Henry VI and the Start of the Wars of the Roses

Timeline

• 1413  - Henry V succeeded to the throne.
• 1414  - War against France renewed, Battle of Agincourt won.
• 1421  - Henry VI born.
• 1422  - Henry VI succeeded to the throne.
• 1431  - Henry VI crowned King of France in Paris.
• 1437  - Henry VI took control of government.
• 1444  - Treaty of Tours.
• 1445  - Marriage of Henry VI and Margaret of Anjou.
• 1447  - Death of Humphrey, Duke of Gloucester.
• 1450  - Normandy lost to the French. Duke of Suffolk executed. Cade's rebellion.
• 1451  - Loss of Gascony.
• 1453  - Henry VI suffered mental breakdown. Duke of York appointed protector.
• 1455  - Wars of the Roses begins with the Battle of St. Albans.
• 1455-6 - York serves second term as protector.
• 1458  - The Loveday.
• 1459  - September: Battle of Blore Heath. October: 'Rout' of Ludford. November: Parliament of Devils.
• 1460  - July: Battle of Northampton. December: Battle of Wakefield. Richard, Duke of York, killed at Wakefield.
• 1461  - Febuary: Second battle of St. Albans. Battle of Mortimer's Cross. March: Battle of Ferrybridge. Battle of Towton. Edward IV usurped the throne by removing Henry VI.

Personality, War and Debt

• Personality:
  •  John Warren – “The king’s personality touched and affected every facet of power and authority in the kingdom.”
  • Education:
    • Henry received the best tuition available at the time.
    • During his minority, he learnt the art of kingship and war.
    • For nine years (1428-37) Henry was schooled in the crafts of good governance, patronage and military leadership, but the lessons learnt seemed not to have the desired effect.
  • Governance:
    • Naval and coastal security of the kingdom were neglected.
    • The King failed in establishing peace and effective law and order.
    • Henry was indecisive or slow to act.
    • “The realm of England was out of all good governance.”
  • Military leadership:
    • Henry was the first English king never to command an army against a foreign enemy.
    • Left military leadership in the hands of others, principally Bedford, Gloucester and Somerset, Suffolk and York.
    • Even the queen showed a greater inclination to employ military means to achieve her aims of securing control of both the Crown and the government.
    • Before the civil war, the only time his subjects saw the king in battle array was during Cade’s rebellion.
  • Advisers:
    • Henry “could not resist those who led him to unwise decisions.”
    • Henry was a man of weak character who relied too much on the advice of those around him, the majority of whom he had chosen or appointed.
    • He was not a good judge of character, and those around him knew how to manipulate him.
    • Henry VI was a good man but a bad king who became a “fool of God”.
  • Assessments of Henry:
    •  Vergil – “King Henry was a man of mild and plain-dealing disposition, who preferred peace before wars, quietness before troubles … and leisure before business; and, to be short, there was…