruled by the Angevin Plantagenet dynasty.The Plantagenets ruled over an area stretching from the Pyrenees to Ireland during the 12th and early 13th centuries, located north of Moorish Iberia. This "empire" extended...
. After arriving in England, Henry came to an agreement with Stephen and in November 1153 they signed the Treaty of Wallingford
Treaty of Wallingford
The Treaty of Wallingford of 1153, aka Treaty of Winchester or as the Treaty of Westminster, was an agreement that effectively ended the civil war known as the Anarchy, caused by a dispute between Empress Matilda and her cousin King Stephen of England over the English crown...
recognising Henry as heir to Stephen's throne. Scholars regard Henry's reign as energetic with effective government. Henry overhauled the English judicial system, restoring royal authority to replace the manipulated feudal law of barons who had undermined Stephen's reign. The system and reforms put in place by Henry restored law and order to create a self-standing system which used competent government clerks and sheriffs
High Sheriff
A high sheriff is, or was, a law enforcement officer in the United Kingdom, Canada and the United States.In England and Wales, the office is unpaid and partly ceremonial, appointed by the Crown through a warrant from the Privy Council. In Cornwall, the High Sheriff is appointed by the Duke of...
. It could operate smoothly with common law
Common law
Common law is law developed by judges through decisions of courts and similar tribunals rather than through legislative statutes or executive branch action...
prevailing even if the king was absent or less skilled monarchs reigned.
When in 1166 Dermot MacMurrough, King of Leinster, was chased out of his lands by Tiernan O'Rourke on behalf of Rory O'Connor
Ruaidrí Ua Conchobair
Ruaidrí Ua Conchobair , often anglicised Rory O'Connor, reigned as King of Connacht from 1156 to 1186, and from 1166 to 1198 was the last High King before the Norman invasion of Ireland .Ruaidrí was one of over twenty sons of King...
, High King of Ireland
High King of Ireland
The High Kings of Ireland were sometimes historical and sometimes legendary figures who had, or who are claimed to have had, lordship over the whole of Ireland. Medieval and early modern Irish literature portrays an almost unbroken sequence of High Kings, ruling from Tara over a hierarchy of...
, he asked Henry for help. Henry allowed MacMurrough enough soldiers to constitute a Norman invasion of Ireland
Norman Invasion of Ireland
The Norman invasion of Ireland was a two-stage process, which began on 1 May 1169 when a force of loosely associated Norman knights landed near Bannow, County Wexford...
, restoring MacMurrough to Leinster and inserting Henry's son John
John of England
John , also known as John Lackland , was King of England from 6 April 1199 until his death...
as Lord of Ireland. Henry also recovered Northumberland
Northumberland
Northumberland is the northernmost ceremonial county and a unitary district in North East England. For Eurostat purposes Northumberland is a NUTS 3 region and is one of three boroughs or unitary districts that comprise the "Northumberland and Tyne and Wear" NUTS 2 region...
and Cumbria
Cumbria
Cumbria , is a non-metropolitan county in North West England. The county and Cumbria County Council, its local authority, came into existence in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972. Cumbria's largest settlement and county town is Carlisle. It consists of six districts, and in...
, which had been taken from England during the reigns of Malcolm II
Malcolm II of Scotland
Máel Coluim mac Cináeda , was King of the Scots from 1005 until his death...
and David I
David I of Scotland
David I or Dabíd mac Maíl Choluim was a 12th-century ruler who was Prince of the Cumbrians and later King of the Scots...
of Scotland. Henry's first son, William, died at age two. His second son, also named Henry, was crowned coregent at the age of fifteen and was known thereafter as Henry the Young King
Henry the Young King
Henry, known as the Young King was the second of five sons of King Henry II of England and Eleanor of Aquitaine but the first to survive infancy. He was officially King of England; Duke of Normandy, Count of Anjou and Maine.-Early life:Little is known of the young prince Henry before the events...
. The coronation was performed by the Archbishop of York
Archbishop of York
The Archbishop of York is a high-ranking cleric in the Church of England, second only to the Archbishop of Canterbury. He is the diocesan bishop of the Diocese of York and metropolitan of the Province of York, which covers the northern portion of England as well as the Isle of Man...
. This angered Thomas Becket
Thomas Becket
Thomas Becket was Archbishop of Canterbury from 1162 until his murder in 1170. He is venerated as a saint and martyr by both the Roman Catholic Church and the Anglican Communion...
, the Archbishop of Canterbury
Archbishop of Canterbury
The Archbishop of Canterbury is the senior bishop and principal leader of the Church of England, the symbolic head of the worldwide Anglican Communion, and the diocesan bishop of the Diocese of Canterbury. In his role as head of the Anglican Communion, the archbishop leads the third largest group...
and a former close friend of Henry. Knight
Knight
A knight was a member of a class of lower nobility in the High Middle Ages.By the Late Middle Ages, the rank had become associated with the ideals of chivalry, a code of conduct for the perfect courtly Christian warrior....
s killed Becket after Henry asked, "Who would rid me of this turbulent priest?" The Pope thereupon excommunicated the King. Henry regretted his friend's death and exhibited a penance in public: walking barefoot into Canterbury Cathedral
Canterbury Cathedral
Canterbury Cathedral in Canterbury, Kent, is one of the oldest and most famous Christian structures in England and forms part of a World Heritage Site....
and there allowing monks to scourge him. His excommunication was rescinded.
Richard I of England
Richard I was King of England from 6 July 1189 until his death. He also ruled as Duke of Normandy, Duke of Aquitaine, Duke of Gascony, Lord of Cyprus, Count of Anjou, Count of Maine, Count of Nantes, and Overlord of Brittany at various times during the same period...
, Brittany for Geoffrey
Geoffrey II, Duke of Brittany
Geoffrey II, Duke of Brittany and Earl of Richmond was Duke of Brittany between 1181 and 1186, through his marriage with the heiress Constance. Geoffrey was the fourth son of King Henry II of England and Eleanor, Duchess of Aquitaine.-Family:He was a younger maternal half-brother of Marie de...
and Ireland for John. Each would preside over a separate monarchy. Under the leadership of his son Henry the Young King, who wanted more power during Henry II's lifetime, his wife and sons rebelled in the Revolt of 1173–1174. The rebels drew support from the king of France, Henry's cousin the king of Scotland, and English barons. Despite being attacked on various different fronts, Henry II and his loyalists fought a defensive campaign that humiliated all their enemies. Led by Ranulf de Glanvill, Henry's men captured William I of Scotland
William I of Scotland
William the Lion , sometimes styled William I, also known by the nickname Garbh, "the Rough", reigned as King of the Scots from 1165 to 1214...
at the Battle of Alnwick
Battle of Alnwick (1174)
The Battle of Alnwick is one of two battles fought near the town of Alnwick, in Northumberland, England. In the battle, which occurred on 12 July 1174, William I of Scotland, also known as William the Lion, was captured by a small English force led by Ranulf de Glanvill.-Background:William had...
, but allowed him to swear fealty
Treaty of Falaise
The Treaty of Falaise was an agreement made in December 1174 between the captive William I, King of Scots, and the English King Henry II.Having been captured at the Battle of Alnwick during an invasion of Northumbria, William was being held in Falaise in Normandy while Henry sent an army north and...
to Henry at York Castle
York Castle
York Castle in the city of York, England, is a fortified complex comprising, over the last nine centuries, a sequence of castles, prisons, law courts and other buildings on the south side of the River Foss. The now-ruinous keep of the medieval Norman castle is sometimes referred to as Clifford's...
. Henry the Young King instigated another rebellion against his father in 1183 but during this he died of dysentery.
Third Crusade
The Third Crusade , also known as the Kings' Crusade, was an attempt by European leaders to reconquer the Holy Land from Saladin...
, achieving considerable victories against his Muslim counterpart Saladin
Saladin
Ṣalāḥ ad-Dīn Yūsuf ibn Ayyūb , better known in the Western world as Saladin, was an Arabized Kurdish Muslim, who became the first Sultan of Egypt and Syria, and founded the Ayyubid dynasty. He led Muslim and Arab opposition to the Franks and other European Crusaders in the Levant...
. For a time Richard was Lord of Cyprus
Cyprus
Cyprus , officially the Republic of Cyprus , is a Eurasian island country, member of the European Union, in the Eastern Mediterranean, east of Greece, south of Turkey, west of Syria and north of Egypt. It is the third largest island in the Mediterranean Sea.The earliest known human activity on the...
but sold the island in 1192 to Guy of Lusignan
Guy of Lusignan
Guy of Lusignan was a Poitevin knight, son of Hugh VIII of the prominent Lusignan dynasty. He was king of the crusader state of Jerusalem from 1186 to 1192 by right of marriage to Sibylla of Jerusalem, and of Cyprus from 1192 to 1194...
, whose wife was Richard's second cousin. Since his death Richard has been romanticised in English folklore
English folklore
English folklore is the folk tradition which has developed in England over a number of centuries. Some stories can be traced back to their roots, while the origin of others is uncertain or disputed...
. His name remains synonymous with bravery and courage.
His brother John of England
John of England
John , also known as John Lackland , was King of England from 6 April 1199 until his death...
, nicknamed Lackland (because he was the fifth son and there had originally been no lands left for him to inherit) succeeded the throne in 1199 and eventually inherited the entirety of his family's holdings. Geoffrey would have been next in line but had died in 1186. His son Arthur
Arthur I, Duke of Brittany
Arthur I was Duke of Brittany between 1194 and 1202. He was the posthumous son of Geoffrey II, Duke of Brittany and Constance, Duchess of Brittany...
, formerly Richard's designated heir, inherited Anjou. On Arthur's behalf Philip II of France
Philip II of France
Philip II Augustus was the King of France from 1180 until his death. A member of the House of Capet, Philip Augustus was born at Gonesse in the Val-d'Oise, the son of Louis VII and his third wife, Adela of Champagne...
clashed with John to control the Plantagenet territories in the European mainlands and even supported Arthur's claim to the English crown. However, John had Arthur killed and Eleanor
Eleanor, Fair Maid of Brittany
Eleanor the "Fair Maid of Brittany", 5th Countess of Richmond , also known as Damsel of Brittany or Pearl of Brittany for her peerless beauty, was the eldest daughter of Geoffrey Plantagenet and Constance, Duchess of Brittany...
