Henry IV's usurpation certainly didn't help matters, but Civil War didn't break our properly for some years - but that's for tomorrow...!

The Plantagenet family tree gets a bit tangled as Edward III had a number of children - you would have thought that was a good thing! Richard II was the son of Edward III's eldest son - the Black Prince, who predeceased his father. Henry IV was the son of the third son, John of Gaunt (and his first wife, Blanche of Lancaster - hence the Lancastrians) while the Yorkist were decended from the second and fourth sons of Eddie. the claim from the second son was transmitted through a woman, but Salic Law is not applicable in England - so they had a big argument over it all!!! Everything gets a bit tangled up from an historical viewpoint here!!!