Henry VI enthroned (Royal MS 15 E vi), 1444, British Library, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Henry_VI_enthroned_-_British_Library_Royal_MS_15_E_vi_f405r_(detail).jpg
I’m working my way through all of the English/British kings we haven’t yet covered, and we’re now at King Henry VI (1421-71). He’s the king who had mental breakdowns, in part leading to the Wars of the Roses. Thus, he reigned from 1422 (only 8 months old!) to 1461 and again from 1470 to 1471, and was the disputed King of France from 1422 to 1453. He was shy and not into military stuff, and England suffered major losses of French lands during his era. He was married to the strong and formidable Margaret of Anjou, and their son Edward was killed in a battle against Edward IV, who is the king Henry VI struggled against for power.
Henry eventually died in the Tower of London, possibly having been murdered under the orders of Edward IV.
We’ve only got four productions including Henry that I can’t find images for:
- James Berry in Richard III (1911)
- Terry Scully in An Age of Kings (1960)
- Carl Wery in Richard III. (1965)
- Edward Jewesbury in Richard III (1995)
Otherwise, here we go!
Miles Mander in Tower of London (1939)
“In the 15th century Richard Duke of Gloucester, aided by his club-footed executioner Mord, eliminates those ahead of him in succession to the throne, then occupied by his brother King Edward IV of England” per IMDB.
David Warner in Henry VI/Edward IV (The Wars of the Roses) (1965)
Filmed versions of Shakespeare’s plays.
Peter Benson in BBC Television Shakespeare:Â The First Part of Henry the Sixt/The Second Part of Henry the Sixt/The Third Part of Henry the Sixt/The Tragedy of Richard IIIÂ (1983)
More filmed versions of Shakespeare’s plays!
Tom Sturridge in The Hollow Crown (2012-16)
Yet MORE filmed versions of Shakespeare’s plays.
David Shelley in The White Queen (2013)
Henry shows up as a minor character in this adaptation of a Philippa Fucking Gregory novel about Elizabeth Woodville, wife/queen of Edward IV.
Which is your favorite depiction of King Henry VI on screen?
Last crown on Shelley looks more like pasteboard with plastic gems than metal but maybe that’s just my read.
Well it IS Philippa Fucking Gregory, so…
I watched the 1960s Age of Kings on British telly, and remembered Terry Scully as Henry. He was touching as a good man, unable to cope with his horrible times. In over his head.
Unrelated: is that Alan Badel kneeling in the Tower of London still?
Of all the Man Crush Mondays, this might be the one with the least pounds-per-inch crush power: I’m reasonably confident poor Harry VI might actually be the least sexy King of England (At least amongst all those who did not die a minor and are therefore not already disqualified from consideration).
The man’s love life was held to be such an urban legend that his wife had a baby and half England could not be convinced it was his, which says something (Though admittedly a significant part of that half had an ulterior motive for doing so).
😂😂😂
My thought exactly!
Peter Benson looks right for Henry, who was mentally ill (his maternal grandfather was Charles VI of France, a possible schizophrenic–certainly unable to rule much of the time). Henry’s illness manifested as catatonia and an apparent inability to lead or make decisions. A nice guy, regarded as saintly by some, but no king, not that Shakespeare could be too forthcoming about all this.
You could also add in Edward Jewesbury as Henry IV in Ian McKellen’s 1930ish Richard III.
Sorry for the above. I misread the intro. Edit it as necessary.
No worries! :)