, sister of Arthur, imprisoned for life. The Norman and Angevin lords rebelled against Plantagenet rule and John lost much of the continent to the House of Capet
House of Capet
The House of Capet, or The Direct Capetian Dynasty, , also called The House of France , or simply the Capets, which ruled the Kingdom of France from 987 to 1328, was the most senior line of the Capetian dynasty – itself a derivative dynasty from the Robertians. As rulers of France, the dynasty...
, a process solidified by defeat at the Battle of Bouvines
Battle of Bouvines
The Battle of Bouvines, 27 July 1214, was a conclusive medieval battle ending the twelve year old Angevin-Flanders War that was important to the early development of both the French state by confirming the French crown's sovereignty over the Angevin lands of Brittany and Normandy.Philip Augustus of...
. John also had to deal with rebellion in England and was forced by barons to place his seal upon the Magna Carta
Magna Carta
Magna Carta is an English charter, originally issued in the year 1215 and reissued later in the 13th century in modified versions, which included the most direct challenges to the monarch's authority to date. The charter first passed into law in 1225...
in 1215 to limit his power. That is regarded as an early first step in the evolution of modern democracy. As John failed to abide by this document signed under duress, the First Barons' War
First Barons' War
The First Barons' War was a civil war in the Kingdom of England, between a group of rebellious barons—led by Robert Fitzwalter and supported by a French army under the future Louis VIII of France—and King John of England...
broke out with the barons inviting an invasion by Prince Louis
Louis VIII of France
Louis VIII the Lion reigned as King of France from 1223 to 1226. He was a member of the House of Capet. Louis VIII was born in Paris, France, the son of Philip II Augustus and Isabelle of Hainaut. He was also Count of Artois, inheriting the county from his mother, from 1190–1226...
, son of King Philip II of France and also a grandson-in-law of Henry II. The barons switched their allegiance back to the Plantagenets when John died in 1216 and his son Henry III
Henry III of England
Henry III was the son and successor of John as King of England, reigning for 56 years from 1216 until his death. His contemporaries knew him as Henry of Winchester. He was the first child king in England since the reign of Æthelred the Unready...
succeeded him.
The English Justinian
Henry III became king at just nine years old and nobles such as William MarshalWilliam Marshal, 1st Earl of Pembroke
Sir William Marshal, 1st Earl of Pembroke , also called William the Marshal , was an Anglo-Norman soldier and statesman. He was described as the "greatest knight that ever lived" by Stephen Langton...
and Hubert de Burgh dominated the early years of his reign. Henry made unsuccessful attempts to regain Plantagenet land in northern France. He handed out various honours to foreigners related to his wife, Eleanor of Provence
Eleanor of Provence
Eleanor of Provence was Queen consort of England as the spouse of King Henry III of England from 1236 until his death in 1272....
, which aggravated the local nobility. The Provisions of Oxford
Provisions of Oxford
The Provisions of Oxford are often regarded as England's first written constitution ....
were imposed on the king by barons led by Simon de Montfort
Simon de Montfort, 6th Earl of Leicester
Simon de Montfort, 6th Earl of Leicester, 1st Earl of Chester , sometimes referred to as Simon V de Montfort to distinguish him from other Simon de Montforts, was an Anglo-Norman nobleman. He led the barons' rebellion against King Henry III of England during the Second Barons' War of 1263-4, and...
, setting up a council of fifteen nobles to help govern the country. Henry reasserted himself and the Second Barons' War
Second Barons' War
The Second Barons' War was a civil war in England between the forces of a number of barons led by Simon de Montfort, against the Royalist forces led by Prince Edward , in the name of Henry III.-Causes:...
began. At the Battle of Lewes
Battle of Lewes
The Battle of Lewes was one of two main battles of the conflict known as the Second Barons' War. It took place at Lewes in Sussex, on 14 May 1264...
, de Montfort captured Henry's son Prince Edward
Edward I of England
Edward I , also known as Edward Longshanks and the Hammer of the Scots, was King of England from 1272 to 1307. The first son of Henry III, Edward was involved early in the political intrigues of his father's reign, which included an outright rebellion by the English barons...
and assumed a role as de facto ruler of the nation until royalists won the war at the Battle of Evesham
Battle of Evesham
The Battle of Evesham was one of the two main battles of 13th century England's Second Barons' War. It marked the defeat of Simon de Montfort, Earl of Leicester, and the rebellious barons by Prince Edward – later King Edward I – who led the forces of his father, King Henry III...
. It was during this period that the Parliament of England
Parliament of England
The Parliament of England was the legislature of the Kingdom of England. In 1066, William of Normandy introduced a feudal system, by which he sought the advice of a council of tenants-in-chief and ecclesiastics before making laws...
originated. Henry was passionate about aesthetics and had many of England's buildings such as Westminster Abbey
Westminster Abbey
The Collegiate Church of St Peter at Westminster, popularly known as Westminster Abbey, is a large, mainly Gothic church, in the City of Westminster, London, United Kingdom, located just to the west of the Palace of Westminster. It is the traditional place of coronation and burial site for English,...
and York Minster
York Minster
York Minster is a Gothic cathedral in York, England and is one of the largest of its kind in Northern Europe alongside Cologne Cathedral. The minster is the seat of the Archbishop of York, the second-highest office of the Church of England, and is the cathedral for the Diocese of York; it is run by...
re-built in the Gothic
Gothic architecture
Gothic architecture is a style of architecture that flourished during the high and late medieval period. It evolved from Romanesque architecture and was succeeded by Renaissance architecture....
style. The reign of Edward I
Edward I of England
Edward I , also known as Edward Longshanks and the Hammer of the Scots, was King of England from 1272 to 1307. The first son of Henry III, Edward was involved early in the political intrigues of his father's reign, which included an outright rebellion by the English barons...
, nicknamed Longshanks due to his tall height, saw much legislative activity and improvements in the administration of the judiciary
Judiciary
The judiciary is the system of courts that interprets and applies the law in the name of the state. The judiciary also provides a mechanism for the resolution of disputes...
that would last almost unchanged for centuries. Due to this he is sometimes called "The English Justinian
Justinian I
Justinian I ; , ; 483– 13 or 14 November 565), commonly known as Justinian the Great, was Byzantine Emperor from 527 to 565. During his reign, Justinian sought to revive the Empire's greatness and reconquer the lost western half of the classical Roman Empire.One of the most important figures of...
", a reference to the Byzantine Emperor.
Llywelyn the Last
Llywelyn ap Gruffydd or Llywelyn Ein Llyw Olaf , sometimes rendered as Llywelyn II, was the last prince of an independent Wales before its conquest by Edward I of England....
, who directly ruled the Kingdom of Gwynedd
Kingdom of Gwynedd
Gwynedd was one petty kingdom of several Welsh successor states which emerged in 5th-century post-Roman Britain in the Early Middle Ages, and later evolved into a principality during the High Middle Ages. It was based on the former Brythonic tribal lands of the Ordovices, Gangani, and the...
while other parts of the Principality of Wales
Principality of Wales
The Principality of Wales existed between 1216 and 1542, encompassing two-thirds of modern Wales.It was formally founded in 1216 at the Council of Aberdyfi, and later recognised by the 1218 Treaty of Worcester between Llywelyn the Great of Wales and Henry III of England...
were English-controlled Marcher Lordships existing since Norman times. Llywelyn refused to pay homage
Homage (medieval)
Homage in the Middle Ages was the ceremony in which a feudal tenant or vassal pledged reverence and submission to his feudal lord, receiving in exchange the symbolic title to his new position . It was a symbolic acknowledgment to the lord that the vassal was, literally, his man . The oath known as...
or attend Edward's coronation; thus in 1277 the two men went to war. Edward was quickly victorious and the Treaty of Aberconwy
Treaty of Aberconwy
The Treaty of Aberconwy was signed in 1277 by King Edward I of England and Llewelyn the Last of modern-day Wales, who had fought each other on and off for years over control of the Welsh countryside...
was issued. Llywelyn and his brother Dafydd ap Gruffudd broke the treaty and continued to attack. Edward was again victorious but this time the Principality of Wales was seized and Edward's son, also named Edward
Edward II of England
Edward II , called Edward of Caernarfon, was King of England from 1307 until he was deposed by his wife Isabella in January 1327. He was the sixth Plantagenet king, in a line that began with the reign of Henry II...
, was crowned Prince of Wales
Prince of Wales
Prince of Wales is a title traditionally granted to the heir apparent to the reigning monarch of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the 15 other independent Commonwealth realms...
.
After Edward's brother-in-law Alexander III of Scotland
Alexander III of Scotland
Alexander III was King of Scots from 1249 to his death.-Life:...
died leaving Margaret, Maid of Norway
Margaret, Maid of Norway
Margaret , usually known as the Maid of Norway , sometimes known as Margaret of Scotland , was a Norwegian princess who was Queen of Scots from 1286 until her death...
, as his sole heir, her marriage to Edward, Prince of Wales
Edward II of England
Edward II , called Edward of Caernarfon, was King of England from 1307 until he was deposed by his wife Isabella in January 1327. He was the sixth Plantagenet king, in a line that began with the reign of Henry II...
was proposed to foster an alliance that would make Scotland a Plantagenet holding within the next generation. The death of seven-year-old Margaret on the voyage from her native Norway to Scotland opened the way to various competitors for the Scottish throne
Competitors for the Crown of Scotland
With the death of Alexander III of Scotland in 1286 without a male heir, the throne of Scotland had become the possession of the three-year old Margaret, Maid of Norway, the granddaughter of the King...
