Henry VI (December 6, 1421-May 21 or May 22, 1471) was the last King of England of Lancaster (1422 - 1461;1470 - 1471). Because of his weakness, England lost all the fruitful gains made during the era of Henry V and fell into the bloody Wars of the Roses.

The young king

Henry VI was the only son of King Henry V of England and Queen Catherine of Valois. He was born in Windsor, Berkshire. He ascended the throne nine months after birth. Due to the death of his grandfather, King Charles VI, he served as kings of England and France. Under the Treaty of Troyes signed by Henry V and Charles VI, the British almost unilaterally declared that he would also become King of France (most French people did not recognize the Treaty of Troyes clause on the succession of the two countries to the thrones).

Wars of the Roses

For Henry VI, there was a royal function that he could not get rid of, and all kinds of gifts had to be decided by him, which was half the reason why it became a tragedy. Henry was generous and often gave it to the wrong person, but power fell behind after 1437. In 1485, Henry Tudor's army defeated the army of Richard III at the Battle of Bosworth, making Henry VII King. Henry consolidated his rule by marrying Elizabeth of York, daughter of Edward IV and the best heir to the family of York. In this way, he reunified the two royal families, merging the two opposing symbols of the red and white rose into the emblem of the red and white Tudor rose. Henry ensured his position by executing other potential successors to the throne at every opportunity (such as Edward IV's nephew Edward, Earl of Warwick), and his son Henry VIII continued this strategy, ending the 32-year-old War of the Red and White Roses in British history.

evaluation

As an ordinary person, Henry could be said to be a saint, but as a king, he was very poor politically. He had poor leadership and could not select talents.