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

@hildahilpert5018

9 ай бұрын

There was a move after his death to have him made a saint.This was before Henry the Eight founded the Church of England

@Bawzasteel

Ай бұрын

Going by descriptions of him, it sounds as though he could be on the autistic spectrum. Intelligent but prone to obsessive interests and with real problems with social interactions.

@janeyrevanescence12

Ай бұрын

He may have been intelligent and fond of learning but he was too gentle and naive in a time that required ruling with firmness: “go against me and pay the price.” It also didn’t help that his maternal grandfather suffered from symptoms of what we today call schizophrenia. Genetics play a part in mental illness, unfortunately.

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

@amh9494

10 ай бұрын

I was going to say it's interesting he's so harsh on Henry when he's everything contemporary western civilisation demands of men. That quote pretty much covers it.

@charlesjurgus

10 ай бұрын

​@@amh9494moron.

@amh9494

10 ай бұрын

@@charlesjurgus ... Well you really showed me, great points well expressed.

@charlesjurgus

10 ай бұрын

@@amh9494 cut and pasted... posted to video writer... {You are an educated idiot... Your argument is.... [ the societal system was falling into crisis due to mismanagement... community responds to mismanagement out of frustration (desperation, too?) ...answer: assert authority of said system with greater vehemence... problem: wrong person asserting authority.) In reality... shortfalls of societal failures were systemic... why? Because such centralized authority has little need to concern itself with the problems of the masses... until such crisis manifest. The problem was an inherit disconnect between leadership and circumstances... Oppressive measures do not solve but only excaserbate the primary problem. Myopicly... you ignore this in favor of the power-worshipping notion that more centralized power is what is needed, not less. Your argument is akin to blaming the damn collapse on the dutch boy who stuck his finger in the first sprung leak of the failing damn. My buddy in the military would've called you a "smart, dummy..)

@charlesjurgus

10 ай бұрын

@@amh9494 You're with the production team, huh idiot?

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

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

@wenthulk8439

5 ай бұрын

Indeed. Being king is a thankless job.

@JO-ch3el

3 ай бұрын

It isn't nowadays. And you can be an imbecile and still influence the government so it's perfect for everyone. But yeah poor Henry couldn't help it he was probably inbred or just unlucky they should have given the job to his wife.

@thalmoragent9344

3 ай бұрын

​@wenthulk8439 True, which is why the people shouldn't bash Monarchy too hard

@TheKingmanthe1

2 ай бұрын

Henry the sixth is more coherent than Joe Biden

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

@wolfshanze5980

2 ай бұрын

Most of the acting is 1920s-style facial expressions... few words are spoken... but what facial expressions! Especially by Mr Bean... I mean Henry VI.

@archiegoldrush6310

2 ай бұрын

It's that good, I thought it was snippets from a movie of the same historical story

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

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

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

@Goldfinger1718

3 ай бұрын

And they even have the same regnal number funny coincidence isn't it.

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

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

@AxelQC

9 ай бұрын

The country was unstable because Henry Bolingbroke had usurped the throne from Richard II 22 years before Henry VI was born. Henry V died way to young at age 35 due to campaigning in France, leaving his throne to a baby who turned out to be an idiot.

@CroakAScagBaron

7 ай бұрын

you missed the most important part - it was all orchestrated by bloodraven.

@kreevisful

6 ай бұрын

​@@CroakAScagBaron who is bloodraven?

@wenthulk8439

5 ай бұрын

Sadly Richard II was a cruel tyrant. So Henry IV taking the throne was the controversial but better than Richard II remaining king.

@TheRealBatCave

4 ай бұрын

​@CroakAScagBaron correct, bloodraven is controlling literally every 1 of these people and they have no idea

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

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

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

@heofonfyr6000

10 ай бұрын

yep

@OcarinaSapphr-

10 ай бұрын

Even his wife was in it for herself, from what I understand - she really only supported her husband, to lend authority to/ take authority for herself, her own clique, & lend legitimacy to her son* I don't think anyone cared what happened to the poor man, so long as he was able to rubber-stamp whatever they wanted- & conveniently be out of the way, the rest of the time- unless they needed to briefly roll him out for some state function... *Rumours went that he was actually fathered by a Flemish archer, rather than the king in one of his few 'lucid' periods...

