Annette Ranald's Blog: Annette's History Reads - Posts Tagged "the-three-edwards"

Who needs Game of Thrones when you can read about the real-life House of Plantagenet, England's royal dynasty from Henry II (1154) to Richard III (1485). Family feuds, dynastic war, love triangles, multiple kings claiming multiple crowns, bitter rivals, treasonous plots, and even the odd witch or two. The Plantagenets had it all. For just a tiny taste of what a merry Christmas would be for this family, watch The Lion in Winter (1968), with Katherine Hepburn and Peter O'Toole, which depicts a family gathering that actually occurred in the family chateau at Chinon in France in 1183. Or, if you're into history told the dry and dusty old English way, try Thomas B. Costain's Pageant of England Series. The four individual books are: The Conquerors, The Magnificent Century, The Three Edwards, and The Last Plantagenets.

LIke every royal family worthy of the Kingdom of Westeros, the Plantagenets have an ancestor who was not of this earth (or so they claimed). Count Geofrey of Anjou (1113-1151) was the son of Emergarde, Countess of Maine, who was rumored to be a half-spirit, half-hman hybrid who had the ability to shape-shift and fly. Geofrey's plant badge was the broom (Latin planta genista), although they dynasty did not adopt the official name Plantagenet to commemorate these humble beginnings until centuries later. Geofrey married Matilda of England, thus inheriting her claim to the throne of William the Conqueror and passed it along to his son Henry II, who was able to make good on the throne and become England's King in 1154.

The trouble with the Plantagenets was that England was never good enough for them. What they really wanted was France, and as much of it as possible. Henry II married a divorced French Queen, Eleanor of Aquitaine, who brought with her as her dowry most of southern France. If Emergarde was a witch, Eleanor was a schemer of the first order. Henry and Eleanor had several children, but the most relevant ones were Henry the Younger (called the Young King), Geofrey, Richard (the lionheart), and John. Eleanor loved Richard. Henry mistrusted and disliked all his boys. That's a recipe for a dysfunctional family and this was a textbook case. While Henry and his sons were good-looking, tall, red-blond, and muscular, talented riders and fighters, and Richard had a taste for arts and music, their real family business was fighting to keep each other out of the landholdings they all claimed.

What's a good royal family without a rival in the next kingdom? The Capets weren't as flamboyant as the Plantagenets, but they had their fair share of family drama. Eleanor of Acquitaine had been married to Louis VII Capet, King of France. The marriage produced two daughters but fell apart because Louis was more interested in crusading and acts of piety than his lusty queen. The relationship between Louis and Henry further soured when Louis found out that Eleanor was having an affair with Henry. They divorced, and she took her vast lands with her, leaving the French kings with little more than Northern France and the Loire Valley. Louis subsequently married again and had two children, Phillip II, and Alys. Alys was frequently proposed as a bride for any one of the Plantagenet boys in an effort to solve the land disputes as a dynastic alliance, and if ever any woman was done wrong, it was Alys Capet.

Alys was sent to live in England under Eleanor's care, but she subsequently became the mistress of her proposed father-in-law, Henry II. How young was she when this happened? Probably still a pre-teenager. Nor was Alys the only one Henry had on the string. Tired of Henry, Eleanor schemed to have one of their boys take his place as King of England. Outraged, Henry had Eleanor and Alys locked up in Pontefract Castle for almost twenty years. However, the two continued to bicker over which of their sons would inherit England, the cash cow of their empire, and/or marry Alys. Henry settled the issue in his mind by having his son Henry crowned as a junior king of England (so junior that he's not even given a regnal number). The Young King was a non-entity next to his overwhelming father. He toured Europe as a tournament hero, winning prizes, plotting and getting into trouble. In 1183, he and his younger brother Richard finally got alone well enough to rise against their father in France. Young Henry died of dysentery during the campaign. Richard went on to wrest much of his mother's inheritance away from their father and, although he remained King of England, Henry II was a broken man.

Christmas 1183 in Chinon was going to be a lovely time. Not only did Henry invite his three surviving sons, Geoffrey, Richard, and John, he also allowed Eleanor to come over from England, and bring Alys. Eleanor hoped that Alys would tempt Richard away from what she almost certainly knew was an interest in men. Whether she also knew that Richard had had a torrid affair with Phillip II will never be known, but he was also coming to the party. Now, the innuendos in the old movie make sense. Phillip and Richard spat like lovers. Henry and Eleanor carry on like a bitter married couple. The three boys argue about land, inheritance, and which parent likes them best, Alys whines about getting married, not quite understanding what's going on between her brother and Richard. Henry just wishes they would all go away, which he eventually orders them to do, until next year, when they'd do it all over again.The Last PlantagenetsThe Conquering FamilyThe Three EdwardsThe Magnificent Century

