England—Plantagenet Kings
(1154 to 1485)
Accession of Henry II — War of the Roses
SUMMARY
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The morning of Agincourt
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The rule of the Plantagenet dynasty was long and eventful. Henry Plantagenet (II) came to the throne in
1154, and the last Plantagenet, Richard III, was killed at the Battle of Bosworth in 1485, over three hundred
years later. During this time, great changes took place in England. In the early years of the Plantagenet dynasty,
the barons revolted against king John and forced him to sign the Magna Carta,
which guaranteed certain rights to
the towns and nobles. Later, they forced the king to call a Parliament, or group of nobles to advise him in ruling the
kingdom. The Plantagenets were involved in two long and ruinous wars. The first was the
Hundred Years War with France, which went well for England at first but in the end proved disastrous.
The second was the War of the Roses, a frightful civil war between rival claimants to the throne that nearly
wiped out the entire Plantagenet line.
Henry Plantagenet and Sons
Henry Plantagenet, the founder of the Plantagenet line, was the grandson of Henry I of England, and the great-grandson of
William II of England. He inherited the throne through his mother, but had to fight to establish his claim. He
married another very powerful monarch, Eleanor of Aquitaine, heir to the duchy of Aquitaine, so between
the two they eventually controlled much of France as well as all of England. Henry spent much of his reign in various
wars, consolidating his power. He had four sons, two of whom became king. The elder son, Richard I of England, is best
known as a crusader. He spent almost his entire reign away from England, leaving the country in the hands of
his devious brother John Lackland. John was one of the worst kings that England ever had
and managed to
lose most of the land in France that he had inherited from his parents. Finally, Archbishop Langton,
and the barons forced him to sign the Magna Carta, limiting his power.
Edwards I, II, and III
John’s son Henry III of England supposedly ruled for 56 years, but for much of that time his brother-in-law,
Simon de Montfort , governed in his place and orchestrated the Parliament. When Henry III’s son
Edward I of England came to
the throne the people rejoiced because they finally had a king who was half Saxon and spoke English
instead of French, which had been the language of the ruling class since the Norman Conquest. He
proved to be a competent king, and brought Wales, Ireland, and Scotland under his sway. His hold on Ireland
was never strong though, and shortly after his death Scotland decisively won its independence from England at
the Battle of Bannockburn. The Edward I's son was a no-account king with very unpopular favorites. He was
deposed in favor of his young son Edward III of England, who ruled for fifty years and got England involved in the
Hundred Years War with France. There were several important battles in the hundred years war, the first two
being Crecy and Poitiers. England won both battles against great odds, but never succeeded in establishing
Edward III’s claim to the French throne.
The Edward III's eldest son was Edward the Black Prince, a great warrior who was very popular with the people, but
who never became king because he died before the long-lived Edward III. The crown then passed to the Black
Prince’s son Richard II of England, who was unpopular and was eventually deposed in favor of his
cousin Henry Bolingbroke (IV). Unfortunately Henry IV was not the next
in line for the throne, but his selection was
not resisted because his father John of Gaunt had been regent during most of Richard II’s reign. The issue
was not pressed for two generations but later became the cause of a great civil war.
Lancasters Kings and the War of the Roses
Henry Bolingbroke's son was Henry V of England, famous for his victory over the French at Agincourt. Henry V
reopened the Hundred Years War and came close to gaining the French crown, but he died only a few
years after his great victory. He left a young son, Henry VI of England, who was a peace-loving and studious man, but a
weak leader. During his reign the French rallied under Joan of Arc and reclaimed all of the land England had won,
bringing an end to the hundred year war, and the king became extremely unpopular. Seein his opportunity, his cousin, the
Duke of York, made a claim for the throne. He denied Henry Bolingbroke's claim three
generations back, which led to the disastrous War of the Roses, in which the Lancaster and the York lines
vied for the throne. The plots turns and reverses of this war are difficult
to follow, but the main contenders were not the monarchs themselves, but rather the Earl of Warwick, cousin to
the Duke of York, and Margaret of Anjou, Henry VI's wife. The war proved bitter and deadly, and many
great nobles lost their lives. It also greatly enhanced the power of the king, since the king was allowed
to confiscate the estates of any noble that rose in rebellion to him; as the kingship passed back and
forth between the Lancasters and Yorks, almost every house was at some point in alliance with a "rebel".
The Yorks were finally victorious, but they came to a bad end. Edward IV ruled for 22 years,
but when he died, his brother Richard III plotted to usurp the throne by killing his Edward's young sons. This
accomplished, he found he had made many enemies, and when Henry Tudor (VII), a distant
relative on the Lancaster side brought an army against him, several of his generals deserted him. Richard III, the last of
the Plantagenet kings was killed on the battlefield of Bosworth, bringing the noble line that had ruled England for three
centuries to an inglorious end.
