What do you think?
Rate this book
The Reign of King Henry VI
Henry VI is the youngest monarch ever to have ascended the English throne. This detailed study examines the entire span of the king's reign, from the death of his father Henry V in 1422, to the period of his insanity at the beginning of the Wars of the Roses and his dethronement in 1461, preceding his murder ten years later. This second edition contains a new introduction discussing scholarship in the field since 1980. Distributed by Books International. Annotation c. by Book News, Inc., Portland, Or.
Paperback
First published January 1, 1981
1 person is currently reading
137 people want to read
About the author
Ralph A. Griffiths
30 books5 followersRalph Alan Griffiths is Professor Emeritus (Arts and Humanities) at the University of Swansea, specialising medieval history. He was chair of the Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Wales and General Editor of the Gwent County History.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
July 27, 2013
This is the definitive biography on Henry VI. However, it is incredibly dry. I frequently refer to it, but only if I really really have to. For hard-core Wars of the Roses (WOTR) buffs, especially ones examining the 1450s, it is a must have. However, for people who do not have those requirements and are looking for an entertaining read, I do not recommend it.
This book does bust some stereotypes. For example, if memory serves, Griffiths writes that the Henry VI was not as pious as the propaganda and many modern historians depict. He was more interested in academia. He also wasn't always cowering in the corner afraid to act.
Unfortunately, however, most books discuss Henry VI, they simply gloss over him as an incompetent, excessively pious, nervous wreck. This exhaustive book discusses the early parts of his reign. If memory serves, it does not discuss Margaret of Anjou that much. (I'm sorry to be going off of memory, but hopefully other reviews will balance this out.)
The book is the only *book* I've read that, in my opinion, gives _some_ decent insight into the anarchy and "issues with justice" in the 1440s and 1450s. After reading it, I could better visualize what historians meant when they describe the lawlessness of this period. (Think: retainers and household members getting into impromptu battles (skirmishes) over boundary disputes between their lords, archers lounging in the back of court rooms for property dispute cases like gangsters might today to intimidate witnesses, violence/intimidation of another lord's tenants, etc.) Most of the worst violence, "lawlessness," and justice issues centered around property disputes and attempts to grab land from other lords.
This concept isn't necessarily a large part of this book, but it is one of the few resources I've found that discusses it somewhat, albeit not comprehensively. (I've seen justice discussed in some academic journal articles, that's why I emphasized book.)
I've given it four stars simply because of the caliber of research. However, it can really drag in places.
This book does bust some stereotypes. For example, if memory serves, Griffiths writes that the Henry VI was not as pious as the propaganda and many modern historians depict. He was more interested in academia. He also wasn't always cowering in the corner afraid to act.
Unfortunately, however, most books discuss Henry VI, they simply gloss over him as an incompetent, excessively pious, nervous wreck. This exhaustive book discusses the early parts of his reign. If memory serves, it does not discuss Margaret of Anjou that much. (I'm sorry to be going off of memory, but hopefully other reviews will balance this out.)
The book is the only *book* I've read that, in my opinion, gives _some_ decent insight into the anarchy and "issues with justice" in the 1440s and 1450s. After reading it, I could better visualize what historians meant when they describe the lawlessness of this period. (Think: retainers and household members getting into impromptu battles (skirmishes) over boundary disputes between their lords, archers lounging in the back of court rooms for property dispute cases like gangsters might today to intimidate witnesses, violence/intimidation of another lord's tenants, etc.) Most of the worst violence, "lawlessness," and justice issues centered around property disputes and attempts to grab land from other lords.
This concept isn't necessarily a large part of this book, but it is one of the few resources I've found that discusses it somewhat, albeit not comprehensively. (I've seen justice discussed in some academic journal articles, that's why I emphasized book.)
I've given it four stars simply because of the caliber of research. However, it can really drag in places.
April 26, 2009
There's a lot to learn about Henry VI!
If you are interested in Henry and want the full detail on his reign, this is a very good starting point. (Obviously no one book is going to give you the full SP on a King who was on the throne for as long as Henry, but I can't think there's another individual book that would give you so much.)
On the down side, this is not really a book to sit and read from cover to cover. It's almost a succession of articles on subjects like 'Financial resources' or 'The King and his Council' so you are frequently covering the same years from different angles, if you see what I mean. I don't want to be too critical as this would suggest I have a better plan for presenting such a complex array of data, and I don't.
