6 December 1421

King Henry VI was the last king in the House of Lancaster, following King Henry IV and King Henry V

Length of reign:

Henry ruled between September 1422 and March 1461 and between October 1470 and April 1471. In total therefore he ruled for approximately 39 years

Henry married Margaret of Anjou in 1445 and the couple had one son, Prince Edward, who was killed in battle in 1471

Although Henry has not been remembered as a particularly noteworthy monarch, there are some points to be made in his defence. He is the youngest monarch to accede the English throne at just under nine months old. In such situations, kings and queens have absolutely no option but to rely on the character of regents and advisors.

Furthermore they have no time to learn or observe the role. Henry's father, King Henry V, was one of England's greatest kings and, had he lived, perhaps his son might have learnt the art of kingship from him. Six weeks after he came to the throne, his grandfather, King Charles VI of France, died, and Henry was declared king of France. Before he was one year old then, he found himself king of England and France, perhaps the most daunting challenge ever to be faced by an English king on accession.

Much of Henry's problems at home were caused by the failures in France, which were largely beyond his control. By the time he was old enough to take power, France had been lost. It is by no means certain that even King Henry V would have been able to make a success of being king of France, despite his military abilities and strong kingship. Is it really fair to blame Henry VI for foreign failures when he was thrust into such a difficult situation without strong leadership from his advisors and protectors?

Henry founded King's College and Queen's College (named for his wife, Margaret of Anjou), Cambridge.

King Henry VI is the only king to have been crowned in official ceremonies in both England and France.
 

Despite the points made above, there is little doubt that Henry was one of the weaker kings to have held the English throne. His reign brought embarrassment abroad and civil war at home. All the French possessions of the English crown were lost, with the exception of Calais, in a series of humiliating battles with the French armies. At home, his policies and choice of advisors led England into the civil war which became known as the War of the Roses.

The king was ill throughout large periods of his reign. It is thought that he possibly suffered from some form of mental decline. Henry had appointed the Duke of Somerset as his closest advisor (he was Henry's cousin). At the time of his illness, Richard of York was appointed as 'Protector of the Realm' (he was Henry's second cousin). York and Somerset detested one another and York took advantage of Henry's illness to imprison Somerset in the Tower of London. When Henry recovered he dismissed York and released Somerset.

This led to civil war. Somerset was killed and York again took control as Henry became ill once more. Matters were now confused by Henry's wife, Margaret of Anjou, who, like Somerset, despised Richard of York. She raised a Lancastrian army with the new duke of Somerset against York and his followers and defeated them at the battle of Ludlow in 1459. Back came the Yorkists though and in 1460, Parliament agreed that Richard of York would be the heir to the throne ahead of Henry's only son, Prince Edward.

Back again came Margaret of Anjou, successfully winning a battle at Wakefield in which Richard was killed. However, his son, also called Edward, raised forces with the Earl of Warwick and in 1461 defeated Henry and Margaret at Tadcaster in Yorkshire. Edward declared himself king (King Edward IV) and the House of York began.

And yet still Henry's story was not finished. Having been imprisoned in the Tower of London since defeat in 1461, he was brought out in 1470 and again declared king. This was as a result of a conflict between the Earl of Warwick and King Edward IV, in which Warwick had been successful. Edward fled to France. Warwick married his daughter to Henry's son. However Edward returned, defeated Warwick, and at the battle of Tewkesbury in May 1471, defeated Margaret of Anjou and killed Henry's only son. Henry himself died at the Tower of London only two weeks later. The throne of England was now Edward's alone. 

General:

On 21 May every year, white roses are laid on the king's tomb at Windsor, by King's College, Cambridge, as Henry was their founder.

Henry died in mysterious circumstances. On 21 May 1471, at the age of 49, he was stabbed to death in the Tower of London, but it was never revealed who had actually killed him although obviously it was in the interests of King Edward IV to have his main rival out of the way. His body was made to appear as if he had died of natural causes so that his death would not cause a rebellion. Henry is buried at Windsor Castle.