10 Fast Facts About the Plantagenets

The Plantagenet dynasty ruled England and much of France for over 300 years from the accession of Henry II in 1154 to the death of Richard III in 1485. In total they provided 14 kings including Henry III, Richard the Lionheart, Edward I and King John, the oft-depicted villain in Robin Hood stories.

When King Henry I of England proposed a marriage between his daughter, the Empress Matilda and the French Count of Anjou, Geoffrey V, the seeds of the Plantagenet dynasty had been sown. Geoffrey and Matilda would have a son who succeeded to the English throne under the name of Henry II in 1154 and subsequently founded the Plantagenet dynasty. His ancestral domain of Anjou meant he not only ruled England but parts of France.

• The Angevins (1154-1216)
• The Plantagenets (1216-1399)
• The Houses of Lancaster & York (1399-1485)

The Plantagenet name originated as a nickname for Geoffrey V, the count of Anjou and father of King Henry II. The name literally means ‘sprig of broom’ (Latin planta genista), and Geoffrey was said to wear this yellow flower in his hat. It was not used as a hereditary surname until Richard, duke of York, adopted it in the 15th century as his family name.

After enforcing heavy taxes on the nobility to fund his failing wars in France, King John was forced to sign the Magna Carta (“Great Charter”) in 1215 after some unhappy rebel barons seized control of London. The charter was the first formal document to limit the powers of the king, demanding they comply with the laws of the land. It also protected the rights of individuals against the wishes of the king, effectively paving the way for trial by jury and individual civil rights.

Under the reign of the Plantagenets, punishments including hanging, drawing and quartering and burning at the stake were introduced in England.

One of the most devastating pandemics in human history occurred during the Plantagenet reign. In the mid 14th century, the bubonic plague or “Black Death” swept across England killing between 40-60% of its population and claimed a Plantagenet in the process, King Edward III’s daughter Joan.

As their grip on throne began to wane in the 15th century, revolts against the Plantagenet rule became commonplace. However, the most famous revolt they endured came a century earlier in 1381 when a major uprising called the Peasants’ Revolt occurred across England. Unhappy with the high taxes, system of serfdom (unfree labour) and other political reasons caused by the Black Death, the rebels managed to stir an uprising that swept across the country. Although it was eventually suppressed, it marked the beginning of the end of serfdom.

From 1337 to 1453 a series of conflicts waged between England and France over the succession of the French throne. These became known as the Hundred Years’ War. It was one of the most notable conflicts of the Middle Ages and one that involved five generations of kings from two rival dynasties. In the end the French defeated the English, stripping England of its continental possessions and sending the country spiraling towards a civil war.

Defeat in the Hundred Years’ War caused much financial and social troubles back in England, leading to a power struggle and civil war between two of the Plantagenet houses: the House of Lancaster (red rose) and the House of York (white rose). The conflict raged from 1455 until 1485, when the Lancastrians won at the Battle of Bosworth Field and killed King Richard III, the last king of the House of York. Henry Tudor (Henry VII), leader of the Lancastrians became the first English monarch of the Tudor dynasty.