The Plantagenet Period was a period in English history stretching from 1154 to 1485.
England saw the reign of 14 kings during this period. The powers of the nobility grew considerably as England waged the Hundred Years’ War against France.
This increase in power brought the nobility into conflict with the monarch several times during the Plantagenet Period.
The conflict was marked by the First Barons’ War and the Second Barons’ War. England eventually descended into a king of Civil War known as the Wars of the Roses.
Battle of Tewkesbury Wars of the Roses
This civil war was fought between two cadet branches of the House of Plantagenet for the English throne.
Wars of the Roses | York White | Lancaster Red
Magna Carta was a royal charter signed by King John of England in 1215. This charter limited the powers of the monarchy and ensured the rights of both the Church and the nobility.
King John was forced to sign the charter by his rebel barons who sought an end to the illegal imprisonment of the barons. It was drafted by the Archbishop of Canterbury.
King John Signs the Magna Carta
The Magna Carta is considered the first formal written agreement that sought to define and limit the powers of the king in England.
It was subsequently modified, ratified, and largely adopted by the later monarchs. It is also said to have paved the way for the parliamentary system of government in England.
The Magna Carta 1215
Although the Magna Carta was signed by King John in 1215, the king later refused to abide by it.
This angered his noblemen and led to the First Barons’ War. The war dragged on from 1215 until John’s death in 1217.
During this period, Prince Louis of France arrived in England in 1216 with an army. He rallied the support of the rebel barons and occupied nearly half of England.
Medieval King Henry III
However, the death of King John led the rebel barons to abandon Louis and join John’s young son, Henry III. Louis was subsequently defeated and the First Barons’ War effectively came to an end.
The Second Barons’ War began in 1264 and continued until 1267. It was caused by the increasingly greater dissatisfaction of the barons with King Henry III.
The king had a group of favorites through which he ruled the land. The barons instead wanted the king to rule through consultations with a council of barons.
King Edward I *2nd Barons War
This led to an all-out war in which the leader of the rebel barons, Simon de Montfort, was initially able to defeat the royalist forces in 1264.
Montfort also captured the king and his son, Prince Edward. However, Edward later escaped and rallied his forces to give battle to Montfort and kill him.
The war resulted in a victory for the king although the king conceded several rights to the barons to placate them.
Simon de Montfort, the leader of the rebel barons in the Second Barons’ War, summoned the Great Parliament in 1264.
Bishops, lay magnates, and knights as well as representatives from cities and ports were invited to attend. The purpose of the parliament was to discuss the terms of Prince Edward’s release.
Medieval King Henry III In the second part of his reign he enjoyed the full control over the government.
The Great Parliament was immensely significant in that it offered the blueprint for the English House of Commons. It also marked a step towards a more democratic form of rule.
Medieval England led the way with freedom and democracy with the first parliaments
Thomas Beckett was a close friend of Henry II, a Plantagenet king of England. The king had him appointed as the Archbishop of Canterbury. However, Beckett developed a more independent religious policy upon ascension to this important seat.
Medieval King Henry VII image with his friend Thomas Beckett
Henry eventually developed deep disagreements with Beckett. He sought to try and reduce Beckett’s powers but failed to do so.
This ultimately led four of Henry’s knights to kill Beckett inside the Canterbury Cathedral in 1170. His death drew outpourings of shock and grief from all over Europe.
Soon afterwards, he came to be venerated as a saint and a martyr. King Henry was forced to make a public penance for the assassination.
The Hundred Years’ War was fought between France and England over claims to the French throne.
The Plantagenet kings of England claimed to be heirs to the French throne, a dispute that was contested by the French House of Valois. The war began in 1337 and dragged on until 1453.
Hundred Years War
Both English and French forces significantly evolved their military weaponry, techniques, and strategies during the war.
A major victory for the Plantagenet during the war was the Battle of Poitiers. Although the English forces initially secured decisive victories against the French, the war was ultimately won by the House of Valois.
The battle of Poitiers was fought between the English and French forces. The English forces were led by Edward, the Black Prince.
The battle took place near Poitiers, France. It resulted in a decisive victory for England, inflicting heavy losses on the French.
The French King John II was captured during the battle and taken as prisoner. The English forces then rampaged through France unopposed, taking control of nearly the entire kingdom.
The Battle of Poitiers was one of the more significant battles during the 116 years – 100 years war!
The Black Death was a plague pandemic that ravaged Europe in the 14th century. It reached England in 1348 during the reign of the Plantagenet kings.
A large section of the English population was killed off by the pandemic, creating long-term economic, social, and political consequences.
Black Death
The Wars of the Roses were a series of civil wars fought between the houses of Lancaster and York. These wars were fought for the English Throne.
Both houses were the cadet branches of the Plantagenet dynasty. The Lancaster house was represented by a red rose. A white rose symbolized the House of York. This caused the conflicts to to be known as the Wars of the Roses.
The Wars of the Roses began in 1455 and came to an end in 1485. The Battle of Bosworth field was the final battle of the conflict.
The last Yorkist king, Richard III, was defeated at the battle and killed. Henry Tudor, an indirect Lancastrian claimant, was victorious.
He would then go on to establish his own dynasty known as the Tudor dynasty.
Armour Worn During the War of the Roses
The Battle of Bosworth Field was the last notable battle of the Wars of the Roses.
This battle decided the fate of the civil war that had raged on between the houses of Lancaster and York for several decades.
At one side was King Richard III and his forces representing the house of York. The other side of the battle was commanded by Henry Tudor who represented the Lancastrian claim to the throne.
Medieval King Richard in the mix of things in the battle of Bosworth
Henry Tudor and his forces were able to secure a decisive victory over the Lancastrian forces. Richard III was slain in battle. This brought an end to the Wars of the Roses and ushered in the Tudor Dynasty.
