• French city of Angers in Loire Valley provided some of the greatest monarchs in British history
  • When Edward Plantagenet was murdered in Tower of London in 1499 house's legitimate male line came to an end
  • City believes it is owed an apology - and 513 years' worth of compensation
  • Sum would amount to billions in today's currency, but city is prepared to accept the coronation jewels
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© unknownThe French city of Angers, France, have said they want to be compensated for the 'murder' of Edward Plantagenet

A French city which produced 14 English kings is demanding the Crown Jewels as compensation from the Queen for the murder of its last pretender to the throne.

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

It ruled England from 1154 until 1485, providing some of the greatest monarchs in British history, including Richard the Lionheart and Henry V.

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© unknownThey have claimed that the Crown Jewels would be a sufficient payment for the death of the Earl of Warwick

But when Edward Plantagenet, the Earl of Warwick, was murdered 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.
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It describes a 'state crime' against a noble line which 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 conjour up the city's rich history.

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© unknownThe Queen will receive a petition from the town in September during a celebration of Angers' history
The fabled Plantagenet name was made popularly famous 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, was born near Oxford but barely spoke a word of English.

Instead, he 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 Château 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 the Edward, the Plantagenet pretender, was killed.

Originals 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.