The first hammered silver coin i ever found while using my metal detector ,was a Henry vi penny.Mind blowing to think that this coin was used and lost during this period .
@layedbacklester that is amazing that you have a coin from one of the most turbulent times in English history. I’ve recently bought a metal detector but I don’t anticipate any great finds in California. Maybe a penny from 1980 if I’m lucky.
It's like being on a dig.The greatest find I ever unearthed was an incomplete c17 wine glass.To think of it being held & toasts drunk,poss to The King Across The Water was just intoxicating.
The fact that "high borns" and nobles could quite merrily cause carnage knowing that they would probably be captured and ransomed whilst their troops were slaughtered is the epitome of not suffering the consequences. York killing Somerset would have sent shockwaves through the nobles and hopefully made them realise, if even for a little bit that they too were vulnerable
This whole "documentary" seems to position the nobles as the only people who mattered. Something tells me that was the same solipsistic view the royalty themselves had, and that's why the people were constantly rioting.
Money matters more than human lives to then and today's "class" groups. The U.S started paying tribute in the 20th century. Prior to that..." millions for defense but not one cent for tribute" was in the history books when I was a child being educated in the 1950s.
Agree completely! I wish he'd do more...a lot more 😂. I've watched them all at least once and some several times. Now I use them to go to sleep - not because they're boring but because it keeps my attention enough to focus on it, instead of letting my mind wander, yet doesn't have a lot of loud noises or bright flashes, AND I find his voice to be relaxing. Bonus, like you said, he's easy on the eyes as well, especially compared to most historians.
I am so addicted to British history. This channel is additive. I enjoy the history I learn from Dan Jones, Neil Oliver and Lucy Worsley. Very knowledgeable and watchable. Thank you for these documentaries!
Mee also British history more facanating than any other countries ancient Egypt comes second too that but nothing compares to the intimate domestic fights an ups an downs that effected an entire country the way our Monarchy has in the past political funds mixed with family arguments that's bad news 😂😂but its the bets story an entertainment iv ever known
Agreed ! Any woman that inspired the character of Cersei from Games Of Thrones well bitch's story should be told again...and again and again. Enough with the damn Tudors ! And The Yorks! (This isnt sarcasm bw i'm being totally sincere)
@@mediocremaiden8883 THE TUDORS im fine with, its the part where they only focus on Henry's marriages and prowess that's annoying. Like the series could of continued with Elizabeth. And Henry VII is very interesting. Why not a series about his mom getting him the throne? his reign?
@@RocketRoketto White Princess. It was so much better than the White Queen because most of the witchcraft was removed. It gives the story of Elizabeth of York and Henry VII. It's more true to history of them being political allies who came to love and respect each other to protect their dynasty. Unlike the book in which Henry treats her cruelly.
There were many interesting, strong French princesses or duchesses that became the queen of England such as Margaret of Anjou, Princess Isabella of France (She wolf), Eleanor of Aquitaine, etc.
I really like the narrator. He's real "I'm a cool guy that's into history let's walk around and talk about it." Which is something I would love so yes this is an amazing set of videos.
He was so weak that it's pitiful. He wasn't meant to wear the crown. Something happened to him early on in his childhood and I would love to know what it was. Either he witnessed something horrific or something horrific was perpetrated against him. He wasn't an imbecile ..his spirit was broken early on. I feel bad for him.
He was taken from his mother Queen Katherine (his wife's aunt) at an early age. His uncle Humphrey Duke of Gloucester, ruled his life, he rarely saw his mother after this,she in the meantime had a family with her servent Owen Tudor and died while he was still young. His Uncle's wife Eleanor Cobham, then used witchcraft to try and kill him so she and her husband could take the crown. Another thing to bare in mind is that his maternal grandfather the king of France also suffered from the same symptoms of "madness" as poor Henry.
francine granville It’s true that he was a baby taken from his mother after his father’s death. However, that was not unusual and most noble sons left their families at age 7.
From what I read he was four years old when he was taken from his mother and put into the "care" of the Earl of Warwick, (not the KingMaker ) his wife's uncle on instruction from Humphrey Duke of Gloucester. It may have been normal for that time but we don't know what effect it had on him.@@susanc4622
Fascinating...what a story...and real! One can only imagine had the Queen chosen to ally herself with the Duke of York how history might have been if ran by two such dominant, powerful people.
This part of history reminds me of Walter White. Initially, Walter just wanted accumulate enough cash reserve for his family after he moved on. Instead, he actions caused many carnage and destructions.
@@samuelphillian1286 And the Queen wouldn't either. Once she started to get a bit of power, even if it was only through Somerset, she wouldn't give it up again and return to just being the wife of the king. I imagine both thought that their "vision" of a stable future for the kingdom depended on them being on top.
Duke of York Won't follow Queens rule blindly. Also Queen was powerful and good intention but egoistic. She wasn’t intelligent. She is From French Nobility but she loss all the lands in kings uncle hand. She was chosen by Kings maternal Uncle.
Me too. :) I make no pretense of being an expert on the subject but, it seems like Henry VI may have suffered from a form of schizophrenia. From the Mayo Clinic's website: "Schizophrenia involves a range of problems with thinking (cognition), behavior and emotions. Signs and symptoms may vary, but usually involve delusions, hallucinations or disorganized speech, and reflect an impaired ability to function." I had an aunt that suffered from the disorder and if the actor portraying Henry VI is anywhere close to being accurate, her behavior was very similar to the king's.
but he wasn’t an idiot? he founded two universities: Eton College and King’s College Cambridge. He was a very intelligent man, he just wasn’t fit to be king. That doesn’t make him a sinner. He wanted to be surrounded by books, not blood. I don’t blame him tbh. He was a kind, gentle soul. And he didn’t even ‘go mad’ until later in his marriage to Anne of Bohemia.
Do you mean Margaret of Anjou? Anne of Bohemia was married to Richard II (a distant relation to Henry VI). You can be intelligent but also be a weak person. Honestly, Henry might've been happiest as a priest or a monk, but because of an accident of birth, he got a crown he wasn't fit for. In order to be a King back then, you needed to be much more than just smart and benevolent. You had to be ruthless and show why effing with you is a horrible idea. This makes sense because it was a nasty time to be alive. One bad famine or nasty war (and there were plenty of both) and you were up a certain creek without a paddle. It also doesn't help that his maternal grandfather (Charles VI of France) suffered from severe psychosis, at one point going completely nuts and attacking several of his knights after a page accidentally dropped a lance. It most likely was schizophrenia or bipolar disorder but it's unlikely we'll ever know for sure. Henry was also bullied and berated as a young boy by one of his tutors who wanted to make him strong but didn't consider that his teaching methods was abusive. There's also the fact that Henry's late father and grandfather were war heroes, with the former winning an upset at Agincourt and his grandfather even planning a crusade at one point. TLDR: You had an intelligent, kind and pious scion of war heroes with a dash of mental illness thrown in for good measure. He had huge shoes to fill and was surrounded by people who expected him to be the next great warrior king like his scions. It also didn't help that he had to deal with some nasty trouble in England and abroad. Is it any wonder he went insane?
@@janeyrevanescence12 Well said. Take a genetic legacy of "madness," add in some childhood trauma and the tremendous pressure of running a kingdom, and you have a recipe for disaster. I think his intense piety also did not help his mental state. Praying for many hours without food, water, or sleep may be a transcendent experience, but it is also one that can mess up a perfectly healthy brain, to say nothing of a malfunctioning one.
I’m literally at the edge of my seat. This has come alive for me, I felt I was an invisible onlooker. What an incredible production, everything is so top notch. Wow!
I feel sad because Henry VI himself told everyone and everyone is aware that he doesn't want to be King ever. All he wanted was a quiet life like going to church and doing something that he likes. I don't know why but probably they should've gave the throne to someone else? I heard that there are other royals who doesn't accept the thone and passed to others right? Also, I think Henry VI is a rare one during that time. He isn't for battle, he is the type who's probably gentle and caring. Those personas fit a normal guy or someone that shouldn't be leader. Because that's the only thing he's capable of. He's only forced to take duty.
I feel more bad for his wife. She would've been a very good queen of England if it weren't for her weak husband. And she comes from a prestigious royal family of Anjou which is just a branch of the French Capetian dynasty. It must have felt like a nightmare going thru all this for someone with her background.
Henry vi, being so feeble-minded, was most likely gaslit into staying king. It was easier to control him by the factions that way, and he didn’t want to disappoint family.
It's almost like patrilineal heritage is a dumb way to pick a ruler. Someone should tell King Chuck so that he stops accepting public money for his non-job.
