Henry VI was born on December 16, 1421, at Windsor to Henry V and Catherine of Valois. Henry VI succeeded to the English throne following the death of his father in August, 1422. Henry also became the King of France following the death of Charles VI on October 21. His mother, Catherine of Valois, was the daughter of the King of France. As a result she was regarded with suspicion by the English nobility and her role in raising her son was limited.
The Early Reign of Henry VI
On September 28, 1423, the English nobility swore loyalty to Henry VI. Parliament was summoned in Henry’s name and a council of regents was established, which was to rule in Henry’s name until he came of age. One of Henry’s surviving uncles, the Duke of Bedford, was named senior Regent and placed in charge of the war with France. Henry’s other uncle; the Duke of Gloucester was appointed Protector and Defender of the Realm.
In 1428, Henry’s tutor, the Earl of Warwick, whose father had played a key role in the overthrow of Richard II, along with Henry’s half brothers, Jasper and Edmund Tudor were eventually given Earldoms. Among Edmund’s children was Henry Tudor, who would found the House of Tudor and rule England as Henry VII.
On July 17, 1429, Charles VII was crowned King of France at Riems. In response, Henry VI was crowned King of England on November 6, 1429, at Westminster Abbey. In December, 1431, Henry was crowned King of France. Despite these ceremonies, in was not until he turned 16 that Henry gained a measure of independent authority.
Henry was declared of age in 1437. As he assumed his full royal authority, Henry allowed his court to be dominated by a few royal favourites, who clashed over the prosecution of the war with France. Following the sudden death of his father, Henry V, the English war effort lost momentum. At the same time, the war turned in favour of the French, following a string of victories that were achieved under the leadership of Joan of Arc, a 19 year-old illiterate peasant girl from the Alsace-Lorraine region, who believed that she was guided by God. As a result, Henry VI came to favour a policy of peace with France and was more inclined to listen to the faction led by Cardinal Beaufort and the Earl of Suffolk.
Henry VI and the Hundred Years' War
Cardinal Beaufort and the Earl of Suffolk were successful in persuading the King that the best way to secure peace with France was through a marriage to Margaret of Anjou, the niece of Charles VII. Henry readily agreed to the marriage after he was told of Margaret’s extraordinary beauty and the Earl of Suffolk was sent to negotiate the terms of the marriage on Henry’s behalf. Charles VII agreed to the marriage on the condition that he would not have to pay a dowry and would receive the territories of Maine and Anjou from Henry. These conditions were agreed to at the signing of the Treaty of Tours. However, the ceding of Maine and Anjou to France was kept hidden from Parliament as such a decision would be deeply unpopular. Henry and Margaret were married in 1445.
Even though he had agreed to transfer Maine and Anjou to French control, Henry wavered, knowing that the move would be deeply unpopular, particularly with the Dukes of Gloucester and York. However, Margaret was successful in convincing Henry to honour the terms of the treaty. When the terms of the treaty became public knowledge, there was a strong backlash of public anger directed at the Earl of Suffolk.
In 1447, the Duke of Gloucester, Henry’s uncle and the Defender of the Realm, was brought before Parliament on charges of treason that were brought by the Earl of Suffolk, Cardinal Beaufort and his nephew, the Earl of Somerset. The Duke of Gloucester was imprisoned at Bury St. Edwards where he died, probably of a heart attack, before he could be tried.
Following the death of the Duke of Gloucester, the Duke of York was now the heir presumptive to the English crown. However, Henry excluded the Duke of York from his royal council and sent him to govern Ireland while his enemies at court, the Earls of Suffolk and Somerset became Dukes. The newly created Duke of Somerset was sent to France to oversee the Hundred Years’ War.
Sources
Ashley, Mike. British Kings and Queens. Robinson: London. 2002.
Terry Long - I hold degrees in history and journalism. In addition to my contributions to Suite 101, I have also written for the Brampton Bulletin, the ...
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