Shadow King: The Life and Death of Henry VI

by Lauren Johnson

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

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

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

Genres: History, Biography, Nonfiction, Medieval History, Medieval, British Literature, European History

736 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2019

About the author

Lauren Johnson grew up in Bristol and now lives in London. She studied History at Oxford University, taking a Double First. Her Masters in Medieval Historical Research explored the impact of the Wars of the Roses on noblewomen.

Lauren's latest book explores daily life in the first year of Henry VIII's reign: SO GREAT A PRINCE, ENGLAND AND THE ACCESSION OF HENRY VIII (Head of Zeus). Dan Jones has called it "a gripping and important work from a very talented new writer."

Lauren’s debut novel THE ARROW OF SHERWOOD (Pen & Sword Fiction) draws on her research experience to root the myth of Robin Hood in the brutal, complex reality of the twelfth century. Professor Nigel Saul described it as "an original modern re-working of the medieval tale, avoiding anachronisms while offering rich period detail." Dr Annie Gray said: "The retelling of this most English myth feels entirely fresh and new."

Sharing her passion for history with tens of thousands of visitors, Lauren is Research Manager for a costumed interpretation company based at major heritage sites including the Tower of London and Hampton Court Palace. In this capacity she has interpreted everything from the Anglo-Norman world to Charles Dickens’s London with the courts of Henry VIII and Henry II looming large in between. She has also spoken at academic conferences and given talks in libraries and museums nationwide.

Reviews

[Geevee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Henry VI was the last Lancastrian ruler of England, and the period of his reign and life, 1422 to 1471 (reigned 1422-61 and 1470-71) is a big and wide-ranging story that has received due attention and skilful telling from Lauren Johnson.

The only son of Henry V, the "Shadow King" came to the throne aged just nine months after his father's death, and until 1431 a regency council reigned in his name. His childhood saw him groomed for kingship in both military skills, literature and arts and, naturally for this period, the Church.

Surrounded by strong, powerful and ambitious men Henry VI was overshadowed in all but name; his decisions and proclamations were those of his council. King of a dual-monarchy, England and France, his seat was powerful, rich and owing to its size and history subject to treaties, alliances and much discontent at its borders. Thus it required a king of confidence, strong personality and one who would maintain order and make war if needed.

Yet Henry VI was none of these.

He was different in every way to his famed father. Pious, devoted to religion, forgiving and easily led (or perhaps unwillingly pliant to not create tension), he made poor choices with his advisors, and was seen as weak, unable to crush dissent and swipe away power struggles in his court or project power within his two kingdoms.

His marriage to Margaret of Anjou bore him a son, Edward. His wife, as this story shows was loyal, strong-willed and spent her married life's work seeking to maintain, restore and rescue Henry's place on the throne. His son was the great hope but like much this star was also one that finally faded. Across the stage we see men of stature and power: York, Warwick, Somerset and many others clash and treat and clash. This period - for a king who is peaceful and unambitious - sees sieges and ambushes and battles at St. Albans (twice), Barnet, Northampton, Tewksbury and the bloody Towton amongst others.

Ultimately, we have a man who was unsuited to his born role, who fell into mental illness losing his French kingdom, and the pale of Calais, and saw the Wars of the Rose spread across England leading to his downfall and imprisonment. His reign with its rivalries and alliances finally sees Edward IV take the throne

This is a very good book where Lauren Johnson has put together the events backed up and stitched together by good sources and detail. Her ability to "tell a story" turns this from being a interesting account of Henry, where she is unsparing of his failings but displays sympathy to a flawed and ultimately unsuited man for kingship. Highly readable and fast-paced the narrative delivers a enjoyable and illuminating story.

I look forward to her next book, and hope she turns her skills to the Plantagenets rather than the more popular Tudors (note her first book is of the year of Henry VIII's accession in 1509).