. Edward was asked to arbitrate and chose the hereditarily-superior John Balliol while claiming for himself the role of feudal overlord. Balliol later betrayed Edward by setting up the Auld Alliance
Auld Alliance
The Auld Alliance was an alliance between the kingdoms of Scotland and France. It played a significant role in the relations between Scotland, France and England from its beginning in 1295 until the 1560 Treaty of Edinburgh. The alliance was renewed by all the French and Scottish monarchs of that...
with France and the Wars of Scotland
First War of Scottish Independence
The First War of Scottish Independence lasted from the invasion by England in 1296 until the de jure restoration of Scottish independence with the Treaty of Edinburgh-Northampton in 1328...
began. Edward's effective campaign led to the capture of the Stone of Scone
Stone of Scone
The Stone of Scone , also known as the Stone of Destiny and often referred to in England as The Coronation Stone, is an oblong block of red sandstone, used for centuries in the coronation of the monarchs of Scotland and later the monarchs of England, Great Britain and the United Kingdom...
coronation stone and the defeat of William Wallace
William Wallace
Sir William Wallace was a Scottish knight and landowner who became one of the main leaders during the Wars of Scottish Independence....
at the Battle of Falkirk
Battle of Falkirk (1298)
The Battle of Falkirk, which took place on 22 July 1298, was one of the major battles in the First War of Scottish Independence...
. Edward died at Burgh by Sands
Burgh by Sands
Burgh by Sands is a village and civil parish in the City of Carlisle district of Cumbria, England, situated near the Solway Firth. The parish includes the village of Burgh by Sands along with Longburgh, Dykesfield, Boustead Hill, Moorhouse and Thurstonfield....
on the way to fight Robert I of Scotland
Robert I of Scotland
Robert I , popularly known as Robert the Bruce , was King of Scots from March 25, 1306, until his death in 1329.His paternal ancestors were of Scoto-Norman heritage , and...
, never having solidified his claim to Scotland.
Edward II of England
Edward II , called Edward of Caernarfon, was King of England from 1307 until he was deposed by his wife Isabella in January 1327. He was the sixth Plantagenet king, in a line that began with the reign of Henry II...
was the polar opposite of his warrior statesman father. Edward II's reign was largely unpopular for several reasons; he was regarded as a poor general and lost out in Scotland to Robert I at the Battle of Bannockburn
Battle of Bannockburn
The Battle of Bannockburn was a significant Scottish victory in the Wars of Scottish Independence...
. He also angered nobility by giving large sums of money and gifts to favourites such as Piers Gaveston
Piers Gaveston
Piers Gaveston, 1st Earl of Cornwall was an English nobleman of Gascon origin, and the favourite of King Edward II of England. At a young age he made a good impression on King Edward I of England, and was assigned to the household of the King's son, Edward of Carnarvon...
. This annoyed the barons to the extent that they rallied around Edward's cousin Thomas, Earl of Lancaster, and had Gaveston murdered. Another favourite and rumoured homosexual lover of the king, Hugh Despenser, was further cause of conflict. Edward defeated his cousin Thomas at the resulting Battle of Boroughbridge
Battle of Boroughbridge
The Battle of Boroughbridge was a battle fought on 16 March 1322 between a group of rebellious barons and King Edward II of England, near Boroughbridge, northwest of York. The culmination of a long period of antagonism between the king and Thomas, Earl of Lancaster, his most powerful subject, it...
and had him executed in 1322.
Edward's downfall came when his wife Isabella of France
Isabella of France
Isabella of France , sometimes described as the She-wolf of France, was Queen consort of England as the wife of Edward II of England. She was the youngest surviving child and only surviving daughter of Philip IV of France and Joan I of Navarre...
and her baronial lover Roger Mortimer set out to depose the king with the help of Henry, Earl of Lancaster
Henry, 3rd Earl of Lancaster
Henry , 3rd Earl of Leicester and Lancaster was an English nobleman, one of the principals behind the deposition of Edward II of England.-Family and lineage:...
, brother of the executed Earl Thomas. In defeat Edward agreed to abdicate the throne in favour of his and Isabella's son, Edward III of England
Edward III of England
Edward III was King of England from 1327 until his death and is noted for his military success. Restoring royal authority after the disastrous reign of his father, Edward II, Edward III went on to transform the Kingdom of England into one of the most formidable military powers in Europe...
. Edward II was subsequently moved to Berkeley Castle
Berkeley Castle
Berkeley Castle is a castle in the town of Berkeley, Gloucestershire, UK . The castle's origins date back to the 11th century and it has been designated by English Heritage as a grade I listed building.The castle has remained within the Berkeley family since they reconstructed it in the...
as a prisoner where he is believed to have remained for five months before being murdered on 11 October 1327. After four years of court control by his mother and her lover, the eighteen-year-old Edward III staged a revolt and had Mortimer executed. He overturned the Treaty of Northampton and supported Edward Balliol
Edward Balliol
Edward Balliol was a claimant to the Scottish throne . With English help, he briefly ruled the country from 1332 to 1336.-Life:...
's claim to Scotland against king David II
David II of Scotland
David II was King of Scots from 7 June 1329 until his death.-Early life:...
of the House of Bruce
Clan Bruce
Clan Bruce is a Scottish clan from Kincardine in Scotland. It was a Royal House in the 14th century, producing two kings of Scotland.-Origins of the Clan:...
. The Plantagenet-backed campaign was a success
Second War of Scottish Independence
The Second War of Scottish Independence was the second cluster of a series of military campaigns fought between the independent Kingdom of Scotland and the Kingdom of England in the late thirteenth and early fourteenth centuries....
for Balliol, resulting in David's capture at the Battle of Neville's Cross
Battle of Neville's Cross
The Battle of Neville's Cross took place to the west of Durham, England on 17 October 1346.-Background:In 1346, England was embroiled in the Hundred Years' War with France. In order to divert his enemy Philip VI of France appealed to David II of Scotland to attack the English from the north in...
; he spent some time in the Tower of London
Tower of London
Her Majesty's Royal Palace and Fortress, more commonly known as the Tower of London, is a historic castle on the north bank of the River Thames in central London, England. It lies within the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, separated from the eastern edge of the City of London by the open space...
before signing the Treaty of Berwick
Treaty of Berwick (1357)
The Treaty of Berwick, signed at Berwick-upon-Tweed, Scotland, in 1357, officially ended the Second War of Scottish Independence. In this second phase of the Wars of Scottish Independence, which began in 1333, King Edward III of England attempted to install Edward Balliol on the Scottish throne, in...
and paying a large ransom for his release. David's invasion into northern England had been under the terms of the Auld Alliance
Auld Alliance
The Auld Alliance was an alliance between the kingdoms of Scotland and France. It played a significant role in the relations between Scotland, France and England from its beginning in 1295 until the 1560 Treaty of Edinburgh. The alliance was renewed by all the French and Scottish monarchs of that...
with the House of Valois of France.
Hundred Years' War begins
House of Capet
The House of Capet, or The Direct Capetian Dynasty, , also called The House of France , or simply the Capets, which ruled the Kingdom of France from 987 to 1328, was the most senior line of the Capetian dynasty – itself a derivative dynasty from the Robertians. As rulers of France, the dynasty...
fell into dispute when the three sons of Philip IV of France
Philip IV of France
Philip the Fair was, as Philip IV, King of France from 1285 until his death. He was the husband of Joan I of Navarre, by virtue of which he was, as Philip I, King of Navarre and Count of Champagne from 1284 to 1305.-Youth:A member of the House of Capet, Philip was born at the Palace of...
all died without having produced male issue aside from John
John I of France
John I , called the Posthumous, was King of France and Navarre, and Count of Champagne, as the son and successor of Louis the Headstrong, for the five days he lived...
, son of Louis X
Louis X of France
Louis X of France, , called the Quarreler, the Headstrong, or the Stubborn was the King of Navarre from 1305 and King of France from 1314 until his death...
, who lived for only five days (a sister of John was ignored in the resulting disputes). Edward III of England, as son of Philip IV's daughter and sole remaining child, Isabella of France
Isabella of France
Isabella of France , sometimes described as the She-wolf of France, was Queen consort of England as the wife of Edward II of England. She was the youngest surviving child and only surviving daughter of Philip IV of France and Joan I of Navarre...
, claimed the French throne. However Philip VI
Philip VI of France
Philip VI , known as the Fortunate and of Valois, was the King of France from 1328 to his death. He was also Count of Anjou, Maine, and Valois from 1325 to 1328...
of the House of Valois, a more distantly related Capetian cadet branch, invoked Salic law
Salic law
Salic law was a body of traditional law codified for governing the Salian Franks in the early Middle Ages during the reign of King Clovis I in the 6th century...
to deny the right of inheritance to the French throne to pass to or through any female, and was crowned King of France.
Philip confiscated the Duchy of Aquitaine from Edward III for "disobedience" and Edward decided to pursue his claim to the entire Kingdom of France
Kingdom of France
The Kingdom of France was one of the most powerful states to exist in Europe during the second millennium.It originated from the Western portion of the Frankish empire, and consolidated significant power and influence over the next thousand years. Louis XIV, also known as the Sun King, developed a...
with force; thus began the Hundred Years' War
Hundred Years' War
The Hundred Years' War was a series of separate wars waged from 1337 to 1453 by the House of Valois and the House of Plantagenet, also known as the House of Anjou, for the French throne, which had become vacant upon the extinction of the senior Capetian line of French kings...
between the Plantagenets and Valois. The Hundred Years' War took place over three periods in time. The Plantagenets were particularly successful in the first of these, the Edwardian War, 1337–1360, their victories in battles at Crécy
Battle of Crécy
The Battle of Crécy took place on 26 August 1346 near Crécy in northern France, and was one of the most important battles of the Hundred Years' War...
and Poitiers
Battle of Poitiers (1356)
The Battle of Poitiers was fought between the Kingdoms of England and France on 19 September 1356 near Poitiers, resulting in the second of the three great English victories of the Hundred Years' War: Crécy, Poitiers, and Agincourt....
leading to the Treaty of Brétigny
Treaty of Brétigny
The Treaty of Brétigny was a treaty signed on May 9, 1360, between King Edward III of England and King John II of France. In retrospect it is seen as having marked the end of the first phase of the Hundred Years' War —as well as the height of English hegemony on the Continent.It was signed...
