English:
King Richard I of England.
House of Plantagenet Coat-of-Arms.
Français:
Richard Cœur de Lion (Salles des Croisades).
Blazon:
English: Gules, three lions passant guardant in pale or.
Français: De gueules à trois léopards d'or, l'un sur l'autre.
Date: 15 February 2023.
Source: Own work.
This File is licensed under the
Share Alike 4.0 International licence.
Artist: Thom.Lanaud.
(Wikimedia Commons)
The Plantagenets: The Angevin Empire.
Available on YouTube
English:
English map of the growth of
the Plantagenet Empire, from 1144 to 1166.
Français:
Carte en anglais de l’expansion
de l’empire Plantagenêt, de 1144 à 1166.
Date: 15 December 2014.
Source: Own work.
This File is licensed under the
Share Alike 4.0 International licence.
Author: Reigen
(Wikimedia Commons)
unless stated otherwise.
The name Plantagenet is used by modern historians to identify four distinct Royal Houses:
The Angevins, who were also Counts of Anjou;
The main line of the Plantagenets following the loss of Anjou;
The family held the English Throne from 1154, with the accession of Henry II, until 1485, when Richard III died.
England was transformed under the Plantagenets, although only partly intentionally.
The Plantagenet Kings were often forced to negotiate compromises, such as Magna Carta, which constrained Royal Power in return for financial and military support.
The King was no longer just the most powerful man in the Nation, holding the prerogative of judgement, feudal tribute and warfare, but had defined duties to the Realm, underpinned by a sophisticated justice system.
By the end of the Reign of Edward III, the Plantagenets developed a new identity, including adopting the language of the ordinary people — Middle English — as the language of governance.
This is one of the reasons that the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography considers Edward III as culturally the first English Plantagenet Ruler.
Battle of Crécy between the English and French in the
Hundred Years' War. The Battle of Crécy was an important Plantagenet victory of the Hundred Years' War in France.
Artist: Jean Froissart (1337–1410).
Date: 15th-Century.
Collection: Bibliothèque nationale de France
Note: The victorious English are on the Right.
Source/Photographer:
From Chapter CXXIX of Jean Froissart’s Chronicles,
example source at http://www.maisonstclaire.org/resources/
(Wikimedia Commons)
In the 15th-Century, the Plantagenets were defeated in the Hundred Years' War and beset with social, political and economic problems.
Popular revolts were commonplace, triggered by the denial of numerous freedoms. English Nobles raised private armies, engaged in private feuds and openly defied Henry VI.
The rivalry between the House of Plantagenet’s two Cadet Branches of York and Lancaster brought about the Wars of the Roses, a decades-long fight for the English succession.
It culminated in the Battle of Bosworth Field in 1485, when the reign of the Plantagenets and the English Middle Ages both met their end with the death of King Richard III.
Henry VII, a Lancastrian, became King of England; five months later he married Elizabeth of York, thus ending the Wars of the Roses and giving rise to the Tudor Dynasty.
The Tudors worked to centralise English Royal Power, which allowed them to avoid some of the problems that had plagued the last Plantagenet Rulers.
The resulting stability permitted the English Renaissance and the advent of Early-Modern Britain.
Every Monarch of England, and, later, the United Kingdom, from Henry VII to present, has been a descendant of the Plantagenets.
In the 15th-Century, near the end of the dynastic line, Richard of York, 3rd Duke of York, adopted Plantagenet as his family name. “Plantegenest” (or Plante Genest) had been a 12th-Century nickname for his ancestor, Geoffrey, Count of Anjou and Duke of Normandy.
One of many popular theories suggests the blossom of the Common Broom, a Bright Yellow flowering plant, called “Genista” in Mediæval Latin, as the source of the nickname.[1]
It is uncertain why Richard of York chose this specific name, although during the Wars of the Roses (1455 – 1487) it emphasised Richard’s status as Geoffrey’s “Patrilineal” descendant.
The retrospective usage of the name for all of Geoffrey’s male-line descendants was popular during the subsequent Tudor Dynasty, perhaps encouraged by the further legitimacy it gave to Richard’s great-grandson, Henry VIII.[2]
It was only in the Late-17th-Century that it passed into common usage among historians.[3]
The following Text is from EUROHISTORY
The House of Plantagenet was a significant Royal Dynasty that ruled England from 1154 until 1485.
This era was marked by notable Kings, territorial expansion, and pivotal historical events, shaping the course of English history.
The Dynasty was founded by Geoffrey Plantagenet, Count of Anjou, whose nickname “Plantagenet” is believed to derive from the Broom Plant that he wore in his hat.
The first Plantagenet King was Henry II, who ascended the throne in 1154. His Reign marked the beginning of a powerful Dynasty that would last for over three Centuries.
The House of Plantagenet is often divided into three main Branches:
Angevins. This original Branch included influential Kings like:
Henry II (1154–1189);
Richard I (1189–1199), known as “Richard the Lionheart”;
King John (1199–1216), famous for signing “Magna Carta” in 1215;
House of Lancaster: A Cadet Branch that produced notable figures such as:
Henry IV (1399–1413);
Henry V (1413–1422), celebrated for his military victories in the Hundred Years’ War.
House of York: Another Cadet Branch that included:
Edward IV (1461–1470) and (1471–1483);
Richard III (1483–1485), the last Plantagenet King, who died at the Battle of Bosworth Field.
The term “Plantagenet” was not used during their Reign; it was coined by historians later.
The Dynasty’s internal conflicts led to the Wars of the Roses, a series of Civil Wars fought between the Lancastrians and Yorkists for control of the Throne.
The Plantagenets were instrumental in establishing many aspects of Modern Governance, including the development of Common Law and Parliamentary Systems.
The famous English poet, Geoffrey Chaucer, was a contemporary and patronised by several Plantagenet Kings, contributing to the flourishing of English literature during this period.
The House of Plantagenet left an enduring impact on England’s political landscape and cultural identity. Their reign saw significant developments in Law, Architecture, and Society.
The legacy of their conflicts and reforms continues to influence British history, today.
No comments:
Post a Comment