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Henry VI was King of England for 39 years from 1422 to 1461 and then again for six months from October 1470 to April 1471.
Although he’s the 11th Plantagenet to have sat on England’s throne, he’s commonly referred to as a Lancastrian King because it was under his reign that the Wars of the Roses broke out between two separate branches of the royal family stretching back to Edward III.
One the one side the House of Lancaster, descended from Edward III’s son John of Gaunt, the Duke of Lancaster.
On the other the House of York, descended from Edward III’s other son Edmund, the Duke of York.
Henry VI is famous for inheriting the crown of England when he was just 9-months-old and for suffering such severe mental health issues as an adult, the Kingdom toppled around him.
He’s also arguably the only one of our Kings who simultaneously ruled England AND France.
He’s a pivotal monarch - starting his reign when he could barely walk, realising the dream of many previous kings by sitting on the French throne, but then losing it all; his life snuffed out with a blow to the head when he was 49.
On top of that, the chaos of Henry VI’s reign would result in an unexpected turn in English history - just 14 years after his death a distant branch of the royal family would sweep to power and come to dominate the history books …. the Tudors.
17 окт 2024
