Henry's Inheritance

Britain – The Reign of Henry VI, 1422-61

In this course, Dr James Ross (University of Winchester) explores the reign of Henry VI of England (1422-61). We begin by thinking about Henry's birth, his upbringing, and the legacy he inherited from his illustrious father, Henry V. After that, we turn to what Henry was like as a man – and as a king – focusing in particular on his personality and his piety. In the third module, we outline the series of events that led to the loss of almost all English territory in France and the end of the Hundred Years' War, before moving on in the fourth module to explore the problems of factionalism during Henry's reign and the rise of Henry's main opponent in this period: Richard, Duke of York. In the fifth module, we provide an overview of the English nobility and their motivations in this period before moving on in the sixth and final module to explore events from Henry's mental collapse in 1453 to the outbreak of the Wars of the Roses proper in 1459.

Henry's Inheritance

In this module, we think about Henry's birth, his upbringing, and the legacy – and problems – he inherited from his father, Henry V.