.
In spite of having to deal with the Black Death
Black Death
The Black Death was one of the most devastating pandemics in human history, peaking in Europe between 1348 and 1350. Of several competing theories, the dominant explanation for the Black Death is the plague theory, which attributes the outbreak to the bacterium Yersinia pestis. Thought to have...
during his reign, Edward was able to make vital developments in legislature and government. In England his reign developed a strong sense of national identity
National identity
National identity is the person's identity and sense of belonging to one state or to one nation, a feeling one shares with a group of people, regardless of one's citizenship status....
due partly to the ongoing wars. He founded the chivalric Order of the Garter
Order of the Garter
The Most Noble Order of the Garter, founded in 1348, is the highest order of chivalry, or knighthood, existing in England. The order is dedicated to the image and arms of St...
which essentially saw nationalisation of the aristocracy. His later years were less successful in comparison, with political problems at home and renewed problems with Valois. The death of Valois' John II
John II of France
John II , called John the Good , was the King of France from 1350 until his death. He was the second sovereign of the House of Valois and is perhaps best remembered as the king who was vanquished at the Battle of Poitiers and taken as a captive to England.The son of Philip VI and Joan the Lame,...
in English captivity during 1364 instigated the rise of Charles V of France
Charles V of France
Charles V , called the Wise, was King of France from 1364 to his death in 1380 and a member of the House of Valois...
with his capable allies, and the second period of the Hundred Years' War known as the Caroline War broke out. In this the Plantagenets were led by Edward's sons Edward, the Black Prince
Edward, the Black Prince
Edward of Woodstock, Prince of Wales, Duke of Cornwall, Prince of Aquitaine, KG was the eldest son of King Edward III of England and his wife Philippa of Hainault as well as father to King Richard II of England....
and John of Gaunt. The Black Prince died in 1376 of an illness which may have been cancer, and Edward III himself died of a stroke the following year, having suffered an illness caused by an abscess.
Richard II of England
Richard II was King of England, a member of the House of Plantagenet and the last of its main-line kings. He ruled from 1377 until he was deposed in 1399. Richard was a son of Edward, the Black Prince, and was born during the reign of his grandfather, Edward III...
succeeded to the throne. The Parliamentary House of Commons
House of Commons of England
The House of Commons of England was the lower house of the Parliament of England from its development in the 14th century to the union of England and Scotland in 1707, when it was replaced by the House of Commons of Great Britain...
feared the political decisions Richard's uncle John of Gaunt might exercise were he to be made regent, and so they created an environment in which a series of councils could control politics.
The continuing Hundred Years' War with Valois was an expensive venture and a poll tax
Poll tax
A poll tax is a tax of a portioned, fixed amount per individual in accordance with the census . When a corvée is commuted for cash payment, in effect it becomes a poll tax...
covering 60% of the population was levied three times to finance it. The 1381 tax cost one shilling for each person over 15 and proved particularly unpopular. This was one of the main reasons behind the Great Rising of 1381
Peasants' Revolt
The Peasants' Revolt, Wat Tyler's Rebellion, or the Great Rising of 1381 was one of a number of popular revolts in late medieval Europe and is a major event in the history of England. Tyler's Rebellion was not only the most extreme and widespread insurrection in English history but also the...
. In spite of being only fourteen at the time, Richard showed considerable statesmanship qualities in riding out on horseback to meet with the rebel leaders.
Due to the king's dependence on a small number of courtiers, governance was taken over by a group known as the Lords Appellant
Lords Appellant
The Lords Appellant were a group of nobles in the reign of King Richard II who sought to impeach some five of the King's favourites in order to restrain what was seen as tyrannical and capricious rule. The word appellant simply means '[one who is] appealing [in a legal sense]'...
in 1389. Richard regained control the same year and after eight years of relative harmony decided to take revenge on the appellants, executing some and exiling others. After John of Gaunt died the king disinherited his son, Henry of Bolingbroke, who had previously been exiled. Henry invaded England in June 1399 with a small force that quickly grew in numbers. Meeting little resistance he deposed Richard to have himself crowned Henry IV of England
Henry IV of England
Henry IV was King of England and Lord of Ireland . He was the ninth King of England of the House of Plantagenet and also asserted his grandfather's claim to the title King of France. He was born at Bolingbroke Castle in Lincolnshire, hence his other name, Henry Bolingbroke...
. Richard died in captivity early the next year; he was probably murdered.
Lancastrians crowned, rebellion
Though as a Plantagenet in the male line Henry was more senior by agnatic primogeniture, according to cognatic primogeniture Edmund Mortimer, Earl of March had been the actual heir presumptive to Richard II by virtue of his descent from his grandmother Philippa, the only child of Lionel, Duke of ClarenceLionel of Antwerp, 1st Duke of Clarence
Lionel of Antwerp, 1st Duke of Clarence, jure uxoris 4th Earl of Ulster and 5th Baron of Connaught, KG was the third son, but the second son to survive infancy, of Edward III of England and Philippa of Hainault...
. Edmund and his brother Roger were just children when Henry took the throne and though he kept them in custody he treated them honourably despite the threat of rebellion they could eventually pose.
Henry IV had to deal with rebellions in Wales under Owain Glyndŵr
Owain Glyndwr
Owain Glyndŵr , or Owain Glyn Dŵr, anglicised by William Shakespeare as Owen Glendower , was a Welsh ruler and the last native Welshman to hold the title Prince of Wales...
and in England. A falling out between the king and Henry Percy, Earl of Northumberland
Henry Percy, 1st Earl of Northumberland
Henry Percy, 1st Earl of Northumberland, 4th Baron Percy, titular King of Mann, KG, Lord Marshal was the son of Henry de Percy, 3rd Baron Percy and a descendent of Henry III of England. His mother was Mary of Lancaster, daughter of Henry, 3rd Earl of Lancaster, son of Edmund, Earl of Leicester and...
resulted in the Percy Rebellion and the Battle of Bramham Moor
Battle of Bramham Moor
The Battle of Bramham Moor was the final battle in the Percy Rebellion of 1402 – 1408, which pitted the Earl of Northumberland, leader of the wealthy and influential Percy family, against the usurper King of England, King Henry IV...
. Henry's wife Joanna of Navarre was accused of practising necromancy
Necromancy
Necromancy is a claimed form of magic that involves communication with the deceased, either by summoning their spirit in the form of an apparition or raising them bodily, for the purpose of divination, imparting the ability to foretell future events or discover hidden knowledge...
(and convicted of witchcraft in 1419, during Henry V's reign). This exacerbated the declining support for the Lancastrians. The Archbishop of York, Richard le Scrope
Richard le Scrope
Richard le Scrope was Bishop of Lichfield then Archbishop of York.Scrope earned a Doctorate in canon law. He was provided to the see of Coventry and Lichfield on 18 August 1386, and consecrated on 19 August 1386. He was given the temporalities of the see on 15 November 1386. He was consecrated at...
, was executed after another rebellion, further diminishing support, and many saw it as a punishment from God when Henry was later struck down with leprosy and epilepsy. Henry was so ill during his last two years as king that his son and heir Henry of Monmouth
Henry V of England
Henry V was King of England from 1413 until his death at the age of 35 in 1422. He was the second monarch belonging to the House of Lancaster....
took up the majority of royal responsibilities.
Henry V of England
Henry V was King of England from 1413 until his death at the age of 35 in 1422. He was the second monarch belonging to the House of Lancaster....
was a soldier from age 14 and a commander at the Battle of Shrewsbury
Battle of Shrewsbury
The Battle of Shrewsbury was a battle fought on 21 July 1403, waged between an army led by the Lancastrian King, Henry IV, and a rebel army led by Henry "Hotspur" Percy from Northumberland....
at age 16. He crushed the Southampton Plot
Southampton Plot
The Southampton Plot of 1415 was a conspiracy against King Henry V of England, aimed at replacing him with Edmund Mortimer, 5th Earl of March. The three alleged ringleaders were Richard of Conisburgh, 3rd Earl of Cambridge, Mortimer's brother-in-law; Henry Scrope, 3rd Baron Scrope of Masham The...
in 1415 and proved to be the warrior-statesman archetype of his ancestors. Henry desired the ancestral Plantagenet lands of the Duchy of Normandy
Duchy of Normandy
The Duchy of Normandy stems from various Danish, Norwegian, Hiberno-Norse, Orkney Viking and Anglo-Danish invasions of France in the 9th century...
and County of Anjou
Anjou
Anjou is a former county , duchy and province centred on the city of Angers in the lower Loire Valley of western France. It corresponds largely to the present-day département of Maine-et-Loire...
, earlier confiscated by Valois. He first attempted this diplomatically by suggesting that he and Charles VI of France
Charles VI of France
Charles VI , called the Beloved and the Mad , was the King of France from 1380 to 1422, as a member of the House of Valois. His bouts with madness, which seem to have begun in 1392, led to quarrels among the French royal family, which were exploited by the neighbouring powers of England and Burgundy...
's daughter Catherine of Valois
Catherine of Valois
Catherine of France was the Queen consort of England from 1420 until 1422. She was the daughter of King Charles VI of France, wife of Henry V of Monmouth, King of England, mother of Henry VI, King of England and King of France, and through her secret marriage with Owen Tudor, the grandmother of...
should marry. The rejection of this proposal began the third part of the Hundred Years War, the Lancastrian War (1415–1429). Two political purposes lay behind this war for Henry, to gain land and to unite his cousins under a common cause in the hopes of dissuading further rebellion at home. Henry presented himself as a chaste and pious king, which was a relief to the masses after his father's reign. At the Battle of Agincourt
Battle of Agincourt
The Battle of Agincourt was a major English victory against a numerically superior French army in the Hundred Years' War. The battle occurred on Friday, 25 October 1415 , near modern-day Azincourt, in northern France...