Who needs Game of Thrones when you can read about the real-life House of Plantagenet, England's royal dynasty from Henry II (1154) to Richard III (1485). Family feuds, dynastic war, love triangles, multiple kings claiming multiple crowns, bitter rivals, treasonous plots, and even the odd witch or two. The Plantagenets had it all. For just a tiny taste of what a merry Christmas would be for this family, watch The Lion in Winter (1968), with Katherine Hepburn and Peter O'Toole, which depicts a family gathering that actually occurred in the family chateau at Chinon in France in 1183. Or, if you're into history told the dry and dusty old English way, try Thomas B. Costain's Pageant of England Series. The four individual books are: The Conquerors, The Magnificent Century, The Three Edwards, and The Last Plantagenets.

LIke every royal family worthy of the Kingdom of Westeros, the Plantagenets have an ancestor who was not of this earth (or so they claimed). Count Geofrey of Anjou (1113-1151) was the son of Emergarde, Countess of Maine, who was rumored to be a half-spirit, half-hman hybrid who had the ability to shape-shift and fly. Geofrey's plant badge was the broom (Latin planta genista), although they dynasty did not adopt the official name Plantagenet to commemorate these humble beginnings until centuries later. Geofrey married Matilda of England, thus inheriting her claim to the throne of William the Conqueror and passed it along to his son Henry II, who was able to make good on the throne and become England's King in 1154.

The trouble with the Plantagenets was that England was never good enough for them. What they really wanted was France, and as much of it as possible. Henry II married a divorced French Queen, Eleanor of Aquitaine, who brought with her as her dowry most of southern France. If Emergarde was a witch, Eleanor was a schemer of the first order. Henry and Eleanor had several children, but the most relevant ones were Henry the Younger (called the Young King), Geofrey, Richard (the lionheart), and John. Eleanor loved Richard. Henry mistrusted and disliked all his boys. That's a recipe for a dysfunctional family and this was a textbook case. While Henry and his sons were good-looking, tall, red-blond, and muscular, talented riders and fighters, and Richard had a taste for arts and music, their real family business was fighting to keep each other out of the landholdings they all claimed.

What's a good royal family without a rival in the next kingdom? The Capets weren't as flamboyant as the Plantagenets, but they had their fair share of family drama. Eleanor of Acquitaine had been married to Louis VII Capet, King of France. The marriage produced two daughters but fell apart because Louis was more interested in crusading and acts of piety than his lusty queen. The relationship between Louis and Henry further soured when Louis found out that Eleanor was having an affair with Henry. They divorced, and she took her vast lands with her, leaving the French kings with little more than Northern France and the Loire Valley. Louis subsequently married again and had two children, Phillip II, and Alys. Alys was frequently proposed as a bride for any one of the Plantagenet boys in an effort to solve the land disputes as a dynastic alliance, and if ever any woman was done wrong, it was Alys Capet.

Alys was sent to live in England under Eleanor's care, but she subsequently became the mistress of her proposed father-in-law, Henry II. How young was she when this happened? Probably still a pre-teenager. Nor was Alys the only one Henry had on the string. Tired of Henry, Eleanor schemed to have one of their boys take his place as King of England. Outraged, Henry had Eleanor and Alys locked up in Pontefract Castle for almost twenty years. However, the two continued to bicker over which of their sons would inherit England, the cash cow of their empire, and/or marry Alys. Henry settled the issue in his mind by having his son Henry crowned as a junior king of England (so junior that he's not even given a regnal number). The Young King was a non-entity next to his overwhelming father. He toured Europe as a tournament hero, winning prizes, plotting and getting into trouble. In 1183, he and his younger brother Richard finally got alone well enough to rise against their father in France. Young Henry died of dysentery during the campaign. Richard went on to wrest much of his mother's inheritance away from their father and, although he remained King of England, Henry II was a broken man.

Christmas 1183 in Chinon was going to be a lovely time. Not only did Henry invite his three surviving sons, Geoffrey, Richard, and John, he also allowed Eleanor to come over from England, and bring Alys. Eleanor hoped that Alys would tempt Richard away from what she almost certainly knew was an interest in men. Whether she also knew that Richard had had a torrid affair with Phillip II will never be known, but he was also coming to the party. Now, the innuendos in the old movie make sense. Phillip and Richard spat like lovers. Henry and Eleanor carry on like a bitter married couple. The three boys argue about land, inheritance, and which parent likes them best, Alys whines about getting married, not quite understanding what's going on between her brother and Richard. Henry just wishes they would all go away, which he eventually orders them to do, until next year, when they'd do it all over again.The Last PlantagenetsThe Conquering FamilyThe Three EdwardsThe Magnificent Century