- Also called:
- house of Anjou or Angevin dynasty
house of Plantagenet
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What was the House of Plantagenet?
The House of Plantagenet was a royal dynasty of English kings that ruled from 1154 to 1485. The line began with the marriage of Geoffrey, Count of Anjou, to Empress Matilda, daughter of King Henry I.
The name Plantagenet originated as a nickname for Count Geoffrey. It may have referred to his wearing a broom sprig (Latin genista) in his hat or his planting of brooms to improve hunting.
Henry Plantagenet, Matilda’s son, became King Henry II in 1154. He already had a reputation for energy and decisive action. As heir to his mother and Stephen, he held England and Normandy. As heir to his father, he held Anjou, Maine, and Touraine. As husband of Eleanor, he held Aquitaine. His holdings in France were larger than those of the French king. These holdings became known as the Angevin empire.
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When did the Plantagenets rule England?
The house of Plantagenet, a royal house of England, ruled from 1154 to 1485. During this time, they provided 14 kings, including six from the cadet houses of Lancaster and York.
The royal line began with the union of Geoffrey, Count of Anjou, and Empress Matilda, daughter of England’s King Henry I. Some historians call Henry II and his 13 successors the house of Anjou, or Angevin dynasty, while others only call Henry II and his sons Richard I and John the Angevin kings, referring to their successors, like Edward I, Edward II, and Edward III, as Plantagenets.
The first official use of the Plantagenet surname was in 1460, when Richard, Duke of York, claimed the throne as “Richard Plantaginet”. The legitimate male line of the Plantagenets ended when Edward, Earl of Warwick, was executed in 1499.
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Who were some famous Plantagenet kings or queens?
The house of Plantagenet was a royal dynasty that ruled England from 1154 to 1485, providing 14 kings. Some famous Plantagenet kings or queens include:
- Henry II Greatly expanded Anglo-French domains and strengthened royal administration in England.
- Richard I Known for his knightly manner and prowess in the Third Crusade.
- Edward I Strengthened the crown and Parliament, subdued Wales, and sought the conquest of Scotland.
- Edward III Led England into the Hundred Years’ War with France.
- Richard II Ended the Peasant's Revolt and later faced crises in Parliament.
- Eleanor of Aquitaine Although not a queen in her own right, she was married to Henry II and played a significant political role, even in her later years.
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What important events happened during the Plantagenet rule?
The Plantagenet dynasty, which ruled England from 1154 to 1485, was marked by significant events and transformations.
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Legal and military reforms Henry II, the first Angevin king, restored centralized power, promoted public order with the Assize of Clarendon (1166), and created a local militia through the Assize of Arms (1181).
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The Magna Carta King John was compelled to sign the Magna Carta in 1215, which limited royal power and subjected it to legal codes, thus protecting individual rights.
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Wars of the Roses The Wars of the Roses was a dynastic struggle between the house of Lancaster and the house of York. It ended when Henry Tudor defeated the last Yorkist king, Richard III, in 1485.
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How did the Plantagenets gain and lose power in England?
The Plantagenet dynasty ruled England from 1154 to 1485. Their ascent began with the marriage of Geoffrey, Count of Anjou, to Empress Matilda, daughter of King Henry I.
Edward III's numerous children significantly influenced English history. The Lancastrian line obtained the throne when Richard II was deposed and Henry IV, the son of John of Gaunt, took the crown. The Yorkist line was founded by Edmund of Langley, son of Edward III. The dynastic struggle between the houses of Lancaster and York, known as the Wars of the Roses, ultimately led to the downfall of both houses. The Plantagenet line ended when Richard III was defeated by Henry Tudor at Bosworth Field in 1485. The legitimate male line became extinct in 1499 with the execution of Edward, Earl of Warwick.
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What led to the end of the Plantagenet dynasty and who replaced them?
The Plantagenet dynasty, which ruled England from 1154 to 1485, ended due to the Wars of the Roses, a dynastic struggle between the house of York and the house of Lancaster. The last Yorkist king, Richard III, was defeated at Bosworth Field in 1485 by Henry Tudor.
Henry Tudor, who had a weak claim to the throne, became Henry VII and founded the house of Tudor. His victory and subsequent marriage to Elizabeth of York united the warring houses and marked the end of the Plantagenet dynasty.
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house of Plantagenet, royal house of England, which reigned from 1154 to 1485 and provided 14 kings, 6 of whom belonged to the cadet houses of Lancaster and York. The royal line descended from the union between Geoffrey, count of Anjou (died 1151), and the empress Matilda, daughter of the English king Henry I.
Although well established, the surname Plantagenet has little historical justification. It seems to have originated as a nickname for Count Geoffrey and has been variously explained as referring to his practice of wearing a sprig of broom (Latin genista) in his hat or, more probably, to his habit of planting brooms to improve his hunting covers. It was not, however, a hereditary surname, and Geoffrey’s descendants in England remained without one for more than 250 years, although surnames became universal outside the royal family.
Some historians apply the name house of Anjou, or Angevin dynasty, to Henry II (who was also count of Anjou) and his 13 successors; other historians label only Henry II and his sons, Richard I and John, as the Angevin kings and, for want of a better name, label their successors, notably Edward I, Edward II, and Edward III, as Plantagenets. The first official use of the surname Plantagenet by any descendant of Count Geoffrey occurred in 1460, when Richard, duke of York, claimed the throne as “Richard Plantaginet.”
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Edward III’s numerous children and their marriages greatly affected English history. Edward’s heir, the “Black Prince,” left an only son, who succeeded his grandfather as Richard II, on whose death (1399) this line became extinct. Lionel, the next surviving son of Edward III, left an only child, Philippa, who married the earl of March, in whose heirs was the right to the succession. But John of Gaunt, the next son, who had married the heiress of Lancaster and had been created duke of Lancaster in consequence, refounded the Lancastrian line, which obtained the throne in the person of his only son by her, Henry IV, on the deposition of Richard II. The next son of Edward III, Edmund of Langley, who was created duke of York (1385), founded the Yorkist line, and was father of two sons, Edward, second duke, who was slain at Agincourt, and Richard, earl of Cambridge, who by marrying the granddaughter and eventual heiress of Lionel’s daughter, Philippa, brought the right to the succession into the house of York.
Between their son and Henry VI (grandson of Henry IV) and the sons and heirs of these rivals was fought out the dynastic struggle known as the Wars of the Roses, which proved fatal to several members of both houses. It did not end until the last Yorkist king, Richard III, was defeated at Bosworth Field in 1485 by Henry Tudor, who became Henry VII and founder of the house of Tudor.
The legitimate male issue of the Plantagenet line became extinct with the execution in 1499 of Edward, earl of Warwick, grandson of Richard, duke of York.