The Plantagenet Kings were forced to negotiate compromises such as the Magna Carta. With the Plantagenets, England changed, althogh this was not caused by the monarchs. Their name came from planta genista, the Latin for yellow broom flower, which the Counts of Anjou wore as an emblem on their helmets. Plantagenet Kings were thus the richest family in Europe and ruled England and half of France. Henry’s wife Eleanor ruled the even larger territory to the south called Aquitaine. This is why sometimes this is also called the House of Anjou or Angevin dynasty. The first Plantagenet was King Henry II, whose father owned vast lands in Anjou, an area as big as Normandy. The Plantagenets were a huge powerful family not just in England but throughout Europe. For locations and prices Expedia can help!
In case you just realized you want to learn more about the British Royal Family, as much as the history that surrounds them you can always go for a trip to England. William was the first Norman King in England. He inherited Normandy but later became a candidate to rule England when his first cousin once removed Edward the Confessor died childless. This situation also caused some difficulties for him after he succeeded his father, as anarchy and struggle characterized the first years of his rule. His illegitimate status made him known also as William the Bastard. William was the son of the unmarried Robert I, Duke of Normandy, by his mistress Herleva. It took a lot of checking but the links are correct. To make things worse, monarchs tend to die and marry relatives or name children after a sibling or dead family member. Try for example "Æthelstan", at first it is hard to know if it is a male or a female. Some have strange letters and you need a session of old English to learn how to pronounce them. It is also the period when England was unified. This is the time when the British monarchs fought the Viking raids. The House of Wessex, also known as the House of Cerdic (Cerdicingas in Old English), refers to the family that initially ruled a kingdom in southwest England known as Wessex,Īnglo-Saxon England, when the Wessex family reigned, was a fascinating period. Prominent Royal Houses of England Wessex Family If you would like to learn more about their genealogy, understand their beginnings, and read more about royal biographies, I suggest you read this book from Amazon Britain's Royal Families: The Complete Genealogy (updated) by Weir, Alison (2009) Paperback. This interactive Royal Family Tree summarizes the most important individuals in British Royal History.
Edward the Elder: House of Wessex, 899 - 924.
Here is a chronological list of Kings and Queens of Enlgand with Family Name, and reign dates. This tree is quite detailed, but the crown not always falls in the hands of a direct descendant. Following the rise and fall of different English Kings in different dynasties is not easy.