Henry VI, King 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 | |
| Reign | 21 October 1422 – 19 October 1453 |
| Coronation | 16 December 1431, Notre-Dame de Paris |
| Predecessor | Charles VI |
| Successor | Charles VII |
| Regents |
See list
|
| Born |
6 December 1421 Windsor Castle, Berkshire |
| Died | 21 May 1471 (aged 49) Tower of London, London |
| Burial | Windsor Castle, Berkshire |
| Spouse | Margaret of Anjou |
| Issue | Edward of Westminster |
| House | Lancaster |
| Father | Henry V of England |
| Mother | Catherine of Valois |
| Religion | Roman Catholic |
| 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 maternal 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. His early reign, during which several people were ruling for him, saw the height of English power in France, but subsequent military failures, the desertion of England's allies, and a faltering economy resulted in the decline of English fortunes in the war. Upon assuming personal rule in 1437, Henry found his realm in a difficult position, faced with diplomatic and military reverses in France and divisions among the nobility at home.
Completely unlike his aggressive father, Henry had a timid, shy, and passive personality, seemed mostly well-intentioned, and disliked warfare and violence; he was also at times mentally unstable. This resulted in various nobles, often with diverging interests among themselves, attempting to establish control over him, throughout his reign. He proved an indecisive and ineffective ruler, overall incapable of leading his country in times of adversity. As the situation in France worsened, political instability in England also increased. General misrule brought in waves of civil unrest and a breakdown in law and order. Parts of the English nobility began to resent the king's favouritism, his inability to defend their lands in France, and some of his overall policy decisions. Partially in the hope of achieving peace, in 1445 Henry married Charles VII's niece, Margaret of Anjou, an ambitious and strong-willed woman who would come to influence much of the King's decisions and become an effective power behind the throne. The peace 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.
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