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Born

6 Dec 1421

Born At

Windsor Castle

Died

May 1471

Buried At

Windsor Castle

Royal House

Lancaster

Titles Include: King of England from 1422

Minority

enry was King of England from 1422 to 1471. His father was Henry V, King of England, and his mother was Catherine of Valois a daughter of King Charles VI, King of France. Henry became King of England in September of 1422 when he was less than a year old after the death of his father who died at the age of 34. While Henry was too young to rule, otherwise known as his minority, his uncles took care of the affairs of the country. They were John, Duke of Bedford and Humphrey, Duke of Gloucester.

King of France

Charles VI of France died in 1422 and Henry was declared to be King of France as he was the grandson of the French king and his succession to the French throne had been pledged in the Treaty of Troyes in 1420. The French throne was also claimed by Charles, the nineteen year old son of the old French King. Charles would become Charles VII, King of France.

Hundred Years War

The Hundred Years War continued in the reign of Henry VI. The Duke of Bedford commanded the northern territories of France while Charles VII controlled the south. This was the time of the seventeen year old Joan of Arc who rescued the French at the siege of Orleans in May of 1429. Shortly after this success Charles was crowned at Rheims Cathedral and the French won several battles against the English. In response the Duke of Bedford ensured Henry was crowned even though he was still too young to rule unaided. Joan was captured by the English, and executed after a trial. In December of 1431 Henry was crowned King of France at Notre Dame in Paris. In 1435 the English lost the support of the Duke of Burgundy with the signing of the Treaty of Arras where the Duke recognised Charles as the true King of France. The Duke of Burgundy had been the chief supporter of the English and without his support further military actions in France were difficult. In 1435 the Duke of Bedford died and Paris was retaken by the French in 1436.

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Preceded by
Henry (V, King of England 1413-1422)

Succeeded by
Edward (IV, Earl of March and King of England 1461-1470, 1471-1483)

Family Tree Details

Father:	Henry (V, King of England 1413-1422) (b.1387 - d.1422)
Mother:	Catherine (of France) ( - d.1438)

Henry (VI, King of England 1422-1461, 1470-1471) (b.1421 - d.1471)
         +Margaret (of Anjou) (b.1429 - d.1482)
                  =Edward (of Lancaster, Prince of Wales) (b.1453 - d.1471)
                           +Neville, Anne ( - d.1485)

