TheHouse of Lancaster was acadet branch of the royalHouse of Plantagenet. The first house was created when KingHenry III of England created theEarldom of Lancaster—from which the house was named—for his second sonEdmund Crouchback in 1267. Edmund had already been createdEarl of Leicester in 1265 and was granted the lands and privileges ofSimon de Montfort, 6th Earl of Leicester, after de Montfort's death andattainder at the end of theSecond Barons' War.[1] When Edmund's sonThomas, 2nd Earl of Lancaster, inherited his father-in-law's estates and title ofEarl of Lincoln he became at a stroke the most powerful nobleman in England, with lands throughout the kingdom and the ability to raise vast private armies to wield power at national and local levels.[2] This brought him—andHenry, his younger brother—into conflict with their cousin KingEdward II, leading to Thomas's execution. Henry inherited Thomas's titles and he and his son, who was also calledHenry, gave loyal service to Edward's son KingEdward III.
The second house of Lancaster was descended fromJohn of Gaunt, a Plantagenet prince, who married the heiress of the first house,Blanche of Lancaster. Edward III married all his sons to wealthy English heiresses rather than following his predecessors' practice of finding continental political marriages for royal princes.Henry of Grosmont, 1st Duke of Lancaster, had no male heir so Edward married his son John to Henry's heiress daughter and John's third cousin Blanche of Lancaster. This gave John the vast wealth of the House of Lancaster. Their sonHenry usurped the throne in 1399, creating one of the factions in theWars of the Roses. There was an intermittent dynastic struggle between the descendants of Edward III. In these wars, the term "Lancastrian" became a reference to members of the family and their supporters. The family provided England with three kings:Henry IV (r. 1399–1413),Henry V (r. 1413–1422), andHenry VI (r. 1422–1461 and 1470–1471).
The house became extinct in the male line upon the death or murder in theTower of London of Henry VI, following the battlefield execution of his sonEdward of Westminster, Prince of Wales, by supporters of theHouse of York in 1471. Lancastriancognatic descent—from John of Gaunt and Blanche of Lancaster's daughterPhilippa—continued in the royal houses of Spain and Portugal while the Lancastrian political cause was maintained byHenry Tudor—a relatively unknown scion of the LancastrianBeauforts—eventually leading to the establishment of theHouse of Tudor. The Lancastrians left a legacy through the patronage of the arts, most notably in foundingEton College andKing's College, Cambridge. However, to historians' chagrin, it isShakespeare's partly fictionalized history plays rather than medievalist scholarly research that has the greater influence on modern perceptions of the dynasty.[3]
Edmund's second marriage toBlanche of Artois, the widow ofthe King of Navarre, placed him at the centre of the European aristocracy. Blanche's daughterJoan I of Navarre was queen regnant of Navarre and through her marriage toPhilip IV of France was queen consort of France. Edmund's sonThomas became the most powerful nobleman in England, gaining the Earldoms ofLincoln andSalisbury through marriage to the heiress ofHenry de Lacy, 3rd Earl of Lincoln. His income was £11,000 per annum—double that of the next wealthiest earl.[2]
Thomas and his younger brotherHenry served in thecoronation of their cousin KingEdward II of England on 25 February 1308; Thomas carried Curtana, theSword of Mercy, and Henry carried the royal sceptre.[5] After initially supporting Edward, Thomas became one of theLords Ordainers, who demanded the banishment ofPiers Gaveston and the governance of the realm by a baronial council. After Gaveston was captured, Thomas took the lead in his trial and execution at Warwick in 1312.[6] Edward's authority was weakened by poor governance and defeat by the Scots at theBattle of Bannockburn. This allowed Thomas to restrain Edward's power by republishing theOrdinances of 1311. Following this achievement Thomas took little part in the governance of the realm and instead retreated toPontefract Castle.[7] This allowed Edward to regroup and re-arm, leading to a fragile peace in August 1318 with theTreaty of Leake. In 1321 Edward's rule again collapsed into civil war. Thomas raised a northern army but was defeated and captured at theBattle of Boroughbridge in March 1322. He was sentenced to be hanged, drawn and quartered but because he was Edward's cousin he was given a quicker death by beheading.[8]
