How King Henry VI’s Failed Rule Led to the Wars of the Roses

I loved this series, was thought provoking. "Richard is convinced he should be king... Margaret is convinced she should be king... and Henry is convinced he should be a fluffy sheep in the forest of rainbows"

I love Dan Jones, I think he has a fresh perspective on WOTR. But this video implies that Henry VI was intellectually disabled. (“Imbecile”, “Feeble minded”). He was not- He founded King’s College, Cambridge, and Eton School,and was very involved in both projects. He also had extensive libraries, and hated to be interrupted from reading by administrative tasks or kingly duties. To this day, there is a ceremony of the Lilies and the Roses, where Henry VI is honored at the spot in the Tower of London where he was killed, by representatives from both schools. He could also be ruthless, but he was inconsistent about it. While he wasn’t intellectually disabled, he lacked the personality traits and leadership abilities that would have made him an effective medieval king. We cannot diagnose his mental illness from afar- and we can’t really know what caused his initial illness and breakdown. Maybe the demands of kingship? In any case, it was tragic.

I could have passed more history tests with documentaries like this back in the 90s.

The acting in this is far above what you normally get in this type of program.

I still feel bad for Henry VI. Yes he was a terrible king, but what was the alternative? He was an only child, so he could not even pass the throne to a sibling and passing it to a cousin meant civil war. He would have made a great monk, I think. He was just very unsuited for the job he was born into.

Henry VI inherited his mental state from his maternal grandfather who was defeated by Henry V

Having Dan Jcnes as commentator was a genius decision. As a renowned historian, he provides credibility. Well-written, well-presented.

I've always felt sorry for Henry VI. As a Yorkist by inclination (my late mother was very much a Ricardian) I read the same books as she did, and what came across most about Henry was his utter unfitness for any sort of public life. The schizophrenia was only the start of it. He apparently had no personality of his own, was very "clingy" and the inevitable cliques that grew up around him took complete advantage. From from being a king, Henry was just a bargaining chip to be passed around by everyone, with practically no control of events for himself. In a society in which a king is expected to govern and lead, having a weak king is a recipe for disaster like few others, especially when there's no route for abdication. His life must have been awful - a royal nonentity surrounded by overwhelmingly powerful vultures.

Dan Jones! One of the best documentaries and the plantagenet documentary is awsome!

Always good to see Dan Jones talking about the Wars of the Roses, especially after recently finishing his book on the subject. Great video. I'll definitely watch it again.

This is a summary. The country was already unstable at this time. Henry VI was “incompetent “ most of his reign (probably psychological ) Margaret of Anjou was resented because she was seen to be the “puppet master “ and elevated all of her family and friends. …. Mostly French. I DO believe that the Duke of York was originally trying to save the kingdom at that time and was influenced by his peers. It’s always interesting to see the .differences in how the War of the Roses started. The Duke of York was definitely a stronger character in history than Henry VI!

The production values here are top notch. Wish I had all these presenters for history in high school.

I'd thought that the 'true' seeds of 'The Wars of the Roses' could be traced back to Henry Bolingbroke's usurpation of the tyrant King Richard II....... as it showed that 'God's anointed' King wasn't so untouchable after all.

Henry VI was a man before his time and would have made a fine king in more peaceable times. A great lover of education and the arts, he founded Eton College and King's College, Cambridge. That's a more lasting legacy than most kings and queens of England.

This is really an excellent presentation. A person can study history of England and never exhaust the topic.

Please upload the entire series, it was epic when it was released and still is now!

Oh, there's a part 2 coming? Sweet! Now this is old school History Channel right here; what is should be. Now I am vested and very interested into this period of civil war.

One of 3-4 channels I rely on for sound advice. Always clear, coherent and instructive.

Richard, Duke of York's claim was stronger than Henry because he was the rightful descendant of Edmund Mortimer, who was the heir of Richard II. He was the descendant of Lionel of Antwerp, Duke of Clarence. He was older than his brother John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster. Who's son Henry of Bolingbrook usurped the throne.

This was a great episode. Very thought provoking.