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1421	Dec 6	Birth of Henry (VI)
		Prince Henry (later Henry VI) was born at Windsor.
1422	Sep 1	Henry VI becomes king
		Henry VI became king of England upon the death of his father. Henry was less than one year old when his father died and so England was governed by a number of protectors. These included Henry V's brothers, John Duke of Bedford and Humphrey Duke of Gloucester, along with Henry Beaufort the bishop of Winchester.
	Oct 21	Charles VI of France dies
		Charles VI of France died and was buried in the Saint Denis Basilica. Henry VI of England was proclaimed king of France and John Duke of Bedford was appointed regent.¹
1429	Nov	Henry VI crowned
		Although Henry was still too young to reign he was crowned as Henry VI, King of England in response to the Duke of Bedford's concerns over the events in France.
1431	Dec	Henry VI crowned as King of France
		Henry was crowned King of France at Notre Dame in Paris by Cardinal Henry Beaufort, Bishop of Winchester.
1432	Feb 9	Henry VI returns home
		Henry VI landed at Dover.²
1435	Sep 14	Duke of Bedford dies
		John, Duke of Bedford, died in Rouen. Henry was still too young to rule and Humphrey, Duke of Gloucester, took over as regent until Henry was old enough to rule England unaided. Gloucester was not popular and was the cause of unrest with Parliament.
1436	May 1	Richard, Duke of York is appointed Lieutenant-general
		Richard, Duke of York, is appointed lieutenant-general in France by the king, Henry VI.
1437	Nov	Henry VI rules unaided
		Henry VI takes control of England when he is declared old enough to rule unaided.
1438		Oxford University founded
		All souls college at Oxford was founded by King Henry VI.²
1440		Eton College, Cambridge founded
		King Henry VI founded Eton College at Cambridge.²
1441		King's College, Cambridge founded
		King Henry VI founded King's College, Cambridge.²
1442	Dec	Henry VI's legal majority
		At the age of 21 Henry VI was legally old enough to rule unaided without assistance of a guardian.²
1444	May 24	Betrothal of Henry VI and Margaret of Anjou
		To ensure peace between England and France the marriage between Henry VI and Margaret was arranged. ²
1445	Apr 23	Marriage of Henry VI and Margaret of Anjou
		The marriage of the King of England to Margaret of Anjou had been arranged as part of the treaty signed at Tours to ensure peace between England and France.³
1446		Henry VI receives the Golden Rose
		Pope Eugenius IV granted the gift of the Golden Rose to King Henry IV for his devotion to both the Church and education. The Golden Rose was a solid gold ornament in the shape of a rose.²
1447	Feb 23	Death of Humphrey, Duke of Gloucester
		A parliament was held at Bury St. Edmunds where the Duke of Gloucester was accused of treason and arrested. It was said that he was planning an uprising against the king. The accusations were made falsely by the Duke of Suffolk. Gloucester died only days after his arrest.
1449	Nov	Siege of Rouen
		A large army of French soldiers were able to retake the cities in Normandy that had been captured by the English. Rouen, the last to fall, was retaken in November after a siege of almost three weeks. This was a major victory for Charles, the French king and a disaster for Henry VI.⁴
1450	Jan	The Duke of Suffolk is sent to the Tower
		The Duke of Suffolk was accused by Parliament of using his position close to the king to influence matters for his and his followers own ends. He was also accused of increasing his own wealth at the expense of the king and perverting the course of justice. Suffolk was murdered on his way to exile in May of the same year.
	Jan	Murder at Portsmouth
		Adam Moleyns, the Bishop of Chichester and Lord Privy Seal, had been sent to Portsmouth by the king to pay the wages of soldiers and sailors who had not been paid for some time. But the anger of the soldiers was so great that they turned on him and he was murdered.⁵
	May	Revolt in Kent
		Jack Cade was the leader of a rebellion that began in Kent and elsewhere in the south east of England. The rebels' grievances were directed at the king's councillors who were using their influence on the king for their own gains.
	May	Death of William de la Pole
		William de la Pole, Duke of Suffolk was accused by Parliament of being the cause of the country's problems. Suffolk was arrested and imprisoned. The King allowed the Duke to be banished rather than executed but as he left the country he was attacked and killed.
	Jun	London ransacked by the rebels
		The rebels under the command of Jack Cade defeated a section of King Henry's army at Sevenoaks and entered London. The rebels ransacked the city and after crossing London Bridge to the south were prevented crossing back to the north by angry Londoners. The rebels were defeated and fled.
	Jul	Jack Cade killed
		After the defeat of the rebels in London Jack Cade fled but was pursued. He was caught and killed while resisting arrest.
1451	Jun 30	Bordeaux falls to the French
		The port city of Bordeaux fell to the French and English control was lost.
1452	Feb	The Duke of York marches on London
		The Duke of York gathered an army and marched on London intent on persuading the king to remove Somerset from power, He was refused entry to the city and so continued south across the river Thames.⁶
	Mar	The Duke of York surrenders
		The Queen had raised an army and with the King they met the Duke of York at Dartford. Outnumbered, York disbanded his army and surrendered to the King. He was taken to London and later at St. Paul's Cathedral he was forced to swear an oath saying he would not oppose the King.⁶
	Nov	Edmund and Jasper created Earls
		The two sons of Owen Tudor, Edmund and Jasper were made Earls. Edmund became the Earl of Richmond and Jasper became the Earl of Pembroke.
1453	Jul	English defeated at Castillion
		Sir John Talbot, Earl of Shrewsbury and his army were totally destroyed by the French as they attempted to regain control of the region around Bordeaux. This is regarded as the last event in the Hundred Years War.
