Henry IV to Henry VI
A quick overview of the Kings of England from Henry IV in 1399 to Henry VI in 1422.
King Henry IV 1399-1413 to King Henry VI 1422-1461, 1470-1471
© Steven Haslington, Geograph. Licence: CC BY-SA 2.0.
Alnwick Castle, home of the Percy family, Dukes of Northumberland to this day. The Percys helped Henry IV to his crown, but felt the new king was not sufficiently grateful.
Introduction
This post is number 5 in the series Kings and Queens of England
Below is a brief overview of the Kings of England from Henry IV, who acquired the throne almost by accident when trying to regain the title of Duke of Lancaster, to Henry VI, who forfeited the crown of France won by his famous father.
IN 1399, Richard II seized the Duchy of Lancaster from its rightful heir, his cousin Henry. Richard’s unpopularity meant that the small army Henry raised to secure the return of his lands was enough to win him the crown of England, as Henry IV. Henry’s hold on the crown was confirmed after rebellions by the Percys of Northumberland and Owen Glendower in Wales were suppressed in 1408.
Following Henry’s untimely death in 1413, his son Henry V reasserted his great-grandfather Edward III’s claim to the French crown, memorably defeating the Dauphin, heir to the French throne, at Agincourt in 1415.
By the ensuing peace treaty, Henry and his heirs would have been Kings of France, but he died in 1422 just weeks before he could inherit. His son, Henry VI, was only nine months old, and by 1453, the Dauphin, now Charles VII, had reclaimed his crown together with Normandy and Aquitaine, and could savour victory for France in the Hundred Years’ War.
Next in series: Henry VI to Henry VII