[Alan Tomkins · Rating 5 out of 5]

Magnificent. The research is not only impeccable, but Lauren Johnson writes beautiful and evocative narrative history, resulting in a fascinating and fast paced medieval soap opera of a book filled with high stakes political drama, nefarious scheming, bloody warfare, and so many shocking plot twists that one can almost forget that this is actual history and not a fiendishly clever novel. I knew nothing about King Henry VI or the Wars of the Roses before I read this book. Johnson succeeds at bringing Henry to life in these pages. Like his contemporaries, I found myself exasperated at his incompetent, inattentive, misguided, and utterly ineffective rule, yet I couldn't help but regard him with compassion due to his guileless, pious, kind-hearted, generous, and forgiving nature. Henry spectacularly failed to live up to the hopes and promise of what a boy king should grow up to accomplish; in fact his reign was a series of unmitigated disasters. But his subjects who witnessed this first hand refused, for a remarkably long time, to deprive him of his throne. As the author points out: "exasperation with his rule was consistently tempered by affection for Henry himself." And all around him the most vicious political and military plots were hatched and carried out by advisors, noblemen, and bishops (lords temporal and spiritual, as they were called). Apparently during the fifteenth century, there was nothing incongruous about being pious and ruthlessly self-serving. That Henry was killed by a usurper did not surprise me at all. Curiously, the fact that after his murder a cult sprang up that venerated him as an unofficial saint seemed to make sense to me, too. And that even after his death, those in power, and those who sought to acquire and hold power, manipulated and used Henry for their own ends just as they had throughout his whole life. All of this is rendered in vivid prose that is a joy to read. Reading this book by a first rate historian who is also a gifted writer has been a real treat. And though my reading preference has traditionally tended toward American history, I am now hooked on English medieval history and can't wait to dig in deeper. I'll definitely read more by Lauren Johnson (So Great a Prince is on my reading list now), and books by Marc Morris, Ian Mortimer, and Jeffrey James have caught my attention, too...plenty of good reading ahead. Fascinating stuff, I'm telling you.

[Emma · Rating 5 out of 5]

Top quality history.

Review to come...

[Carolina Casas · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wish there were more works like this. Henry VI is a king who is seen in an extremely simplistic way. He is either an idiot, a puppet who deserves all the bad rap he gets because he could not control his own house, or a softy who born in the wrong time period.
When you finish reading this book, you will find that these simplistic portrayals have nothing to do with the real Henry VI. Actions, contemporary records, and the people around him speak louder than these fictitious portrayals.

I always like to think of what-ifs. As a kid, I never stopped visiting the land of alternative history and Henry VI, being one of those historical figures that has always intrigued me and I continue to feel a lot of empathy for, I can't help but ask myself once again what would have happened IF Henry V had lived? Or better yet, what IF, Henry VI did not have such a strict, controlled upbringing?

England had a terrible record of child kings. Henry VI was the youngest monarch ever to ascend to the throne so preparations had to begin immediately to assert his authority. As much as Henry V was meticulous in his will, it couldn't override human nature. What begun as a promising rule, thanks to Henry V's victories and Henry VI's transition to power ended in disaster, murder and mayhem.

Yet, despite Henry V's insecurities, he was an intellectual prodigy who could be ruthless if need be, but it his inability to find a way to balance his need of mercy and educational goals with the harsh realities of what the country needed -and expected- of him.

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

The title of Lauren Johnson’s biography of Henry VI of England is supremely apt. Henry VI is difficult to pin down, sometimes celebrated as the saintly pacifist or derided as a doddering, mad fool. He was the third Lancastrian king, inheriting his throne and the half-fought war with France at a mere nine months of age. At eight, he was crowned king of both France and England, but by the time he was murdered in 1471, he was not yet fifty and had lost both crowns and become a prisoner of the Yorkist king Edward IV. His life has been filtered down to us through lenses of Yorkist, Lancastrian and Tudor propaganda, sometimes verging into literal hagiography, and as a result, his real life and character is difficult to discover, much less understand.

