G2G: How did the Plantagenet family "die out" to become the Tudors?

Question

Who was the "last Plantagenet" that must have been childless and what or how did the Tudor family 'take over?'

Answer 1

Henry Tudor defeated Richard III on the battlefield to take the crown by right of conquest. He had no right to the throne other than that. Because of his insecurity over this, he and his descendants gradually put to death all the potential Plantagenet heirs.

Comments

By some reports he also claimed he had already been king the day before the battle, which is one reason the Tudor faction claimed Richard III was treasonous and in the wrong.

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This is a pretty good summary, for its length, but of course there was also a lot of politicking involved. Defeating Richard was the apex of the conquest, but it wouldn't have happened, nor would it have lasted, without support from enough of the lesser nobility (along with a fairly absurd claim to the throne by descent).

If you want to get into the details, Dan Jones' books are amazing. I would recommend:

The Plantagenets: The Warrior Kings and Queens Who Made England

and

The Hollow Crown: The Wars of the Roses and the Rise of the Tudors.

The latter would cover the period about which you're asking, but would probably make a bit more sense if you started with the former. I read them pretty quickly at bedtimes and didn't absorb as much as I would like to have, but the saga is well-told and the personalities come to life. Quite entertaining.

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Thanks, Daphne

I'm well acquainted with the period as I was a member of the Richard III Society for many years.

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Thanks for the recommendation, Daphne.  Those books sound fascinating!

Answer 2

This wikipedia article covers the history, the Plantagenets met their royal end in 1485.  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/House_of_Plantagenet#:~:text=In%20the%2015th%20century%2C%20the,the%20denial%20of%20numerous%20freedoms.

I am the 26th great grandaughter of King Henry II Plantagenet of England. 

Answer 3

You might like to watch this:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=412rjcZ44Rk&list=PLEqK4ICkQWXST9pp2sPTuB_cmikAzIgQs

Answer 4

I think recent DNA analysis has shown strong evidence that Plantagenet lines have not 'died out' completely ref. 'https://le.ac.uk/richard-iii/identification/genetics/living-relatives'

Comments

Members of the current House of Windsor have those same Plantagenet ancestors.

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David, this link is broken. 

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Not really.  As usual, g2g has grabbed the final ' and incorporated it as part of the url.
Try this --- https://le.ac.uk/richard-iii/identification/genetics/living-relatives

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Thanks, Melanie! I would never have figured that out.

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I've watched several documentaries on Richard III, his finding and the subsequent search for DNA matches.  Here's one with Turi King -- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dsTyGKKl8UA
(This and similar are understandable even by DNA idiots such as myself.)

 I also watched Dominic Smee -- who has the same type / degree of scoliosis as R-III -- demonstrating how armour would have actually helped R-III not hindered him.   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KmuvaaBYKaU

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Looks like I've got my morning lessons to watch. Thanks, Melanie. I find all this so fascinating.

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If by "Plantagenet line" you are referring to a male line and Y DNA then the Richard III study has not really generally been seen as proving the on-going existence of that line. The key DNA they used was mitochondrial.

Answer 5

This was the last male Plantagenet. Just added to WT this week. Such a poignant story. 

Answer 6

This was a very bloody time in the History of the English monarchy, since the Viking and Norman battles for control of this little island. Nonetheless, this line is not completely dead it is just not in power unless you count the current monarchs which have blood traced back to the Plantagenets. However those with close claim were killed or exiled. The British monarchy was a very interesting one, as mostly all are.

Check out these videos from Useful Charts:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VeavAve0GLE

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Do7XBxUVJsE

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8jTPNrdTuXs

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UL7zDrLFBBM