Henry VI

Illustration in the Talbot Shrewsbury Book (c. 1444)

Regnal name: King Henry VI of England

Birth name: Henry Wyndelsore Plantagenet of Loncastre

Born: 06 December 1421, Windsor, Berkshire, Kingdom of England

Father: King Henry V of England

Mother: Princess Catherine of Valois

House: Lancaster

Nationality: English

Religion: Catholicism

Claim: Child of Henry V 

Reign: 01 September 1422 - 04 March 1461 (38 years) then 03 October 1470 - 11 April 1471 (6 months)

Coronation: 06 November 1429

Predecessor: Henry V then Edward IV

Successor: Edward IV

Contender: Richard then Edward IV 

Died: 21 May 1471 (aged 49), London, Middlesex, Kingdom of England

Cause: Murder by head trauma

Burial: Windsor Castle

Motto: God and my right 

Spouse(s):

• Princess Margaret of Anjou (m. 1445 - 1471) 

Children:

• With Princess Margaret of Anjou
• Edward of Westminster, Prince of Wales (1453 - 1471)  

Appearance:
He was described as quite tall, standing at around 175cm (5'9''), and was described as handsome. He had a flushed complexion, as well as dark brown hair, and possibly hazel coloured eyes.  

 

Character:
Henry was well known for his pious and peaceful nature, as well as being shy and quiet, preferring books to being out on the battlefield. He was also compassionate, and this caused him to further favour peace and a desire to spare his enemies.  

 

His compassionate and pacifistic nature often led to him being easily manipulated as he attempted to only see the good in everyone, a personality type that led to his weak rule at the height of the Wars of the Roses.  

 

He spent most of his time devoted to religion, and could often be found daydreaming or in deep contemplation.  

 

Throughout his adult life, he was plagued by poor mental health, which is often attributed to schizophrenia, and he would fall into paranoid delusions, and catatonic states. During these episodes, he would completely ignore the world around him, and he was often traumatised on battlefields and during his imprisonment.  

 

He would never fully recover and remained in poor mental health for the rest of his life.   

 

Biography:
Henry was born in 1422 in Windsor, England, and was the only child of King Henry V of England and his wife, Princess Catherine of Valois. His father died when he was just eight months old, making him King Henry VI of England when he was just a baby. His mother would soon re-marry one of his father's servants and knights, and Henry would go on to have many half-siblings from this union.  

 

In his early years, he was largely kept away from being alone with his mother by English nobles and his regency council to prevent her influence, which was more sympathetic towards the French. His uncle, John, Duke of Bedford, would rule as his main regent.   

 

During his childhood, he received an excellent education, while his mother re-married a Welsh knight, Sir Owen Tudor. Henry was then officially crowned King of England in 1429 at the age of 7, followed by his coronation as King of France in 1431, though this was never officially recognised by the Kingdom of France itself.  

 

At the age of 16 in 1437, he finally assumed full powers as King of England. 

 

The quest soon began to find Henry a suitable wife, and though many women were considered, Princess Margaret of Anjou was eventually selected after Henry heard rumours of her beauty. This marriage would also help promote peace with France. The two of them married in 1445 when Henry was 24 years old, and Margaret was 15.   

 

Henry VI's popularity continued to decrease through his life, and many viewed him as weak and easily taken advantage of - which was true in a lot of cases. England dissolved into chaos, and there was a breakdown in law and order. His rule was further questioned as he began to develop symptoms of paranoia, which would ultimately lead to a mental breakdown in 1453, after he received news of one of his army's defeats. Henry fell into a catatonic state and did not respond to anything going on around him, not even the birth of his first and only child, Prince Edward. 

 

Now completely unable to rule, the Richard, Duke of York began to rule England in his place, and in 1454, he was named the Protector of the Realm while Henry was indisposed. This would then exclude the Lancastrian faction from government, and lead to growing tensions in the Wars of the Roses. It was argued that the House of York possessed a stronger claim to the English throne, and it was even agreed that the Duke of York should inherit the throne after Henry VI.    

 

Briefly recovering from his mental breakdown, Henry attempted to broker peace between the two houses, but tensions quickly escalated again, and he was eventually captured at the Battle of Northampton in 1460. His wife and son managed to escape, while Henry was held prisoner by the Earl of Warwick, and suffered another nervous breakdown. He was found laughing and singing in the middle of all the bloodshed in the Battle of Wakefield, when his wife personally rode through the battlefield to rescue him. Margaret was then able to carry him away to safety.  

 

In 1461, the Lancastrians were defeated by the Yorkists at the Battle of Towton, and the son of the previous, and recently deceased, Duke of York, Edward, was declared King Edward IV of England, deposing Henry VI, who was forced to flee into exile in Scotland.  

 

Meanwhile, his wife travelled into Europe in order to rally support for him. Scotland eventually began to favour pursuing peace with England, so Henry was forced to flee again, hiding with various Lancastrian sympathisers.  

 

While hiding in Waddington, he was betrayed by a monk, and was then re-captured by the Yorkists while he attempted to flee into the woods. He was then imprisoned in the Tower of London. He would remain here until 1470, when Edward IV began to fall out of favour with many powerful supporters, such as the Earl of Warwick.  

 

After Edward IV was deposed and forced to flee into exile, Henry VI was once again able to re-establish his rule over England, though Margaret always remained the dominant power behind his rule. However, his mental health remained fragile, and the Earl of Warwick and Duke of Clarence ruled in his place for just six months until Edward IV returned and defeated the Lancastrians at the Battle of Tewkesbury in 1471. This battle resulted in the death of Warwick, and Henry's only child and heir.  

 

Henry was once again imprisoned in the Tower of London, and was soon reported as deceased, though the cause is relatively unknown.   

