Angers Crown Jewels Petitioned for Return to French From British Monarchy
A French city that once produced generations of English kings has created a petition insisting that the British Crown jewels be given to the city as compensation for ending the Plantagenet line, once heirs to the English throne, in the 15th century.
The city of Angers was the capital of the Anjou province and home to the Plantagenets, rulers of England from 1154 until 1485. It was during this time that some of the most famous monarchs ruled, including Richard the Lionheart and Henry V.
The mayor of Angers will send the signed petition to Queen Elizabeth II, which calls the execution of Edward Plantagenet a "state crime" that brought to an end more than three centuries of rule.
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"The legacy of the Plantagenets must return to his heirs and the Crown Jewels of England must return to the Angevins," reads the petition posted on the city's official website.
The petition continues: "As redress for the execution of Edward, Angers today demands that the Crown Jewels of England be transferred to Angers."
Edward Plantagenet, the Earl of Warwick, was executed for treason in the Tower of London in 1499. His death brought the legitimate male line to an abrupt end.
While there might be a shred of merit to the claims, the French petition disregards that fact that most of the crown jewels came after the date of execution.
During the time of Oliver Cromwell in the 17th century there was a serious financial crisis in which many of the royal jewels were sold. The jewels were eventually replaced over the centuries either for a succession of monarchs or created for a specific person.
The petition was started in the spring and refers to the people of Angers as "moral heirs" of the Plantagenets. The petition received little attention initially, but since the story has made the rounds on British media officials are hoping that more people will support the cause.
