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Home / Periods / Medieval Period / Plantagenet England

Period

Plantagenet England

1154–1485 CE

Plantagenet England covers the medieval dynasty that ruled England from Henry II in 1154 to Richard III’s defeat in 1485. The period includes Angevin power, royal justice, baronial revolt, Magna Carta, the Welsh and Scottish wars, the Hundred Years’ War and the Wars of the Roses.

It matters as a fiction setting because the Plantagenet centuries contain strong dynastic personalities and repeated crises of inheritance, loyalty and legitimacy. Kingship was personal, violent and legalistic at once, making the period useful for court intrigue, military campaigns, family rivalry and political collapse.

Plantagenet fiction connects naturally to authors such as Sharon Kay Penman, Elizabeth Chadwick, Jean Plaidy, Philippa Gregory and Conn Iggulden. It is a useful child category for books about Henry II, Eleanor of Aquitaine, Richard I, John, Edward I, the Black Prince, Richard II, the Lancastrians, the Yorkists and Richard III.

Related people for Plantagenet England

Anne Neville1456–1485 Blanche of Castile1188–1252 Blanche of Lancaster1342–1368 Catherine of Valois1401–1437 Cecily Neville, Duchess of York1415–1495 Charles VI of France1368–1422 Constance of York1375–1416 Edward, the Black Prince1330–1376 Edward III of England1312–1377 Edward II of England1284–1327 Edward I of England1239–1307 Edward IV1442–1483 Edward of Westminster, Prince of Wales1453–1471 Edward V1470–1483 Eleanor Cobhamc. 1400–1452 Eleanor of Aquitaine1124–1204 Eleanor of Castile1241–1290 Elizabeth Mortimer1371–1417 Elizabeth of York1466–1503 Elizabeth Woodville1437–1492 Geoffrey Chaucer1343–1400 George Plantagenet, Duke of Clarence1449–1478 Henry Beaufort1375–1447 Henry III of England1207–1272 Henry II of England1133–1189 Henry IV of England1367–1413 Henry Percy (Hotspur)1364–1403 Henry the Young King1155–1183 Henry VI1421–1471 Henry VI, Holy Roman Emperor1165–1197 Henry VII1457–1509 Henry V of England1386–1422 Hugh Despenser the Youngerc. 1286–1326 Humphrey of Lancaster, 1st Duke of Gloucester1390–1447 Isabella of France1295–1358 Jacquetta of Luxembourg1415–1472 Jane Shorec. 1445–c. 1527 Jasper Tudorc. 1431–1495 Joan Beaufort, Countess of Westmorland1379–1440 Joan de Geneville, 2nd Baroness Geneville1286–1356 Joan of Arc1412–1431 Joan of Kent1328–1385 John, King of England1166–1216 John/Eleanor Rykenerfl. 1394–1395 John Beaufort, 1st Earl of Somerset1373–1410 John of Gaunt1340–1399 John Wycliffec. 1320s–1384 John XXIII1370–1419 Katherine Swynford1350–1403 Kublai Khan1215–1294 Leopold V, Duke of Austria1157–1194 Lionel of Antwerp, 1st Duke of Clarence1338–1368 Louis VIII of France1187–1226 Louis XI of France1423–1483 Margaret Beaufort1443–1509 Margaret of Anjou1430–1482 Margaret Paston1422–1484 Nicolas Flamelc. 1330–1418 Owain Glyndŵrc. 1354–c. 1416 Owen Tudor1400–1461 Perenelle Flamelc. 1320–1397 Philip IV of France1268–1314 Philippa Roet1346–1387 Richard II1367–c. 1400 Richard III1452–1485 Richard I of England1157–1199 Richard Neville, 16th Earl of Warwick1428–1471 Richard of Shrewsbury, Duke of York1473–disappeared 1483 Richard of York, 3rd Duke of York1411–1460 Richard Whittington1354–1423 Robert I, Count of Artois1216–1250 Robert the Bruce1274–1329 Roger Mortimer, 1st Earl of March1287–1330 Saladin1138–1193 Sigismund, Holy Roman Emperor1368–1437 Simon de Montfort, 6th Earl of Leicester1208–1265 Thomas Beaufort, Duke of Exeter1377–1426 Thomas le Despenser, 1st Earl of Gloucester1375–1400 Walter de Stapledonc. 1261–1326 William Hastings, 1st Baron Hastingsc. 1431–1483 William Herbert, 1st Earl of Pembroke1423–1469 William Marshal, 1st Earl of Pembroke1146–1219 William Wallace1270–1305

Series

Series about Plantagenet England (3 series)

Border Knight in Order

by Griff Hosker 15 books 4.5(24,915)

An Owen Archer Mystery in Order

by Candace Robb 16 books 4.2(39,740)

The Owen Archer mysteries follow a Welsh soldier and former captain of archers who becomes an investigator, spy and officer in fourteenth-century York. Beginning in 1363, Owen serves Archbishop John Thoresby and later the city authorities, while his marriage to apothecary Lucie Wilton gives the investigations a close…

Plantagenet Saga in Order

by Jean Plaidy 14 books 4.1(16,124)

The Plantagenet Saga spans the dynasty from Henry II and Eleanor of Aquitaine to Richard III. Across fourteen novels, family rebellion, disputed succession, royal marriage and war connect the Angevin Empire, the conquest of Wales, conflict with Scotland, the Hundred Years’ War and the Wars of the Roses.

Books

30 Best Novels About Plantagenet England

Non-Fiction

30 Best Non-Fiction Books About Plantagenet England

Histories, biographies and reference works are listed separately from the historical novels above.