@heofonfyr6000

10 ай бұрын

@@OcarinaSapphr- well, I mean it's not like she chose to marry him 😂 she was 15. can't blame her. securing her son's future rule was the legitimate and normal thing to try to ensure 🤷🏻‍♂️ that's how it worked. I feel sorry for her getting all excited about her future only to meet him and find out her husband for life was a fruitloop 😂 nothing left to do then but focus on her progeny who was the rightful heir.

@OcarinaSapphr-

10 ай бұрын

@@heofonfyr6000 No, I get it- but it just seems pretty tragic, all the way around; & I do think it's a bit dodge that after more than 8 years of marriage, she suddenly pops out a bouncing baby boy...

@heofonfyr6000

10 ай бұрын

@@OcarinaSapphr- maybe it was Somerset's. lol

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

@MichaelWilliams-tv1bm

9 ай бұрын

That is true, but it had happened before with William II and Edward II. The real problem arose with a weak King like Henry VI whose most powerful subject, the Duke of York, had a better claim to the throne than the King.

@AlanNguyenMD

15 күн бұрын

There were many usurper before, William the Conqueror in 1066, Stephen of Blois in 1135, Canute the Great in 1016, every aristocrats were glad that Richard II were usurped, because they no longer have to fear for their life anymore, but the true reason is that Henry 4 didn't put Richard II's heir to the throne- Edmund- Earl of March, which was very greedy and stupid, that's treason and civil war will follow shortly after, just like 20 years of Civil War after Stephen of Blois usurped Henry I

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

@markfinlay422

10 ай бұрын

Well his legacy was certainly long lasting. But very little of it was good. He would be ok as a king now without any power.

@BSU55

10 ай бұрын

Henry VI had a French grandfather who was insane. Henry V, married the Insane French Kings daughter, and Henry VI inherited the insanity.

@marshatolbert154

9 ай бұрын

Henry VI was too unstable to rule. He was certainly pious and dedicated to his duties as he understood them. Nevertheless his mental health and personal weaknesses have made him a great example of why monarchy is a terrible idea 😞

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

@annamarie1942

9 ай бұрын

@@meyo3510nice! thank you!

@nyxnecrodragon4256

5 ай бұрын

Didn't you do this in school?

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

@caittails

9 ай бұрын

I’m pretty sure the whole series is up on Absolute History. It used to be, but I haven’t checked in a while. It’s definitely up on one of these KZread history channels.

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

This actually has me interested in the war of the Roses unlike my history teacher at school, I used to hate this 😂

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

@lfgifu296

9 ай бұрын

Yes, but that had been over 60 years ago. The House of York should’ve made their move sooner, during the reign of Henry IV, because, by the time Richard duke of York did, the Lancastrian line was already established. It was on its third king, and that king had a son. I honestly think what Richard attempted was usurpation, even if his claim was better

@erikhalvorseth3950

9 ай бұрын

But, Lord Bolingbroke was a direct agnatic descendant from Edward III- the duke of York was not.(He was a cognatic descendant through Leonel of Antwerp's daughter, Philippa). Such matters were not insignificant in the medieval age

@williethomas5116

9 ай бұрын

@@erikhalvorseth3950 yes he was. Edward III Edmund of Langley, Duke of York Richard of Conisburgh, Earl of Cambridge Richard, 3rd Duke of York But it wasn't as strong as Bolingbrook. But Empress Matilda has already established that in England the child of the female with the stronger claim their line has precedence. Which is why the crown passed from Stephen to Henry II and not to any of his 4 children (2sons).

