House of Plantagenet

Armorial of Plantagenet
Country	Kingdom of England, Kingdom of France, Lordship of Ireland, Principality of Wales
Ancestral house	Angevins
Titles	King of England King of Germany Lord of Ireland Prince of Wales Duke of Aquitaine Duke of Normandy Duke of Brittany Count of Anjou Count of Maine Count of Nantes Count of Poitou Lord of Cyprus Plantagenet claim to France Plantagenet claim to Jerusalem Plantagenet claim to Sicily Plantagenet claim to Rome Plantagenet claim to Castile
Founder	Geoffrey Plantagenet, Count of Anjou
Final sovereign	Richard III of England
Founding	1126
Cadet branches	House of Lancaster House of Beaufort House of York

The House of Plantagenet ( /plænˈtædʒənət/ plan-TAJ-ə-nət) is the name given in England's historical narrative for the 14 Kings that ruled for the 331 years from 1154 until 1485. There is little evidence for the Plantagenet name before the mid-fifteenth century and it was evidently popularised by Shakespeare.

As a dynasty it is considered a branch of the Angevins. The dynasty's origins as a royal house result from the matchmaking of Fulk V le Jeune^[1] which were planned to neutralise the threat of the rise of Normandy. First he married his daughter Alice to William Adelin heir to Henry I of England. Following William's drowning he married his daughter Sibylla of Anjou to William Clito heir to Robert Curthose although King Henry had this annulled because of the political threat of a rival claim to his throne. Finally he married his son Geoffrey to Henry's heir Matilda thereby bringing about the historical convergence of the Angevins, House of Normandy and the House of Wessex.

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 branches, ruled England from 1154 until 1485. The senior branch ruled from Henry II until the deposition of Richard II 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 the Battle of Bosworth Field in 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 I of England had earlier distinguished himself in the Third Crusade; he was later romanticised as an iconic figure in English folklore.

Origins[link]

Etymology[link]

The name Plantagenet has twelfth-century origins as a nickname Plantegenest or Plante Genest of Geoffrey V of Anjou^[2] 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^[2] and contemporary belief in its vegetative soul.^[2] Since the 15th century, Plantagenet has been applied retrospectively as a surname for the descendants of Geoffrey of Anjou. There is barely^[2] 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 York, father of both Edward IV and Richard III, assumed the name about 1448.^[2]

Background[link]

The White Ship sinking sparked a succession crisis.

The Carolingian Empire went into territorial decline from the death of Charlemagne in 814 with the five Frankish kingdoms steadily drifting apart. In Neustria royal authority declined allowing the development of counties as hereditary fiefs in Toulouse and Flanders (862), Poitou (867) and for the Angevins in Anjou in 870 while others originated in Gascony, Burgundy and Auvergne. ^[3]. The male line of the Counts of Anjou descended from a Count of Gâtinais who married an heiress to the county. Her Anjou ancestors derived from an obscure 9th-century nobleman, Ingelger.^[4]

In 911 the Norseman Gongu Hrolf (also known as Hrolf Walker as he was reportedly too big to have a horse carry him and Rollo) met Charles the Simple and agreed the Treaty of Saint-Clair-sur-Epte where it was agreed the Hrolf would convert to Christianity and become Charles' vassal in return for being created Duke of Normandy^[5].

This was the historical period when Feudalism was being regularized. The context of the medieval County of Anjou and Duchy of Normandy was one where the king of West Francia was unable to raise taxes or armies and began to delegate authority over territory in return for political and military loyalty.^[6] . This led to the creation of a society based on heavy cavalry, vassalage, enfeoffment, immunity, private castles, chivalry and militant Catholicism.

This culture made conflict between Anjou & Normandy inevitable as both tried to extend their territory by warfare or political marriage. Fulk V le Jeune^[7] planned to neutralise the threat of the rise of Normandy by first he marrying his daughter Alice to William Adelin heir to Henry I of England. However William Adelin died in the wreck of the White Ship, leaving Matilda to be her father's only surviving legitimate child.^[8]. Following William's drowning Fulk married his daughter Sibylla of Anjou to William Clito heir to Robert Curthose although King Henry had this annulled because of the political threat of a rival claim to his throne. Finally Fulk married his son Geoffrey to Henry's heir Matilda thereby bringing about the historical convergence of the Angevins, House of Normandy and the House of Wessex. On having resolved the issue in 1128 Fulk resigned his titles to Geoffrey and sailed to Jerusalem to marry Melisende leading to him becomming King of Jerusalem in 1131 on the death of Melisende's father Baldwin. Geoffrey's nickname Plantagenet later gave name to the dynasty^{[note 1]} and Fulk's grandson Henry was the first of the family to rule England.^[9]

The Devil's Brood[link]

Popular legends surrounding the Angevins suggested that they had corrupt or demonic origins. The chronicler Gerald of Wales is the key contemporaneous source for these stories, which often borrowed elements of the wider Melusine 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.^[10] A similar story was attached to Eleanor of Aquitaine in the thirteenth century romance Richard Coeur-de-lion.^[11] Gerald also presents a list of sins committed by Geoffrey V and Henry II as further evidence of their "corrupt" origins.^[10]

According to Gerald these legends were not always discouraged by the Angevins. Richard I was said to have often remarked of his family that they "come of the devil, and to the devil they would go."^[10] A similar statement is attributed to St Bernard regarding Henry II.^[12] Henry II's sons reportedly defended their frequent infighting by saying "Do not deprive us of our heritage; we cannot help acting like devils."^[12] The legends surrounding the Angevins grew into English folklore^[13] and led some historians to give them the epithet "The Devil's Brood".^[14]

