Lancastrians

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Lancastrians. The three kings of England between 1399 and 1461 ( Henry IV, Henry V, and Henry VI) were so named because they were descended from John of Gaunt, duke of Lancaster. The term is also applied to their retainers, identifiable in many effigies by the wearing of the Lancastrian collar of SS, and to those who supported Henry VI in the Wars of the Roses. It would be wrong to liken them to a political party, although in its heyday the Lancastrian affinity was a powerful force, which played a crucial role in sustaining the dynasty on the throne during the first quarter of the 15th cent.

Anthony James Pollard

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Lancastrian

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