Henry led his vastly outnumbered men to a famous victory. The Plantagenets allied with the Duchy of Burgundy
Duchy of Burgundy
The Duchy of Burgundy , was heir to an ancient and prestigious reputation and a large division of the lands of the Second Kingdom of Burgundy and in its own right was one of the geographically larger ducal territories in the emergence of Early Modern Europe from Medieval Europe.Even in that...
despite Duke Philip the Good being of a Valois cadet branch. The Plantagenets took back Normandy as well as Picardy
Picardy
This article is about the historical French province. For other uses, see Picardy .Picardy is a historical province of France, in the north of France...
and much of the Île-de-France
Île-de-France (province)
The province of Île-de-France or Isle de France is an historical province of France, and the one at the centre of power during most of French history...
. A settlement was reached with the Treaty of Troyes
Treaty of Troyes
The Treaty of Troyes was an agreement that Henry V of England and his heirs would inherit the throne of France upon the death of King Charles VI of France. It was signed in the French city of Troyes on 21 May 1420 in the aftermath of the Battle of Agincourt...
in which it was agreed that not only would Catherine marry Henry but Charles VI would pass over his own son to name Henry the heir to the French crown. Henry died of dysentery in 1422 at Bois de Vincennes
Bois de Vincennes
The Bois de Vincennes is a park in the English landscape manner to the east of Paris. The park is named after the nearby town of Vincennes....
, two months before he was to be crowned King of France.
Henry VI of England
Henry VI was King of England from 1422 to 1461 and again from 1470 to 1471, and disputed King of France from 1422 to 1453. Until 1437, his realm was governed by regents. Contemporaneous accounts described him as peaceful and pious, not suited for the violent dynastic civil wars, known as the Wars...
was crowned King of England on 31 August 1422 and king of France on 21 October the same year and was to actually reign, rather than simply claim to be king of France as had many Plantagenet monarchs during the Hundred Years' War. As he was still a child, during the early years of his reign his kinsmen, John, Duke of Bedford, Humphrey, Duke of Gloucester
Humphrey, Duke of Gloucester
Humphrey of Lancaster, 1st Duke of Gloucester, 1st Earl of Pembroke, KG , also known as Humphrey Plantagenet, was "son, brother and uncle of kings", being the fourth and youngest son of king Henry IV of England by his first wife, Mary de Bohun, brother to king Henry V of England, and uncle to the...
and Henry Beaufort, were regents. The rise of Joan of Arc
Joan of Arc
Saint Joan of Arc, nicknamed "The Maid of Orléans" , is a national heroine of France and a Roman Catholic saint. A peasant girl born in eastern France who claimed divine guidance, she led the French army to several important victories during the Hundred Years' War, which paved the way for the...
and of the Valois claimant to France, Charles VII
Charles VII of France
Charles VII , called the Victorious or the Well-Served , was King of France from 1422 to his death, though he was initially opposed by Henry VI of England, whose Regent, the Duke of Bedford, ruled much of France including the capital, Paris...
, sparked a continuation of the Lancastrian War. Between 1449 and 1453 the territories of Brittany, Normandy, and Gascony were lost, leaving the Plantagenets with only the Pale of Calais
Pale of Calais
The Pale of Calais is a historical region of France that was controlled by the Kingdom of England until 1558.- History :After the Battle of Crécy in 1346, Edward III of England, having renounced the throne of France, kept some territory within France, namely Aquitaine and the area around Calais,...
on Europe's mainland.
In England the government became increasingly unpopular due to the losses, breakdown in law and order, and corruption. Henry had a mental breakdown
Mental breakdown
Mental breakdown is a non-medical term used to describe an acute, time-limited phase of a specific disorder that presents primarily with features of depression or anxiety.-Definition:...
in 1453 and while he was suffering this illness his cousin Richard Plantagenet, Duke of York was named regent and Protector of the Realm. Richard benefited from influential allies such as Richard Neville, Earl of Warwick. Richard had a legitimist claim to the throne as senior descendant of Lionel, Duke of Clarence, elder brother of Henry's great-grandfather John of Gaunt. What separated Richard from past potential legitimists was that he united this claim with his Plantagenet paternal line through his grandfather Edmund, Duke of York, a younger brother of Lionel and John. By the time Henry had regained his senses a movement in favour of Richard, known as the Yorkists
House of York
The House of York was a branch of the English royal House of Plantagenet, three members of which became English kings in the late 15th century. The House of York was descended in the paternal line from Edmund of Langley, 1st Duke of York, the fourth surviving son of Edward III, but also represented...
, had emerged. Henry himself was trusting and not a man of war. He was more interested in his foundation projects of educational institutions such as Eton College
Eton College
Eton College, often referred to simply as Eton, is a British independent school for boys aged 13 to 18. It was founded in 1440 by King Henry VI as "The King's College of Our Lady of Eton besides Wyndsor"....
. However, Henry's wife Margaret of Anjou
Margaret of Anjou
Margaret of Anjou was the wife of King Henry VI of England. As such, she was Queen consort of England from 1445 to 1461 and again from 1470 to 1471; and Queen consort of France from 1445 to 1453...
was more assertive, showing open enmity toward Richard. From these events a civil war for the English throne known as the Wars of the Roses
Wars of the Roses
The Wars of the Roses were a series of dynastic civil wars for the throne of England fought between supporters of two rival branches of the royal House of Plantagenet: the houses of Lancaster and York...
began.
Wars of the Roses, Yorkist rule
First Battle of St Albans
The First Battle of St Albans, fought on 22 May 1455 at St Albans, 22 miles north of London, traditionally marks the beginning of the Wars of the Roses. Richard, Duke of York and his ally, Richard Neville, Earl of Warwick, defeated the Lancastrians under Edmund, Duke of Somerset, who was killed...
and attempts were made to reconcile differences. Margaret resisted attempts to have her son Edward of Westminster
Edward of Westminster
Edward of Westminster , also known as Edward of Lancaster, was the only son of King Henry VI of England and Margaret of Anjou...
disinherited and Richard was forced to return to Ireland as a lieutenant. Hostilities picked up again after the Duke of York returned and the war continued. At the Battle of Northampton
Battle of Northampton (1460)
The Battle of Northampton was a battle in the Wars of the Roses, which took place on 10 July 1460.-Background:The Yorkist cause seemed finished after the previous disaster at Ludford Bridge...
Henry was found abandoned in a tent experiencing another mental breakdown. The Act of Accord
Act of Accord
The Act of Accord was passed by the English Parliament on 25 October 1460, fifteen days after Richard, Duke of York had entered the Council Chamber and laid his hand on the empty throne. Under the Act, King Henry VI of England was to retain the crown for life but York and his heirs were to succeed....
was agreed in which it was outlined that Henry would remain as monarch for his lifetime but Richard and his descendants would succeed him. The conflict continued because Margaret and the Lancastrian supporters found this unacceptable. Richard was slain at the Battle of Wakefield
Battle of Wakefield
The Battle of Wakefield took place at Sandal Magna near Wakefield, in West Yorkshire in Northern England, on 30 December 1460. It was a major battle of the Wars of the Roses...
and his head set on display at Micklegate Bar, York
York
York is a walled city, situated at the confluence of the Rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. The city has a rich heritage and has provided the backdrop to major political events throughout much of its two millennia of existence...
.. His son Edmund, Earl of Rutland
Edmund, Earl of Rutland
Edmund, Earl of Rutland was the fifth child and second surviving son of Richard Plantagenet, 3rd Duke of York and Cecily Neville...
and Richard Neville, Earl of Salisbury
Richard Neville, 5th Earl of Salisbury
Richard Neville, jure uxoris 5th Earl of Salisbury and 7th and 4th Baron Montacute, KG, PC was a Yorkist leader during the early parts of the Wars of the Roses.-Background:...
were captured and beheaded by the Lancastrians. Another son, Edward, Earl of March
Edward IV of England
Edward IV was King of England from 4 March 1461 until 3 October 1470, and again from 11 April 1471 until his death. He was the first Yorkist King of England...
, took up the cause. Margaret formed an alliance with Mary of Guelders, Queen of Scots
Mary of Guelders
Mary of Guelders was the Queen Consort of Scotland as the wife of King James II of Scotland. She served as Regent of Scotland from 1460 to 1463.-Background:...
against the Yorkists and the Scottish army pillaged its way down to southern England. London's gates remained closed to the Scottish army after hearing of the plundering and the capital city enthusiastically welcomed Edward when the Yorkists arrived. The people demanded that he be made king, which was quickly confirmed by the Parliament of England
Parliament of England
The Parliament of England was the legislature of the Kingdom of England. In 1066, William of Normandy introduced a feudal system, by which he sought the advice of a council of tenants-in-chief and ecclesiastics before making laws...
and he was unofficially crowned Edward IV of England
Edward IV of England
Edward IV was King of England from 4 March 1461 until 3 October 1470, and again from 11 April 1471 until his death. He was the first Yorkist King of England...
at Westminster Abbey
Westminster Abbey
The Collegiate Church of St Peter at Westminster, popularly known as Westminster Abbey, is a large, mainly Gothic church, in the City of Westminster, London, United Kingdom, located just to the west of the Palace of Westminster. It is the traditional place of coronation and burial site for English,...
. After a battle at Towton
Battle of Towton
In 1461, England was in the sixth year of the Wars of the Roses, a series of civil wars between the Houses of York and Lancaster over the English throne. The Lancastrians backed the reigning King of England, Henry VI, an indecisive man who suffered bouts of madness...
, Edward's official coronation in the capital city took place in June 1461.
Elizabeth Woodville
Elizabeth Woodville was Queen consort of England as the spouse of King Edward IV from 1464 until his death in 1483. Elizabeth was a key figure in the series of dynastic civil wars known as the Wars of the Roses. Her first husband, Sir John Grey of Groby was killed at the Second Battle of St Albans...
