No British dynasty has been as successful as the Plantagenets of this time period in passing down the crown. These Plantagenet kings had to deal with the Second Baron’s War and the Hundred Years’ War. King Edward I conquered Wales and tried to conquer Scotland. Parliament and other social institutions developed. A distinctive English culture arose. Geoffrey Chaucer, the father of English literature wrote his Canterbury Tales. Great cathedrals were built and universities were established. The Bubonic Plague or Black Death caused great turmoil and killed half of England’s population. In 1399, the Plantagenet dynasty was split into two cadet branches, the House of Lancaster (reigned 1399 – 1461 and 1470 – 1471) and the House of York, (reigned 1461 – 1470 and 1471 – 1485), who battled for control of the crown in the Wars of the Roses.
Out of all the members of the House of Plantagenet, perhaps John of Gaunt, the fourth son but the third surviving son of King Edward III of England, stands out as the most dynastically important. It is through John’s first marriage that the Duchy of Lancaster eventually became a possession of the British Crown. John is also quite important in royal genealogy. His daughter Catherine of Lancaster married King Enrique III of Castile, which made John the grandfather of King Juan II of Castile and the ancestor of all subsequent monarchs of Castile and a united Spain. His daughter Philippa of Lancaster married King João I of Portugal making all future Portuguese monarchs descendants of John. Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom and her predecessors since King Henry IV are descended from John of Gaunt. The Houses of Lancaster, York, and Tudor were all descended from John of Gaunt’s children. In fact, most European monarchies are descended from John of Gaunt.
Below is an indexed listing with links to biographical articles about the House of Plantagenet at Unofficial Royalty. If it says “Notable Issue” before a name, that means not all of the children for the parent of that person are listed. Also listed below are links to House of Plantagenet Miscellaneous Articles, and links to the various British Content Areas.
House of Plantagenet (1216 – 1399)
Family of King Henry III of England
- King Henry III of England (reigned 1216 – 1272)
- Eleanor of Provence, Queen of England (wife of Henry III)
- King Edward I of England (see below)
- Margaret of England, Queen of Scots
- Beatrice of England, Countess of Richmond
- Edmund Crouchback, 1st Earl of Lancaster and Leicester
- Katherine of England
Family of King Edward I of England
- King Edward I of England (reigned 1272 – 1307)
- Eleanor of Castile, Queen of England (1st wife of Edward I)
- Notable Issue: Eleanor of England, Countess of Bar
- Notable Issue: Joan of Acre, Countess of Hertford
- Notable Issue: Alfonso, Earl of Chester
- Notable Issue: Margaret of England, Duchess of Brabant
- Notable Issue: Mary of Woodstock
- Notable Issue: Elizabeth of Rhuddlan, Countess of Holland, Countess of Hereford
- Notable Issue: King Edward II of England (see below)
- Margaret of France, Queen of England (2nd wife of Edward I)
- Notable Issue: Thomas of Brotherton, 1st Earl of Norfolk
- Notable Issue: Edmund of Woodstock, 1st Earl of Kent
Family of King Edward II of England
- King Edward II of England (reigned 1307 – 1327, forced to abdicate)
- Isabella of France, Queen of England (wife of Edward II)
- King Edward III of England (see below)
- John of Eltham, 1st Earl of Cornwall
- Eleanor of Woodstock, Duchess of Guelders
- Joan of the Tower, Queen of Scots
- David II, King of Scots (husband of Joan of the Tower)
Family of King Edward III of England
- King Edward III of England (reigned 1327 – 1377)
- Philippa of Hainault, Queen of England (wife of Edward III)
- Notable Issue: Edward of Woodstock, Prince of Wales (the Black Prince)
- Joan of Kent, 4th Countess of Kent, Princess of Wales (wife of Edward of Woodstock, Prince of Wales)
- King Richard II (see below)
- Notable Issue: Isabella of England, Countess of Bedford
- Notable Issue: Joan of England
- Notable Issue: Lionel of Antwerp, 1st Duke of Clarence
- Notable Issue: John of Gaunt, 1st Duke of Lancaster
- Blanche of Lancaster, Duchess of Lancaster (1st wife of John of Gaunt)
- Notable Issue: King Henry IV of England (first monarch of the House of Lancaster)
- Notable Issue: Philippa of Lancaster, Queen of Portugal
- Constance of Castile, Duchess of Lancaster (2nd wife of John of Gaunt)
- Notable Issue: Catherine of Lancaster, Queen of Castile
- Katherine Swynford, Duchess of Lancaster (mistress and 3rd wife of John of Gaunt)
- Notable Issue: John Beaufort, 1st Earl of Somerset
- Notable Issue: Cardinal Henry Beaufort, Bishop of Winchester
- Notable Issue: Joan Beaufort, Countess of Westmorland
- Notable Issue: Edmund of Langley, 1st Duke of York
- Notable Issue: Mary of Waltham, Duchess of Brittany
- Notable Issue: Margaret of Windsor, Countess of Pembroke
- Notable Issue: Thomas of Woodstock, 1st Duke of Gloucester
Family of King Richard II of England
- King Richard II of England (reigned 1377 -1399, deposed)
- Anne of Bohemia, Queen of England (1st wife of Richard II, no children)
- Isabella of Valois, Queen of England (2nd wife of Richard II, no children)
House of Plantagenet Notable Illegitimate Children
King Edward II
King Edward III
House of Plantagenet Miscellaneous Articles
- Alice Perrers, mistress of King Edward III
- Coronations after the Norman Conquest (1066 – present)
- Death of Richard II, King of England (1400)
- History and Traditions: Norman and Plantagenet Weddings
- House of Plantagenet Burial Sites
- Hugh de Despenser the Younger, favorite of King Edward II
- Piers Gaveston, 1st Earl of Cornwall, favorite of King Edward II
- Robert de Vere, Duke of Ireland, Marquess of Dublin, 9th Earl of Oxford, favorite of King Richard II
British Content Areas
- British In Memoriam
- British Orders and Honours
- British Royal Births, Marriages, Deaths, and Other Important Events
- British Royal Burial Sites
- British Royal Christenings
- British Royal Links
- British Royal Residences
- British Royal Titles and Styles
- British Royal Weddings
- Line of Succession to the British Throne
- Profiles of the British Royal Family
- Royal Churches: United Kingdom
- When The British Monarch Dies