The Shadow King: The Life and Death of Henry VI
A thrilling new account of the tragic story and troubled times of Henry VI, who inherited the crowns of both England and France and lost both.

Firstborn son of a warrior father who defeated the French at Agincourt, Henry VI of the House of Lancaster inherited the crown not only of England but also of France, at a time when Plantagenet dominance over the Valois dynasty was at its glorious height.

And yet, by the time he died in the Tower of London in 1471, France was lost, his throne had been seized by his rival, Edward IV of the House of York, and his kingdom had descended into the violent chaos of the Wars of the Roses.

Henry VI is perhaps the most troubled of English monarchs, a pious, gentle, well-intentioned man who was plagued by bouts of mental illness. In The Shadow King, Lauren Johnson tells his remarkable and sometimes shocking story in a fast-paced and colorful narrative that captures both the poignancy of Henry’s life and the tumultuous and bloody nature of the times in which he lived.
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The Shadow King: The Life and Death of Henry VI
A thrilling new account of the tragic story and troubled times of Henry VI, who inherited the crowns of both England and France and lost both.

Firstborn son of a warrior father who defeated the French at Agincourt, Henry VI of the House of Lancaster inherited the crown not only of England but also of France, at a time when Plantagenet dominance over the Valois dynasty was at its glorious height.

And yet, by the time he died in the Tower of London in 1471, France was lost, his throne had been seized by his rival, Edward IV of the House of York, and his kingdom had descended into the violent chaos of the Wars of the Roses.

Henry VI is perhaps the most troubled of English monarchs, a pious, gentle, well-intentioned man who was plagued by bouts of mental illness. In The Shadow King, Lauren Johnson tells his remarkable and sometimes shocking story in a fast-paced and colorful narrative that captures both the poignancy of Henry’s life and the tumultuous and bloody nature of the times in which he lived.
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The Shadow King: The Life and Death of Henry VI

The Shadow King: The Life and Death of Henry VI

by Lauren Johnson
The Shadow King: The Life and Death of Henry VI

The Shadow King: The Life and Death of Henry VI

by Lauren Johnson

Hardcover

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Overview

A thrilling new account of the tragic story and troubled times of Henry VI, who inherited the crowns of both England and France and lost both.

Firstborn son of a warrior father who defeated the French at Agincourt, Henry VI of the House of Lancaster inherited the crown not only of England but also of France, at a time when Plantagenet dominance over the Valois dynasty was at its glorious height.

And yet, by the time he died in the Tower of London in 1471, France was lost, his throne had been seized by his rival, Edward IV of the House of York, and his kingdom had descended into the violent chaos of the Wars of the Roses.

Henry VI is perhaps the most troubled of English monarchs, a pious, gentle, well-intentioned man who was plagued by bouts of mental illness. In The Shadow King, Lauren Johnson tells his remarkable and sometimes shocking story in a fast-paced and colorful narrative that captures both the poignancy of Henry’s life and the tumultuous and bloody nature of the times in which he lived.

Product Details

ISBN-13: 9781643131283
Publisher: Pegasus Books
Publication date: 05/07/2019
Pages: 752
Sales rank: 1,008,368
Product dimensions: 5.90(w) x 9.20(h) x 2.30(d)

About the Author

Lauren Johnson is a historian with a degree from Oxford University. She is the author of the novel The Arrow of Sherwood and lives in the United Kingdom.

Table of Contents

Note on names, dates and money xi

Maps xiii

Family trees xvii

Prologue: Woe to thee, o land, whose king is a child' xxiii

Part I Child King

1 'That divine king your father' 3

2 'In infant bands crowned king' 24

3 'The universal joy and comfort of us all' 39

4 'The serpent of division' 60

5 'Virtues and teachings convenient for the royal person' 72

6 'The throne of his kingdom will be established' 85

7 'Earthly goods' 103

8 'Mother of mercy, save both realms' 115

9 'Treason walking' 129

10 'The royal crown is in the hand of God' 137

Part II Adult Rule

11 'A fixed purpose' 151

12 'To the counsellors of peace is joy' 163

13 'Instruments of necromancy' 173

14 'Welcome… Princess, our lady sovereign' 190

15 'Stretch forth the hand' 199

16 'The mutability of worldly changes' 211

17 'Great and grievous reverses and fortunes of war' 222

18 'O king, if king you are, rule yourself' 234

19 'Beware, King Henry, how thou do, let no longer thy traitors go loose' 245

20 'The harvest of heads' 255

21 'The true blood of the realm' 268

22 'My most dread sovereign lord' 282

23 'The most precious, most joyful and most comfortable earthly treasure that might come unto this land' 294

Part II 'A Kingdom Divided Against Itself'

24 'The beginning of sorrows' 305

25 'Misrule doth rise' 316

26 'The sword of vengeance' 334

27 'Of queens that be crowned, so high none know I' 350

28 'Rejoice, England, in concord and unity' 361

29 'Our mortal and extreme enemies' 379

30 'The test of the sword' 393

31 'Enemies on every side' 407

32 'Out of the north an evil shall break' 420

33 'Lost irretrievably' 439

Part IV 'The Great Rebellious Henry'

34 'Perverse and variable fortune' 451

35 'Outwards enemies' 466

36 'False imaginations' 479

37 'I am the rock of the English kingdom' 487

38 'Have not the English always betrayed their kings?' 499

39 'That puppet of a king' 514

40 'The shadow on the wall' 529

Part V Afterlife

41 'Very dolorous and discomforted queen of England' 541

42 'Holy King Henry' 545

Epilogue 555

Appendix I Where did Henry VI die? 561

Appendix II Key characters 567

Acknowledgements 576

Bibliography 579

Abbreviations 602

Notes 610

Image credits 608

Index 679

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