plantagenet

English - English

Definition of plantagenet in English English dictionary

the family name of a line of English kings that reigned from 1154 to 1485

Related Terms

House of Plantagenet

or House of Anjou Royal house of England (1154-1485) that provided 14 kings, including six from the cadet houses of Lancaster and York. The line descended from Geoffrey, count of Anjou died 1151 , and the empress Matilda, daughter of the English king Henry I. Some historians apply the name House of Anjou, or Angevin dynasty, to only Henry II, Richard I, and John, and label their successors, including Edward I, Edward II, and Edward III, as Plantagenets. The name may have originated as a nickname (Plante-geneste) for Count Geoffrey, who planted broom shrubs (Latin Genista) to improve his hunting covers. The Wars of the Roses saw the defeat of the last Plantagenet king, Richard III, in 1485. The legitimate line ended with Edward of Warwick died 1499

Hyphenation

Plan·tag·e·net

Etymology

[ plan-'ta-j&-n&t, -'taj ] (adjective.) 1868. Plantagenet, nickname of the family adopted as surname.