War of the roses - Henry VI

• Due to the deaths of Henry V and Charles VI, the young prince had inherited title in both Frnace and England
• Governmnets run by nobleman making both countries very unstable
• Many contemperies say that Hnery was a distaraous king, and made clear throughout his reign that he had no military intrest or capability
• Hnery V had spent a lot of money on war and so left his son with very little to spend, however, as Henry VI was such a weak and unimpressive leader that it found it hard to gather support for taxation
• Many believed he was a poor king as he was unconcerned with wordly matters as he was intensly spiritual
• Many modern scholars have disagreed with this saintly interpretation of Henry

• He followed an exceptionally successful father who had great military succes, Henry could not follow this
• The Treaty of Troyes left Hnery VI with a very complicated legacy in England and France. He was not popular in France in particular
• Henry V's military campagin had been very expensive and so left his son in financial difficulty
• Had inherited the throne at the age of 9 months and the french throne six weeks later. both countries governed by nobles menaing they were very unstable
• He also suffered from a mental breakdown

• Henry married the powerful "she wolf" Margaret of Anjou
• Following the struggles with France and a number of defeats, many of Hnery's closest adviseres had lost enthusiasm with the new king 
• The forefront of the movement was Edmund Beaufort, duke of somerset and William de la Pole, duke of Suffolk
• Suffolk had arranged a 2 year truce with France in 1444 which stated: - Henry would marry Margaret of Anjou , the niece of Charles VII of France - No dowry was to be provided for Margaret and the english had to pay for the whold cost of the wedding - England was to surrender the are Maine to France at the end of the truce
• She opposed York and Warwick and obviously wanted to control the king
•  Encouraged Henry to agree to things such as disinheriting the heris of York, Sailsbury and Warick in the 1459 "Parliment of Devils"

• Margaret played a big influence in the relationship between Hnery and richard duke of york (who was the heir apparent to the throne from the death of the duke of glocester in 1447 to the birth of prince edward in 1453)
• Wanted to isolate york and favoured his enemies (somerset and suffolk)
• Many defeats in France between 1450 and 1453
• Henry's mental incompacity caused many problem with margaret perosnally and over who should govern for him
• York was made protector of the realm in march 1454, worrying margaret
• When Henry woke form his coma in 1454, York was relieved of his duties in feb 1455, and power was returned to somerset

• York supported the Nevilles and took up arms against Hnery VI, Somerste and the Percy's
• The yorkists won and the king was captured and taken to London.
• Made it clear that they only wished to remove the "evil councillers"
• In Novemver 1455, York was reinstated as protector as Hnery's health worsened
• Somerset was murderd by Warwick during the Battle
• The king suggested the "loveday parade" to reconicle and show subjects that all was well

Must take into account 3 difficulties with the source material and interpretaions of her actions:

• All of the 15th century english chrinicles are negative towards her, overexaggerating her "unnatural" desire to rule over her husband . Many of the sources written to support Yorkist claims to the throne after 1461 and so need to be taken with caution
• Unlikely that margaret could have made any change herself, but provided a focal point for those who wished to oppose york
• Some historical debate on wether seh really wished to make peace with Richard. She may have played the female role of peacemaker to gain support

By 1450 Suffolk (William De La Pole), was extremely unpopular both with the Duke of Yorkand among the population

• Negotiated the truce at Tours in 1444, which was regared as shameful because the marriage of Hnery to the dowerless Margaret of Anjou
• In 1449, he was key advocate of the English attack on Fougeres wich triggered Charles VII's retalitory attakc on Normand which led to massive English defeats
• Leading member of Hnery VI's government which was in serious financial difficulty
• Widely regarded as manipulating the king's weak and indecisive personality
• In 1449-50, suffolk was accused of arrnaging the marriage between his son and Margaret Beaufort (Somersets niece) to strengthen his families claim to the throne

• From may to june 1450, there was popular and widespread rebellion against Hnery VI's government under the lead of Jack Cade
• Rebels showed support for York and wanted him to take the throne
• Revolt started in Kent, due to local grievences
• A key trigger for the revolt was when the corpse of suffolk washed upm on a shore in Kent
• The popularity of Hebry's goverment was so low that the revolt spread through Kent, to surrey, Middlesex and Essex
• As well as concerns of law and order, the rebles were also motivated by the comliants regarding high taxation
• Many memebers of the revolt had a stake in society and so much to loose if they took leagl action - suggesting Henry's government was so intolerable  

• Rebles marched to London and set up camp on june 11th
• The king marched againts the rebles on 13th June , to find the camp deserted
• Later in the month the rebles ambushed a group of the King's men , making the situation worse for the government
• During mid-to late June, the situation in the in the south east worsened considerably, with rebles gaining more support.
• on the 25th June the king fled to Kenilworth castle in warwickshire

• Richard duke of York had been exculded from government by the kings less-able and less-honourable favourites
• The king was surrounded by "evil councillers"
• That there should be access to the king for the purpose of petitioning and obtaining justice, and that currently a small group was controlling this accsess for its own purpose
• The country was bankrupt
• A breakdown of the law among the nobility and encouraging Henry to take tyrannical and unlawful decisions
• there was misgovernment and corruption among royal law enforcement officers in Kent
• There was a need for law and order to be restored in many areas

• December 1460
• Btween Margaret's forces and Yorks
• York and Edmund killed and their heads put on spikes above the gate in York