. Edward's family was also unhappy with this, leading his mother to declare him a bastard and his brother George, Duke of Clarence to revolt. After a counter-rebellion, Edward defeated Warwick who eventually entered into a pact with the Lancastrians. In late 1470, Warwick helped the Lancastrians depose the Yorkists and Henry VI returned briefly to the throne. Edward and his loyal brother, Richard, Duke of Gloucester
Richard III of England
Richard III was King of England for two years, from 1483 until his death in 1485 during the Battle of Bosworth Field. He was the last king of the House of York and the last of the Plantagenet dynasty...
, took refuge in Burgundy until the following year when they returned to England. George, Duke of Clarence, switched sides at the Battle of Barnet
Battle of Barnet
The Battle of Barnet was a decisive engagement in the Wars of the Roses, a dynastic conflict of 15th-century England. The military action, along with the subsequent Battle of Tewkesbury, secured the throne for Edward IV...
, leading to Warwick's death and Edward's restoration. After his restoration, Edward returned some stability with heavy personal control in government. He signed a peace treaty with France
Treaty of Picquigny
The Treaty of Picquigny was a peace treaty negotiated on 29 August 1475 between the Kingdom of England and the Kingdom of France. Louis XI of France paid Edward IV of England to return to England and not take up arms to pursue his claim to the French throne. Edward was provided with an immediate...
on favourable terms, tightened management of royal revenues, paid for the country's administration with Crown Estate
Crown Estate
In the United Kingdom, the Crown Estate is a property portfolio owned by the Crown. Although still belonging to the monarch and inherent with the accession of the throne, it is no longer the private property of the reigning monarch and cannot be sold by him/her, nor do the revenues from it belong...
profits, and patronised William Caxton
William Caxton
William Caxton was an English merchant, diplomat, writer and printer. As far as is known, he was the first English person to work as a printer and the first to introduce a printing press into England...
who set up England's first printing press. Edward's son was crowned Edward V of England
Edward V of England
Edward V was King of England from 9 April 1483 until his deposition two months later. His reign was dominated by the influence of his uncle Richard, Duke of Gloucester, who succeeded him as Richard III...
at age 12. The protectorship of the young king and his brother Richard of Shrewsbury
Richard of Shrewsbury, 1st Duke of York
Richard of Shrewsbury, 1st Duke of York, 1st Duke of Norfolk, 1st Earl of Norfolk, Earl Marshal was the sixth child and second son of King Edward IV of England and Elizabeth Woodville. He was born in Shrewsbury....
was entrusted to their uncle Richard, Duke of Gloucester, who was suspicious of the influential Woodville faction who he blamed for the death of his brother George.
In 1483 the Parliament of England issued a statute known as "Titulus Regius
Titulus Regius
Titulus Regius is a statute of the Parliament of England, issued in 1484, by which the title of King of England was given to Richard III of England....
" declaring the children of Edward IV illegitimate and thus passing the crown to Richard III of England
Richard III of England
Richard III was King of England for two years, from 1483 until his death in 1485 during the Battle of Bosworth Field. He was the last king of the House of York and the last of the Plantagenet dynasty...
. This was due to evidence presented by Ralph Shaa
Ralph Shaa
Ralph Shaa , sometimes called John Shaa, was a 15th century English theologian, the half-brother of the Lord Mayor of London, Edmund Shaa...
that Edward had entered contract to marry Lady Eleanor Talbot
Lady Eleanor Talbot
Lady Eleanor Talbot was a daughter of John Talbot, 1st Earl of Shrewsbury. Her alleged pre-contract of marriage with King Edward IV of England was of great significance to the final fate of the Plantagenet dynasty and outcome of the Wars of the Roses.-Marriage:In 1449, 13-year-old Eleanor married...
before he married Elizabeth Woodville, making his marriage to Elizabeth invalid and their issue bastards. The two boys became the Princes in the Tower
Princes in the Tower
The Princes in the Tower is a term which refers to Edward V of England and Richard of Shrewsbury, 1st Duke of York. The two brothers were the only sons of Edward IV of England and Elizabeth Woodville alive at the time of their father's death...
, the Tower of London
Tower of London
Her Majesty's Royal Palace and Fortress, more commonly known as the Tower of London, is a historic castle on the north bank of the River Thames in central London, England. It lies within the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, separated from the eastern edge of the City of London by the open space...
being a royal residence at the time. Their ultimate fate is unknown and suspicion has fallen on Richard. Richard had a strong power base in the North of England and founded the Council of the North
Council of the North
The Council of the North was an administrative body originally set up in 1484 by king Richard III of England, the third and last Yorkist monarch to hold the Crown of England; its intention was to improve government control and economic prosperity, to benefit the entire area of Northern England...
to improve governance there. He also founded the College of Arms
College of Arms
The College of Arms, or Heralds’ College, is an office regulating heraldry and granting new armorial bearings for England, Wales and Northern Ireland...
office of heraldry
Heraldry
Heraldry is the profession, study, or art of creating, granting, and blazoning arms and ruling on questions of rank or protocol, as exercised by an officer of arms. Heraldry comes from Anglo-Norman herald, from the Germanic compound harja-waldaz, "army commander"...
. The king's son and heir Edward of Middleham, Prince of Wales
Edward of Middleham, Prince of Wales
Edward of Middleham, 1st Earl of Salisbury , was the only son of King Richard III of England and his wife Anne Neville. He was Richard's only legitimate child and died aged 11....
, died before him in 1484. Henry Tudor
Henry VII of England
Henry VII was King of England and Lord of Ireland from his seizing the crown on 22 August 1485 until his death on 21 April 1509, as the first monarch of the House of Tudor....
, a Welshman who was grandson of the former Queen, Margaret of Anjou, and maternally descended from John of Gaunt took up leadership of the House of Lancaster and landed at Milford Haven
Milford Haven
Milford Haven is a town and community in Pembrokeshire, Wales. It is situated on the north side of the Milford Haven Waterway, a natural harbour used as a port since the Middle Ages. The town was founded in 1790 on the north side of the Waterway, from which it takes its name...
in the Principality of Wales
Principality of Wales
The Principality of Wales existed between 1216 and 1542, encompassing two-thirds of modern Wales.It was formally founded in 1216 at the Council of Aberdyfi, and later recognised by the 1218 Treaty of Worcester between Llywelyn the Great of Wales and Henry III of England...
to invade with an army of foreign mercenaries. The invasion culminated at the Battle of Bosworth Field
Battle of Bosworth Field
The Battle of Bosworth Field was the penultimate battle of the Wars of the Roses, the civil war between the House of Lancaster and the House of York that raged across England in the latter half of the 15th century. Fought on 22 August 1485, the battle was won by the Lancastrians...
. There Richard was betrayed when Henry Percy, Earl of Northumberland
Henry Percy, 4th Earl of Northumberland
Henry Percy, 4th Earl of Northumberland, KG son of Henry Percy, 3rd Earl of Northumberland and his wife Eleanor Poynings, daughter of Richard Poynings, Lord Poynings....
, and Lord Stanley refused to send in troops. Side by side with his loyal commanders John, Duke of Norfolk
John Howard, 1st Duke of Norfolk
John Howard, 1st Duke of Norfolk, KG, Earl Marshal was an English nobleman, soldier, and the first Howard Duke of Norfolk...
and Sir William Catesby, Richard fought until the end and was killed in action. The crown passed to the House of Tudor with the coronation of Henry VII of England
Henry VII of England
Henry VII was King of England and Lord of Ireland from his seizing the crown on 22 August 1485 until his death on 21 April 1509, as the first monarch of the House of Tudor....
beginning the Tudor era.
Deposed house
In 1486 the new Tudor monarch Henry VII married Elizabeth of YorkElizabeth of York
Elizabeth of York was Queen consort of England as spouse of King Henry VII from 1486 until 1503, and mother of King Henry VIII of England....
, oldest daughter and heir of Edward IV. The white
White Rose of York
The White Rose of York , a white heraldic rose, is the symbol of the House of York and has since been adopted as a symbol of Yorkshire as a whole.-History:...
and red roses
Red Rose of Lancaster
The Red Rose of Lancaster is the county flower of Lancashire.The exact species or cultivar which the red rose relates to is uncertain, but it is thought to be Rosa gallica officinalis....
were merged together to form the Tudor rose
Tudor rose
The Tudor Rose is the traditional floral heraldic emblem of England and takes its name and origins from the Tudor dynasty.-Origins:...
, intended to symbolise rapprochement and the consolidation of the Tudor dynasty. In fact, the Wars of the Roses and Yorkist attempts at restoration would continue. The Battle of Stoke Field
Battle of Stoke Field
The Battle of Stoke Field may be considered the last battle of the Wars of the Roses, since it was to be the last engagement in which a Lancastrian king faced an army of Yorkist supporters, under the pretender Lambert Simnel...
took place the following year. Gerald Fitzgerald, Earl of Kildare
Gerald FitzGerald, 8th Earl of Kildare
Gerald Mór FitzGerald, 8th Earl of Kildare, KG , known variously as "Garret the Great" or "The Great Earl" , was Ireland's premier peer...
in Ireland and John de la Pole, Earl of Lincoln
John de la Pole, 1st Earl of Lincoln
John de la Pole, 1st Earl of Lincoln was the eldest son of John de la Pole, 2nd Duke of Suffolk and Elizabeth of York, Duchess of Suffolk. His mother was the sixth child and third daughter born to Richard Plantagenet, 3rd Duke of York and Cecily Neville...
in England (a Yorkist by maternal bloodline) supported the claim of Edward Plantagenet, Earl of Warwick
Edward Plantagenet, 17th Earl of Warwick
Edward Plantagenet, 17th Earl of Warwick was the son of George Plantagenet, 1st Duke of Clarence and a potential claimant to the English throne during the reigns of both Richard III and his successor, Henry VII...