Henry joined the revolt of Edward's wifeIsabella of France andMortimer in 1326, pursuing and capturing Edward atNeath in South Wales.[8] Following Edward's deposition at the Parliament of Kenilworth in 1326 and reputed murder atBerkeley Castle,[9] Thomas's conviction was posthumously reversed and Henry regained possession of the Earldoms of Lancaster, Derby, Salisbury and Lincoln that had been forfeit for Thomas's treason. His restored prestige led to him knighting the young KingEdward III of England before his coronation.[10] Mortimer lost support over theTreaty of Edinburgh–Northampton that formalised Scotland's independence, and his developing power in theWelsh Marches provoked jealousy from the barons. When Mortimer called a parliament to make his new powers and estates permanent with the title ofEarl of March in 1328, Henry led the opposition and held a counter-meeting. In response, Mortimer ravaged the lands of Lancaster and checked the revolt. Edward III was able to assume control in 1330 but Henry's further influence was restricted by poor health and blindness for the last fifteen years of his life.[11]
Henry's son, also namedHenry, was born at the castle ofGrosmont inMonmouthshire between 1299 and 1314.[12] According to the younger Henry's memoirs, he was better atmartial arts than academic subjects and did not learn to read until later in life.[13] Henry was coeval with Edward III and was pivotal to his reign, becoming his best friend and most trusted commander.[14] Henry was knighted in 1330, represented his father inparliament and fought in Edward's Scottish campaign.[15] After the outbreak of theHundred Years' War, Henry took part in several diplomatic missions and minor campaigns and was present at the great English victory in the navalBattle of Sluys in 1340.[16] Later, he was required to commit himself as hostage in theLow Countries for Edward's considerable debts. He remained hostage for a year and had to pay a large ransom for his own release.[17]
In 1345, Edward III launched a major, three-pronged attack on France. TheEarl of Northampton attacked fromBrittany, Edward fromFlanders, and Henry fromAquitaine in the south.[14] Moving rapidly through the country, Henry confronted theComte d'Isle at theBattle of Auberoche and achieved a victory described as "the greatest single achievement of Lancaster's entire military career".[18] The ransom from the prisoners has been estimated at £50,000.[19] Edward rewarded Henry by including him as a founding knight of theOrder of the Garter.[20] An even greater honour was bestowed on Lancaster when Edward created himDuke of Lancaster. The title of duke was relatively new in England, with only Cornwall being a previous ducal title. Lancaster was also givenpalatinate status for the county ofLancashire, which entailed a separate administration independent of the crown.[21] There were two other counties palatine;Durham was an ancient ecclesiastical palatinate andChester was crown property.
In 1350, Henry was present at the naval victory atWinchelsea, where he saved the life of theBlack Prince.[22] He spent 1351–2 oncrusade inPrussia where a quarrel withOtto, Duke of Brunswick, almost led to a duel between the two men, which was only averted by the intervention ofJohn II of France.[23] As campaigning in France resumed, Henry participated in the last great offensive of theRheims campaign of 1359–60—the first phase of the Hundred Years' War—before returning to England where he fell ill and died, most likely of theplague, atLeicester Castle.[24]
Edward III of England marriedJohn of Gaunt, his third surviving son, to Henry's heiressBlanche of Lancaster. On Henry's death, Edward conferred on Gaunt the second creation of the title of Duke of Lancaster, which made Gaunt, after Edward, the wealthiest landowner in England. Gaunt enjoyed great political influence during his lifetime, but upon his death in 1399 his lands were confiscated byRichard II. Gaunt's exiled son and heir Henry of Bolingbroke returned home and gathered military support in clear contravention of Richard'streason act of 1397, which included a definition of treason of "or [to] ... raiseth People and rideth against the King to make War within his Realm ...". Although he claimed his aim was restoration of his Lancaster inheritance, this Act and Henry's knowledge of Richard's character—suspicious and vindictive—probably meant Henry knew that only by removing Richard from power could he be secure.[25] Henry unified popular opposition to Richard II, took control of the kingdom and Richard—recognising that he had insufficient support to resist—surrendered to Henry's forces atConwy Castle. Henry instigated a commission to decide who should be king. Richard was forced to abdicate and although Henry was not next in line, he was chosen by an unlawfully constituted parliament dominated by his supporters.[26] After the first unrest of his reign and a revolt by the Earls of Salisbury, Gloucester, Exeter and Surrey, Richard reputedly starved to death.[27] There is some debate as to whether this was self-inflicted or ordered by Henry to end the risk of restoration without leaving incriminating marks on the body.[28]