@erikhalvorseth3950

9 ай бұрын

@@williethomas5116 My fault. I should have written ' a stronger direct agnatic inheritance'. You are right about the Edmund of Langley line, ofc. But my argument still stands. Back in those days direct agnatic succession was extremely important, albeit different countries interpreted salic law differently. But the Plantagenets were Normans. And salic law came from the Franks. That is not to say that salic law was not bypassed numerous times, also in countries were salic law was the norm

@williethomas5116

9 ай бұрын

@@erikhalvorseth3950 Salic law denies women any claim and their descendants any claim unless the male line dies. That was not the case in England. Yes they were Norman-French but they handled things the way that a Dukedom did. Steven of Blois claimed the throne over Empress Matilda because of her being a female but her Son Henry II got the throne and support of the Baronial class over Steven's son William Count of Toulouse.

This is a great documentary. It’s a few years old but the facts haven’t changed. 😆

@gio-oz8gf

10 ай бұрын

And what's more, I bet they never will.

@lilymarinovic1644

9 ай бұрын

Until they exhume Margaret's body and find she was really a man or something...

History Hit lives up to it's name! Thank you so much for bringing so much knowledge on so many subjects to my living room every day! Would love to see more Dr. Kat, and perhaps some Curtis Ryan Woodside the Egyptologist. He has some amazing documentaries!!!

@mkhanman12345

3 ай бұрын

This is knowledge for everyone.

This is superb. Dan Jones is excellent, and special thanks to that Mr Howe for the 🎶music. This work has a feature film quality to it, as well as being packed with detail. Impressive. 🌟👍

Wonderful actors and actresses in both series!! Warrick and York were very good!!

Excellent video, making a gripping story come to life! Surprised, educated and captivated by this content . Thanks !

This was a great episode. Very thought provoking.

Wow, this is the most comprehensive and engaging historical content on KZread. This channel always has me hooked, and I seriously cannot get enough.

@mkhanman12345

3 ай бұрын

This has nothing to do with yertube.

Dang! This documentary was impressive! And I learned so much about a topic that is so interesting yet alien to me. Thanks, History Hit.

Wauw that is some serioiusly great acting! I was not expecting that in a documentary. Well done to the cast. 🤩

This was riveting. Well done!

Absolutely brilliant. Loved it. Really good work. Thank you. Bless 👊

Why no mention of York's son Edmund who was also captured and executed at the same time as his father?

That Wilhelm Scream!

I normally finally things confusing but this was very well presented

A great video :) To this day theres still animosity between people of different region on who truly rules this land historically :P

@2:47 Not even the Wilhelms were spared the bloodshed!

It was a great documentary about Henry VI weakness rules of England 🇬🇧. Thanks for sharing

@SandileNgwenya-gv7nx

7 ай бұрын

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿*

This vid was so damn good! Learned a lot whilst being entertained. What more can I ask for?!

Thank you for clear outline of this confusing period of English history…..excellent !!!

This is more than a really excellently made history documentary! I love English history and I'm really thrilled!

Excellent series, as always with English historians As a Frenchman, it's interesting to see the consequences of our final victory in Castillon from the English side. We never talk about it in France The mayhem caused in France by Henry V finally backfired in England itself under his son's shambolic rule.

@YouChwb

10 ай бұрын

How riveting.

@mbgal7758

10 ай бұрын

My biggest what if from history is what if Henry V hadn’t died young

@naelbi8870

10 ай бұрын

@@mbgal7758 Alternate history may look fun at first but looks pointless to me, just my opinion of course

@MarquisVincentBissetdeGramont

10 ай бұрын

Henry V was arguably the worst English king. He revived an atrocious war against France, resulting in the death of thousands of English and French, he died and his successors lost all English territories in France (except Calais), unifying the French in the process and triggering a civil war in England. In short, a disaster.

@naelbi8870

10 ай бұрын

@@MarquisVincentBissetdeGramont So true, he revived and solidified the spirit of France as a nation and destroyed the Plantagenet empire Azincourt and Crécy were glorious for England but a total disaster in the long run

Totally excellent - every moment! Such a wonderful depiction of such a monumental part of history! Reality is sometimes so much larger than anything a writer could create! And Dan’s passion is contagious!