, under the guise of Lambert Simnel
Lambert Simnel
Lambert Simnel was a pretender to the throne of England. His claim to be the Earl of Warwick in 1487 threatened the newly established reign of King Henry VII .-Early life:...
who was sent to Ireland by Margaret, Duchess of Burgundy
Margaret of York
Margaret of York – also by marriage known as Margaret of Burgundy – was Duchess of Burgundy as the third wife of Charles the Bold and acted as a protector of the Duchy after his death. She was a daughter of Richard Plantagenet, 3rd Duke of York, and Cecily Neville, and the sister of...
and presented as the escaped prince. As a paternal Plantagenet and son of George, Duke of Clarence
George Plantagenet, 1st Duke of Clarence
George Plantagenet, 1st Duke of Clarence, 1st Earl of Salisbury, 1st Earl of Warwick, KG was the third son of Richard Plantagenet, 3rd Duke of York, and Cecily Neville, and the brother of kings Edward IV and Richard III. He played an important role in the dynastic struggle known as the Wars of the...
, Edward had a strong claim to the throne but rumours abounded that he had died in the Tower of London. This Yorkist attempt failed with thin support outside of the Irish and Flemish, though Henry VII was merciful to young Simnel and gave him a job in the royal household.
Edward Plantagenet, 17th Earl of Warwick
Edward Plantagenet, 17th Earl of Warwick was the son of George Plantagenet, 1st Duke of Clarence and a potential claimant to the English throne during the reigns of both Richard III and his successor, Henry VII...
in 1499, the House of Plantagenet went extinct in the legitimate male line. Margaret Pole
Margaret Pole, 8th Countess of Salisbury
Margaret Pole, Countess of Salisbury was an English peeress, one of two women in sixteenth-century England to be a peeress in her own right with no titled husband, the daughter of George of Clarence, the brother of King Edward IV and King Richard III...
, the Earl of Warwick's sister and last legitimate Plantagenet, was executed for treason by Henry VIII in 1541. Edward IV's illegitimate son Arthur Plantagenet, 1st Viscount Lisle
Arthur Plantagenet, 1st Viscount Lisle
Arthur Plantagenet, 1st Viscount Lisle, KG was an illegitimate son of King Edward IV of England, and an important figure at the court of Henry VIII...
was a member of Henry VIII's court until he was arrested and charged with treason in 1540. He was cleared of the treason charges but just before he was to be released from the Tower of London in 1542 he suffered a heart attack and died.
Designation and details
| Title | Held | Designation and details |
|---|---|---|
| Count of Anjou | 870–1204 | ancestral family title, originating with Ingelger Ingelger Ingelger was a Frankish nobleman, who stands at the head of the Plantagenet dynasty. Later generations of his family believed he was the son of Tertullus and Petronilla.... . Remained under direct control of the Plantagenets until Philip II of France Philip II of France Philip II Augustus was the King of France from 1180 until his death. A member of the House of Capet, Philip Augustus was born at Gonesse in the Val-d'Oise, the son of Louis VII and his third wife, Adela of Champagne... captured the county and merged it with the House of Capet House of Capet The House of Capet, or The Direct Capetian Dynasty, , also called The House of France , or simply the Capets, which ruled the Kingdom of France from 987 to 1328, was the most senior line of the Capetian dynasty – itself a derivative dynasty from the Robertians. As rulers of France, the dynasty... royal holdings. |
| Count of Maine | 1110–1203 | ancestral family title, inherited by the House of Anjou after the marriage of Ermengarde of Maine Ermengarde of Maine Ermengarde or Erembourg of Maine, also known as Erembourg de la Flèche , was Countess of Maine and the Lady of Château-du-Loir from 1110 to 1126. She was the daughter of Elias I of Maine, Count of Maine, and Mathilda of Château-du-Loire.... with Fulk V of Anjou. It was captured and merged into the House of Capet House of Capet The House of Capet, or The Direct Capetian Dynasty, , also called The House of France , or simply the Capets, which ruled the Kingdom of France from 987 to 1328, was the most senior line of the Capetian dynasty – itself a derivative dynasty from the Robertians. As rulers of France, the dynasty... royal holdings. |
| King of Jerusalem | 1131–1143 | title held by the grandfather of Henry II of England Henry II of England Henry II ruled as King of England , Count of Anjou, Count of Maine, Duke of Normandy, Duke of Aquitaine, Duke of Gascony, Count of Nantes, Lord of Ireland and, at various times, controlled parts of Wales, Scotland and western France. Henry, the great-grandson of William the Conqueror, was the... named Fulk of Jerusalem Fulk of Jerusalem Fulk , also known as Fulk the Younger, was Count of Anjou from 1109 to 1129, and King of Jerusalem from 1131 to his death... . Ruled for a while by their cousins. The Plantagenets followed up their claim in the Third Third Crusade The Third Crusade , also known as the Kings' Crusade, was an attempt by European leaders to reconquer the Holy Land from Saladin... and Ninth Crusade Ninth Crusade The Ninth Crusade, which is sometimes grouped with the Eighth Crusade, is commonly considered to be the last major medieval Crusade to the Holy Land. It took place in 1271–1272.... s but never regained it. |
| Duke of Normandy Duke of Normandy The Duke of Normandy is the title of the reigning monarch of the British Crown Dependancies of the Bailiwick of Guernsey and the Bailiwick of Jersey. The title traces its roots to the Duchy of Normandy . Whether the reigning sovereign is a male or female, they are always titled as the "Duke of... |
1144–1485 | also used Count of Mortain title. Due to be handed to the Plantagenets during The Anarchy The Anarchy The Anarchy or The Nineteen-Year Winter was a period of English history during the reign of King Stephen, which was characterised by civil war and unsettled government... but Geoffrey V of Anjou conquered it early. Mainland holdings lost to Valois in 1259, but title continued to be used in relation to Channel Islands Channel Islands The Channel Islands are an archipelago of British Crown Dependencies in the English Channel, off the French coast of Normandy. They include two separate bailiwicks: the Bailiwick of Guernsey and the Bailiwick of Jersey... . Eventually lost to House of Tudor. |
| Duke of Aquitaine Duke of Aquitaine The Duke of Aquitaine ruled the historical region of Aquitaine under the supremacy of Frankish, English and later French kings.... |
1152–1422 | titles Duke of Gascony Duke of Gascony The Duchy of Vasconia , later known as Gascony, was a Merovingian creation: a frontier duchy on the Garonne, in the border with the rebel Basque tribes... and Count of Poitiers Count of Poitiers Among the people who have borne the title of Count of Poitiers are:*Guerin **Hatton **Renaud... also used. The Duchy became part of the Planagenet holdings after Eleanor of Aquitaine Eleanor of Aquitaine Eleanor of Aquitaine was one of the wealthiest and most powerful women in Western Europe during the High Middle Ages. As well as being Duchess of Aquitaine in her own right, she was queen consort of France and of England... married Henry II. Eventually lost to House of Valois. |
| King of England | 1154–1485 | title became part of the Plantagenet holdings after the Treaty of Wallingford Treaty of Wallingford The Treaty of Wallingford of 1153, aka Treaty of Winchester or as the Treaty of Westminster, was an agreement that effectively ended the civil war known as the Anarchy, caused by a dispute between Empress Matilda and her cousin King Stephen of England over the English crown... . The title was inherited through Matilda, Lady of the English Empress Matilda Empress Matilda , also known as Matilda of England or Maude, was the daughter and heir of King Henry I of England. Matilda and her younger brother, William Adelin, were the only legitimate children of King Henry to survive to adulthood... . Eventually lost to the House of Tudor. |
| Lord of Ireland | 1177–1485 | title was a Plantagenet holding since 1177, replacing the High Kings of Ireland title. Eventually lost to the Tudors; Henry VIII of England Henry VIII of England Henry VIII was King of England from 21 April 1509 until his death. He was Lord, and later King, of Ireland, as well as continuing the nominal claim by the English monarchs to the Kingdom of France... later raised the Lordship to a Monarchal title. |
| Duke of Brittany Duke of Brittany The Duchy of Brittany was a medieval tribal and feudal state covering the northwestern peninsula of Europe,bordered by the Alantic Ocean on the west and the English Channel to the north with less definitive borders of the Loire River to the south and Normandy to the east... |
1181–1203 | title Count of Nantes also used. Became Plantagenet title after marriage of Constance, Duchess of Brittany Constance, Duchess of Brittany Constance of Penthièvre was hereditary Duchess of Brittany between 1171 and 1196... and Geoffrey II, Duke of Brittany Geoffrey II, Duke of Brittany Geoffrey II, Duke of Brittany and Earl of Richmond was Duke of Brittany between 1181 and 1186, through his marriage with the heiress Constance. Geoffrey was the fourth son of King Henry II of England and Eleanor, Duchess of Aquitaine.-Family:He was a younger maternal half-brother of Marie de... . Strongly linked to Earl of Richmond Earl of Richmond The now-extinct title of Earl of Richmond was created many times in the Peerage of England. The earldom of Richmond was held by various Bretons, Normans, the royal families of Plantagenet, Capet, Savoy, Tudor and Stuart.-History:... title. |
| Lord of Cyprus Cyprus Cyprus , officially the Republic of Cyprus , is a Eurasian island country, member of the European Union, in the Eastern Mediterranean, east of Greece, south of Turkey, west of Syria and north of Egypt. It is the third largest island in the Mediterranean Sea.The earliest known human activity on the... |
1191–1192 | title was briefly held by Richard the Lionheart after his conquest of the island, he then sold the island to Guy of Lusignan Guy of Lusignan Guy of Lusignan was a Poitevin knight, son of Hugh VIII of the prominent Lusignan dynasty. He was king of the crusader state of Jerusalem from 1186 to 1192 by right of marriage to Sibylla of Jerusalem, and of Cyprus from 1192 to 1194... who raised Cyprus from a Lordship into the Kingdom of Cyprus Kingdom of Cyprus The Kingdom of Cyprus was a Crusader kingdom on the island of Cyprus in the high and late Middle Ages, between 1192 and 1489. It was ruled by the French House of Lusignan.-History:... . |