Documentary depicts 1) A king who, through no fault of his own, is mad, 2) A queen who is trying to protect her husband and son and rules competently in her husband's stead when he is incapacitated, and 3) A duke, who gets terminally butthurt when told he isn't needed to help run the country, who is so absolutely convinced of his own superiority that he starts a civil war, murders a peer, kidnaps the king, and tries to murder the rest of the royal family, and who is so incompetent that he squanders his chances of ruling due to nepotism, rash decision making, and petty vengeance. Documentary asks the question: "Who is responsible for the Wars of the Roses?", concludes it is the fault of ... the king ... because he was "mad" and "weak minded". Yes. lets blame the guy with the literally crippling disability rather than the raging asshole with delusions of grandeur and exactly zero chill. Makes perfect sense. Carry on. Seriously, I recognize that the fault could probably easily be put on either the queen or the duke depending on your perspective but "it's the mentally disabled guy's fault for being born with a mental disability" is the shittiest of all takes. I mean, by that logic, why not blame it on the baby prince for being too weak, tiny, and squishy to declare war on Richard of York and defend his family's honor?
Totally agree. I was annoyed by the narrator to not doubt the intentions of the duke when there is a son heir. The heir was completely ignored in this doc. It was probably the past succession which bypassed the Yorks which was the sole reason for the actions of the duke. Good documentaries but sometimes there is no logic in the narration at all 😎
punkinholler well through his fault or not, he was a terrible king. He lost pretty much ALL of France and the French throne, after his father hammered the French at Agincourt and campaigned in for a good 5-10 years, and his incompetence caused a 50 year period of instability. The thing about absolute monarchies is that the blame is usually aimed solely on the monarch him or herself. This is the case here
Thank you! I felt the tone of this was very off putting and skewed to suit their narrative. How brave and strong was the queen! But that aside, the description of the king is offensive in an age where we're supposed to be more enlightened about mental health.
Fiona Lyons well because he was incompetent. I mean you don’t plunge the country into 50 years of instability and lose the entirety of France without any incompetence
"War of the Roses" should be made into an epic tv series.. (Not games of Thrones that I've heard are loosely based on the war of roses) but a tv series in the same style as "Tudors," "Pilars of the earth" etc...
In a way they did "The White Queen" and "The White Princess" and then again the Shakespearean series "The Hollow Crown"(part 3) But I agree this was the most fascinating period of history and it merits a new epic series. The first two I mentioned fell a bit short, omitting key characters and the costumes left a lot to be desired.
@@sandranorman5469 I can't stand Philippa Gregory. She takes creative liberties when the actual history is far more fascinating. Fill in the blanks, but don't propagate things that have proven to be false. There's no need for it, imo. Catherine of Aragon was too pious to swear to a lie before God. I'm angry The Spanish Princess showed her in bed with Arthur. It would have been far more interesting if they'd left it open to speculation. ...I might just be angry that she gave A.B. a sixth finger, though. Like, whyyyyy? Lol
@@tmage23 the mad king who thought he was made of glass was actually charles vi of france--henry vi's grandpa through his mother, catherine of valois. so, close!
@@francinegranville5346 Rob starks wife, both were technically commoners, both married kings, both of their husband's were suppose to marry another noble, but then they fell in love.
Dan Jones' visceral and vocal loathing of several English kings thus far has been a balm on my American heart, as well as his both direct and indirect appreciation for the ladies of the era.
Ah yes. The American Dream that the world is Black & White, good and evil. All Kings were evil, everybody else was good. Recommend you watch some real, ie balanced history documentaries and not this re-enacted action movie with the oh-so-handsome presenter, pompous music, sound and pictures of smashing weapons and dead people every three minutes. Or keep dreaming.
Henry the VI is the most unfairly vilified of English monarchs. Far from being a weak king, he was a strong and ruthless one,.Despite posessing almost no money, since parliament and the nobility refused to pay taxes, and he had no estates of his own, he remained on the throne for 23 years from when he first began to rule at the age of sixteen He had to cope with a severe economic depression lasting 40 years, the worst depression in English history--onre reason no one was will to pay taxes. He was of course blamed for it, but it was caused by hundreds of years of England’s unfavorable balance of trade, which he had done nothing to cause.. Despite his supposed weakness, his enemies had a way of meeting unnatural deaths. Armies loyal to him. even though he couldn’t pay them, won as many battles as they lost. His defeat in 1461 was a very close thing, as the battle could have gone either way. He skillfully practiced divide and rule realpolitics to maintain the balance o power over the endlessly feuding nobility. He succeeded in ending a large peasant uprising through a mixture of skillfull negotiations and the use of force by his allies among the nobility. Henry VI made a great and lasting contribution to England’s future by at last freeing it from French politics and rulers. Nearly four hundred years of rule by French or heavily French-influenced rulers of England finally came to an end, and England finally became a truly independent country. He did this through a carefully calculated phased withdrawal of English forces from France. Although it made him extremely unpopular, it was an absolute financial necessity to save England from utter bankruptcy and to free the country from French influence. Far from being proof of his weakness, as nearly all historians have mistakenly believed, it was a masterstroke by a master strategist. Attributing all of his success to his “scheming” wife Margaret of Anjou is nonsense. THe 15th century was still a man’s world, and Margaret could do nothing without the assistance and support of her husband. On the other hand, Henry showed great wisdom in marrying her, since she proved to be both a highly capable and fiercely loyal partner. Few if any other English kings made such a wise choice of a life partner. It is time that English historians freed themselves from Yorkist propaganda and at last recognized Henry VI as the true founder of England as a “united kingdom."
@@garyyork-zt8om so who did you get your information from, and why was it the yorkist? well, your name has york in it, so it's no surprise, but try to look at the big picture of what happened, even the propaganda spewed by your faction, and the facts speak for itself.
Henry VI wasn't shallow or foolish - he suffered from schizophrenia, inherited through his mother's line from King Charles VI of France whose daughter Catherine of Valois married England's King Henry V. The illness skipped a generation in Catherine (who went on to marry Owen Tudor after Henry's death) and hit Henry VI full force. Because nobody in that age had any idea what mental illness was, they took the classic signs of schizophrenia - "talking to God" - literally, thus birthing the legend of Henry the Pious. And surrounded by strong, warring personalities throught his infancy (Humphrey of Gloucester, Cardinal Beaufort et al) he was a pawn his entire life. He was mentall ill and traumatized, not foolish.
Also, when it came time to choosing a gravesite for himself (Henry VI), it was proposed that he be buried next to his father Henry V. But Henry VI opted not to be buried next to his father saying that he didn't deserve to be next to him. The man was well aware of his shortcomings and was in pain over it.
It sounds like Henry inherited his grandfathers madness, from Charles the mad king, if only king Henry V didn’t die of dysentery, he would of took the french crown and likely averted any civil war in England.
Indeed Henry VI inherited his maternal grandpa's insanity. And since all Monarchs from Henry VII are descended from Katherine of Valois and thus Charles VI, they have the insanity gene passed down to them. Hence the crazy behavior of Henry VIII (Katherine's great grandson), "Bloody" Mary (Katherine's great great granddaughter who coincidentally had the crazy gene of her maternal great grandmother Isabella Queen of Portugal- Mom of Queen Isabella "The Catholic" of Spain), James I (great grandson of Katherine's great granddaughter, Margaret Tudor, Queen of Scotland who was also the child of incest as both of his parents were grandkids of Margaret Tudor and thus 1st cousins), and George III to name a few looney ones...
@@nataliapanfichi9933 true. So Bloody Mary got it from both sides. Plus Henry VIII was distantly related to Katherine of Aragon as he was distantly related to all of his wives. I suppose within the right degrees of consanguinity as his marriages were endorsed by the Catholic Church (well his marriages to Katherine of Aragon and Jane Seymour).
I feel bad for Margaret of Anjou as she possessed everything it took to be a good queen. One thing you learn from studying history, especially medieval and ancient history, is that when you have the upper hand do not ever take chances and eliminate your enemy completely
@@kkandsims4612 Officially that's true. Unofficially it seems that powerful vassals need to be placated lest they...idk...decide that a new monarch is needed. Margaret was brilliant, but she seemed to be quite authoritarian to the point that she steadfastly refused to even give York any semblance of power in the kingdom.
@@stephenjenkins7971 yes but had she given him power at all he probably would have abused that power as most nobles did back then im assuming. I think she was just trying to protect herself and son it was a man's world back then after all i guess thats why Elizabeth 1st never married and she kept up the virgin story so the nobles would respect her and not throw her off the thrown
Yes! Yolanda of Aragon, duchess of Anjou. Just imagine, having Isabella of Lorraine as your mother and Yolande of Aragon as your grandmother, the power.
