Basis of Claims to the English Throne: Dynastic Descent from Edward III

Competing claims to the English crown in the 14th–15th centuries centered on descent from Edward III (r. 1327–1377):

👑 Edward III's Lineage

• Son of Edward II & Isabella of France.
• Grandson of Edward I & Eleanor of Castile.
• Direct male line from Henry II (Plantagenet) → Henry III → Edward I → Edward II → Edward III.

🛡️ Henry IV (Lancastrian Claim, 1399)

• Son of John of Gaunt (Edward III's 3rd surviving son).
• Claimed via male-line primogeniture as closest male heir after Richard II's deposition.
• Deposed Richard II (son of Edward, the Black Prince, Edward III's eldest son).

🌹 Henry VII (Tudor Claim, 1485)

• Great-great-grandson of John of Gaunt through Margaret Beaufort (legitimated line).
• Father: Edmund Tudor (son of Owen Tudor & Catherine of Valois, widow of Henry V).
• Claim: Conquest + Lancastrian bloodline after defeating Richard III (Yorkist) at Bosworth.

⚔️ Core Conflict: York vs. Lancaster

Both houses descended from Edward III's sons:

• Lancaster: John of Gaunt → Henry IV, V, VI.
• York: Edmund of Langley (Edward III's 4th son) → Richard, Duke of York → Edward IV, Richard III.

Marriage alliances (e.g., Philippa of Hainault, Elizabeth Woodville) reinforced claims. The Wars of the Roses (1455–1487) ultimately fused both lines in Henry VII & Elizabeth of York's heirs.