There is much debate among historians about Henry's accession, in part because some see it as a cause of the Wars of the Roses. For many historians, the accession by force of the throne broke principles the Plantagenets had established successfully over two and a half centuries and allowed any magnate with sufficient power and Plantagenet blood to have ambitions to assume the throne. Richard had attempted to disinherit Henry and remove him from the succession. In response, Henry's legal advisors, led byWilliam Thirning, dissuaded Henry from claiming the throne by right of conquest and instead look for legal justification.[29] Although Henry established a committee to investigate his assertion that his mother had legitimate rights through descent from Edmund Crouchback, who he said was the elder son of Henry III of England but was set aside because of deformity, no evidence was found. The eight-year-oldEdmund Mortimer, Earl of March, was theheir general to Richard II by being the great-grandson of Edward III's second son,Lionel of Antwerp, 1st Duke of Clarence, and also the son of Richard's last nominated heir. In desperation, Henry's advisors made the case that Henry washeir male to Henry III and this was supported by thirteenth-century entails.[30] Mortimer's sisterAnne de Mortimer marriedRichard of Conisburgh, 3rd Earl of Cambridge, son of Edward III's fourth sonEdmund of Langley, consolidating Anne's place in the succession with that of the more juniorHouse of York.[31] As a child, Mortimer was not considered a serious contender and, as an adult, he showed no interest in the throne. He instead loyally served the House of Lancaster. Mortimer informed Henry V when Conisburgh, in what was later called theSouthampton Plot, attempted to place him on the throne instead of Henry's newly crowned son—their mutual cousin—leading to the execution of Conisburgh and the other plotters.[32]
Henry IV was plagued with financial problems, the political need to reward his supporters, frequent rebellions and declining health—includingleprosy andepilepsy.[33] ThePercy family had been some of Henry's leading supporters, defending the North from Scotland largely at their own expense, but revolted in the face of lack of reward and suspicion from Henry.Henry Percy (Hotspur) was defeated and killed at theBattle of Shrewsbury. In 1405, Hotspur's fatherHenry Percy, 1st Earl of Northumberland, supportedRichard le Scrope,Archbishop of York, in another rebellion, after which the elder Percy fled to Scotland and his estates were confiscated. Henry had Scrope executed in an act comparable to the murder of another Archbishop—Thomas Becket—by men loyal to Henry II. This would probably have led to Henry's excommunication, but the church was in the midst of theWestern Schism, with competing popes keen on Henry's support; it protested but took no action.[34] In 1408, Percy invaded England once more and was killed at theBattle of Bramham Moor.[35] In Wales,Owain Glyndŵr's widespread rebellion was only suppressed with the recapture ofHarlech Castle in 1409, although sporadic fighting continued until 1421.[36]
Henry IV was succeeded by his sonHenry V,[37] and eventually by his grandsonHenry VI in 1422.[38]
Henry V of England was a successful and ruthless monarch.[39] He was quick to re-assert the claim to the French throne he inherited from Edward III, continuing what was later called the Hundred Years' War. The war was not a formal, continuous conflict but a series of English raids and military expeditions from 1337 until 1453. There were six major royal expeditions; Henry himself led the fifth and sixth, but these were unlike the smaller, frequent, provincial campaigns.[40] In Henry's first major campaign—and the fifth major royal campaign of the war—he invaded France, capturedHarfleur, made achevauchée toCalais and won a near-total victory over the French at theBattle of Agincourt despite being outnumbered, outmanoeuvred and low on supplies.[41] In his second campaign, he recaptured much of Normandy and in a treaty secured a marriage toCatherine of Valois. The terms of theTreaty of Troyes were that Henry's and Catherine's heirs would succeed to the throne of France. This condition was contested by theDauphin and the momentum of the war changed. In 1421, Henry's brotherThomas, Duke of Clarence, was killed at theBattle of Baugé, and Henry V died of dysentery atVincennes in 1422.[38][42]