@@oberonyronwood5657 Isabelle and Yolanda deserve to remembered in their own right. Yolanda fought for her family's claim to the kingdom of Naples while resisting the English control of France. Isabelle successfully defended her claims to be duchess of Lorraine against her cousin while fighting to support her husband's claim to the throne of Naples.
I ❤️ these documentaries and I'm pretty sure I've watched all of them hosted by Dan Jones, many of them twice. I just noticed though that Queen Margaret has acrylic nails with an American manicure 😂. Funny to see that among all the period costumes and settings.
Henry cleverly got other people, including sometimes his wife, to appear to be the author of his harsh and ruthless actions. Margaret was fiercely loyal to Henry and was happy to take credit for his ruthless actions.
It looked more like a seizure than a nervous breakdown (I know about nervous/emotional breakdowns as I suffered one at the death of my youngest daughter 12 years ago)...
Henry VI of England probably inherited his insanity from his French maternal grandfather Charles VI 1368-1422.Charles had periodic bouts of complete insanity when he would often imagine he was made of glass and would shatter to bits if he wasn't very careful>Charles daughter Isabella married king Richard II of England who was later deposed and his daughter Catherine of Valois,of course,married Henry V of England the father of Henry VI.When Henry V died his wife Catherine had an affair with her Welsh guard Own Tudor who was the ancestor of the Tudor monarchs Henry VI,HenryVIII,Mary,Edward and Eliizabeth I.The insanity in both the French Valois dynasty and in some of the English monarchs may have been inherited from a common Italian ancestor Bernabo Visconti of Milan-a very rich but homicidal maniac whose very numerous daughters married into European royalty -Bavaria,France,England etc.
I've heard that the psychiatric disorder of believing they were made of glass were not uncommon among nobility/royalty. Wonder if this affliction was more prevalent due to nature (inbreeding) or nurture (special treatment for noble figures leading to inflated egos). Or if any were copying the high profile people with the actual disorder as a way to elevate themselves.
@@katiegould6609 Having done a bit more research into the genealogy of Henry VI of England I've discovered that the mental fragility and periodic bouts of insanity followed by partial recovery most probably originates from his French maternal ancestors of the Bourbon dynasty.Charles VI mother was Joanna of Bourbon -queen consort of Charles V and she displayed exactly the same symptoms as her descendant Henry VI -Joanna of Bourbon's father in turn had extremely similar symptoms.This dynasty, that of the Bourbons from central France eventually became kings of France with Henry IV of France and still rule Spain through their Spanish branch.
Actually Charles VI inherited his insanity via his Mom and, Joanna of Bourbon and her Dad, Peter Duke of Bourbon and Peter's Dad Louis Duke of Bourbon. They were all Cray-Cray!!!! Off their rockers crazy so Charles VI never stood a chance and he passed his crazy genes through his daughter Katherine to Henry VI, Edward of Westminster, Henry VII (Katherine's grandson via her younger Tudor son Edmond- Henry VI's little half brother), Henry VIII, "Bloody" Mary I, James I (great great grandson of Henry VII), William III (he was eccentric and secretly gay), Mary II, George I (read how he treated his wife and son), George II (he mistreated his son Frederick as well), George III (we know he was CRAZY), & George IV (George III's son and the regent wasn't exactly sane)... There have been characters to rule the United Kingdom. The Bourbon DNA & all the inbreeding caused most of the physical and mental ailments of the Royal Family...
Wonderful video and series, I learned so much about English history - many, many thanks for uploading! Being German myself, I sooo envy you for such beautiful, entertaining and informative productions about Britain’s history! Compared to this, German productions about history are positively dull, as nearly EVERYTHIG is analysed with regard to whether or how it has promoted the start or WWI or us being stuck with the Nazis… :-P
Another German here and I agree. It is very important to talk about WW1 and WW2, but it's sad that there is hardly anything about our history before that. I would love to have more programmes about the Holy Roman Empire. About the German coalition of countless small kingdoms/dukedoms and how this all worked... About the Salier kings...you know...
I love this channel. Im finding and learning a lot of history from that time era. Soooo interrsting. 🤓 and its amazing how many actual documents are really still in existence.
Marie Alexander that’s a very interesting fact. Much like the ‘middle ages’ and the ‘dark ages’....they were coined later by people who never lived through them.. I wonder what the last 200 yrs will be called. Is there one country in the entire world that has not seen horrendous bloodshed at some stage. As much as it doesn’t see so, human lives have been more valued in the last 50 to 100 yrs than ever before.
@@PetroicaRodinogaster264 Hello there Petal l have read so much history l have read books that are not in print any more so l do know at lot about English history and you are right people did coin different sayings years after the events
People weren't walking around saying they were in the dark ages, like Norsemen on Netflix does saying it's the Viking age, it's silly. Of course it was named afterwards when it was looked at as a collective period in time.
Indeed, not until 1829 by Sir Walter Scott, a mere 350 years after it happened was it called War of the Roses. But in Dan's defence, very few people now would know what he meant by 'War of the Cousins'
@Levi Charles Who Edward of Westminster?? His legal Dad Henry VI was probably impotent but I haven't heard anything about Edward of Westminster being impotent...
War of the roses was not started by Henry VI, but by his grandfather Henry IV (Henry bolingbrook? Right spelling?), who took the crown unjustly from Richard II and murdered him. Henry IV was from the third child of Edward III and if Richard II from the first child of Edward III were to die, then the second son’s lineage (the yorkists), should have taken power instead of Henry IV, its all one hot pile of mess stemming from Richard II’s murder.
Margaret of Anjou only saw her grandmother, Yolande of Aragon, run the duchy of Anjou. Her mother, Isabelle of Lorraine left Margaret with Yolande, to govern the Kingdom of Sicily (i.e. Naples) while Margaret's father Rene was in jail. Dan Jones has got some basic facts wrong here, which are not trivial, because for instance Yolande helped organize Charles VII to regain France, and Isabelle was a relatively successful ruler in Naples (it was her husband Rene who lost it). . So naturally Margaret might feel that she could do better than a lot of men.
I really love this channel. I have always been fascinated with the Monarchy, esp British. I love the way it is told, and the recreations, and the tours it takes you on! One day.. I hope to at least see London. I would love to see France, Italy, Greece.. all of Europe❤.. but watching this channel is just absolutely captivating!
I’m surprised he isn’t wearing gloves when turning the pages of one of the oldest books in British history. Those pages must be so fragile. That must have been so neat to be able to see one in person like that! I love history!
First Battle of St Albans: "York's men make light work of the barricades" No, they don't! The Yorkist attacks are held at the barricades and it is Warwick's men who break through the "town backsides" thus outflanking the Lancastrians at the barricades and winning the battle.
Imagine if Henry just faked being catatonic because he didn't know what to do and just stayed that way for a year cause he was content staring at a wall. Wouldn't put it past him.
♥️❣️Love these documentaries! - - I always thought George III was the 'mad king'. That's what I was taught when studying King Lear (it was loosely based on G III) Ah, well, I suppose there are many 'mad kings' Henry VIII would qualify too after he fell off his horse, lol
The madman who caused all of this was Edward III. His insane attack on France, the most powerful nation in Europe, led to the loss not only of the crazy 100 years war. But the destruction of England's magnificent medieval culture and the collapse into civil war.
Robin Hood and Little John walkin' through the forest Laughin' back and forth at what the other ne has to say Reminiscin', this-n-thattin', havin' such a good time Oo-de-lally, oo-de-lally, golly, what a day Never ever thinkin' there was danger in the water They were drinkin', they just guzzled it down Never dreamin' that a schemin' sheriff and his posse Was a-watchin' them an gatherin' around Robin Hood and Little John runnin' through the forest Jumpin' fences, dodgin' trees an' tryin' to get away Contemplatin' nothin' but escape an' finally makin' it Oo-de-lally, oo-de-lally, golly, what a day Oo-de-lally, oo-de-lally, golly, what a day
What is presented here is the standard myth of Henry VI. It once again exaggerates Henry VI's weakness at this time. But then this has been the received popular vision for centuries. It is over drawn. Basically what happened was people read back into Henry VI's early reign Henry after his breakdown into insanity and the shell of the man he became afterwards. The standard modern work on Henry VI is R. A. Griffiths, The reign of King Henry VI, Revised Edition 2004. Griffiths is not a fan of Henry VI, who he regards him has before his collapse into insanity, not so much has weak has not very competent. He also disputes the notion of Henry has weak and feckless, although he has serious doubts about Henry has an effective ruler. I further note that the name of the rebellion in 1450 is not given, (Cade's Rebellion). Or that the chief cause was the English loss of Normandy the year. (It is no coincidence that the rebellion happened after a disastrous defeat at Formigy in Normandy in which more than 3,000 English soldiers were killed in April 1450. Suffolk's was blamed for the disaster by English soldiers fleeing Normandy and murdered. in early May 1450. And many military refuges from France were involved in Cade's rebellion. The idea that the root of the War of the Roses was largely the result of Henry's weakness is standard and conventional. It was a lot more complicated than that. For example the loss of the Hundred years war played a huge part.