Johnson makes a masterful effort to set out his story and there is no doubt that Shadow King is an impressive work. With over 700 pages, over 40 chapters, and an exploration of events from 1415 to the beginnings of Tudor rule, there is a lot of information here. Yet Johnson’s writing is clear, vivid and exceptionally readable. With relatively short chapters that are written with hooks to grab the reader’s attention and interest, it is very easy to get caught up in the history and events and read several chapters before taking a break. Furthermore, not once did I feel I was lost in the events or the myriad of characters that populate it – though, if you are, there is an appendix with brief biographies of the important figures to help you keep track.

Johnson’s biography is a narrative history. This means we see less of historians’ debates on what happened or the obvious correction of misconceptions, and the people who lived and breathed during these times are more overtly characterised based on Johnson’s interpretations. This is not a bad thing – it is merely one approach to setting out a history and one that tends to be more accessible to general readers.

I know fairly little about the Wars of the Roses, but I personally enjoyed the way Johnson covered it and its lead-up. I have sometimes found it very depressing to go searching for books about the Wars of the Roses and trying to avoid those that are overtly Yorkist, Tudor or Lancastrian in their approach and bias (this is why I know little about it), but Johnson’s approach appears quite fair to all involved, with no one demonised and the flaws and mistakes of Margaret of Anjou and Henry VI clearly signposted. There is also very little in the way of speculation, even on “they must have felt this” or “perhaps they did that” side of things.

In fact, Johnson’s work was the first time I’d ever warmed up to Margaret of Anjou. I have wanted to for a long time but never found anything that really worked until I read Johnson’s exploration of her character.

Where Johnson’s work fell down for me, however, is in her coverage of the early years of Henry VI’s reign. This is a time period that I know a little more about and perhaps where my biases come to play. But in this section, I really felt Johnson’s narrative lacked a nuanced take on the history and that it came down the propagation of Johnson’s theory that it was some of Henry’s issues were the result of him having to arbitrate between his warring uncles from a young age and that the uncles would not have been warring if Humphrey, Duke of Gloucester hadn’t been such a ambitious, ill-tempered failure.

It’s not that Johnson’s characterisation is necessarily wrong, it just seems to veer towards a very simplistic idea that Gloucester was the architect of all strife in the realm and the bad guy of Henry’s childhood. There is no room for nuance or even the suggestion that Gloucester’s well-known devotion to the memory and policies of Henry V might be in play in relation to his intractability and inability to adapt to or accept the Beaufort agenda that ultimately led to his disgrace and death. If you read, say, Malcolm Vale’s excellent Henry V: The Conscience of a King, he cites Gloucester over and over again promoting Henry V’s policies and attitudes towards the war with France in Henry VI’s reign, in direct opposition to the Beauforts. Gloucester doesn’t have to be an ambitious bore to want to continue that war, but rather a man who was trying to follow his beloved (and almost superhuman) brother’s policies long after he was dead and unable to accept that the war was unsustainable and unwinnable.

I was also disappointed that, despite most historians doubting the veracity of the accusations against Gloucester’s wife, Eleanor Cobham, Johnson presents them as true and accurate without even mentioning any dissenting views. This can be a drawback to narrative history – the author can just gloss over debates without ever explaining why they made that decision. Separate from the question of Eleanor’s guilt or innocence, Johnson does not mention the intriguing fact that Henry VI continued to send Eleanor presents during her imprisonment. It’s a facet that shows how complicated Henry was and seems to stand in contrast to Johnson’s characterisation of Henry’s fearful, vengeful reaction to Eleanor’s alleged treason, so it would have been interesting to see what she made of that.

Yet these are relatively small issues when looking at the books overall – Shadow King is really a towering achievement and – thankfully – avoids ableist language when discussing Henry VI’s mental illnesses. It is sympathetic without verging into vilifying (most) other historical figures around Henry and seems quite fair in its characterisation of those involved in the Wars of the Roses.

[Meg - A Bookish Affair · Rating 4 out of 5]

"The Shadow King" is an extensive look at the life of Henry VI, a monarch who came to power at a critical time in history. In his early life, he inherited both the crown of England and France. By the end of his life, England had fallen into chaos as warring factions fought over the throne in the War of the Roses. Between these two time periods lived a man who is sometimes characterized as a pacifist and sometimes mad. This book seeks to shed light on the in between with great success. This is a very thorough and well-written account of Henry VI's life and his death.