Henry VI of England was less than a year old but his uncles—led by Henry V's brotherJohn of Lancaster, 1st Duke of Bedford—continued the war.[43] There were more victories, including theBattle of Verneuil, but it was impossible to maintain campaigning at this level given the relative economic and manpower resources of England against France.Joan of Arc's involvement helped the French remove the siege of Orleans[44] and win theBattle of Patay before Joan was captured by the Burgundians, sold to the English, tried as a witch and burnt at the stake. The Dauphin was crowned and continued the successfulFabian tactics of avoiding full frontal assault and exploiting logistical advantage.[45]
The Hundred Years' War caused political division between the Lancastrians and the other Plantagenets during the minority of Henry VI: Bedford wanted to maintain the majority of the Lancastrians' French possessions;Humphrey of Lancaster, 1st Duke of Gloucester wanted to hold only Calais; andCardinal Beaufort desired a negotiated peace.[46] Gloucester's attacks on Beaufort forced the latter from public life but brought him little advantage as the Earl of Suffolk's influence over the king enabled him to direct policy for the rest of the decade. Gloucester remained heir presumptive but in 1441 his ambitious wife,Eleanor Cobham, consulted astrologers on the likelihood of the king's death and was arrested for treasonable necromancy—although Gloucester was not implicated he was discredited forced into retirement. In 1447 Suffolk had him arrested and within days he died in prison.[47]
England's allyPhilip III, Duke of Burgundy defected to Charles when the English ambassadors' refusal to renounce the claim to the French crown stalled negotiations, signing theTreaty of Arras (1435).[48] The French reorganised the superior numbers of their feudal levies into a modern professional army and retook Paris, Rouen, Bordeaux and Normandy. Victories at theBattle of Formigny in 1450 and theBattle of Castillon in 1453 brought the war to an end with the House of Lancaster losing forever all its French holdings, except Calais and the Channel Islands.[49]
Henry VI proved to be a weak king and vulnerable to the over-mighty subjects who developed private armies of retainers. Rivalries often spilled over from the courtroom into armed confrontations, such as thePercy–Neville feud.[50] Without the common purpose of the war in France, Henry's cousinRichard of York, 3rd Duke of York, andRichard Neville, 16th Earl of Warwick, used their networks to defy the crown.[51] Henry became the focus of discontent as the population, agricultural production, prices, the wool trade and credit declined in theGreat Slump.[52] This led to radical demands from the lower classes. In 1450,Jack Cade raised a rebellion to force Henry to address the economic problems or abdicate his throne.[53] The uprising was suppressed but conflict remained between villagers, gentry and aristocracy. Society remained deeply unsettled and radical demands continued to be suppressed such as those from the yeoman brothersJohn and William Merfold.[54]
Henry's marriage toMargaret of Anjou prompted criticism fromRichard Plantagenet, Duke of York, because it included the surrender ofMaine and an extended truce with France. York was Henry's cousin through his descent from Edward III sons Lionel of Antwerp, 1st Duke of Clarence, and Edmund, Duke of York. This gave York political influence but he was removed from English and French politics through his appointment asLord Lieutenant of Ireland.[55] On returning to England, York was conscious of the fate of Henry's uncle Humphrey at the hands of the Beauforts and suspicious that Henry intended to nominateEdmund Beaufort, 2nd Duke of Somerset, as heir presumptive, and recruited military forces. Armed conflict was avoided because York lacked aristocratic support and was forced to swear allegiance to Henry. However, when Henry later underwent a mental breakdown, York was named regent. Henry was trusting and not a man of war, but Margaret was more assertive and showed open enmity towards York—particularly after the birth of a male heir that resolved the succession question and assured her position.[56]
According to historian Robin Storey, "If Henry's insanity was a tragedy; his recovery was a national disaster".[57] When Henry's sanity returned, the court party reasserted its authority but York and his relatives, the Nevilles, defeated them at theFirst Battle of St Albans. HistorianAnthony Goodman suggests that around 50 men were killed; among them were Somerset and two Percy lords,Henry Percy, 2nd Earl of Northumberland, andThomas Clifford, 8th Baron de Clifford, creating feuds that would confound reconciliation attempts despite the shock to the ruling class caused by the armed conflict.[58] Threatened with treason charges and lacking support, York,Richard Neville, 5th Earl of Salisbury, and Richard Neville, 16th Earl of Warwick, fled abroad. Henry was captured by the opposition when the Nevilles returned and won theBattle of Northampton.[59] York joined them, surprising parliament by claiming the throne and then forcing through theAct of Accord stating that Henry would remain as monarch for his lifetime and that York would succeed him. The disinheriting ofHenry's son Edward was unacceptable to Margaret so the conflict continued. York was killed at theBattle of Wakefield and his head was displayed atMicklegate Bar, York, along with those ofEdmund, Earl of Rutland, and Richard Neville, Earl of Salisbury—both of whom were captured and beheaded.[60]