TIMELINE
| Years |
War |
Outcome |
| 1093–1547 | Anglo Scottish Wars | Perennial border wars between Scotland and England |
| 1119–1214 | Anglo French Wars | Miscellaneous Wars between France and England |
| 1173–1685 | English Rebellions | Major rebellions of the Plantagenet, Tudor, and Stuart reigns. |
| 1296–1327 | Scottish Wars of Independence | Against great odds Scotland wins its independence from England. |
| 1340–1453 | Hundred Years War | England and France fight a long war over the French crown, featuring heroes such as the Black Prince, Henry V, and Joan of Arc. |
| 1453–1485 | War of the Roses | Civil War in England between the Yorks and Lancasters for control of the crown. |
| 1047–1291 | Crusades | Battles between Christians and Turks for control of the Holy Lands. |
CHARACTERS
| Character | Dates |
Short Biography |
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| Saint Thomas a Becket | 1118–1170 |
Appointed Archbishop by Henry II, but strove for an independent church. Martyred. |
| Henry II of England | 1133–1189 |
Reclaimed kingdoms in England and Normandy after chaotic reign of Stephen. Founded Plantagenet dynasty. |
| Richard I of England | 1157–1199 |
Son of Henry II. Spent almost his entire reign crusading and fighting in France. |
| Robin Hood | fl. 1200 |
Leader of a legendary band of benevolent bandits who stole from rich and gave to the poor. |
| Eleanor of Aquitaine | 1122–1204 |
Wife of Henry II, queen of Aquitaine. Led dramatic, adventurous life. |
| John of England | 1167–1216 |
Wicked king, murdered his nephew and usurped throne. Forced to sign the Magna Carta. |
| Archbishop Langton | 1150–1228 |
Archbishop who rallied opposition to king John and forced him to sign Magna Carta. |
| Saint Richard de Wyche | 1197–1253 |
Appointed by the Pope against the wishes of Henry III. Faithful servant of the poor. |
| Simon de Montfort | 1208–1265 |
French nobleman who led resistance to Henry III and laid foundations of English Parliament. |
| Henry III of England | 1207–1272 |
Blundering king whose government lay largely in the hands of Simon de Montfort throughout his reign. |
| William Wallace | 1272–1305 |
Commoner who led resistance to Edward I's conquest of Scotland. |
| Edward I of England | 1239–1307 |
Competent and decisive king of England. Reformed government, pacified Wales and Scotland. Ruled 35 years. |
| Edward II of England | 1284–1327 |
Weak and profligate son of Edward I. Lost all his father's holdings in Scotland. |
| Robert I of Scotland | 1274–1329 |
Scottish nobleman who claimed the crown and led resistance to England at Bannockburn. |
| Sir James Douglas | 1286–1330 |
Associate of Robert the Bruce. Fought in wars of Scottish Independence. |
| Philippa of Hainault | 1313–1369 |
Wife of Edward III and mother of 13. Intervened at siege of Calias in favor of citizens. |
| Edward the Black Prince | 1330–1376 |
Excellent general and leader who ruled alongside his father, Edward III. Victor at the Battle of Poitiers. |
| Edward III of England | 1312–1377 |
Reigned for nearly 50 years. Invaded France, and won the Battles of Crecy and Calias. |
| Wat Tyler | died 1381 |
Leader of a peasant rebellion during reign of Richard II. He was killed during talks. |
| John Wycliffe | 1335–1384 |
Early proponent of reform in the Catholic Church. Favored power of state over church. |
| Geoffrey Chaucer | 1340–1400 |
Wrote the first widely read epic poem in the English language, Canterbury Tales. |
| Richard II of England | 1367–1400 |
Son of the Black Prince. Reigned after Edward III. Deposed by Henry Bolingbroke. |
| Henry IV of England | 1367–1413 |
Son of John of Gaunt. Assumed the throne after Richard II was deposed. |
| Owen Glendower | 1359–1416 |
Last Welshman to be crowned Prince of Wales. He led an unsuccessful Welsh revolt. |
| Henry V of England | 1387–1422 |
Led a victorious army of longbowmen against France at Agincourt. |
| Jack Cade | died 1450 |
Led a rebellion against Henry VI's government. Rebels looted London and many were killed. |
| Duke of York | 1411–1460 |
Aspirant to the throne in the early years of War of the Roses. Killed in action with eldest son. |
| Earl of Warwick | 1428–1471 |
Primary figure in war of the Roses. Changed sides from York to Lancaster. Killed at Barnet. |
| Margaret of Anjou | 1429–1482 |
Ruled in stead of her weak husband, Henry VI. Led armies against Yorks. Deposed after the York victory at Hexham. |
| Edward IV of England | 1442–1483 |
Son of the Duke of York. Became king of England when other aspirants were dead or deposed. |
| Richard III | 1432–1485 |
On death of his brother Edward IV, he killed his nephews and usurped the throne. |
| Margaret Beaufort | 1441–1509 |
Mother of Henry Tudor. Benefactor of Cambridge University. |
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