@ardenalexa94

9 ай бұрын

I know. I think more people would like history if more people with as much passion as he has for it, talked about it in schools.

@kimberlypatton205

2 ай бұрын

A word for the actors in this series.. absolute perfection! I find myself watching over and over, wishing it were a movie!

This is the best explanation I have ever seen. Compelling!

Very well made and a fun watch!

The fact that I’m watching this for free almost makes me feel ashamed… this is a ma zing. Even for someone from The Netherlands

More Dan Jones! Ty HH

Well at least he did implement my favorite holiday of all time, "Love Day".

great video, realy captivating.

So what I understand from this is that the War of the Roses started with a big game of capture the flag, with Henry being the proverbial flag.

@Monicaerikarita

2 ай бұрын

Honestly, that’s not bad for a succinct summary. Pretty much( yeah.

How did they write sentences so straight back then? Our paper these days has to have lines for that

@lolamontez7782

7 ай бұрын

I wondered the same thing! And each letter is so perfectly sized.

@Kakarot64.

3 ай бұрын

The lines are the reason most these days can't they're a convenience which means most people aren't forced to learn how to write in straight lines on plain paper.

@Monicaerikarita

2 ай бұрын

The pages WERE lined! It was just done by hand, lightly, then covered or physically flaked off later. If you find excellent pictures of medieval illuminated manuscripts you’ll see them up close. And because those books weee so costly to make, the pages were often recycled. You can find “ghost images” sometimes. Of course, the penmanship itself was a skill, but the clerks and monks making these copies did make their vellum lines at first. I looked this up as a side quest when a student asked me about it once (if I don’t know the answer and it’s on topic, we go search for the answer together) and was fascinated to see all of the lines and preliminary drawings in excellent pictures you can find today.

Dan Jones is so good at these

Although the title says it's was the Kings fault, I feel York comes across as the villain in this.

@plasticbudgie

2 ай бұрын

York wasn't the villain though lol.

I wish they had mentioned more, very important details. Like how Henry IV was saved by a knight during the Peasants Revolt

I love the yarn mail. Admittedly not very good in a fight, but quite light, and just as fashionable.

Awesome, Great direction. Thanks.

This is the first time I have ever been able to follow a War of The Roses telling!

Dan Jones did the series "Secrets of British Castles" on Netflix. I love watching it again and again at times. Dan has a staggering passion for history and he really keeps you wanting to learn more. I have all of his history books and I am getting his historical fiction books. Absolutely love him

DJ is an amazing historian, author, presenter, etc … he’s also the reason I bought my Belstaff Trailmaster🤣

Really enjoyed this

Well done!😊

I see your Henry VI and I raise you Henry VIII.

Excellent documentary.

Great video keep it up you're doing amazing things 😁👍

Dan jones one of my fav historians . Brilliant documentary . 🔥🔥❤️🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 .the inspiration for game of thrones. Richard of york ned stark and margaret of anjou cersei lannister ( acc some ) . Brilliant . History at its best. Wonderful . Thank you history hit tv .

@HistoryHit

9 ай бұрын

You're welcome!

This is fun from beginning to end. I always enjoy HH documentaries. But I frown upon History made with so many adjectives.

A period in English history with such great sets of armor, beeing depicted with knitted "mail" and 500 years off helmets is not bearable

@thisisme6089

10 ай бұрын

It's worse than that, the mail looks like textured rubber, they didn't even bother to knit it.

This guy has a cool way to look at the past Kings of Medieval England....

The Henry line is in my ancestors!! Great history!!

Excellent!

i love this so much! the historical inspiration for Game of Thrones!

dan jones is such a legend. if you havent read his books! really entertaining, they read like how he presents his shows

Que chevere canal !! Y la historia 😊😊😊 me ha gustado mucho

I absolutely love English history!! Its better than any reality tv shows, lol. So good!!!

