Figure 1.--The illustration here shows Henry VI as a boy king (possibly about 13). It is an engraving of Victorian origin and was produced about 1854. It shows Henry VI as a very pious boy with his hands clasped in prayer because the king was noted for his religious seriousness and extreme devoutness. .

Henry VI was the Lancastrian king and the son of the great warrior king Henry V (whose victory at Agincourt was to be the subject of a later Shakespeare play) came to the throne as a child of only 9 months. He was born in 1421 and died in 1471. According to Shakespeare in Part III of "Henry VI", he was murdered in the Tower of London (where he was imprisoned) by the Duke of Gloucester, who became Richard III. But the murder may be fictional because the circumstances of Henry VI's death remain mysterious to historians. Henry VI had a long reign, but it was interrupted by civil war (the Wars of the Roses). He was actually on the throne from 1422-61, when he was deposed and replaced by Edward IV; but he briefly regained his throne and reigned again between 1470- 71 up until his death. He was then succeeded by his Yorkist rival, Edward IV, once more. Shakespeare's plays, especially "Henry VI, Part 3" dramatize this see-saw between the two warring houses of the Plantagenet family--The Red Rose of Lancaster (with Henry VI as its titular head) and The White Rose of York (with Edward IV as its claimant to the throne). The conflict didn't end until Richard III, Edward IV's brother, had been defeated at Bosworth Field (1485), at which point the first Tudor king, Henry VII, came to the throne and united the Red and White roses because he had Lancastrian blood on his mother's side and because he married Elizabeth of York, the daughter of Edward IV, and so could claim to have reconciled the long-standing feud by incorporating both hereditary claims in a single person.

Parents

The Lancasterians had gained the crown by deposing Richard II (1399), the last Plantagenet king. Henry VI was the Lancastrian king and the son of the great warrior king Henry V (whose victory at Agincourt was to be the subject of a later Shakespeare play).

Childhood

Henry came to the throne as a child of only 9 months. He was born in 1421.

Reign

Henry VI had a long reign, but it was interrupted by civil war (the Wars of the Roses). He was actually on the throne from 1422-61. Henry VI proved to be a weaking and was dominated by his queen Margaret of Anjou and powerful nobels at court, especially William de Pole (duke of Suffolk) and Edmund Beaufort, duke of Somerset. Henry was opposed by Richard Duke of York. Henry did not have the warrior streak of his father and grandfather. He was a devout Christian. Gradually as Richard gained adherents, Henry's position and mental state declined. Suffolk was banished and murdered (1650). Richard as a result of Henry's insanity (1453-54) was made protector. Fighting broke out as King Henry recovered.

Deposed

The War began with First Battle of St. Albans (1455). The Yorkists won at St Albans (1455). After several battles the fighting declined, but at Northampton (1460) King Henry was captured. It was agreed that Richard would become king when Henry died. Henry was deposed in 1461 and replaced by Edward IV. Edward became estranged from Warrick, a leading Yorkist. Henry's wife wife objected to the arrangement between Henry and Edward because it disenherited their son. She and Warrick reconciled and organized an army and briefly regained the throne for Henry. He reigned again between 1470-71 up until his death. Edward organized another army and regained the crown.

Death

Henry died died in 1471. According to Shakespeare in Part III of "Henry VI", he was murdered in the Tower of London (where he was imprisoned) by the Duke of Gloucester, who became Richard III. But the murder may be fictional because the circumstances of Henry VI's death remain mysterious to historians.

Cannonization

There was a movement after his death to have him canonized as a saint, but the movement was unsuccessful because he presided over so much intrigue, death, and carnage. It was said that he would have preferred to be a monk rather than a king, which is one of the reasons for his troubled reign. He was much too passive to be a successful medieval monarch. He founded Eton College in Windsor (the famous boys' school) and also built the magnificent perpendicular gothic chapel at King's College, Cambridge. So his memory is much connected with the promotion of education in England.

Edward IV

Henry was succeeded by Edward IV, the son of his Yorkist rival Richard duke of York.

War of the Roses

The War of the Roses was the last of the medieval English wars. Once more. Shakespeare's plays, especially "Henry VI, Part 3" dramatize this see-saw between the two warring houses of the Plantagenet family--The Red Rose of Lancaster (with Henry VI as its titular head) and The White Rose of York (with Edward IV as its claimant to the throne). The conflict didn't end until Richard III, Edward IV's brother, had been defeated at Bosworth Field in 1485, at which point the first Tudor king, Henry VII, came to the throne and united the Red and White roses because he had Lancastrian blood on his mother's side and because he married Elizabeth of York, the daughter of Edward IV, and so could claim to have reconciled the long-standing feud by incorporating both hereditary claims in a single person. The war is significant because it so weakened the aristocrcy that it hastened the end of Feudalism in England. It also strengthened the monarchy as well as the gentry and merchant classes.

Shakesperian Play

Henry VI, Part 1" is the first play in the FIRST tetralogy. The first tetralogy includes three "Henry VI" plays (Parts 1, 2, and 3). If you combine the three parts of "Henry VI" with "Richard III" you have the four plays of the first tetralogy. It's a bit confusing because the FIRST TETRALOGY treats the later kings in the sequence (beginning with Henry VI) whereas the SECOND TETRALOGY treats the earlier kings (beginning with Richard the Second). Another character is Joan of Arc as well as Charles, the Dauphin. Here of course Shakespeare was under no political constraints. He depicts La Pucelle very unfavorably from an anti-French perspective. At the end of "Henry VI, Part 3,"We see Edward IV as a freshly crowned king; he is present with his wife, Queen Elizabeth, and his first born son, the future Edward V, carried in his mother's arms.

Created: May 24, 2004
Last updated: May 24, 2004