Fascinating stuff ! Lord Somerset was the old lover of Catherine of Valois (widow of Henry V)...and possibly the real father of Edmund Tudor (father of Henry VII) (this is particularly icky, as he was also the uncle of Margaret Beaufort.....It's starting to sound like a typical Ozarks' family). It was whispered that he was the actual father of Margaret of Anjou's only child (Edward of Lancaster). What a hound dog ! A chip off the old John of Gaunt block !!
It's starts with Henry VI, who was either insane or really weak and insane. Either way, not the King England needed. Margaret was a proper Queen and a proper badass.. But the end of so much tumult was The Tudors.
A 45 minute show, 12 advert breaks that = an add break in less than every 4 minutes of at least 2 adds , pretty greedy and wrecks the flow of a very good show.
Margaret didn’t have good options. Her duty was to her son, and York was so arrogant and domineering that she knew it wouldn’t work having him there. Her sons life would have constantly been at risk. Had York simmered down, put England first and pledged loyalty and protection to Henry’s heir… Eh, who knows. Fun doc, though, very well done!
Prince Charles does his duty in preserving the UK's ancient structures. He backs the small farmers of England. He did his duty in producing heirs. He is very inclusive with his Muslim subjects. His having a Mistress has always happened in the past. The age of the sword and horse ended in WWI. He's sort of like Henry the Seventh. Brains not brawn.
I think the main problem with Charles is that nobody except Camilla seems to like him 😂 It feels like even those people who hate Harry are more indignant about his feud with William, his supposed disrespect of Elizabeth, his loyalty to Meghan, his criticism of the monarchy as a concept, his personality in general...literally everything except his beef with Charles.
It is not necessarily always the rule to wear gloves. New thinking is that gloves can be more harmful as the user looses dexterity as well the natural oils may be beneficial. This topic was actually a part of my dissertation for my masters in archives
Not only is current thinking that gloves can cause more damage than bare fingers, but books and documents from this time aren't made of paper, but of parchment, which is animal skin. The pages aren't as fragile as they look.
1. You left out the first 30 years of Henry's reign. 2. None of the major players in these wars had the interests of the realm at heart, including Margaret (no matter how pretty the actress playing her might be).
Some of my ancestors were in Essex England at this time as land owners, farmers and merchants. The PettyPool line of Essex England 🏴 dating back to the 12th century 1140 C.E.
The first hammered silver coin i ever found while using my metal detector ,was a Henry vi penny.Mind blowing to think that this coin was used and lost during this period .
Lol that is mindblowing indeed. Imagine the life of the person who last handled the coin, living centuries ago.
@layedbacklester that is amazing that you have a coin from one of the most turbulent times in English history. I’ve recently bought a metal detector but I don’t anticipate any great finds in California. Maybe a penny from 1980 if I’m lucky.
It's like being on a dig.The greatest find I ever unearthed was an incomplete c17 wine glass.To think of it being held & toasts drunk,poss to The King Across The Water was just intoxicating.
That's so cool!!!! History
What’s the $ value as a historical artifact? Other than the intrinsic value of silver.
The fact that "high borns" and nobles could quite merrily cause carnage knowing that they would probably be captured and ransomed whilst their troops were slaughtered is the epitome of not suffering the consequences. York killing Somerset would have sent shockwaves through the nobles and hopefully made them realise, if even for a little bit that they too were vulnerable
This whole "documentary" seems to position the nobles as the only people who mattered. Something tells me that was the same solipsistic view the royalty themselves had, and that's why the people were constantly rioting.
@@marinakesawa7470 Yes, and they stay away from an uncomfortable truth, such as the esoteric side of all this.
Money matters more than human lives to then and today's "class" groups. The U.S started paying tribute in the 20th century. Prior to that..." millions for defense but not one cent for tribute" was in the history books when I was a child being educated in the 1950s.
@@nomadpi1 What are you talking about? Tribute to what?
Idiot populist rhetoric starts in 3... 2... 1... There have always and always will be people who lead. Work harder.
God, I love anything Dan Jones does; this series is my favorite documentary on The War of the Roses. Who agrees?
@@laruepoet plus he’s easy on the eyes. I admit; I’ve got a mega crush on him!!
Agree completely! I wish he'd do more...a lot more 😂. I've watched them all at least once and some several times.
Now I use them to go to sleep - not because they're boring but because it keeps my attention enough to focus on it, instead of letting my mind wander, yet doesn't have a lot of loud noises or bright flashes, AND I find his voice to be relaxing. Bonus, like you said, he's easy on the eyes as well, especially compared to most historians.
Name of the movie guys ?
absolutely agree!
@@mohmed9132 real royalty. It's a youtube channel not a movie 😂
I am so addicted to British history. This channel is additive. I enjoy the history I learn from Dan Jones, Neil Oliver and Lucy Worsley. Very knowledgeable and watchable. Thank you for these documentaries!
It’s not British history if it neglects Brittany.
Mee also British history more facanating than any other countries ancient Egypt comes second too that but nothing compares to the intimate domestic fights an ups an downs that effected an entire country the way our Monarchy has in the past political funds mixed with family arguments that's bad news 😂😂but its the bets story an entertainment iv ever known
Margaret was AMAZING!! We need more docs about her!
Agreed ! Any woman that inspired the character of Cersei from Games Of Thrones well bitch's story should be told again...and again and again. Enough with the damn Tudors ! And The Yorks! (This isnt sarcasm bw i'm being totally sincere)
@@mediocremaiden8883 THE TUDORS im fine with, its the part where they only focus on Henry's marriages and prowess that's annoying. Like the series could of continued with Elizabeth. And Henry VII is very interesting. Why not a series about his mom getting him the throne? his reign?
@@RocketRoketto White Princess. It was so much better than the White Queen because most of the witchcraft was removed. It gives the story of Elizabeth of York and Henry VII. It's more true to history of them being political allies who came to love and respect each other to protect their dynasty. Unlike the book in which Henry treats her cruelly.
There were many interesting, strong French princesses or duchesses that became the queen of England such as Margaret of Anjou, Princess Isabella of France (She wolf), Eleanor of Aquitaine, etc.
She was I knew her personally
Oh my goodness I am addicted to this channel I just love this channel. I find all the history so interesting and easy to follow.
Seasons and lessons in life And Dan Jones is so good. Lucy Worsley, Johanna Lipscomb, also. So watchable.
me toooooo
I really like the narrator. He's real "I'm a cool guy that's into history let's walk around and talk about it." Which is something I would love so yes this is an amazing set of videos.
Oh my goodness me too. Fascinating
Me three!! :)
He was so weak that it's pitiful. He wasn't meant to wear the crown. Something happened to him early on in his childhood and I would love to know what it was. Either he witnessed something horrific or something horrific was perpetrated against him. He wasn't an imbecile ..his spirit was broken early on. I feel bad for him.
He was taken from his mother Queen Katherine (his wife's aunt) at an early age. His uncle Humphrey Duke of Gloucester,
ruled his life, he rarely saw his mother after this,she in the meantime had a family with her servent Owen Tudor and died
while he was still young. His Uncle's wife Eleanor Cobham, then used witchcraft to try and kill him so she and her
husband could take the crown. Another thing to bare in mind is that his maternal grandfather the king of France also
suffered from the same symptoms of "madness" as poor Henry.
Interbreeding explains so much
@@lisabee1610 His father (Henry V) was not related to his mother (Catherine of Valois) at all though.
francine granville It’s true that he was a baby taken from his mother after his father’s death. However, that was not unusual and most noble sons left their families at age 7.
From what I read he was four years old when he was taken from his mother and put into the "care" of the Earl of Warwick,
(not the KingMaker ) his wife's uncle on instruction from Humphrey Duke of Gloucester. It may have been normal for
that time but we don't know what effect it had on him.@@susanc4622
Dan Jones makes history come alive. He's brilliant
AND gorgeous.☺
@@lisaahmari7199 yep I wouldn't kick him out of bed.
@@shonamcwilliam2842 😅😀The perfect boyfriend: a feast for the eyes and a feast for the ears /brain. Complete package. Oh la la.
@@lisaahmari7199 ill fight you for him lol
@@shonamcwilliam2842 😅😀
Fascinating...what a story...and real! One can only imagine had the Queen chosen to ally herself with the Duke of York how history might have been if ran by two such dominant, powerful people.
This part of history reminds me of Walter White. Initially, Walter just wanted accumulate enough cash reserve for his family after he moved on. Instead, he actions caused many carnage and destructions.
