King Henry VI (1421-1471) and Queen Margaret of Anjou

[Blog Real]

Henry VI (6 December 1421 – 21 May 1471) was King of England and Lord of Ireland from 1422 to 1461 and again from 1470 to 1471, and disputed King of France from 1422 to 1453. The only child of Henry V, he succeeded to the English throne at the age of nine months upon his father's death, and succeeded to the French throne on the death of his maternal grandfather, Charles VI, shortly afterwards.

Henry inherited the long-running Hundred Years' War (1337–1453), in which his uncle Charles VII contested his claim to the French throne. He is the only English monarch to have been also crowned King of France, in 1431. His early reign, when several people were ruling for him, saw the pinnacle of English power in France, but subsequent military, diplomatic, and economic problems had seriously endangered the English cause by the time Henry was declared fit to rule in 1437. He found his realm in a difficult position, faced with setbacks in France and divisions among the nobility at home. Unlike his father, Henry is described as timid, shy, passive, well-intentioned and averse to warfare and violence; he was also at times mentally unstable. His ineffective reign saw the gradual loss of the English lands in France. Partially in the hope of achieving peace, in 1445 Henry married Charles VII's niece, the ambitious and strong-willed Margaret of Anjou. The peace policy failed, leading to the murder of one of Henry's key advisers, William de la Pole, 1st Duke of Suffolk, and the war recommenced, with France taking the upper hand; by 1453, Calais was Henry's only remaining territory on the continent.

More information: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_VI_of_England

King of England, Lord of Ireland:
Reigns:
1 September 1422 – 4 March 1461
3 October 1470 – 11 April 1471
Coronation: 6 November 1429,
Westminster Abbey
Predecessor: Henry V
Successor: Edward IV

King of France (disputed):
Reign: 21 October 1422 – 19 October 1453
Coronation: 16 December 1431,
Notre-Dame de Paris
Predecessor: Charles VI
Successor: Charles VII
Regent:
John, Duke of Bedford
(1422–1435)

Born: 6 December 1421
Windsor Castle, Berkshire, England
Died: 21 May 1471 (aged 49)
Tower of London, London, England
Burial: 12 August 1484
St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle, England
Spouse: Margaret of Anjou ​(m. 1445)​
Children: Edward of Westminster, Prince of Wales
House: Lancaster (Plantagenet)
Father: Henry V of England
Mother: Catherine of Valois

Margaret of Anjou (French: Marguerite; 23 March 1430 – 25 August 1482) was Queen of England and nominally Queen of France by marriage to King Henry VI from 1445 to 1461 and again from 1470 to 1471. Born in the Duchy of Lorraine into the House of Valois-Anjou, Margaret was the second eldest daughter of René, King of Naples, and Isabella, Duchess of Lorraine.

More information: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Margaret_of_Anjou

[CyrilVladisla]

Margaret of Anjou: The Royal Courtship

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oLvcanKTHq0

[CyrilVladisla]

The potential purpose of Margaret's marriage became even more explicit with the arrival of a French embassy just a few months after her coronation, in July 1445. Its purpose was the cession of the county of Maine. This was part of Margaret's marriage contract.

[CyrilVladisla]

In September 1450 Richard, Duke of York wanted to be formally recognized as heir presumptive.
He was concerned about Edmund Beaufort, 2nd Duke of Somerset being named heir.
On September 30, 1450 York submitted to King Henry VI a bill of complaint setting forth his claim to be heir presumptive.

[An Ard Ri]

Marguerite was captured in May 1472 and the negotiations went on between the English and French for her ransom. Further negotiations also started between the French king and the Duc d'Anjou for his daughters release.

Louis XI offered to pay Marguerite's ransom if her father ceded him the duchy of Anjou and it was finally agreed and Marguerite was released on January 29th, 1476.
Marguerite returned to France where she died at the the Château de Souzay in August 1482.

An inscription at the chateau

Souzay where died on the 25th of August 1482,
Margaret of Anjou Queen of England
Heroine of the Wars of the Roses
the unhappiest of queens, wives and mothers