Margaret gained the support of the Scottish queenMary of Guelders, and with a Scottish army she pillaged into southern England.[61] The citizens of London feared the city being plundered and enthusiastically welcomed York's sonEdward, Earl of March.[62] Margaret's defeat at theBattle of Towton confirmed Edward's position and he was crowned.[63] Disaffected with Edward's marriage toElizabeth Woodville and preferment of her formerly Lancastrian-supporting family, Warwick and Clarence defected to the Lancastrians. The alliance was sealed with the marriage of Henry's son Edward to Anne, Warwick's daughter. Edward andRichard, Duke of Gloucester, fled England. When they returned, Clarence switched sides at theBattle of Barnet and Warwick and his brother were killed. Henry, Margaret and Edward of Lancaster were caught at theBattle of Tewkesbury before they could escape back to France. Edward of Westminster, Prince of Wales, was executed on the battlefield andJohn Beaufort, Marquess of Dorset, was killed in the fighting—meaning that when his brotherEdmund Beaufort, 4th Duke of Somerset, was executed two days later, the Beaufort family became extinct in the legitimate male line. The captive Henry was murdered on 21 May 1471 in theTower of London and buried inChertsey Abbey, extinguishing the House of Lancaster.[64]
"This royal throne of kings, this sceptr’d isle, This earth of majesty, this seat of Mars, This other Eden, demi-paradise, This fortress built by Nature for herself Against infection and the hand of war, This happy breed of men, this little world, This precious stone set in the silver sea, Which serves it in the office of a wall, Or as a moat defensive to a house Against the envy of less happier lands; This blessed plot, this earth, this realm, this England...
—John of Gaunt's speech inRichard II, Act II, Scene I, 40–50[65]
Historians have been dismayed by Shakespeare's influence on the perception of the later medieval period exceeding that of academic research.[66] While the chronology of Shakespeare'shistory plays runs fromKing John toHenry VIII, they are dominated by eight plays in which members of the House of Lancaster play a significant part, voicing speeches on a par with those inHamlet andKing Lear.[67] These plays are:
According to the historianNorman Davies, the plays were constrained by the political and religious requirements of Tudor England. While they are factually inaccurate, they demonstrate how the past and the House of Lancaster are remembered in terms of myth, legend, ideas and popular misconceptions. Shakespeare avoided contentious political and religious issues to dubiously illustrate Tudor England as having rejected medieval conflict and entered an era of harmony and prosperity. The famous patriotic "sceptr'd isle" speech is voiced by John of Gaunt, a man who spent the majority of his life in Aquitaine, and is a piece of poetic licence that illustrates English prejudices.Henry V is one-sided with little sympathy for the French.[68] Many of these historical lines illustrate historical myth rather than realism.[69]
Lancastriancognatic descent from John of Gaunt and Blanche's daughter Phillipa continued in the royal houses of Spain and Portugal.[70] The remnants of the Lancastrian court party coalesced support aroundHenry Tudor—a relatively unknown scion of theBeauforts. They had been amongst the most ardent supporters of the House of Lancaster and were descended illegitimately from John of Gaunt by his mistressKatherine Swynford. However John of Gaunt and Katherine subsequently married and their children were legitimated by the Pope and by Parliament during the reign of Richard II. Henry IV had tried to debar them from the succession by use of his royal prerogative to avoid competition with the House of Lancaster's claims to the throne but this was of limited effect. By some calculations of primogeniture, there were as many as 18 people—including both his mother and future wife—with what some might claim a better right to the throne. By 1510, this figure had increased with the birth of an additional 16 possible Yorkist claimants.[71]