	Aug	The King's health suffers
		From August 1453 until the end of 1454, the King's mental health was such that he was unable to conduct the day-to-day government of the country. The illness was some kind of mental condition possibly inherited from his grandfather Charles VI of France who also suffered from bouts of madness.
	Oct 13	Prince Edward of Lancaster is born
		Edward of Westminster, also known as Edward of Lancaster, King Henry's and Catherine of France's only son, was born at Westminster.
	Nov	Somerset sent to the Tower
		Edmund Beaufort, the duke of Somerset was unpopular and only kept his position of power with the support of the King. While Henry VI was ill Somerset was sent to the Tower of London.
1454	Mar 27	Richard, Duke of York made Protector
		With the King unable to govern, the queen with the support of the powerful Neville Earls gave Richard, Duke of York the position of 'Protector of England'.
	Dec	Henry's health returns
		Henry returned to health and Edward, the Duke of York was removed from the position of Protector.
1455	Feb	Somerset released from the Tower
		With Henry back in power the Duke of Somerset was released from captivity.
	May 21	The Yorkists are summoned
		A council was called and the Edward and Warwick were summoned to attend. Concerned that the reason they have been called to attend was that they would be punished, the Yorkists decided to demand a meeting of their own with the King at St. Albans.
	May 22	Battle of St. Albans
		The King had by his side at St. Albans the Dukes of Somerset and Buckingham, Lords Pembroke, Northumberland and Devon and around 2,000 Lancastrian men. They tried to hold the town against the Yorkists led by Salisbury and Warwick but Warwick was able to enter the town through an unguarded spot and attack the flanks of the Lancastrian barricades. Although this battle was small it left the Duke of Somerset dead along with Lord Northumberland and Clifford. As a result of this victory power again swung to the Yorkists although support from the Barons was not total. Edward again became Protector of the Realm and the powerful position of Captain of Calais was given to the Earl of Warwick.
	Oct	Henry VI becomes ill once more
		King Henry VI suffered another bout of mental illness. This time to last until February of the following year.⁴
1456	Feb 25	Duke of York resigns as protector
		Henry IV again came around from a bout of mental illness and Richard, Duke of York, was relieved of position of protector of the realm.⁴
1458	Mar 24	Loveday march
		In an attempt to bring both Yorkists and Lancastrians together in peace, King Henry led a march of both parties to a ceremony at St. Paul's Cathedral. Could have been on the 25th of March.
1459	Oct 12	Battle of Ludford Bridge
		The Earl of Warwick with a force from Calais reached Ludlow and the combined army of the Yorkists attacked the King's army at Ludford Bridge near Ludlow. The men from Calais refused to fight their king and a weak Yorkist army was defeated. Richard Duke of York and his younger son escaped and fled to Ireland while Salisbury, Warwick and Edward of March (later Edward IV) fled to Calais.
1460	Jul 10	Battle of Northampton
		The Lancastrians's Court was in Coventry at the time of the Yorkist rebels entering London. When news reached them, the Lancastrians moved south to Northampton to meet the rebels. The Yorkists led by the Earl of Warwick wanted to talk but the Lancastrians led by the Duke of Buckingham wanted to fight. Although the Lancastrians had less men than the Yorkists, they did have control of a stronger position. The Yorkists managed to defeat the Lancastrians due to a section of the Lancastrian army led by Lord Grey of Ruthin moving away allowing the Yorkists through. Orders were given that the King and ordinary men should be spared, while the knights and lords should be killed. When the fighting was over the casualties were light, but the Lancastrian leaders, Buckingham, Shrewsbury and Egremont were dead and the King was captured.
	Oct	Duke of York claims throne
		Richard, Duke of York returned from Ireland to claim the throne of England as a direct descendant of Edward III. The Lords refused to abandon Henry VI and Parliament agreed he should remain King until his death. Then Richard or his heir should become the next king of England.
1461	Feb 17	Second Battle of St. Albans
		The Lancastrians army led by the Queen met the Yorkist army led by Warwick at St. Albans. The Yorkist army was split in two and during the battle sections of the Yorkists defected to the Queen's side. The Yorkists were defeated and Warwick escaped. The King, who had been travelling with the Yorkists, was freed and he was reunited with his wife and son.
	Feb 27	Yorkists enter London
		Edward and Warwick were allowed to enter the city of London. The citizens of London had refused to let the Queen enter and so she returned north with the King.
1463	Jul	Siege of Norham Castle
		Queen Margaret, Henry VI and Scottish support besieged the castle at Norham. King Edward failed to react to the problem and it was left to the Earls of Warwick and Northumberland to come to the castle's rescue. Henry, Margaret and the Scots fled.
1465	Summer	Henry VI captured
		Henry had been helped by Lancastrian supporters in the north but was finally captured at Waddington Hall. He was taken to London and put in the Tower.
1470		Marriage of Edward of Lancaster and Anne Neville
		The marriage between Edward of Lancaster, the son of Henry VI and Margaret of Anjou, to Anne Neville, the daughter of Richard Neville the Kingmaker was a marriage to cement the agreement that Richard and Margaret would support each other and try to get Henry VI back on the English throne. The marriage took place in France where Margaret and Edward were exiled.
	Oct	Henry restored as King
		Henry VI was released from the Tower of London by the Earl of Warwick and crowned King of England for the second time.
1471	May 21	The murder of Henry VI
		Edward arrived back in London and that night Henry VI was murdered at the Tower of London.