Chronology[link]

The Plantagenets come to England[link]

The Empress Matilda had been named as heir by her father Henry I of England.^[8] However there was no precedent for a female monarch in England and feudalism was based on military service. Therefore on Henry's death in 1135 Matilda's cousin Etienne de Blois repeated the method that Henry I of England had employed, racing to Winchester to seize the treasury and having himself proclaimed King.^[15]

Geoffrey never showed much interest in England. On his death bed he “forbade Henry his heir to introduce the customs of Normandy or England into his own county” according to John of Marmoutier. But with Matilda he entered Normandy to claim her inheritance. The following year, Geoffrey gave Ambrieres, Gorron, and Chatilon-sur-Colmont to Juhel de Mayenne, on condition that he help obtain the inheritance of his wife. ^[16]

Geoffrey of Anjou's invasion of Normandy, 1142–43

In 1139 Matilda landed in England with 140 knights, where she was besieged at Arundel Castle by King Stephen. In the "Anarchy" which ensued, Stephen was captured at Lincoln in February, 1141, and imprisoned at Bristol. A legatine council of the English church held at Winchester in April 1141 declared Stephen deposed and proclaimed Matilda "Lady of the English". Stephen was subsequently released from prison and had himself recrowned on the anniversary of his first coronation. Unrest and instability continued throughout Stephen's reign. Geoffrey managed to place the Duchy of Normandy under Angevin control by 1144 but did not show interest in campaigning across the English Channel.

Henry II followed up his mother's hereditary claim to England, with success.

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.^[17] 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.^[18] Scholars regard Henry's reign as energetic with effective government.^[19] Henry overhauled the English judicial system, restoring royal authority to replace the manipulated feudal law of barons who had undermined Stephen's reign.^[19] 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.^[19]

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.^[20] 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.^[20] Henry also recovered Northumberland and Cumbria, which had been taken from England during the reigns of Malcolm II and David I of Scotland.^[21] 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.^[22] This angered Thomas Becket, the Archbishop of Canterbury and a former close friend of Henry. Knights killed Becket after Henry asked, "Who would rid me of this turbulent priest?"^[23] 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.^[24]

Statue of Richard the Lionheart outside Westminster Palace. Richard's involvement in the Third Crusade earned him a reputation as an English icon.

In his will Henry envisaged a situation similar to a federal monarchy for the Plantagenet Empire.^[25] 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.^[25] 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.^[25] The rebels drew support from the king of France, Henry's cousin the king of Scotland, and English barons.^[25] Despite being attacked on various different fronts, Henry II and his loyalists fought a defensive campaign that humiliated all their enemies.^[25] 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.^[25] Henry the Young King instigated another rebellion against his father in 1183 but during this he died of dysentery.^[25]

Barons forced John to sign the Magna Carta, to the advantage of the nobility. The image shows John Lackland signing, but in reality he only placed his seal on the document.

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.^[26] 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.^[26] 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.^[27]

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 captured and killed. Also captured was Eleanor, sister of Arthur, who lacked baronial support and spent the rest of her life in prison. 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.^[28] 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.^[29] 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.^[30] and the next year the French withdrew.

Three Edwards and claim to Capet[link]

The English Justinian[link]

Henry III became king at just nine years old and nobles such as William Marshal and Hubert de Burgh dominated the early years of his reign.^[31] Henry made unsuccessful attempts to regain Plantagenet land in northern France.^[32] He handed out various honours to foreigners related to his wife, Eleanor of Provence, which aggravated the local nobility.^[33] 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.^[34] 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.^[32] 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.^[35] Due to this he is sometimes called "The English Justinian", a reference to the Byzantine Emperor.^[35]

Edward was a vassal to Philip IV of France, in his role as Duke of Aquitaine.

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.^[36] Llywelyn refused to pay homage or attend Edward's coronation; thus in 1277 the two men went to war.^[36] 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.^[36]

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.^[37] 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.^[38] Edward was asked to arbitrate and chose the hereditarily-superior John Balliol while claiming for himself the role of feudal overlord.^[39] Balliol later betrayed Edward by setting up the Auld Alliance with France and the Wars of Scotland began.^[40] 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.^[41] Edward died at Burgh by Sands on the way to fight Robert I of Scotland, never having solidified his claim to Scotland.^[41]

Edward III and his son Edward, the Black Prince

Edward I's son and successor Edward II of England was the polar opposite of his warrior statesman father.^[42] 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.^[43] He also angered nobility by giving large sums of money and gifts to favourites such as Piers Gaveston.^[42] This annoyed the barons to the extent that they rallied around Edward's cousin Thomas, Earl of Lancaster, and had Gaveston murdered.^[43] 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.^[43]

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.^[43] 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.^[43] 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.^[44] 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.^[44]

Hundred Years' War begins[link]

The victory at Crécy was an important Plantagenet success of the Edwardian War in 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).^[45] Edward III of England, as son of Philip IV's daughter and sole remaining child, Isabella of France, claimed the French throne.^[45] 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.^[45]

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.^[46]

In spite of having to deal with the Black Death during his reign,^[47] 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.^[47] 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,^[48] 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.^[47] 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.^[47]

Despite being just fourteen, king Richard II rode out on horseback to meet the leaders of the Great Rising.

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.^[49] 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.^[50] 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.^[51] 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.^[52]