@celenelomeli1818

6 ай бұрын

Have you ever read anything by Philippa Gregory?

2:47 Wilhelm Scream! 😂

Whenever I study the political dynamics of the Wars of the Roses and look at the actions of the various players - excepting Henry VI of course - I always remember Christopher Guest's line to Mandy Patinkin near the end of 'The Princess Bride': "You have an overdeveloped sense of vengeance. It's going to get you into trouble some day."

Funny how everyone is always talking about Crécy or Agincourt while you almost never hear about the Battle of Castillon!

Thanks!

I keep thinking Richard is Wags from Billions. Great documentary

2:46 Wilhelm scream FTW!

Hahaha wilhelm scream at 2:47 😂🙏🏼

Thank you⚪🌹⚪

Absolutely fascinating. It's easy to see where George R.R. Martin got some of his ideas from. Thanks for posting.

@laurieleannie

10 ай бұрын

Yes, the original books were based off of the War of the Roses. I saw an interview with him. However…. When you read the books and then watch the series, it is very much taken “off script” to appeal to a wider audience. Difficult to digest if you had read the books first!😊

@sputumtube

10 ай бұрын

@@laurieleannie Agreed. There's nowhere near the degree of unnecessary violence and cruelty in the books. If you remove the dragons, magic, zombies and ten-year winters, medieval England was actually worse than G.O.T..!! 😶

@Monicaerikarita

2 ай бұрын

Because of my weird obsession with these few centuries in England I knew it was the case before I ever heard an interview from him…the worst part is some of the most brutal and disgusting parts of the books are probably not even as horrifying as the real life setting

How did Henry VI survive for a year in a catatonic state? How did he not die of dehydration or starvation? Was he force fed?

@Monicaerikarita

2 ай бұрын

From what I have read, certainly until they could no longer hide it, he was at first moved with a very small household and kept away from the public. Yes, force fed in a way. For the most part with broths and other fortified liquids, tinctures, etc. They came up with essentially a wheelchair with straps, but that had a cut out for him to urinate and defecate to make cleaning him easier. This is all a hobby for me so I don’t know which sources are most true, but it seems they essentially tortured him as they were absolutely desperate to wake him.

good video.

Im not from the UK but their history is some of the most interesting imo.

Englands never had a good ruler til Mr Bean! He brought peace to the land and happiness aplenty

It's clear it's York's fault. He crossed the line, the point of no return. As Queen, she should be supported. In a Monarchy, it's always dangerous when nobles act on what they think is right. They are there to serve the crown.

Ultimately one of the reasons A Song of Ice and Fire/Game of Thrones is so loved in my history circles of friends is because of how much it takes from this era of history. It’s truly one of the most fascinating eras in human history.

Standard story of history. The old guard sits in squalor and then someone new shakes things up and they lose their minds.

Great video... I feel sorry for Henry VI, and later on for Margareth, I doubt that Richard of York had such noble intentions.. He might have convince himself that he did, but that's it.

12:12 is that Stannis Baratheon at home edition 😂

Is there a part two? I couldn't find it.

This is where the song London Bridge is Falling Down, my fair lady… came from. ☺️

Thanks.

Henry VI's ineptitude may have unleashed bloodshed, but had his grandfather The Usurper not stolen the throne there would have been no bloodshed to unleash in the first place. The Lancastrians are IMO some of the greatest villains of English history.

@markfinlay422

10 ай бұрын

Why? What made Henry IV a bad king compared to Richard II?

@edkozak1797

10 ай бұрын

@@markfinlay422 Never said Henry IV was a bad king, just that he had no Right to be king in the first place.

Micklegate is the name of the street, the gate structure is Micklegate Bar

2:46 Hello, Wilhelm!

Henry’s like a kid in a custody battle 😂

Wilhelm scream at 2:45 😂

Just read Dan Jones fiction book Essex Dogs about the Crecy campaign. Highly recommend.