| King of Sicily | 1254–1263 | titular claim rather than de facto. Pope Alexander IV Pope Alexander IV Pope Alexander IV was Pope from 1254 until his death.Born as Rinaldo di Jenne, in Jenne , he was, on his mother's side, a member of the de' Conti di Segni family, the counts of Segni, like Pope Innocent III and Pope Gregory IX... had declared Sicily a papal possession and offered the crown to Henry III's son Edmund, Earl of Lancaster Edmund Crouchback, 1st Earl of Lancaster Edmund of Crouchback, 1st Earl of Leicester and Lancaster , was the second surviving son of King Henry III of England and Eleanor of Provence. In his childhood he had a claim on the Kingdom of Sicily. His nickname refers to his participation in the Ninth Crusade.-Childhood:Edmund was born in London... . The next Pope reversed the offer and the Plantagenets never succeeded in taking the kingdom, but took the claim seriously. |
| King of Germany and King of the Romans King of the Romans King of the Romans was the title used by the ruler of the Holy Roman Empire following his election to the office by the princes of the Kingdom of Germany... |
1257–1272 | Richard, 1st Earl of Cornwall Richard, 1st Earl of Cornwall Richard of Cornwall was Count of Poitou , 1st Earl of Cornwall and German King... was elected king in opposition to the claim of Alfonso X of Castile Alfonso X of Castile Alfonso X was a Castilian monarch who ruled as the King of Castile, León and Galicia from 1252 until his death... , and after extensive lobbying and bribery. He was crowned in 1257 at Aachen as King of Germany. As such, he could claim the title of King of the Romans as Emperor-elect. Since the Pope supported Alfonso, he never crowned Richard Emperor. Richard only made four brief visits to Germany, and his sons were not considered as possible successors. |
| Prince of Wales Prince of Wales Prince of Wales is a title traditionally granted to the heir apparent to the reigning monarch of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the 15 other independent Commonwealth realms... |
1301–1484 | Originally a fief of the Angevin Empire Angevin Empire The term Angevin Empire is a modern term describing the collection of states once ruled by the Angevin Plantagenet dynasty.The Plantagenets ruled over an area stretching from the Pyrenees to Ireland during the 12th and early 13th centuries, located north of Moorish Iberia. This "empire" extended... , it was given to the first born son of the King of England after the Aberffraw dynasty rebelled against their vassal. Eventually lost to the Tudors. |
| King of France | 1340–1485 | Mostly titular, rather than de facto. The Plantagenets claimed to be the senior continution of the House of Capet House of Capet The House of Capet, or The Direct Capetian Dynasty, , also called The House of France , or simply the Capets, which ruled the Kingdom of France from 987 to 1328, was the most senior line of the Capetian dynasty – itself a derivative dynasty from the Robertians. As rulers of France, the dynasty... after the Direct Capetians line came to an end. During part of the Lancastrian period of rule there was a time when this was de facto rulership. |
Reigns of the Plantagenet monarchs of England
| Portrait | Name | From | Until | Relationship with predecessor |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
Henry II of England Henry II of England Henry II ruled as King of England , Count of Anjou, Count of Maine, Duke of Normandy, Duke of Aquitaine, Duke of Gascony, Count of Nantes, Lord of Ireland and, at various times, controlled parts of Wales, Scotland and western France. Henry, the great-grandson of William the Conqueror, was the... (Curtmantle) |
19 December 1154 | 6 July 1189 | son of Empress Matilda Empress Matilda Empress Matilda , also known as Matilda of England or Maude, was the daughter and heir of King Henry I of England. Matilda and her younger brother, William Adelin, were the only legitimate children of King Henry to survive to adulthood... , heir to the English throne but was usurped by his cousin, Stephen I of England. |
 |
Henry the Young King Henry the Young King Henry, known as the Young King was the second of five sons of King Henry II of England and Eleanor of Aquitaine but the first to survive infancy. He was officially King of England; Duke of Normandy, Count of Anjou and Maine.-Early life:Little is known of the young prince Henry before the events... |
14 June 1170 | 11 June 1183 | coregent at age 15 onwards with his father, Henry II of England. |
 |
Richard I of England Richard I of England Richard I was King of England from 6 July 1189 until his death. He also ruled as Duke of Normandy, Duke of Aquitaine, Duke of Gascony, Lord of Cyprus, Count of Anjou, Count of Maine, Count of Nantes, and Overlord of Brittany at various times during the same period... (Richard the Lionheart) |
3 September 1189 | 6 April 1199 | son of Henry II of England. |
 |
John of England John of England John , also known as John Lackland , was King of England from 6 April 1199 until his death... (John Lackland) |
27 May 1199 | 19 October 1216 | son of Henry II of England. Brother of issueless Richard I of England. |
 |
Henry III of England Henry III of England Henry III was the son and successor of John as King of England, reigning for 56 years from 1216 until his death. His contemporaries knew him as Henry of Winchester. He was the first child king in England since the reign of Æthelred the Unready... |
28 October 1216 | 16 November 1272 | son of John of England. |
 |
Edward I of England Edward I of England Edward I , also known as Edward Longshanks and the Hammer of the Scots, was King of England from 1272 to 1307. The first son of Henry III, Edward was involved early in the political intrigues of his father's reign, which included an outright rebellion by the English barons... (Edward Longshanks) |
20 November 1272 | 7 July 1307 | son of Henry III of England. |
 |
Edward II of England Edward II of England Edward II , called Edward of Caernarfon, was King of England from 1307 until he was deposed by his wife Isabella in January 1327. He was the sixth Plantagenet king, in a line that began with the reign of Henry II... |
7 July 1307 | 25 January 1327 | son of Edward I of England. |
 |
Edward III of England Edward III of England Edward III was King of England from 1327 until his death and is noted for his military success. Restoring royal authority after the disastrous reign of his father, Edward II, Edward III went on to transform the Kingdom of England into one of the most formidable military powers in Europe... |
25 January 1327 | 21 June 1377 | son of Edward II of England. |
 |
Richard II of England Richard II of England Richard II was King of England, a member of the House of Plantagenet and the last of its main-line kings. He ruled from 1377 until he was deposed in 1399. Richard was a son of Edward, the Black Prince, and was born during the reign of his grandfather, Edward III... |
21 June 1377 | 29 September 1399 | son of Edward, the Black Prince Edward, the Black Prince Edward of Woodstock, Prince of Wales, Duke of Cornwall, Prince of Aquitaine, KG was the eldest son of King Edward III of England and his wife Philippa of Hainault as well as father to King Richard II of England.... and grandson of Edward III of England. |
House of Lancaster
| Portrait | Name | From | Until | Relationship with predecessor |
|---|---|---|---|---|
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Henry IV of England Henry IV of England Henry IV was King of England and Lord of Ireland . He was the ninth King of England of the House of Plantagenet and also asserted his grandfather's claim to the title King of France. He was born at Bolingbroke Castle in Lincolnshire, hence his other name, Henry Bolingbroke... (Henry Bolingbroke) |
30 September 1399 | 20 March 1413 | cousin of Richard II of England Richard II of England Richard II was King of England, a member of the House of Plantagenet and the last of its main-line kings. He ruled from 1377 until he was deposed in 1399. Richard was a son of Edward, the Black Prince, and was born during the reign of his grandfather, Edward III... , whom he had murdered. Son of John of Gaunt, 1st Duke of Lancaster John of Gaunt, 1st Duke of Lancaster John of Gaunt, 1st Duke of Lancaster , KG was a member of the House of Plantagenet, the third surviving son of King Edward III of England and Philippa of Hainault... and grandson of Edward III. |
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Henry V of England Henry V of England Henry V was King of England from 1413 until his death at the age of 35 in 1422. He was the second monarch belonging to the House of Lancaster.... |
20 March 1413 | 31 August 1422 | son of Henry IV of England. |
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Henry VI of England Henry VI of England Henry VI was King of England from 1422 to 1461 and again from 1470 to 1471, and disputed King of France from 1422 to 1453. Until 1437, his realm was governed by regents. Contemporaneous accounts described him as peaceful and pious, not suited for the violent dynastic civil wars, known as the Wars... |
31 August 1422 | 4 March 1461 | son of Henry V of England. |
| 30 October 1470 | 11 April 1471 | |||
House of York
| Portrait | Name | From | Until | Relationship with predecessor |
|---|---|---|---|---|
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Edward IV of England Edward IV of England Edward IV was King of England from 4 March 1461 until 3 October 1470, and again from 11 April 1471 until his death. He was the first Yorkist King of England... |
4 March 1461 | 30 October 1470 | cousin of Henry VI of England Henry VI of England Henry VI was King of England from 1422 to 1461 and again from 1470 to 1471, and disputed King of France from 1422 to 1453. Until 1437, his realm was governed by regents. Contemporaneous accounts described him as peaceful and pious, not suited for the violent dynastic civil wars, known as the Wars... . Son of Richard Plantagenet, Duke of York Richard Plantagenet, 3rd Duke of York Richard Plantagenêt, 3rd Duke of York, 6th Earl of March, 4th Earl of Cambridge, and 7th Earl of Ulster, conventionally called Richard of York was a leading English magnate, great-grandson of King Edward III... , common heir-general of Lionel of Antwerp and Edmund of Langley, both sons of Edward III |
| 11 April 1471 | 9 April 1483 | |||
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Edward V of England Edward V of England Edward V was King of England from 9 April 1483 until his deposition two months later. His reign was dominated by the influence of his uncle Richard, Duke of Gloucester, who succeeded him as Richard III... |
9 April 1483 | 25 June 1483 | son of Edward IV of England. |
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Richard III of England Richard III of England Richard III was King of England for two years, from 1483 until his death in 1485 during the Battle of Bosworth Field. He was the last king of the House of York and the last of the Plantagenet dynasty... |
26 June 1483 | 22 August 1485 | uncle of Edward V of England. Son of Richard Plantagenet, Duke of York Richard Plantagenet, 3rd Duke of York Richard Plantagenêt, 3rd Duke of York, 6th Earl of March, 4th Earl of Cambridge, and 7th Earl of Ulster, conventionally called Richard of York was a leading English magnate, great-grandson of King Edward III... . |
Family tree
- The family tree includes only male members of the House of Plantagenets who were born legitimate.