Henry VI of England
| Henry VI | |
|---|---|
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|
| King of England (more...) | |
| 1st reign | 31 August 1422 – 4 March 1461 |
| Coronation | 6 November 1429, Westminster Abbey |
| Predecessor | Henry V |
| Successor | Edward IV |
| Regents | |
| 2nd reign | 3 October 1470 – 11 April 1471 |
| Predecessor | Edward IV |
| Successor | Edward IV |
| King of France (disputed) | |
| Reign | 21 October 1422 – 19 October 1453 |
| Coronation | 16 December 1431, Notre Dame de Paris |
| Predecessor | Charles VI |
| Successor | Charles VII |
| Born |
6 December 1421 Windsor Castle, Berkshire |
| Died |
21 May 1471 (aged 49) Tower of London, London |
| Burial | Windsor Castle, Berkshire |
| Consort | Margaret of Anjou |
| Issue | Edward of Westminster, Prince of Wales |
| House | House of Lancaster |
| Father | Henry V of England |
| Mother | Catherine of Valois |
| Religion | Catholicism |
| Signature |  |
Henry VI (6 December 1421 – 21 May 1471) was King of England from 1422 to 1461 and again from 1470 to 1471, and disputed King of France from 1422 to 1453. The only child of Henry V, he succeeded to the English throne at the age of nine months upon his father's death, and succeeded to the French throne on the death of his grandfather Charles VI shortly afterwards. Henry inherited the long-running Hundred Years War (1337–1453), where Charles VII contested his claim to the French throne. Henry married Charles's niece, Margaret of Anjou, partially in the hope of achieving peace in 1445, but the policy failed, leading to the murder of William de la Pole, one of Henry's key advisors. The war recommenced, with France taking the upper hand; by 1453, Calais was Henry's only remaining territory on the continent.
Henry experienced a mental breakdown after the failure of the war, with Richard of York taking control of the government as regent until his recovery the following year. Civil war broke out in 1460, leading to a long period of dynastic conflict known as the Wars of the Roses. Henry was taken prisoner by Richard of York at Northampton on 10 July 1460 but was rescued that December by forces loyal to Margaret. He was deposed on 29 March 1461 following the victory at Towton by Richard's son, who took the throne as Edward IV. Henry suffered another breakdown and, despite Margaret continuing to lead a resistance to Edward, he was captured by Edward's forces in 1465 and imprisoned in the Tower of London. Richard Neville, the Earl of Warwick, restored Henry to the throne in 1470, but Edward defeated Neville and retook power in 1471, imprisoning Henry in the Tower once again.
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