Not light reading, but very authoritative.
If you are interested in Henry and want the full detail on his reign, this is a very good starting point. (Obviously no one book is going to give you the full SP on a King who was on the throne for as long as Henry, but I can't think there's another individual book that would give you so much.)
On the down side, this is not really a book to sit and read from cover to cover. It's almost a succession of articles on subjects like 'Financial resources' or 'The King and his Council' so you are frequently covering the same years from different angles, if you see what I mean. I don't want to be too critical as this would suggest I have a better plan for presenting such a complex array of data, and I don't.
Not light reading, but very authoritative.
March 13, 2020
Good old-fashioned historical stodge
March 31, 2016
I very rarely abandon a book part way through; I have done this maybe 3 or 4 times in the last 40 years. This is the latest book I have abandoned.
If you are a specialist in this period of British history, and are looking for a detailed analysis of the interplay among the characters of this time in England, or the institutions, then this book is probably better suited to you than it is to me. I can picture this as a very useful book for someone in a Master's program.
I have read a great deal of history, but this was not to my taste. Specifically, I found that the structure was odd. The author has written a chapter on the make-up of the King's Council, for example, and then a later chapter on patronage. The result is that a lot of ground and time is covered twice, and doing so does not make it clearer. There is a great deal of detail, such as the names of a very large number of sheriffs appointed to various counties, together with their affiliations (mostly to Bishop / Cardinal Beaufort). I found myself skipping pages to get past this.
I also found that the book assumes the reader already knows about the period, so the better known parts of the history can be deferred to later. So, the war in France doesn't come into the picture until about 180 pages in. This despite the fact that the fortunes of war had direct impact on the composition of the King's Council and patronage appointments. Even then, the war is dealt with very perfunctorily; Joan of Arc is dealt with in a couple of paragraphs.
The book is divided into three main sections, dealing with the King's minority (he became king at 9 months of age), his personal reign, and the latter part of his reign when he was suffering some form of illness, and the country was sliding toward civil war, the Wars of the Roses. I plugged through the first section, hoping that the book would be better structured in the second, but found that it was not.
Once again, there is a chapter on the composition of the King's Council. In this case, some of the members were replaced in various years, apparently because they were murdered. It turns out that there was a rebellion - Cade's - during these years, but that is left for a later chapter. It is more important, I guess, to know who were the successive bums in the seats of the council than to understand the reason for a rebellion of sufficient danger to kill several councillors.
I really, really tried to get through this book, but just couldn't get there. One star means I "did not like it". You might like it, but be forewarned! Study the period beforehand!
If you are a specialist in this period of British history, and are looking for a detailed analysis of the interplay among the characters of this time in England, or the institutions, then this book is probably better suited to you than it is to me. I can picture this as a very useful book for someone in a Master's program.
I have read a great deal of history, but this was not to my taste. Specifically, I found that the structure was odd. The author has written a chapter on the make-up of the King's Council, for example, and then a later chapter on patronage. The result is that a lot of ground and time is covered twice, and doing so does not make it clearer. There is a great deal of detail, such as the names of a very large number of sheriffs appointed to various counties, together with their affiliations (mostly to Bishop / Cardinal Beaufort). I found myself skipping pages to get past this.
I also found that the book assumes the reader already knows about the period, so the better known parts of the history can be deferred to later. So, the war in France doesn't come into the picture until about 180 pages in. This despite the fact that the fortunes of war had direct impact on the composition of the King's Council and patronage appointments. Even then, the war is dealt with very perfunctorily; Joan of Arc is dealt with in a couple of paragraphs.
The book is divided into three main sections, dealing with the King's minority (he became king at 9 months of age), his personal reign, and the latter part of his reign when he was suffering some form of illness, and the country was sliding toward civil war, the Wars of the Roses. I plugged through the first section, hoping that the book would be better structured in the second, but found that it was not.
Once again, there is a chapter on the composition of the King's Council. In this case, some of the members were replaced in various years, apparently because they were murdered. It turns out that there was a rebellion - Cade's - during these years, but that is left for a later chapter. It is more important, I guess, to know who were the successive bums in the seats of the council than to understand the reason for a rebellion of sufficient danger to kill several councillors.
I really, really tried to get through this book, but just couldn't get there. One star means I "did not like it". You might like it, but be forewarned! Study the period beforehand!
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews