Henry VI Prince Henry, the only son of the great warrior king Henry V, was born on 06 December 1421 at Windsor Castle. Prince Henry’s maternal grandfather was Charles VI of France. Charles suffered bouts of mental illness that seriously undermined his position as King of France at times he would refuse to bathe or change his clothing for months, at other times he was unable to recall his name or recognize his wife. Charles also suffered from the delusion that he was made of glass and took steps to avoid bumping into people which he believed would shatter his body. Henry’s father provided a more hopeful ancestry as a string of successes during the Hundred Years War, including the victory at Agincourt in 1415 which brought the French to the brink of defeat. However, Henry V died of dysentery at the age of 35 leaving his 9 month old son as the youngest king in England’s history. A month later Charles VI died and Henry was also declared to be his successor, making him the only English king ever crowned King of France. During his childhood, England was ruled by nobles, including his uncle John, Duke of Bedford who was named Regent and would oversee the kingdom until Henry reached adulthood. A Gold Noble of Henry VI from the London Mint issued 1422-1427, Spink-1799, PCGS AU-50, mm Lis My first coin purchase of 2020. Henry was crowned at Westminster Abbey and assumed responsibility for ruling the kingdom himself on 01 November 1437. By this time the situation left by Henry V had turned sour, in France the Hundred Years War was going badly. Joan of Arc achieved her military successes during Henry VI’s minority and Charles VII was declared King of France in Henry’s place (although all future Kings of England would claim the French throne until George III gave up the claim after the French Revolution in 1789). To help bolster his position, Henry was married to Margaret of Anjou. Henry had a shy and timid personality, he was very devout in his religious observance and was personally offended by immorality and violence. While these qualities might have made Henry a good person they didn’t lead to success in a medieval king. Because of his weak will, others were able to sway him and the government became increasingly corrupt which lead to a general breakdown in law and order. This caused Henry himself to become unpopular with the people. In 1451 the English lost control of the region of Aquitaine which they had held for 300 years since the reign Henry II. All of these lands would be lost by the end of the reign. In 1453 the English lost the region of Bordeaux, on being informed of this Henry collapsed and suffered a complete breakdown that left his unable to speak, walk or feed himself for a year and a half. During this period Henry did not respond to anything going on around him and may have been unaware of anything outside his own mind. It was during this period that Henry’s only son, Edward of Lancaster was born. During his period of disability, many of the noble families of the kingdom rose in power, among them the House of York. Like the King, Richard, Duke of York traced his ancestry to Edward III. York rebelled against the King and eventually claimed the throne himself. A series of battles between the King’s family (Lancaster) and the House of York ensued and would eventually become known as the Wars of the Roses, although it was originally called the Cousin’s War. Power shifted back and forth several times, Richard of York was killed at the Battle of Wakefield in 1460, but in 1461 his son Edward of York defeated the Lancastrian forces and declared himself King Edward IV. A Silver Groat of Henry VI from the Calais Mint issued in 1431-1432, Spink-1875 PCGS XF-40 ex. Archbishop Sharp Collection Henry and his wife fled to Scotland where they were hidden by supporters who moved them between various safe-houses in Scotland and northern England. This situation continued for several years until Henry’s location was betrayed by a disloyal monk known as the “Black Monk of Addington.” When soldiers loyal to Edward IV came to arrest him, Henry fled into the forest where he hid for a short time before being tracked down and captured. While Margaret of Anjou fled to France, Henry was transported to London. Edward IV had his feet tied to a horse and a straw hat placed on his head, the deposed king was then paraded through the streets of London to chants of “rebel” and “traitor.” After this humiliation, Henry was confined to the Tower of London where he was not abused or mistreated, but appears to have been neglected. In 1471 a plot between Margaret, King Louis XI of France and Edward IV’s brother George, resulted in Edward IV being forced to flee London. Henry was released from the Tower and restored to the throne, but by this time his mental and physical condition had declined to such an extent that others ruled on his behalf. Henry’s restoration to the throne was short lived. Edward was given aid by the Duke of Burgundy which allowed him to raise an army. He defeated the House of Lancaster and killed Henry’s son at the Battle of Tewkesbury on 04 May 1471. After the Battle of Tewkesbury Henry’s five months of freedom were at and end and he was returned to captivity in the Tower of London. It is believed that Edward kept Henry alive during his first captivity because killing him would give the Lancastrian forced a more able and attractive leader in Henry’s son, but with Edward of Lancaster dead there was no longer a compelling reason to keep Henry alive. Official records say that King Henry “of pure displeasure and melancholy died.” More candid accounts say that Edward IV ordered Henry’s death and that the act was carried out on the night of 21 May 1471 by Edward’s brother, Richard, Duke of York (the future Richard III who would be accused of killing his nephews in the same Tower 13 years later). When Henry’s grave was opened in 1910, his hair was found to be matted in blood and his skull was damaged. Henry was 49 years old at the time of his death. The Grave of Henry VI In her book “The Wars of the Roses” Antonia Fraser records the following verse written by Henry VI during his first imprisonment in the Tower of London in 1465-1470: Kingdoms are but cares State is devoid of stay, Riches are ready snares, And hasten to decay. Pleasure is a privy prick Which vice doth still provoke; Pomps, imprompt; and fame, a flame; Power, a smoldering smoke. Who meanth to remove the rock Owst of the slimy mud. Shall mire himself, and hardly scape The swelling of the flood.
A wonderful addition, lucky, here is mine. Henry VI (1422 - 1461 A.D.) AR Groat O: +HENRIC DI GRA REX ANGL Z FRANC / Crowned bust facing, with annulet on each side of neck. R: +POSVI DEVM ADIVTORE MEVM VILLA CALISIE / Long cross with three pellets in each angle, annulet in two quarters and after POSVI. Annulet issue. Calais mint; im: pierced cross 2. Struck 1422-1427. 3.72g 27mm North 1424; SCBC 1836
WOW!!! Fabulous new coin, and a great writeup. (I love the depressing poem too.) Here's my humble Calais penny (ex Orfew):
Great coins, history! I still need your AV Noble/ working on it. Here are two of my Henry VI AV Salut d'or ND Saint-Lo Mint/ First emission ex: Gallery 51 Auction (Belgian coll.) AV Quarter Noble ND Tower Mint Annulet Issue ex: Law coll./ Stacks
Henry is a king who's tragic life is as interesting as any, but he has been largely ignored by historians and writers. Hopefully the newly published book "Shadow King" by Lauren Johnson will start to change things.
Beautiful noble, great color with good detail and lots of character! And a very nice write up on this somewhat tragic figure. It’s a great period in English history. Here are my coins of Henry VI and Edward IV: Henry VI groat, Calais mint, mintmark pinecone and mascle Edward IV groat, London mint, mintmark sun
