House of Lancaster
1
8.7
- proper noun
:
Casa de Lancaster
- The House of Lancaster ruled England during the turbulent Wars of the Roses.
Examples
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The House of Lancaster, led by King Henry VI, was routed by the forces of the House of York, which soon assumed control of England under King Edward IV.
Academic text (2011) -
Now Lionel is off in Ireland, but John of Gaunt, his uncle, head of the House of Lancaster, is helping him rule the country.
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The Battle of Towton pitted the House of Lancaster under King Henry VI against Edward of York, who would become King Edward IV.
Academic text (2011) -
King Henry VI was a significant figure in the history of the House of Lancaster.
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The emblem of the House of Lancaster is a striking red rose, symbolizing their royal lineage.
Synonyms
5
8.7
A royal house in England in the 1400s that has a red rose as its symbol
An English royal family that ruled from 1399 to 1461 and used a red rose as their symbol
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'the English royal dynasty from Lancaster' is directly compositional from 'house' (a family line or dynasty) + 'Lancaster' (the dynastic/place name), so a B1 learner who knows those constituents can infer it. The 'House of X' construction to label ruling families is cross-linguistically common, which increases its transparency.
Etymology
The name House of Lancaster comes from the town and castle called Lancaster, because a part of the royal family came from there and used a bright 'red rose' as its symbol. So today House of Lancaster refers to that family of kings who ruled England from about 1399 to 1461.