York wouldn’t have wanted to share though
@@samuelphillian1286 And the Queen wouldn't either. Once she started to get a bit of power, even if it was only through Somerset, she wouldn't give it up again and return to just being the wife of the king. I imagine both thought that their "vision" of a stable future for the kingdom depended on them being on top.
Duke of York Won't follow Queens rule blindly. Also Queen was powerful and good intention but egoistic. She wasn’t intelligent. She is From French Nobility but she loss all the lands in kings uncle hand. She was chosen by Kings maternal Uncle.
English history is better than any soap opera. 🥰
I would love to see all of the Wars of the Roses videos put into a playlist for easier viewing.
The narration weaves a captivating tale of ambition and conflict, making history feel alive and relevant
Oh my, I'm addicted to this channel. It's great!
I also love learning Royal history.
Me too. :)
I make no pretense of being an expert on the subject but, it seems like Henry VI may have suffered from a form of schizophrenia.
From the Mayo Clinic's website: "Schizophrenia involves a range of problems with thinking (cognition), behavior and emotions. Signs and symptoms may vary, but usually involve delusions, hallucinations or disorganized speech, and reflect an impaired ability to function."
I had an aunt that suffered from the disorder and if the actor portraying Henry VI is anywhere close to being accurate, her behavior was very similar to the king's.
@@cgt3704 know any good channels for russian tsars and/or emporers?
evil_the_ Throg I saw a great one called something like “Russia’s lost princesses” and another about the history of the tsar! Honestly obsessed
@@j.stonehouse5004 the romanov royal martyrs. I guess.
Or you can watch the two part documentary of the Lost princesses. Its really good
38:09 This episode was done so well that I took a knee to pledge my allegiance to the duke of york while in my living room
but he wasn’t an idiot? he founded two universities: Eton College and King’s College Cambridge. He was a very intelligent man, he just wasn’t fit to be king. That doesn’t make him a sinner. He wanted to be surrounded by books, not blood. I don’t blame him tbh. He was a kind, gentle soul. And he didn’t even ‘go mad’ until later in his marriage to Anne of Bohemia.
Do you mean Margaret of Anjou? Anne of Bohemia was married to Richard II (a distant relation to Henry VI).
You can be intelligent but also be a weak person. Honestly, Henry might've been happiest as a priest or a monk, but because of an accident of birth, he got a crown he wasn't fit for.
In order to be a King back then, you needed to be much more than just smart and benevolent. You had to be ruthless and show why effing with you is a horrible idea. This makes sense because it was a nasty time to be alive. One bad famine or nasty war (and there were plenty of both) and you were up a certain creek without a paddle.
It also doesn't help that his maternal grandfather (Charles VI of France) suffered from severe psychosis, at one point going completely nuts and attacking several of his knights after a page accidentally dropped a lance. It most likely was schizophrenia or bipolar disorder but it's unlikely we'll ever know for sure.
Henry was also bullied and berated as a young boy by one of his tutors who wanted to make him strong but didn't consider that his teaching methods was abusive. There's also the fact that Henry's late father and grandfather were war heroes, with the former winning an upset at Agincourt and his grandfather even planning a crusade at one point.
TLDR: You had an intelligent, kind and pious scion of war heroes with a dash of mental illness thrown in for good measure. He had huge shoes to fill and was surrounded by people who expected him to be the next great warrior king like his scions. It also didn't help that he had to deal with some nasty trouble in England and abroad. Is it any wonder he went insane?
@@janeyrevanescence12 wow you really know your history, thanks for explaining.
@@janeyrevanescence12 Well said. Take a genetic legacy of "madness," add in some childhood trauma and the tremendous pressure of running a kingdom, and you have a recipe for disaster. I think his intense piety also did not help his mental state. Praying for many hours without food, water, or sleep may be a transcendent experience, but it is also one that can mess up a perfectly healthy brain, to say nothing of a malfunctioning one.
I’m literally at the edge of my seat. This has come alive for me, I felt I was an invisible onlooker. What an incredible production, everything is so top notch. Wow!
I feel sad because Henry VI himself told everyone and everyone is aware that he doesn't want to be King ever. All he wanted was a quiet life like going to church and doing something that he likes. I don't know why but probably they should've gave the throne to someone else? I heard that there are other royals who doesn't accept the thone and passed to others right?
Also, I think Henry VI is a rare one during that time. He isn't for battle, he is the type who's probably gentle and caring. Those personas fit a normal guy or someone that shouldn't be leader. Because that's the only thing he's capable of. He's only forced to take duty.
All in all an excellent argument against monarchy. You never know who you'll get or whether it could hurt both the country and them
I feel more bad for his wife. She would've been a very good queen of England if it weren't for her weak husband. And she comes from a prestigious royal family of Anjou which is just a branch of the French Capetian dynasty. It must have felt like a nightmare going thru all this for someone with her background.
Henry vi, being so feeble-minded, was most likely gaslit into staying king. It was easier to control him by the factions that way, and he didn’t want to disappoint family.
It's almost like patrilineal heritage is a dumb way to pick a ruler. Someone should tell King Chuck so that he stops accepting public money for his non-job.
You can’t decline being king. That’s an even worst sin than being a bad king
Dan Jones is excellent. He makes it all sound so gripping
Documentary depicts 1) A king who, through no fault of his own, is mad, 2) A queen who is trying to protect her husband and son and rules competently in her husband's stead when he is incapacitated, and 3) A duke, who gets terminally butthurt when told he isn't needed to help run the country, who is so absolutely convinced of his own superiority that he starts a civil war, murders a peer, kidnaps the king, and tries to murder the rest of the royal family, and who is so incompetent that he squanders his chances of ruling due to nepotism, rash decision making, and petty vengeance. Documentary asks the question: "Who is responsible for the Wars of the Roses?", concludes it is the fault of ... the king ... because he was "mad" and "weak minded". Yes. lets blame the guy with the literally crippling disability rather than the raging asshole with delusions of grandeur and exactly zero chill. Makes perfect sense. Carry on.
Seriously, I recognize that the fault could probably easily be put on either the queen or the duke depending on your perspective but "it's the mentally disabled guy's fault for being born with a mental disability" is the shittiest of all takes. I mean, by that logic, why not blame it on the baby prince for being too weak, tiny, and squishy to declare war on Richard of York and defend his family's honor?
Totally agree. I was annoyed by the narrator to not doubt the intentions of the duke when there is a son heir. The heir was completely ignored in this doc. It was probably the past succession which bypassed the Yorks which was the sole reason for the actions of the duke. Good documentaries but sometimes there is no logic in the narration at all 😎
punkinholler well through his fault or not, he was a terrible king. He lost pretty much ALL of France and the French throne, after his father hammered the French at Agincourt and campaigned in for a good 5-10 years, and his incompetence caused a 50 year period of instability. The thing about absolute monarchies is that the blame is usually aimed solely on the monarch him or herself. This is the case here
I agree
Thank you! I felt the tone of this was very off putting and skewed to suit their narrative. How brave and strong was the queen! But that aside, the description of the king is offensive in an age where we're supposed to be more enlightened about mental health.
Fiona Lyons well because he was incompetent. I mean you don’t plunge the country into 50 years of instability and lose the entirety of France without any incompetence
"War of the Roses" should be made into an epic tv series.. (Not games of Thrones that I've heard are loosely based on the war of roses) but a tv series in the same style as "Tudors," "Pilars of the earth" etc...
In a way they did "The White Queen" and "The White Princess" and then again the Shakespearean series "The Hollow Crown"(part 3) But I agree this was the most fascinating period of history and it merits a new epic series. The first two I mentioned fell a
bit short, omitting key characters and the costumes left a lot to be desired.
francine granville And the “history” is no where near the facts. At least the way Philippa Gregory portrays it.
YESSSSSSSSSSSS!!!!
@@sandranorman5469 I can't stand Philippa Gregory. She takes creative liberties when the actual history is far more fascinating. Fill in the blanks, but don't propagate things that have proven to be false. There's no need for it, imo.
Catherine of Aragon was too pious to swear to a lie before God. I'm angry The Spanish Princess showed her in bed with Arthur. It would have been far more interesting if they'd left it open to speculation.
...I might just be angry that she gave A.B. a sixth finger, though. Like, whyyyyy? Lol
@@Elsura A.B.? Sixth finger?
Love revisiting my school history lessons with this guy. He's a great presenter.
What is there in that name that is so dangerous for the royals to bear?0
Mad King is an overrated title. He is more like a Vegetable King
Or rather the weakest/uneffective king but i see what you did there
Agreed :) It wasn't anything Mad about that idiot fool that's called a King a pure weak leak simple as that.
