From Whence We Came...

"The Plantagenet dynasty began with Henry II’s accession to the English throne in 1154. Henry II’s father, Geoffrey of Anjou, was an influential nobleman in France, and his mother, Empress Matilda, was the daughter of King Henry I of England. Geoffrey’s nickname “Plantagenet” came from the sprig of broom plant (known as planta genista) he wore in his helmet. This nickname would later be used by historians to identify the dynasty that ruled England for over three centuries.

Henry II’s inheritance was extensive. From his father, he inherited Anjou, Maine, and Touraine, while his marriage to Eleanor of Aquitaine in 1152 brought him control over the vast and wealthy Duchy of Aquitaine. Through his mother, Henry II claimed the English throne, succeeding King Stephen and bringing an end to the civil conflict known as “The Anarchy.” This combination of territories created what is known as the Angevin Empire, with lands spanning from Scotland to the Pyrenees."- from World History Edu

Family history is legacy. Archived within this website are different family histories and lineage charts of various medieval ancestors. Further, there are articles and stories pertaining to the families both associated with, and connected to, the Plantagenet, and Tudor, lines, which, eventually, meld together at various times.

If you believe you are related to the royals and nobles of the British Isles, you very well could be. There are millions of people here in the United States and across the pond who can claim royal blood. However, people who claim kinship to Richard III should be aware that the former King of England had no direct descendants or heirs as he died without issue.

The Coat of Arms represented in the Heraldry section belongs to Kings, Knights, Earls, Barons, Lords, and their families.

The Edwards clan descends from Welsh ancestors of the Tudor line such as Padarn Beisrudd (320 AD), Coel Hen (subject of the nursery rhyme "Old King Cole"), Tudur ap Goronwy, who married Elen Ferch Tomas, mother of Owain Glyndwr, and the Kings Henry VII and VIII. A majority of Edwards family members in America, more than likely, descend from Richard Edwardes, who is alledged to be the biological, though illegitimate, son of Henry VIII through one of Henry's mistresses, Agnes Blewitt, wife of William Edwards, a member of the court of Henry VIII.

The Plantagenet and Tudor lines exist today, and we can find a majority of both Brits and Americans are descended from one or both lines. The Plantagenet line continues to exist in the Somerset line, and with the current Duke of Somerset. According to Dr. Turi King, from the University of Leicester Department of Genetics, the lady responsible for the DNA testing on the bones of Richard III: "Indeed, we're all related to Richard, it's simply a matter of degree...this is easy to calculate. If one of Richard's siblings had two children who survived to adulthood, who then went on to have two children and so on, over, for example, 20 generations (220), then this means that they would have some 1,048,576 descendants alive today (provided there was no intermarrying between relatives). If you allow for the average medieval family size of 2.3, then this results in 17,161,558 descendants."Her reasoning, though sound, is conditional on whether or not the two "illegitimate" children of Richard III married and had children.

Then, there is the open question of "legitimacy." Scientists say they have found a broken link in the Y-chromosome, paternal bloodline of Richard III, which could go back to the time of John of Gaunt, son of King Edward III, although Gaunt, it would seem, appears to have been cleared by some reports of any illicit wrongdoing. While much of the who, when, and how remains speculative, the proven fact is that there is a definite break in the paternal line of Richard III. What this means is that Richard, his brother, King Edward IV, (himself suspected as having been illegitimate) Henry VII and Henry VIII, among others, and even down to the Windsors who are part of the Tudor line, might all be illegitimate heirs to the throne of England, amazing as it may be. Until such erroneous DNA is proven beyond a reasonable doubt, it would, then, matter to the history books, and to the genealogy.

As history and heritage should remain an integral part of personal lives, and some have followed their heritage from the earliest of times, today it has become the "in" thing to trace ones heritage and ancestors. Connecting the dots has brought people of the world closer together by virtue of the ties that bind across the world to a single, common ancestor. We do, after all, go back to Biblical times and the descendants of Abraham.

Although having royal blood does not a King nor Queen make, what it does make is a world more cognizant of family and roots borne of once-great leaders, good and bad, who have helped to create both the present population and the shaping the world. Those dearly departed souls whose very presence continues to bleed through our veins are the essence of who we are, and a foremost reason why history should never be denigrated or erased from existence. The past is always present...in our psyche, our memories and in historical records. It is our past that has brought us to this point in time. We should never forget from whence we came, because of our past we are given the chance to correct many errors stemming from long ago, or to refashion our lives accordingly. Lastly, we are all from God, connected to one another as His creation.

By clicking on the links below, you will be taken to the personal genealogy charts of particular family members.