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 Henry VI
(1421-1471) was the last English king belonging to the House of
Lancaster. He held
the thrones of both England and France when he was less than a
year old. Henry VI
was heir to both his father, Henry V, and to Charles VI of France,
who died within two months of each other.
Henry VI was
pious and gentle, but he was a weak ruler, and had occasional
attacks of insanity. The
English nobles took advantage of his weakness to misgovern the
kingdom in their own selfish interests.
In France, the great conquests of Henry V were gradually
lost. By 1453, the French had retaken all their land except the
port of Calais. In 1450, a popular uprising, known as Jack Cade's rebellion, shook
England, and the supporters of the House of York challenged King
Henry and the House of Lancaster.
In
1461, the Yorkists drove Henry from the throne, and made Edward IV
king. Henry ruled
again briefly in 1470 and 1471, but Edward defeated his forces at
the battles of Barnet and Tewkesbury.
Henry was imprisoned in the Tower of London, where he died. |