With the House of Lancaster extinct, Henry claimed to be the Lancastrian heir through his motherLady Margaret Beaufort. His father,Edmund Tudor, was Henry VI's maternal half-brother. In 1485, Henry Tudor united increasing opposition within England to the reign ofRichard III with the Lancastrian cause to take the throne. To further legitimise his claim, Henry marriedElizabeth of York—Edward IV's daughter—and promoted theHouse of Tudor as a dynasty of dual Lancastrian and Yorkist descent.[72]
The Lancastrians were both pious and well read. Henry IV was the first English king known to have possessed a vernacular Bible, supported the canonization ofJohn Twenge, gave a pension to the anchoress Margaret Pensax and maintained close relations with several Westminster recluses. His household accounts as king record conventional payments to large numbers of paupers (12,000 on Easter day 1406) and the intercession for him of twenty-four oratores domini regis at 2d each per day. However, his reliance on the church was both personal and political.Archbishop Arundel gave the Lancastrians vital support and carried other bishops with him. In return the church required support for religious orthodoxy against heresy.Lollards were suppressed and heresy was made a capital offence in England under the statute ofDe haeretico comburendo even though Henry could not afford to overly antagonize his supporters with Lollard sympathies, including those among his Lancastrian retainers.[25]
According to the author of the Gesta Henrici quinti, Henry V aimed "to promote the honour of God, the extension of the Church, the deliverance of his country and the peace and tranquillity of kingdoms". He was deeply religious, engaged with ecclesiastical issues and saw that his role as king was to honour God, extend the church, fight heresy and defend the established social order. All his victories, especially Agincourt, were attributed to divine intervention. Henry V foundedSyon Abbey in 1415, as penance for his father's execution of Archbishop Scrope, and three monasteries in London: forCarthusian,Bridgettine andCelestine orders.[73] The equally devout Henry VI continued the architectural patronage begun by his father, foundingEton College andKing's College, Cambridge and leaving a lasting educational and architectural legacy in buildings includingKing's College Chapel andEton College Chapel.[74]
The Lancastrian regime was founded and legitimised by formal lying that was both public and official. This has been described as "a series of unconstitutional actions" based "upon three major acts of perjury".[75] The historianK.B. McFarlane found it hard "to think of another moment of comparable importance in medieval English political history when the supply of information was so effectively manipulated as it was by Henry IV on this occasion".[76] The Lancastrians patronised poets forpanegyric purposes for years before Henry IV ascended the throne, includingGeoffrey Chaucer who dedicatedThe Book of the Duchess to Blanche of Lancaster around 1368. In 1400, poets in the pay of Henry IV were directed topropaganda purposes.John Gower based hisCronica Tripertita on the official Lancastrian accounts of the usurpation:"The Record and Process of the Deposition of Richard II" from 1399. Gower also produced a number of further favourable works including "In praise of peace" which was dedicated to Henry IV.[77]
John of Gaunt, 1st Duke of Lancaster[83] Earl by right of his wife, the title Duke of Lancaster was vacant because there were no male heirs. Created Duke by his father Edward III of England
Henry's claim was extremely tenuous. He claimed the throne through his mother's descent fromEdmund on the basis that he was older thanEdward I but had been set aside because of deformity. This was not widely accepted
Écartelé, aux 1 et 4, d'azur semé de lys d'or(France ancien); aux 2 et 3 de gueules à trois léopards d'or armés et lampassés d'azur(England).[86][87]
In 1406, he simplified the French arms in imitation ofCharles V :
Écartelé, aux 1 et 4, d'azur à trois fleurs de lys d'or(France moderne); aux 2 et 3, de gueules à trois léopards d'or armés et lampassés d'azur(England).[86][87]
He utilized as his supporters the lion of England and the antelope.
Henry V of England (1387 † 1422), King of England, Lord of Ireland, Duke of Aquitaine; son of Henry IV.
Écartelé, aux 1 et 4, d'azur à trois fleurs de lys d'or(France moderne); aux 2 et 3, de gueules à trois léopards d'or armés et lampassés d'azur(England).[86][87]
He utilized the lion of England and the antilope badge of his father as supporters.
Henry VI of England (1421 † 1471), king of England, lord of Ireland, Duke of Aquitaine. In 1422, under theTreaty of Troyes, he was crowned king of France and changed his armouries.
