Lancaster was the name of a branch of the Plantagenet royal family that ruled England from 1399 to 1461. The House of Lancaster also ruled in 1470 and 1471.
John of Gaunt, fourth son of King Edward III, founded the dynasty when he became Duke of Lancaster through his marriage to Blanche of Lancaster. The House of York stemmed from Gaunt’s older brother Lionel and younger brother Edmund. Gaunt’s son became King Henry IV in 1399, taking the throne away from his childless cousin, Richard II, and ignoring Lionel’s great-grandson, the Earl of March. This act led to the Wars of the Roses between the House of Lancaster and the House of York, which broke out more than 50 years later.
Henry IV’s oldest son succeeded him as Henry V. Through his conquests in France, Henry V became one of the most famous warrior kings of England. Henry V died in 1422, leaving the throne to his baby son, Henry VI. All that his father won, the well-intentioned but ineffective Henry VI lost. In 1461, Edward IV of the House of York was proclaimed king and defeated Henry VI’s forces at the Battle of Towton.
Henry regained the throne for six months in 1470-1471 but lost it and was imprisoned. His only son, Edward, was killed in 1471, and Henry was probably murdered three weeks later. Thus, the direct line of the House of Lancaster came to an end.
