Historical
and Commemorative Medals
Collection of Benjamin Weiss
HENRY VI DASSIER, Jean: England, 1731, Bronze, 41 mm Henry VI (1421-1471), King of England (1422-1461,
1470-1471) succeeded his father Henry V in 1422, and on the death of his
maternal grandfather, the French King Charles VI, he was proclaimed King of
France in accordance with the terms of a treaty made after Henry V’s French
victories. Henry lost most of his French territories later in his reign. In
1445 Henry married Margaret of Anjou, a niece of the French queen. Henry had
a period of insanity from 1453-1454, during which Richard, Duke of York was
Lord Protector, but Richard’s hopes of ultimately succeeding Henry were
shattered by the birth of Edward, Prince of Wales. In 1455 Richard defeated
Henry’s forces at St. Albans, the first battle in the Wars of the Roses
between the houses of Lancaster and York. Although Richard was killed at the
Battle of Wakefield in 1460, Henry was deposed in 1461 by the Yorkists, who
proclaimed Edward IV as king. Henry went into exile in Scotland but returned
in 1464 to once again lead the Lancastrians, though in defeat. Imprisoned
between 1465 and 1470, he was restored to the throne in 1470 by Richard
Neville, Duke of Warwick. The death of Prince Edward in the battle of
Tewkesbury, however, sealed Henry’s fate, and he was murdered in the Tower
of London soon afterwards. (taken, in part, from Thompson and O’Brien).
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