The Plantagenets were a French family who ruled England from 1133 to 1485. They were one of the four major ruling families in northern France and included 14 monarchs. The line split into the House of Lancaster and the House of York at the end of the 14th century. The Tudor dynasty ended the Plantagenet reign, and the direct genetic line died out in 1541. The Plantagenets oversaw many key events in British history and shaped the modern character of England.
The Plantagenets were a French family who assumed control of the English throne in 1133. Although the Plantagenets failed to seize power in France, the English Plantagenet Kings ruled until 1485. The line included 14 monarchs and fell into extinction at the hands of the Tudor dynasty.
The House of Anjou, or Angevin dynasty, as the family was called in its native France, was one of the four major ruling families in northern France. They were said to be rowdy, and some experts believe the male line had a history of insanity or mania. An Angevin count, Fulk III of Anjou, accused his wife of adultery and had her burned at the stake in her wedding dress. After the accession of William, Duke of Normandy to the English throne in 1066, the House of Anjou lost much of its power. The province of Anjou was finally taken by the French crown in 1206.
In 1128, Matilda, granddaughter of the English king, married Geoffrey Plante Genest, Duke of Anjou. Through political wrangling, Matilda managed to put her son, Henry, in line for the English crown. In 1154, after defeating King Stephen of England in battle, the Plantagenets forced Stephen to name Henry as heir by signing the Treaty of Wallingford. Henry was crowned Henry II of England on 19 December 1154, starting the Plantagenet reign over the country.
Henry II was succeeded by his third son, Richard the Lionheart. Richard spent most of his youth in a succession battle between his father and his older brothers. Finally, after Henry’s defeat by Richard at the Battle of Ballans, Henry named Richard his heir. Richard’s throne passed to his younger brother John on his death. From John on, the throne passed from father to son for several generations.
At the end of the 14th century, the line split into two groups, the House of Lancaster and the House of York. The split was the result of a complex line of succession between the sons of King Edward III. Edward’s heir died of disease and the king named his nephew, Richard II, as his new heir. This infuriated Edward’s younger sons, the Duke of Lancaster and the Duke of York. Richard II was eventually captured, deposed and killed by Henry Bolingbroke, son of the Duke of Lancaster. Henry succeeded as Henry IV, continuing the family’s rule.
Experts are divided on how to identify the line after Henry IV’s succession. Some still consider Henry and his descendants part of the Plantagenets, while others refer to the following monarchs as Lancaster and York kings. Genetically, the Plantagenet line continued until the defeat of Richard III in 1485. After this point, the Tudor dynasty took the throne, ending the Plantagenet reign. The direct genetic line died out with the executions of Edward, Earl of Warwick in 1499 and Margaret, Countess of Salisbury, in 1541.
In their secular rule, the Plantagenets have overseen many key events in British history. In 1215, King John signed Magna Carta, which guaranteed all citizens protection from illegal imprisonment. The plague reached Britain in 1348, leaving 1.5 million dead in the wake of the Black Death. The Lancaster King Henry V won the historic Battle of Agincourt in 1415 against incredible odds, securing the reconquest of British lands on the European continent. Plantagenet rule was essential in shaping the modern character of England and provided endless sources of material for books, plays and films over the centuries.
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