A French city that was the home of the Plantagenet line of English
kings is demanding the Crown Jewels as compensation from the Queen for
the execution of its last pretender to the throne.

5:25PM BST 15 Jul 2012

Angers, which is in the Loire Valley west of Paris, was once the capital of Anjou province and home to the House of Plantagenet.

The Plantagenets ruled England from 1154 until 1485, providing some of the most celebrated monarchs in British history, including Richard the Lionheart and Henry V.

But when Edward Plantagenet, the Earl of Warwick, was executed for treason in the Tower of London in 1499 the house's legitimate male line came to an end.

"As redress for the execution of Edward, Angers today demands that the Crown Jewels of England be transferred to Angers," reads a petition posted on the city's official website.

Recalling 25-year-old Edward's "unfair and horrible death" at the hands of henchmen working for Henry VII, England's first Tudor king, the city believes it is owed an apology and 513 years' worth of compensation.

This would amount to billions in today's currency, but Angers is prepared to accept the coronation jewels to cover it all.

The petition, which has already been signed by hundreds of so-called Angevins, as well as sympathisers around France and other parts of the world, is directed at the Queen.

It describes a "state crime" against a noble line that played a huge role in making Britain great, and wants the jewels to be put on public display at the Saint Aubin tower in Angers.

The Queen, who speaks good French, will be sent the official petition at the beginning of September, during the Accroche-Cœurs, an annual cultural festival in Angers in which street artists conjure up the city's rich history.

The fabled Plantagenet name was immortalised by William Shakespeare, but many remain unaware that many of those who ruled in its name were more French than English.

Richard I, the iconic Lionheart who led the Third Crusade, spent much of his life on his Aquitaine estates in south west France, where he died in 1199.

Part of Richard's remains are in Fontevraud Abbey, near Angers, while particles of his heart are in Rouen Cathedral, in Brittany.

Henry V, the hero of the Battle of Agincourt in 1415, spent the latter part of his life trying to reunite his country's throne with France's before his death in the Chateau de Vincennes, in the Paris suburbs, in 1422.

The current Crown Jewels, which are considered priceless, only date back to the coronation of Charles II – long after Edward, the Plantagenet pretender, was killed.

Original coronation jewels which date back further were melted down by Oliver Cromwell following the execution of Charles I in 1649.

A spokesman for Angers council admitted that the petition had "little chance of success" but said the "crime" against the Angevin monarchs was worth highlighting.

He encouraged British people to visit Angers, which has medieval buildings including a magnificent castle which recall the glory days of the Plantagenets.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/france/9401412/French-city-of-Angers-that-was-home-of-Plantagenets-demands-return-of-Crown-Jewels.html