Reign of King Henry VI

Historical Context Note

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Henry VI was the youngest monarch ever to succeed to the English throne, becoming king upon the death of his father Henry V at the age of only nine months. Because his mother was Catherine of Valois, and in accordance with the Treaty of Troyes, he also became King of France only two months later. However, he was never able to assert this right effectively. Unlike his father, however, he opted for a policy of relative peace with France. When he came of age in 1437, he soon had a marriage arranged with Margaret of Anjou, niece of the French Queen. His reign was to see notable losses in French territory, and discontented troops returning from France to Kent may have contributed to the outbreak of Jack Cade's rebellion in 1450. Henry's reign was also heavily marked by internal conflict with…

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637 Reign of King Henry VI 2 Historical context notes are intended to give basic and preliminary information on a topic. In some cases they will be expanded into longer entries as the Literary Encyclopedia evolves.

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