Lancaster, House of
Syllabification: (Lan·cas·ter, House of)
Definition of Lancaster, House of
- the English royal house descended from John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster, that ruled England from 1399 (Henry IV) until 1461 (the deposition of Henry VI) and again on Henry VI’s brief restoration in 1470–71. With the red rose as its emblem, it fought the Wars of the Roses with the House of York; Lancaster’s descendants, the Tudors, eventually prevailed through Henry VII’s accession to the throne in 1485.