On this day, 6 December 1421,
Henry VI was born at Windsor Castle.
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On this day, 6 December 1421, Henry VI of England was born at Windsor Castle. His father was the famed Henry V, and his mother was the French princess Catherine of Valois.
An illuminated miniature of Henry VI. From John Talbot’s Poems and Romances (Shrewsbury book)
Henry VI was the youngest ever English monarch and the only English king to be crowned King of France. Seemingly opposite of his father, Henry VI was not an athlete or a soldier. He was a very pious man who chiefly was concerned with protecting the church and achieving international peace. His reign is seen as a failure though, as he lost almost all of the English lands in France (except Calais), and he lost his throne more than once to the rival family faction, the Yorkists.
On 31 August 1422, at nearly nine months old, Henry became King of England at the death of his father, Henry V, who probably died from dysentery. Less than two months later, on 21 October 1422, he became King of France at the death of his grandfather Charles VI. The countries were ruled by a council led by Henry VI’s English uncles: Humphrey, Duke of Gloucester was regent in England and John, Duke of Bedford, was regent in France.
How was Henry VI king of France? In December 1418, while King Charles VI of France, suffered from mental instabilities, the dauphin Charles proclaimed himself regent. However, in May 1420, under his wife’s influence while having a time of clarity, Charles VI signed the Treaty of Troyes for the marriage of his daughter Catherine of Valois to Henry V of England, after his French victories. Also as a part of this treaty, known as “the final peace,” Henry V was declared regent of France and heir to the French throne (not the dauphin). In reality, this split the nation of France in two. After Charles VI’s death in 1422, the part of France north of the Loire was under the control of England, while southern France, not including English Aquitaine, was loyal to the dauphin, now Charles VII. Therefore, at the death of the French king, Henry VI, as Henry V’s son and heir, technically became king of France.
Shortly after his rival was crowned in Reims as Charles VII, Henry VI was crowned King of England on 6 November 1429 in Westminster Abbey, aged seven. He received the crown of France as Henry II at the Cathedral of Notre Dame in Paris on 16 December 1431.
It is important to note that Henry did not go down in history as Henry II of France…
Henry VI was seen as old enough to rule on his own at 15. He was never technically declared fit to rule though, and different factions of power-hungry nobles sought to keep control of the king as they had in his youth.
Henry VI married Margaret of Anjou in 1444 . Eight years after they married, Henry and Margaret had a son, Edward, known as Edward of Lancaster.
A depiction of Henry VI's marriage to Margaret of Anjou from the 18th century. National Portrait Gallery, London
Beginning in summer 1453, Henry VI began to experience debilitating mental breakdowns. His cousin, Richard, Duke of York, was named Protector of England. However, by the late 1450s, Queen Margaret was in control of the Prince of Wales and was regent in all but name. During his more stable periods, he attempted to rule and make decisions, but his authority was often undermined by rival factions who sought to control the government. Soon enough, civil war broke out between these opposing sides - the Lancastrians under Henry VI and the Yorkists under Richard, Duke of York – now known as the Wars of the Roses.
This is the preliminary painting for a mural in the East Corridor of the Palace of Westminster, presented by Earl Beauchamp. The painting is of William Shakespeare's version of the splitting of nobles into the factions of York and Lancaster, sparking the Wars of the Roses in 15th-century England. Richard Plantagenet, 3rd Duke of York and his followers select the white rose, while the Duke of Somerset and his sole companion took the red.
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Sources for this article:
https://www.hrp.org.uk/tower-of-london/history-and-stories/henry-vi/#gs.iflhbz
https://www.britannica.com/biography/Henry-VI-king-of-England
https://www.historytoday.com/archive/coronations-henry-vi
https://www.royal.uk/henry-vi
https://www.bbc.co.uk/history/historic_figures/henry_vi_king.shtml
https://www.britannica.com/biography/Charles-VI-king-of-France
https://www.bbc.co.uk/history/historic_figures/henry_v_king.shtml#:~:text=In%20February%201421%2C%20Henry%20returned,dysentery%2C%20on%2031%20August%201422.
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Henry_VI_of_England
https://www.npg.org.uk/collections/search/portrait/mw123498/The-Marriage-of-King-Henry-VI-to-Margaret-of-Anjou?search=sp&sText=henry+vi+marriage&firstRun=true&OConly=true&rNo=2