He literally thought he was made of glass and would break. He was insane.
Funny
@@tmage23 the mad king who thought he was made of glass was actually charles vi of france--henry vi's grandpa through his mother, catherine of valois. so, close!
I love Margaret of Anjou! I wish there were more movies, documentaries, and books about her 😊
I agree, even though I don't like what she did, she was a strong woman and fought for her son. A fascinating Character.
She was model for Cersei Lannister
Which Game of Thrones Character represents Elizabeth Woodville?@@LunaMoonlight100
Yes, I would like to see more of Margaret of Anjou tooooo!
Oh yes I do.
@@francinegranville5346
Rob starks wife, both were technically commoners, both married kings, both of their husband's were suppose to marry another noble, but then they fell in love.
Dan Jones' visceral and vocal loathing of several English kings thus far has been a balm on my American heart, as well as his both direct and indirect appreciation for the ladies of the era.
What state y'all from?
Ah yes. The American Dream that the world is Black & White, good and evil. All Kings were evil, everybody else was good. Recommend you watch some real, ie balanced history documentaries and not this re-enacted action movie with the oh-so-handsome presenter, pompous music, sound and pictures of smashing weapons and dead people every three minutes. Or keep dreaming.
Henry the VI is the most unfairly vilified of English monarchs. Far from being a weak king, he was a strong and ruthless one,.Despite posessing almost no money, since parliament and the nobility refused to pay taxes, and he had no estates of his own, he remained on the throne for 23 years from when he first began to rule at the age of sixteen He had to cope with a severe economic depression lasting 40 years, the worst depression in English history--onre reason no one was will to pay taxes. He was of course blamed for it, but it was caused by hundreds of years of England’s unfavorable balance of trade, which he had done nothing to cause..
Despite his supposed weakness, his enemies had a way of meeting unnatural deaths. Armies loyal to him. even though he couldn’t pay them, won as many battles as they lost. His defeat in 1461 was a very close thing, as the battle could have gone either way. He skillfully practiced divide and rule realpolitics to maintain the balance o power over the endlessly feuding nobility. He succeeded in ending a large peasant uprising through a mixture of skillfull negotiations and the use of force by his allies among the nobility.
Henry VI made a great and lasting contribution to England’s future by at last freeing it from French politics and rulers. Nearly four hundred years of rule by French or heavily French-influenced rulers of England finally came to an end, and England finally became a truly independent country. He did this through a carefully calculated phased withdrawal of English forces from France. Although it made him extremely unpopular, it was an absolute financial necessity to save England from utter bankruptcy and to free the country from French influence. Far from being proof of his weakness, as nearly all historians have mistakenly believed, it was a masterstroke by a master strategist.
Attributing all of his success to his “scheming” wife Margaret of Anjou is nonsense. THe 15th century was still a man’s world, and Margaret could do nothing without the assistance and support of her husband. On the other hand, Henry showed great wisdom in marrying her, since she proved to be both a highly capable and fiercely loyal partner. Few if any other English kings made such a wise choice of a life partner.
It is time that English historians freed themselves from Yorkist propaganda and at last recognized Henry VI as the true founder of England as a “united kingdom."
That is a unique point of view that I've never heard before. You have your work cut out to put flesh on these bones.
Henry was a terrible and weak king. I don't know where you get your "facts", but you were lied to.
LOl he was not rythless.
@@garyyork-zt8om so who did you get your information from, and why was it the yorkist? well, your name has york in it, so it's no surprise, but try to look at the big picture of what happened, even the propaganda spewed by your faction, and the facts speak for itself.
This guy is as committed to revisionist pseudo history as the Richard III society 😂
As soon as I see it's Dan Jones, I know it will be worth a watch. This is a fascinating doc- I always felt so sorry for Henry 6
Love this channel! The Wars of the Roses are my favorite time of history to read, hear, and watch about !! More, please! 😊
Henry VI wasn't shallow or foolish - he suffered from schizophrenia, inherited through his mother's line from King Charles VI of France whose daughter Catherine of Valois married England's King Henry V. The illness skipped a generation in Catherine (who went on to marry Owen Tudor after Henry's death) and hit Henry VI full force. Because nobody in that age had any idea what mental illness was, they took the classic signs of schizophrenia - "talking to God" - literally, thus birthing the legend of Henry the Pious. And surrounded by strong, warring personalities throught his infancy (Humphrey of Gloucester, Cardinal Beaufort et al) he was a pawn his entire life. He was mentall ill and traumatized, not foolish.
I feel sorry for him.
It's almost like this is a poorly researched popcorn flick being billed as history. Pretty galling, honestly.
yeah I found that pretty disgusting to talk about someone who had schizophrenia the way the narrator did.
Also, when it came time to choosing a gravesite for himself (Henry VI), it was proposed that he be buried next to his father Henry V. But Henry VI opted not to be buried next to his father saying that he didn't deserve to be next to him. The man was well aware of his shortcomings and was in pain over it.
Margaret: "I should have left you on that street corner where you were standing..."
York:" But ch'ya didn't!!"
It sounds like Henry inherited his grandfathers madness, from Charles the mad king, if only king Henry V didn’t die of dysentery, he would of took the french crown and likely averted any civil war in England.
Indeed Henry VI inherited his maternal grandpa's insanity. And since all Monarchs from Henry VII are descended from Katherine of Valois and thus Charles VI, they have the insanity gene passed down to them. Hence the crazy behavior of Henry VIII (Katherine's great grandson), "Bloody" Mary (Katherine's great great granddaughter who coincidentally had the crazy gene of her maternal great grandmother Isabella Queen of Portugal- Mom of Queen Isabella "The Catholic" of Spain), James I (great grandson of Katherine's great granddaughter, Margaret Tudor, Queen of Scotland who was also the child of incest as both of his parents were grandkids of Margaret Tudor and thus 1st cousins), and George III to name a few looney ones...
You forgot Queen Elizabeth the I, that bay.
@@jamellfoster6029 queen Joanna or Juana of Spain was also kinda crazy 🤪
@@nataliapanfichi9933 true. So Bloody Mary got it from both sides. Plus Henry VIII was distantly related to Katherine of Aragon as he was distantly related to all of his wives. I suppose within the right degrees of consanguinity as his marriages were endorsed by the Catholic Church (well his marriages to Katherine of Aragon and Jane Seymour).
Excellent presentation that really brings the scenes to life. Margaret is pretty smokin' btw.
Qq
A total baddie!
Yeah she bad.
Joel Simmons ll
She is power hungry self centered viscous witch who gave birth to Evil
The high production and setpieces here are phenomenal. I'd watch an entire TV show of these actors.
The mad king Henry vi
George iii : am i joke to you
; )
George the third became mad later on in his life.
😅
@joanne chon mad kings can not be in charge of millions of innocent people period
"mad" is such a general word... If you ask 5 different people, you'd probably get 5 slightly different definitions.
He reminds me so much of his grandfather (Charles VI of France), when his mind stated to go.
His grandfather charles VI maybe mad but not mad times he is good ruller henry VI not good ruller
Way too many adverts!
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Take your time there are adblocks out there.
I have windows 10 and use Ghostery and have no ads.
I feel bad for Margaret of Anjou as she possessed everything it took to be a good queen. One thing you learn from studying history, especially medieval and ancient history, is that when you have the upper hand do not ever take chances and eliminate your enemy completely
She attempted that multiple times and failed each time
Yes, that's what the ancient history needed more of...ruthless leadership. *mega-eyeroll*
Brilliant narration as per usual by Dan Jones. What an amazing history we have i never get tired of listening to this chap 10/10
The problem was Margaret and York each wanted to have power in their own hands. They skipped the share day in kindergarten.
Except Margret legit was the one who should have had power she was after all married to the king had a son and was royalty herself .
@@kkandsims4612 Officially that's true. Unofficially it seems that powerful vassals need to be placated lest they...idk...decide that a new monarch is needed. Margaret was brilliant, but she seemed to be quite authoritarian to the point that she steadfastly refused to even give York any semblance of power in the kingdom.
@@stephenjenkins7971 yes but had she given him power at all he probably would have abused that power as most nobles did back then im assuming. I think she was just trying to protect herself and son it was a man's world back then after all i guess thats why Elizabeth 1st never married and she kept up the virgin story so the nobles would respect her and not throw her off the thrown
Queen Margaret's grandmother had been a remarkably intelligent and strong lady too. Princess Michael of Kent wrote a whole book about her.
Yes! Yolanda of Aragon, duchess of Anjou.
Just imagine, having Isabella of Lorraine as your mother and Yolande of Aragon as your grandmother, the power.