Écartelé, aux 1 et 4, d'azur à trois fleurs de lys d'or(France moderne); aux 2 et 3, de gueules à trois léopards d'or armés et lampassés d'azur(England).[86][87]
Per pale, I d'azur three fleurs de lys d'or(France moderne); au II Écartelé, aux 1 et 4, d'azur à trois fleurs de lys d'or(France moderne); aux 2 et 3, de gueules à trois léopards d'or armés et lampassés d'azur(England).[86][87]
He utilized the antelope badge of his grandfather as supporters.
Henry Bolingbroke, Duke of Hereford and Lancaster (later King Henry IV)
1366–1413
As Duke of Hereford:
Quarterly, 1st and 4th, France ancien, 2nd and 3rd England, with a label of five points ermine (Richmond)[92]
As Duke of Lancaster and Hereford:
Quarterly, 1st and 4th, France ancien, 2nd and 3rd England, with a label of five points two of ermine (Richmond) and three Azure flory Or (Lancaster)[92]
Son of: John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster and Blanche of Lancaster.
Per pale, Argent and Azure, over all on a bend Gules three lions passant guardant Or with a label of three points Azure each charges with three fleur de lys Or[93]
Quarterly, 1st and 4th, France ancien, 2nd and 3rd England, within a bordure componée Argent and Azure[93]
Illegitimate Son (legitimated in 1396) of: John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster and Katherine Swynford.
Quarterly, 1st and 4th, France ancien, 2nd and 3rd England[96]
Changed toFrance moderne in line with changes made in that kingdom:Quarterly, 1st and 4th, France moderne, 2nd and 3rd England[96]
Son of: John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster and Blanche of Lancaster.
In 1376, thekings of France altered the royal coat of arms, replacing the fieldsemée fleurs de lys with three fleurs de lys, alluding to theTrinity. This new design is referred to asFrance Moderne, the previous one beingFrance Ancien. From about 1400 the kings of England imitated this change. As modified, the monarchs of England continued to bear arms in this form until the crown union with Scotland in 1603.[97]
Quarterly, 1st and 4th, France ancien and a baston gobony Argent and Gules (Evreux), 2nd and 3rd, Gules, a cross, a saltire and an orle of chain linked together Or (Navarre)[98]
Quarterly, 1st and 4th, France moderne, 2nd and 3rd England, with a label of five points, the two on the dexter side ermine and each of the other three charged with three fleurs de lys[101]
Quarterly of six, 1st, barry of eight Argent and Gules (Hungary), 2nd, Azure, semée of fleur de lys Or, a label of three points Gules (Naples), 3rd, Argent, a cross potent between four crosses Or (Jerusalem), 4th, Azure, semée of fleur de lys Or, a bordure Gules (Anjou), 5th Azure, semée of crosses crosslet fitchée, two barbels addorsée Or (Bar), 6th, Or, on a bend Gules three allerions Argent (Lorraine)[104]
Per pale, Argent and Azure, over all on a bend Gules three lions passant guardant Or with a label of three points Azure each charges with three fleur de lys Or[93]
Quarterly, 1st and 4th, France ancien, 2nd and 3rd England, within a bordure componée Argent and Azure[93]
Illegitimate Son (legitimated in 1396) of: John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster and Katherine Swynford.
Quarterly, 1st and 4th, France ancien, 2nd and 3rd England, within a bordure componée Argent and Azure, impaling, Gules, three lions passant guardant Or, within a bordure Argent[93]
Quarterly, 1st and 4th, France moderne, 2nd and 3rd England, within a bordure componée Argent and Azure, impaling, Gules, on a fess Or a mullet Sable, between six martlets, three, two and one, of the second (Beauchamp)[106]
Daughter of: John Beauchamp of Bletso and Edith Stourton.
Married to: Sir Oliver St John, of Bletsoe; 1425–1437.
Married to: John Beaufort, Duke of Somerset; 1439–1444.
Quarterly, 1st and 4th, France moderne, 2nd and 3rd England, within a bordure componée Argent and Azure[107]
Quarterly, France moderne and England, a bordure Azure charged alternatively with fleurs de lys and martlets Or, impaling, Quarterly, 1st and 4th, France moderne, 2nd and 3rd England, within a bordure componée Argent and Azure[107]
Daughter of: John Beaufort, Duke of Somerset and Margaret Beauchamp.
Married to: Edmund Tudor, 1st Earl of Richmond; 1455–1456.
