House of Plantagenet

The House of Plantagenet was a royal house which originated in the French county of Anjou. The family held the English throne from 1154, with the accession of Henry II, until 1485, when Richard III died in battle. The first three Plantagenet kings of England ruled extensive territories in France and are sometimes called the Angevins to distinguish them from their successors (although the term Angevin is sometimes used to refer to the entire dynasty). After the deposing of Richard II in 1399, two cadet branches of the Plantagenets ruled England: the houses of Lancaster and York.

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 (r. 1327–1377), 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.