@@oberonyronwood5657 Isabelle and Yolanda deserve to remembered in their own right. Yolanda fought for her family's claim to the kingdom of Naples while resisting the English control of France. Isabelle successfully defended her claims to be duchess of Lorraine against her cousin while fighting to support her husband's claim to the throne of Naples.
I ❤️ these documentaries and I'm pretty sure I've watched all of them hosted by Dan Jones, many of them twice. I just noticed though that Queen Margaret has acrylic nails with an American manicure 😂. Funny to see that among all the period costumes and settings.
Wars of the Roses on which Game of Thrones was very loosely based. Starks and Lannister =York and Lancaster.
Yes. I read & heard the same. ..Martin covered up 'Stark' quite well, but didn't do much from 'Lancaster to Lannister' lol
Unfortunately reality had a better ending then GoT
@@lisabee1610 🤣🤣🤣 yes!
Unfortunately, real history doesn't have nearly enough dragons.
Meghan Lunger well there’s always the Loch Ness monster but Nessie wasn’t a major player in Scots history.
Henry cleverly got other people, including sometimes his wife, to appear to be the author of his harsh and ruthless actions. Margaret was fiercely loyal to Henry and was happy to take credit for his ruthless actions.
It wasn't clever, he needed to be seen as ruthless.
This guy can teach me history anytime!
Fantastic documentary, marvellously told and realised, could not leave it !!!! Congratulations !!!!!!!! can't wait to watch the following !!!!
It looked more like a seizure than a nervous breakdown (I know about nervous/emotional breakdowns as I suffered one at the death of my youngest daughter 12 years ago)...
I’m sorry for your loss but I hope that things are going better for you now.
My most profound sympathy & condolences, with hopes that your beloved child's memory is a blessing to you every single day 🌤️💫🤍
@@obcl8569 thank you
My deepest condolences. May her memory be a blessing ❤
I do wish that this documentary would stop interrupting these adverts
Henry VI of England probably inherited his insanity from his French maternal grandfather Charles VI 1368-1422.Charles had periodic bouts of complete insanity when he would often imagine he was made of glass and would shatter to bits if he wasn't very careful>Charles daughter Isabella married king Richard II of England who was later deposed and his daughter Catherine of Valois,of course,married Henry V of England the father of Henry VI.When Henry V died his wife Catherine had an affair with her Welsh guard Own Tudor who was the ancestor of the Tudor monarchs Henry VI,HenryVIII,Mary,Edward and Eliizabeth I.The insanity in both the French Valois dynasty and in some of the English monarchs may have been inherited from a common Italian ancestor Bernabo Visconti of Milan-a very rich but homicidal maniac whose very numerous daughters married into European royalty -Bavaria,France,England etc.
I've heard that the psychiatric disorder of believing they were made of glass were not uncommon among nobility/royalty. Wonder if this affliction was more prevalent due to nature (inbreeding) or nurture (special treatment for noble figures leading to inflated egos). Or if any were copying the high profile people with the actual disorder as a way to elevate themselves.
@@katiegould6609 Having done a bit more research into the genealogy of Henry VI of England I've discovered that the mental fragility and periodic bouts of insanity followed by partial recovery most probably originates from his French maternal ancestors of the Bourbon dynasty.Charles VI mother was Joanna of Bourbon -queen consort of Charles V and she displayed exactly the same symptoms as her descendant Henry VI -Joanna of Bourbon's father in turn had extremely similar symptoms.This dynasty, that of the Bourbons from central France eventually became kings of France with Henry IV of France and still rule Spain through their Spanish branch.
Actually Charles VI inherited his insanity via his Mom and, Joanna of Bourbon and her Dad, Peter Duke of Bourbon and Peter's Dad Louis Duke of Bourbon. They were all Cray-Cray!!!! Off their rockers crazy so Charles VI never stood a chance and he passed his crazy genes through his daughter Katherine to Henry VI, Edward of Westminster, Henry VII (Katherine's grandson via her younger Tudor son Edmond- Henry VI's little half brother), Henry VIII, "Bloody" Mary I, James I (great great grandson of Henry VII), William III (he was eccentric and secretly gay), Mary II, George I (read how he treated his wife and son), George II (he mistreated his son Frederick as well), George III (we know he was CRAZY), & George IV (George III's son and the regent wasn't exactly sane)... There have been characters to rule the United Kingdom. The Bourbon DNA & all the inbreeding caused most of the physical and mental ailments of the Royal Family...
So was all of the insanity inherited thru incest? Were all of these families even distantly related, disorders like schizophrenia are passed down...
Just saying this is an incredible production from the script to acting
"The Queen is back on top, exactly where she wants to be... OKAY CLASS STOP SNIGGERING"
Wonderful video and series, I learned so much about English history - many, many thanks for uploading! Being German myself, I sooo envy you for such beautiful, entertaining and informative productions about Britain’s history! Compared to this, German productions about history are positively dull, as nearly EVERYTHIG is analysed with regard to whether or how it has promoted the start or WWI or us being stuck with the Nazis… :-P
Another German here and I agree. It is very important to talk about WW1 and WW2, but it's sad that there is hardly anything about our history before that. I would love to have more programmes about the Holy Roman Empire. About the German coalition of countless small kingdoms/dukedoms and how this all worked... About the Salier kings...you know...
@@brera2434 I mean, it was the German tribes that ultimately brought down the Western Roman Empire. There's also that.
I love these series, so interesting and entertaining.
I swear, I would hate to be alive back then. Those days were brutal!😮
Same girl
I love this channel. Im finding and learning a lot of history from that time era. Soooo interrsting. 🤓 and its amazing how many actual documents are really still in existence.
02:47 that stock "Wilhelm Scream" tho 🤣
back then it wasn't called The War of the Rose's the people called it The cousins war
Marie Alexander that’s a very interesting fact. Much like the ‘middle ages’ and the ‘dark ages’....they were coined later by people who never lived through them.. I wonder what the last 200 yrs will be called.
Is there one country in the entire world that has not seen horrendous bloodshed at some stage. As much as it doesn’t see so, human lives have been more valued in the last 50 to 100 yrs than ever before.
@@PetroicaRodinogaster264 Hello there Petal l have read so much history l have read books that are not in print any more so l do know at lot about English history and you are right people did coin different sayings years after the events
People weren't walking around saying they were in the dark ages, like Norsemen on Netflix does saying it's the Viking age, it's silly. Of course it was named afterwards when it was looked at as a collective period in time.
@Jeff Oliver it is only referred to as the dark ages because we know so little about it, hence being in the dark.
Indeed, not until 1829 by Sir Walter Scott, a mere 350 years after it happened was it called War of the Roses. But in Dan's defence, very few people now would know what he meant by 'War of the Cousins'
If this is an accurate portrayal of Henry VI, Edward been his biological son, is very questionable.
TRUE!!! Edward of Westminster was probably Somerset's child...
@EmperorJuliusCaesar Lol. But true
Have you read Conn Iguilden's book about it? There's an interesting theory in there how he could have been the father.
@Levi Charles Who Edward of Westminster?? His legal Dad Henry VI was probably impotent but I haven't heard anything about Edward of Westminster being impotent...
Its easy to be consumed, even with an imbecile. Why doubt that unless you (Anjou) are afraid it is passed on to the son.
War of the roses was not started by Henry VI, but by his grandfather Henry IV (Henry bolingbrook? Right spelling?), who took the crown unjustly from Richard II and murdered him. Henry IV was from the third child of Edward III and if Richard II from the first child of Edward III were to die, then the second son’s lineage (the yorkists), should have taken power instead of Henry IV, its all one hot pile of mess stemming from Richard II’s murder.
Jon Lovitz does an amazing job as Henry VI
love the content and wtf with all the commercials
This is very long story, thanks for everything. You're awesome
Margaret of Anjou only saw her grandmother, Yolande of Aragon, run the duchy of Anjou. Her mother, Isabelle of Lorraine left Margaret with Yolande, to govern the Kingdom of Sicily (i.e. Naples) while Margaret's father Rene was in jail. Dan Jones has got some basic facts wrong here, which are not trivial, because for instance Yolande helped organize Charles VII to regain France, and Isabelle was a relatively successful ruler in Naples (it was her husband Rene who lost it). . So naturally Margaret might feel that she could do better than a lot of men.
I really love this channel. I have always been fascinated with the Monarchy, esp British. I love the way it is told, and the recreations, and the tours it takes you on! One day.. I hope to at least see London. I would love to see France, Italy, Greece.. all of Europe❤.. but watching this channel is just absolutely captivating!
I’m surprised he isn’t wearing gloves when turning the pages of one of the oldest books in British history. Those pages must be so fragile. That must have been so neat to be able to see one in person like that! I love history!
Every time I see him or ANYONE touching those books without gloves I freak out just a little.