TheRed Rose of Lancaster derives from the gold rose badge ofEdward I of England. Other members of his family used variants of the royal badge, with the king's brother, the Earl of Lancaster, using a red rose.[111] It is believed that the Red Rose of Lancaster was the House of Lancaster'sbadge during theWars of the Roses. Evidence for this "wearing of the rose" includes land tenure records requiring service of a red rose yearly for a manor held directly fromHenry VI of England.[112] There are, however, doubts as to whether the red rose was actually an emblem taken up by the Lancastrians during the Wars of the Roses. Adrian Ailes has noted that the red rose "probably owes its popular usage toHenry VII quickly responding to the pre-existing Yorkist white rose in an age when signs and symbols could speak louder than words."
It also allowed Henry to invent and exploit his most famous heraldic device, theTudor Rose, combining the so-called Lancastrian red rose and theWhite Rose of York. This floral union neatly symbolised the restoration of peace and harmony and his marriage in January 1486 to Elizabeth of York. It was a brilliant piece of simple heraldic propaganda."[113] TheTudor Rose is used as the plant badge of England (Scotland uses thethistle, Ireland uses theshamrock, andWales uses theleek).
^As descendants of the sovereign in the male line, the earls of Lancaster bore the arms of the kingdom differenced by alabel azure of three points each charged with three fleurs de lys Or. The last male of this family – Henry of Grosmont – was granted a dukedom, which was then re-created for the second house.
^Arms of John of Gaunt, founder of the second house. The arms of the kingdom differenced by alabel ermine. His royal descendants bore the arms undifferenced.
^Blanche's year of birth is a matter of scholarly debate.Loschiavo 1978
^Blanche was traditionally believed to have died in 1369, but Palmer's evidence that she died the year before is now widely accepted by scholars.Palmer 1974
^abcdeMaclagan, Michael; Louda, Jiří (1999).Line of Succession: Heraldry of the Royal Families of Europe. London: Little, Brown & Co. pp. 29–30.ISBN1-85605-469-1.
^abcdeRietstap, Johannes Baptist (1861).Armorial général, contenant la description des armoiries des familles nobles et patriciennes de l'Europe: précédé d'un dictionnaire des termes du blason. G.B. van Goor.
^Adrian Ailes, "Heraldry in Medieval England: Symbols of Politics and Propaganda", in Heraldry, Pageantry, and Social Display in Medieval England, ed. Peter Cross and Maurice Keen (Woodbridge, Suffolk: Boydell, 2002), 83–104 (101).
Belsey, Catherine (1992). "Making History". In Holderness, Graham (ed.).Shakespeare's history plays: Richard II to Henry V. Macmillan.ISBN0333549023.
Brewer, DS (2012).John Gower, Poetry and Propaganda in Fourteenth-century England (Volume 7 of Publications of the John Gower Society ed.). DS Brewer.ISBN978-1843843153.
Castor, Helen (2000).The King, the Crown, and the Duchy of Lancaster: Public Authority and Private Power, 1399–1461. Oxford University Press.ISBN0-19-820622-4.
Davies, Norman (1997).Europe – A History. Pimlico.ISBN0-7126-6633-8.
Davies, Norman (1999).The Isles – A History. MacMillan.ISBN0-333-76370-X.
Davies, R R (1995).The Revolt of Owain Glyn Dwr. Oxford University Press.ISBN0-19-280209-7.
Fowler, Kenneth Alan (1969).The King's Lieutenant: Henry of Grosmont, First Duke of Lancaster, 1310–1361. Elek (Paul) (Scientific Books) Ltd.ISBN0-236-30812-2.
Mortimer, Ian (2012).Medieval Intrigue: Decoding Royal Conspiracies. Continuum.ISBN978-1441102690.
Palmer, J. J. N. (1974). "The historical context of theBook of the Duchess: a revision".Chaucer Review.8:253–61.
Pinches, John Harvey; Pinches, Rosemary (1974).The Royal Heraldry of England. Heraldry Today. Slough, Buckinghamshire: Hollen Street Press.ISBN0-900455-25-X.
1 Briefly joined the Lancastrians.2 Briefly joined the Yorkists.3 Defected from the Yorkist to the Lancastrian cause.4 Initially a Yorkist who later supported the Tudor claim.5 Initially a Lancastrian who later supported the Tudor claim.
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