6 – Henry VI – (1471)
Henry VI has the unusual distinction of being the King of England on two separate occasions. He became king upon the death of his father, Henry V, in 1421, but was only nine months old at the time. Henry was officially crowned in 1429 and also became King of France two years later. He had to flee into exile in 1461 but was returned to the throne in 1470. However, his second reign was fleeting, and the king suffered a violent death the following year.
One of Henry’s main problems was that he could not pick competent advisors. From when he eventually old enough to rule the kingdom in 1437, he showed little interest in the matters of governing two kingdoms. He married Margaret of Anjou, the niece of Charles VII, a man who contested his claim to the French throne. The purpose of the union was to promote peace, but it was a failure. The French defeated the English at the Battle of Castillon in 1453, so the only English possession left in France was Calais.
The aftermath of the loss of Bordeaux to the French resulted in the first of Henry’s mental breakdowns. The War of the Roses began in 1455 with his queen, Margaret, taking charge of the Lancastrian side against the Duke of York and the Yorkists. While York died at the Battle of Wakefield in 1460, his son, Edward, became the new leader. The Yorkists inflicted a crushing defeat on the Lancastrians at Towton in 1461. Henry fled into exile as his enemy became Edward IV. The new king captured Henry in 1465, and he remained in the Tower of London for five years.
When the Earl of Warwick switched sides and joined the Lancastrian cause, Henry VI was restored to the throne in 1470. However, Edward returned from exile and won a significant victory at Tewkesbury in 1471. Henry was imprisoned in the Tower once again, and most sources say he died on May 21, 1471. While some historians suggest that he died of melancholy, the king’s body suggests a violent end. Excavators found light hair covered in blood with damage to the skull.