It's now thought that the gloves will do damage to the precious documents as well, even worse than bare hands.
It's now thought that as long as you properly wash and dry your handse first it's safer to handle old documents with bare hands than abrasive gloves.
King's effective as modern centrist. Great documentary. Fantastic pacing. Keep up the good work.
First Battle of St Albans: "York's men make light work of the barricades" No, they don't! The Yorkist attacks are held at the barricades and it is Warwick's men who break through the "town backsides" thus outflanking the Lancastrians at the barricades and winning the battle.
Absolutely right! I was wondering about this mistake, too....
Am I the only filipino that is obsessed and fascinated by english history.
Everybody: please make new documentaries!!!
Producer: let's reupload this under a different name!
Everybody: am i a joke to you
Worst part? It’s basically the same documentary, a few changes here and there- and I still watch it all the way through lol
couldn't get through this vid because there's a friggin advert every thirty seconds.
This channel teaches the value of adblock as much as it teaches history.
Skip to the end, then replay ;)
Stinking trump ads..Waste of money , We The People are done with his insane bull.
John Allison the ads are targeted.
Thats why my friend you root ur device so no more ads.
Fantastic , I’m learning more now than I ever did 40+ years ago at school.
Game of Thrones is lightly based on the Wars of the Roses, with the Lannisters being the Lancasters, and the Starks being the Yorks.
You got to wonder what would have happened if Margaret of Anjou and the Duke of York had just sat down and talked for a while.
Henry VI, walking into a room where Margaret and Richard are mentally strangling each other with their bare hands: Guys? Here, eat a Snickers.
"What York did next was dangerously close to treason..." Proceeds to commit the definition of treason lmao
Great informative and I really enjoyed and appreciated it all.
To many naysayers lol why? Appreciate the time and effort that was put into the video. 💛💙💜🌹
I love this topic
I wouldn't have wanted to live in England at this period!
Imagine if Henry just faked being catatonic because he didn't know what to do and just stayed that way for a year cause he was content staring at a wall. Wouldn't put it past him.
He pulled an I Claudius
♥️❣️Love these documentaries! - - I always thought George III was the 'mad king'. That's what I was taught when studying King Lear (it was loosely based on G III) Ah, well, I suppose there are many 'mad kings' Henry VIII would qualify too after he fell off his horse, lol
'Afraid King George III not yet on throne during Shakespere, civil war and regicide to get through before then!
And Henry VI was Henry VIII's great uncle via Henry VI's little brother, Edmond Tudor- Henry VIII's grandpa.
He is the mad king too
The madman who caused all of this was Edward III. His insane attack on France, the most powerful nation in Europe, led to the loss not only of the crazy 100 years war. But the destruction of England's magnificent medieval culture and the collapse into civil war.
Summer 1450: “Three of the country’s leading nobles murdered by an angry mob...”
Whoever they got to play Henry was hilarious. Over the top oaf lol
"A man, so feeble-minded and vacuous, that he allows a wound to open in his country.." Yep.
Robin Hood and Little John walkin' through the forest
Laughin' back and forth at what the other ne has to say
Reminiscin', this-n-thattin', havin' such a good time
Oo-de-lally, oo-de-lally, golly, what a day
Never ever thinkin' there was danger in the water
They were drinkin', they just guzzled it down
Never dreamin' that a schemin' sheriff and his posse
Was a-watchin' them an gatherin' around
Robin Hood and Little John runnin' through the forest
Jumpin' fences, dodgin' trees an' tryin' to get away
Contemplatin' nothin' but escape an' finally makin' it
Oo-de-lally, oo-de-lally, golly, what a day
Oo-de-lally, oo-de-lally, golly, what a day
What is presented here is the standard myth of Henry VI. It once again exaggerates Henry VI's weakness at this time. But then this has been the received popular vision for centuries. It is over drawn. Basically what happened was people read back into Henry VI's early reign Henry after his breakdown into insanity and the shell of the man he became afterwards. The standard modern work on Henry VI is R. A. Griffiths, The reign of King Henry VI, Revised Edition 2004. Griffiths is not a fan of Henry VI, who he regards him has before his collapse into insanity, not so much has weak has not very competent. He also disputes the notion of Henry has weak and feckless, although he has serious doubts about Henry has an effective ruler. I further note that the name of the rebellion in 1450 is not given, (Cade's Rebellion). Or that the chief cause was the English loss of Normandy the year. (It is no coincidence that the rebellion happened after a disastrous defeat at Formigy in Normandy in which more than 3,000 English soldiers were killed in April 1450. Suffolk's was blamed for the disaster by English soldiers fleeing Normandy and murdered. in early May 1450. And many military refuges from France were involved in Cade's rebellion.
The idea that the root of the War of the Roses was largely the result of Henry's weakness is standard and conventional. It was a lot more complicated than that. For example the loss of the Hundred years war played a huge part.
Fascinating stuff ! Lord Somerset was the old lover of Catherine of Valois (widow of Henry V)...and possibly the real father of Edmund Tudor (father of Henry VII) (this is particularly icky, as he was also the uncle of Margaret Beaufort.....It's starting to sound like a typical Ozarks' family).
It was whispered that he was the actual father of Margaret of Anjou's only child (Edward of Lancaster). What a hound dog ! A chip off the old John of Gaunt block !!
very knowledgeable great comment
Sounds like a Phillipa Gregory book...
I mean they were royals...they did that. But awesome insights!
@@mbarron996 Phillipa Gregory's books are all about teh women of the Waras of the Roses. No surprise there then.
Mike Elliott her books are great but heavy on the fiction. Want the truth? Check out The Tudor Society channel. 👍🏻
does anyone else think that the actor in 12:15 resembles Stannis Baratheon from GOT?
Eve Akua the whole thing is the real GoT!
Stannis approves 😂😂😂.
I thought tywin lannister
We need strength in our government now! Look at how history is doomed to be repeated if eradicated. Never bend the knee
It's starts with Henry VI, who was either insane or really weak and insane. Either way, not the King England needed. Margaret was a proper Queen and a proper badass.. But the end of so much tumult was The Tudors.
A 45 minute show, 12 advert breaks that = an add break in less than every 4 minutes of at least 2 adds , pretty greedy and wrecks the flow of a very good show.
probably the first person in the history of the internet to sit through 12 ad breaks instead of just installing an ad blocker
i dont get any adverts?
Ad blocker my friend, its really not that hard to install.
Margaret didn’t have good options. Her duty was to her son, and York was so arrogant and domineering that she knew it wouldn’t work having him there. Her sons life would have constantly been at risk. Had York simmered down, put England first and pledged loyalty and protection to Henry’s heir… Eh, who knows. Fun doc, though, very well done!
What England needs now, is a strong King...
And Charles is NOT that! How history repeats itself will be morbidly fascinating to watch
I would be so interested if u could expand on what you mean more
Prince Charles does his duty in preserving the UK's ancient structures. He backs the small farmers of England. He did his duty in producing heirs. He is very inclusive with his Muslim subjects. His having a Mistress has always happened in the past. The age of the sword and horse ended in WWI. He's sort of like Henry the Seventh. Brains not brawn.
I think the main problem with Charles is that nobody except Camilla seems to like him 😂
It feels like even those people who hate Harry are more indignant about his feud with William, his supposed disrespect of Elizabeth, his loyalty to Meghan, his criticism of the monarchy as a concept, his personality in general...literally everything except his beef with Charles.
32:08 --- tisk tisk you're handling that book without gloves
It is not necessarily always the rule to wear gloves. New thinking is that gloves can be more harmful as the user looses dexterity as well the natural oils may be beneficial. This topic was actually a part of my dissertation for my masters in archives
Not only is current thinking that gloves can cause more damage than bare fingers, but books and documents from this time aren't made of paper, but of parchment, which is animal skin. The pages aren't as fragile as they look.
Very good informative and interesting.
Cant beat a Good tearup
I seriously doubt the king was sitting there cowering like a toddler. Just because he was a weak king doesn't mean he was a caricature.
Judging by Henry VI’s character, he would have fared better as a monk rather than a king.
I love this series.
These are very good.
1. You left out the first 30 years of Henry's reign.
2. None of the major players in these wars had the interests of the realm at heart, including Margaret (no matter how pretty the actress playing her might be).
And the only thing Henry VI was guilty of was falling victim to mental illness (most likely schizophrenia).
Some of my ancestors were in Essex England at this time as land owners, farmers and merchants. The PettyPool line of Essex England 🏴 dating back to the 12th century 1140 C.E.
The King Henry the Sixth must have been really, really upset that he lost the Duke of Suffolk.
Of course, he is basically he's right hand man after the Duke of Suffolk got murdered
Margaret of Anjou sure had some nice mascara. Wonder which brand she used.