 

In all likelihood, he was murdered on the orders of Edward IV, with his skull indicating possible head trauma.  

 

Rule:
Despite often having the best of intentions, Henry VI is generally regarded as a very weak and unpopular ruler of England. He is remembered mainly for his mental breakdowns, and did not achieve much throughout his reign.  

 

He was largely unable to defend his throne on the battlefield, and military leadership would often have to be assumed by his wife and other Lancastrian supporters. He favoured more peaceful solutions, often to the point of naivety.  

 

Henry also had favourites at court and was very easily manipulated by them, which made him even more unpopular.  

 

His reign faced many issues such as famines and economic hardship, which he did little to address. 
He lost control of the throne twice, and lost most of the power and lands obtained in France during the Hundred Years War, and refused to carry on the expansionist policies of his father, King Henry V.  

 

After reaching adulthood, he spent the majority of his reigns in a catatonic state, unable to govern at all, and completely reliant on advisors and allies. This overall caused him to be viewed as a very weak ruler, and made him very unpopular with the people of England. 

 

However, during his moments of sanity, he did display a commitment to religious and education policies, such as being the founder of Eton College and King's College at the University of Cambridge. 

 

Trivia:

• He is the youngest individual to become the reigning monarch in England.

  

Quotes:

 

N/A

 

 

Timeline of Reign:

| 1423: Regency established - Regency government established with John, Duke of Bedford in charge.

| 1429: Joan of Arc's revolt - Joan of Arc leads French resistance against England.

| 1429: Siege of Orléans - Joan of Arc turns the tides of Hundred Years' War in France's favour.

| 1430: Joan of Arc executed - Joan of Arc is arrested and burned at the stake for cross-dressing. 

| 1431: French coronation - Henry is crowed as the King of France in Paris.

| 1437: Great Bullion Famine - Precious metal shortage within Europe.

| 1437: Great Slump begins - England falls into a period of economic depression.

| 1440: Eton College founded - Founded by Henry VI. 

| 1440: Henry's mental breakdown begins - Henry begins exhibiting signs of a serious mental illness. 

| 1444: Treaty of Tours - Peace treaty between England and France.

| 1444: Loss of Maine - England loses control of Maine. 

| 1450: Loss of Normandy - England loses control of Normandy. 

| 1450: Cade's Rebellion - Rebellion breaks out in Kent led by Jack Cade against Henry's rule.

| 1451: Loss of Aquitaine - England loses control of Aquitaine.

| 1452: England seizes control of Bordeaux - England briefly recaptures Bordeaux.

| 1453: Loss of Bordeaux - England loses control of Bordeaux.

| 1453: Battle of Castillon - England defeated by France.

| 1453: Henry becomes catatonic - Henry suffers a nervous breakdown and becomes unresponsive. 

| 1454: Protector of the Realm - Richard, Duke of York is made the regent ruler of England.

| 1454: Henry begins to recover - Henry has a period of recovery.

| 1455: Wars of the Roses begin - Civil war between rival claimants to the throne begins.  

| 1457: Creation of the Council of Wales and the Marches - Government to oversee Wales created.

| 1458: Loveday held - Henry attempts to broker peace between Lancaster and York.

| 1460: Rise of the House of York - Many argued that York had a better claim to the throne.

| 1460: Battle of Northampton - Henry is captured by the Yorkist faction.

| 1460: Battle of Wakefield - Queen Margaret defeats the Yorkists. 

| 1461: Battle of Mortimer's Cross - Lancastrians defeated by Yorkists. 

| 1461: Second Battle of St Albans - Queen Margaret defeats Yorkists and rescues Henry. 

| 1461: Battle of Towton - The new Duke of York, Edward, defeats Henry and the Lancastrian faction.

| 1461: Henry and Margaret exiled - Henry and Margaret are exiled to Scotland by York.

| 1461: Reign of Edward IV begins - Henry is officially deposed for the first time.

| 1463: On the run - Henry is forced on the run as Scotland refuses him refuge. 

| 1464: Battle of Hexham - Lancastrian resistance to Yorkist rule fails. 

| 1465: The Black Monk of Addington - Henry is betrayed by a monk which results in his capture.

| 1470: Secret alliance - Former Queen Margaret forms alliance with two previous Yorkist allies.

| 1470: The Readeption - Henry is restored to the throne after Edward IV is defeated and flees.

| 1471: Battle of Barnet - Yorkist faction retaliates and defeats the Lancastrian faction.

| 1471: Battle of Tewkesbury - Yorkist victory; Henry's only son and heir is killed.

| 1471: Henry deposed - Henry is officially deposed for the second and final time.  

 

 

Sources & Further Reading:

Brain, J. (2021). King Henry VI. Historic UK. https://www.historic-uk.com/HistoryUK/HistoryofEngland/King-Henry-VI/

Cartwright, M. (2020). Henry VI of England. World History Encyclopedia. https://www.worldhistory.org/Henry_VI_of_England/ 

Encyclopaedia Britannica. (2019). Henry VI | Biography & Facts. In Encyclopædia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/biography/Henry-VI-king-of-England

Henry VI. (2019). Historic Royal Palaces. https://www.hrp.org.uk/tower-of-london/history-and-stories/henry-vi/ 

Henry VI of England, Shrewsbury book.jpg - Wikimedia Commons. (2026). Wikimedia.org. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Henry_VI_of_England,_Shrewsbury_book.jpg

Henry VI: Young Henry - Eton College Collections. (2022). Eton College Collections. https://collections.etoncollege.com/online-exhibition/henryvi/young-henry/ 

pixeltocode.uk, P. (n.d.). Henry VI. Westminster Abbey. https://www.westminster-abbey.org/abbey-commemorations/royals/henry-vi