46 Facts About Henry VI of England

Henry VI was King of England from 1422 to 1461 and 1470 to 1471, and disputed King of France from 1422 to 1453.

Henry VI of England was born during the Hundred Years' War, he is the only English monarch to have been crowned King of France, following his coronation at Notre-Dame de Paris in 1431 as Henry VI of England II.

Henry VI of England's reign saw the near total loss of English lands in France.

In contrast to his father, Henry VI was described as timid, passive, benevolent and averse to warfare and violence.

In 1445, Henry VI of England married Charles VII's niece Margaret of Anjou in the hope of achieving peace.

Henry's domestic popularity declined in the 1440s, and political unrest in England grew as a result.

Henry VI of England was restored to the throne by Richard Neville in 1470.

Henry VI of England was buried at Chertsey Abbey and moved to Windsor Castle in 1484.

Henry VI of England left a legacy of educational institutions, having founded Eton College, King's College, Cambridge, and All Souls College, Oxford.

Henry VI of England was prevented from playing a full role in her son's upbringing.

One of Henry VI of England V's surviving brothers, John, Duke of Bedford, was appointed senior regent of the realm and was in charge of the ongoing war in France.

Henry VI of England's duties were limited to keeping the peace and summoning Parliament.

From 1428, Henry VI of England's tutor was Richard de Beauchamp, Earl of Warwick, whose father had been instrumental in the opposition to Richard II's reign.

Henry VI of England was the only English king to be crowned king in both England and France.

Henry VI of England finally assumed full royal powers when he came of age at the end of the year 1437, when he turned 16 years old.

Henry VI of England, who was by nature shy, pious, and averse to deceit and bloodshed, immediately allowed his court to be dominated by a few noble favourites who clashed on the matter of the French war when he assumed the reins of government in 1437.

Better prospects for Henry VI of England arose amid a growing effort by French lords to resist the growing power of the French monarchy, a conflict which culminated in the Praguerie revolt of 1440.

Henry VI of England agreed, especially when he heard reports of Margaret's stunning beauty, and sent Suffolk to negotiate with Charles, who consented to the marriage on condition that he would not have to provide the customary dowry and instead would receive the province of Maine from the English.

Henry VI of England had arrived with an established household, composed primarily not of Angevins, but of members of Henry's royal servants; this increase in the size of the royal household, and a concomitant increase on the birth of their son, Edward of Westminster, in 1453, led to proportionately greater expense but to greater patronage opportunities at Court.

Henry VI of England had wavered in yielding Maine to Charles, knowing that the move was unpopular and would be opposed by the Dukes of Gloucester and York, and because Maine was vital to the defence of Normandy.

The Duke of York, being the most powerful duke in the realm and being both an agnate and the heir general of Edward III, probably had the best chances to succeed to the throne after Gloucester.

Henry VI of England was impeached by Parliament to a background that has been called "the baying for Suffolk's blood [by] a London mob", to the extent that Suffolk admitted his alarm to Henry.

Ultimately, Henry VI of England was forced to send him into exile, but Suffolk's ship was intercepted in the English Channel.

Henry VI of England's murdered body was found on the beach at Dover.

Henry VI of England exhibited possible signs of paranoia and grandiosity.

Henry VI of England came to London with an army to crush the rebellion, but on finding that Cade had fled kept most of his troops behind while a small force followed the rebels and met them at Sevenoaks.

Henry VI of England's cause was a popular one and he soon raised an army at Shrewsbury.

Henry VI of England became completely unresponsive to everything that was going on around him for more than a year.

Henry VI of England defeated Warwick and liberated the king.

Legend has it that Henry VI left behind a Venetian glass bowl as a token of gratitude, known as the "Luck of Muncaster", ensuring the prosperity of the Pennington family as long as it remained intact.

Henry VI of England fled into nearby woods but was captured at Brungerley Hippings over the River Ribble.

Henry VI of England was held captive in the Tower of London.

Henry VI of England was imprisoned in the Tower of London again and, when the royal party arrived in London, he was reported dead.

King Henry VI was originally buried in Chertsey Abbey in Surrey, but in 1484 Richard III had his body moved to St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle.

Henry VI of England is widely believed to have favoured diplomacy, rather than all-out war in the Hundred Years' War, in stark contrast to his father, Henry V, who led the victory at Agincourt.

Henry VI of England's one lasting achievement was his fostering of education: he founded Eton College; King's College, Cambridge; and All Souls College, Oxford.

Henry VI of England continued a career of architectural patronage started by his father: King's College Chapel and Eton College Chapel and most of his other architectural commissions consisted of a late Gothic or Perpendicular-style church with a monastic or educational foundation attached.

Henry VI of England intervened in the attempted hanging of a man who had been unjustly condemned to death, accused of stealing some sheep.

Henry VI of England placed his hand between the rope and the man's windpipe, thus keeping him alive, after which he was revived in the cart as it was taking him away for burial.

Henry VI of England was capable of inflicting harm, such as when he struck John Robyns blind after Robyns cursed "Saint Henry".

Henry VI of England promised to do so, and as the priest was raising the communion host, her partial blindness was cured.

Shakespeare's portrayal of Henry VI of England is notable in that it does not mention the King's madness.

Henry VI of England spends most of his time in contemplation of the Bible and expressing his wish to be anyone other than a king.

Shakespeare's Henry VI of England is weak-willed and easily influenced allowing his policies to be led by Margaret and her allies, and being unable to defend himself against York's claim to the throne.

Henry VI of England takes an act of his own volition only just before his death when he curses Richard of Gloucester just before he is murdered.

Henry VI's marriage to Margaret of Anjou is the subject of the historical novel A Stormy Life by Lady Georgiana Fullerton.