house of Lancaster

 

1245–96, who was created earl of Lancaster in 1267. Earlier (1254) the prince had been made titular king of Sicily when the pope offered that crown to Henry III in order to keep Sicily and the Holy Roman Empire separated. However, the English barons refused financial support for the Sicilian wars, and the title was withdrawn (1258). Later Edmund fought for his brother, Edward I, in Wales and Gascony. His nickname “Crouchback,” or crossed back, refers only to the fact that he went on crusade to Palestine in 1271 and, hence, was entitled to wear the cross. Edmund's son Thomas, earl of Lancaster, 1277?–1322, led the baronial opposition to his cousin Edward II. He was one of the lords ordainers and from 1314 to 1318 was virtual ruler of England. He tried unsuccessfully to drive the Despensers (see Despenser, Hugh le) from England, was defeated at the battle of Boroughbridge, and was beheaded for treason. Thomas's brother, Henry, earl of Lancaster, 1281?–1345, was chief adviser to the young Edward III in getting rid of the dominance of the queen mother, Isabella, and her paramour, Roger de Mortimer, 1st earl of March. His son, Henry, duke of Lancaster, 1299?–1361, was made duke in 1351 for his excellent service as a military commander in the early part of the Hundred Years War. When he died without male heirs, his daughter Blanche married the fourth son of Edward III, John of Gaunt, who inherited the Lancaster lands in her right, and was made duke of Lancaster in 1362. His son Henry deposed (1399) Richard II and ascended the throne as Henry IV. In order to appear legitimate, Henry devised the fiction that his ancestor Edmund Crouchback had actually been Henry III's elder son but had been disinherited because he was a hunchback. Later Lancastrian kings were Henry V and Henry VI. The latter was deposed by the house of York in the course of the long dynastic struggle known as the Wars of the Roses. However, through the Beauforts, the legitimated descendants of John of Gaunt and Catherine Swynford, the Lancastrian claims passed to the house of Tudor.

English Royalty
House of Lancaster
Armorial of Plantagenet
Henry IV
Henry V
John, Duke of Bedford
Thomas, Duke of Clarence
Humphrey, Duke of Gloucester
Henry V
Henry VI
Henry VI
Edward, Princes of Wales

The House of Lancaster was a branch of the English royal House of Plantagenet. It was one of the opposing factions involved in the Wars of the Roses, an intermittent civil war which affected England and Wales during the 15th century. The House is named Lancaster, because its members were all descended from Edward III's son John of Gaunt, 1st Duke of Lancaster; their symbol was a Red Rose of Lancaster.

The opponents of the House of Lancaster were the House of York. The rivalry between Lancaster and York, in the form of the counties of Lancashire and Yorkshire, has continued into the present day, on a more friendly basis. For example, the annual sporting competition between Lancaster University and the University of York is called the Roses Tournament.

The end of the House of Lancaster occurred at the Battle of Tewkesbury in 1471. However, the House of Tudor, which ruled England from 1485 to 1603, was descended from the Lancasters by way of Margaret Beaufort, great granddaughter of John of Gaunt, who married Edmund Tudor, earl of Richmond, and was the mother of Henry VII of England. Henry VII cemented his claim to the throne by marrying Elizabeth of York the heir to the Yorkist line. Their children and grandchildren became the House of Tudor and their great grandson was the first king of England belonging to the House of Stuart, King James VI of Scotland

• Henry IV of England, r.1399-1413
• Henry V of England, r.1413-1422
• Henry VI of England, r.1422-1461 and 1470-1471

External links

• - Official British Royal Site on the House of Lancaster

*Royal House* House of Lancaster Cadet branch of the House of Plantagenet
Preceded by House of Plantagenet	Ruling House of the Duchy of Aquitaine 1399 – 1499	Succeeded by House of Valois
	Ruling House of the Kingdom of England 1399 – 1461	Succeeded by House of York
Preceded by House of York	Ruling House of the Kingdom of England 1470 – 1471

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