Historical Kings of England

Henry II 1154-1189 The first Plantagenant. This family name was actually a nickname adopted by his father, Geoffery, who was an Anjou (or Angevin). Henry II's mother was Matilda, the daughter of Henry I (1100-1135). Henry II was an excellent king. His wife was the famous Elanor of Aquitaine.

Richard I 1189-1199. Son of Henry II, and more of a knight than a king. Spent much of his reign on Crusades. Called "the Lion Hearted" for good reason, as he loved battle and died while supervising a siege.

John 1199-1216 Younger son of Henry II. Called "Lackland" because he was the third son and should not have inherited anything. But his two elder brothers died without issue (well, brother Geoffrey did have a son, but he died at a tender age. Uncle John's complicity in this was never proven). John was a sleeze in many ways, but he did try to curb baronial and ecclesiastical power, which brought about civil war. Forced to sign the Magna Carta in 1215, which limited the powers of the king (and had a lot to do with the English monarchy surviving into the 20th century.)

Henry III 1216-1272 Son of John, came to the throne at age 9 and lived under a series of regents until 1227. Most notable for his long reign, he was not very capable and the kindom pretty much went to pot, until his son, Prince Edward, took things over in the old man's dotage. The first true parliaments begin to meet during this period.

Edward I 1272-1307. Son of Henry III. Came to the throne at age 33, and had a long, successful reign, conquering Wales and adopting the longbow as the English national weapon..

Edward II 1307-1327 Son of Edward I. A homosexual, but what really got him into trouble was inept rule and getting beaten by the Scots. Deposed by parliament in 1327 and murdered.

Edward III 1327-1377 The most able of the Plantagenets, who had had been in office since Henry II in 1154. It was not common to use the last name of the king. Edward was simply known as "Edward III of England."

Richard II 1377-1399 Grandson of Edward III by his eldest son, the Black Prince; a minor until 1389. The last king descended from the first born male line that Edward III represented,: He was inept, and was deposed in 1399.

Coat of Arms of Richard II

Henry IV 1399-1413 First Lancaster, so called because his father was John of Gaunt, the second son of Edward III, who had to settle for being the duke of Lancaster. Technically this line has survived to this day, with the current Plantagenet "pretender" being the Duke of Beaufort.

Henry V 1413-1422 (son of Henry IV). The victor at Agincourt . A very able king who had the misfortune to die young.

Henry VI 1422-1461 Son of Henry V and Princes Catherine of France, the daughter of Charles VI. More or less an idiot, he was deposed and imprisoned, by his cousin Edward IV, made a comeback in 1471, was again deposed and died in the Tower of London. Last Lancastrian to wear the crown.

Edward IV 1466-1471 and 1471-1483 Descended from yet another younger son of Edward III, and from whose daughter the present English royal family descends. This line was called the "Yorks" because the grandfather, a younger son of Edward III, was the duke of York.

Coat of Arms of Henry IV, V, VI and Edward IV