I think this is the first time that I've read a biography of Henry VI. What a complicated man! Depending on who was writing his story, you get a lot of different opinions. Because of his involvement with the War of the Roses, you get a lot of looks through a biased lens depending on who is writing about him. Was he well-intentioned? Why did he fail so badly? What led to such mismanagement and squandering of his power? Did he cause his own dark circumstances at the end of his life or was he more of a victim? I appreciated that Johnson shows so many sides of this man and the people that surrounded him.

This book would be a great pick for those that know a lot about Henry VI and those, like me, who know very little. The writing style is very accessible for such a heady topic. I liked how Johnson was able to weave so much detail into something that felt almost story like. She describes Henry's circumstances in such a way that you can imagine what he and some of the secondary characters are going through as England descends into chaos.

This book was absolutely fascinating! Johnson's portrait of Henry VI is well-researched and well-rounded. I am looking forward to seeing what else she writes!

[Anisha Inkspill · Rating 4 out of 5]

If I hadn’t read Dan Jones book last year this would have been tough. There are a lot of names that I am still grappling with, and several Henrys to keep a track of. A book like this, that is annotated and has a scholarly feel sounds intimidating but I found it easier read than I thought I would.

Lauren Johnson starts with the funeral of Henry V and how his 9-month-old son would be the next king. The guidance he receives from others to be king he never shakes off and comes into his own. The impression I’ve been given of Henry VI is a weak man who is easily led, but reading this book I see this is too simplistic a view. Lauren Johnson shows that when it mattered to Henry VI, he was not that easily pushed.

I would have liked more social context but overall, I found this to be an interesting read, especially how the civil war, that would be later dubbed as Wars of the Roses, came about.

[Medhat The Fanatic Reader · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 solid stars

My favorite subject at school has always been History, and my favorite period remained to be the medieval.
More than a decade of remaining far from the subject of this period, my thirst and curiosity to learn more about the medieval never ceased, but paused.

Having fallen in love with the world of Game of Thrones and the unquestionable influence of the medieval period to it, sparked my interest in an explosive flame.

When I read The Shadow King: The Life And Death of Henry VI, I never expected it to become one of my top favorite books of 2019, and my favorite History book of all-time.

Historian Lauren Johnson writes History with unquestionable passion and remarkable vividness that I felt deeply attached to each and every character and sets of events.

I was immersed for hours and hours, more like tranced, as I dived into 15th Century England, and a world of constant wars, lust for power, and tyrants and innocents.
Although subtitled The Life And Death of Henry VI, the title itself “Shadow King” speaks truly about how this book explored King Henry VI. He was in the shadows at the cost of the powerful personalities who sometimes contributed more to his reign than he did.

Many of his decisions born out of naivety, a great sense of forgiveness, and constant mental-problems shaped the fall of his reign and started War of the Roses, but we cannot say it’s only his decisions that led House Lancaster to fall. His uncle, Duke of Gloucester, friends who betrayed his trust like the Duke of Burgundy, and many more who were greedy for more power and money, who have also led to many losses.

It was a pleasing surprise to read about Joan of Arc within the pages of this book, since I started reading a couple of pages in her biography and then put it aside because I wanted to read about the background of France during that timing online in order to understand who is who.

Thanks to this book, and the way it’s written in sharp and clear narration, I feel more deeply in love with History than I ever did before. It’s a real blessing that I was able to reignite my passion to the history of this dark period through this one book.

[Liviu · Rating 5 out of 5]

very engrossing and quite a fast read despite its length

[Paula · Rating 2 out of 5]

As other reviewers have pointed out,it's a "list of facts",a "description of events",with little or no analysis.Well researched? Definitively. Iluminating and engaging? Sadly no.

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book, even if it took me a while to read cause I gave other books priority over it. On that topic, this book did drag in places for me, I saw other reviews where people said they completely powered through it but I only did that in a couple of places. I think cause there was just so much groundwork to lay for understanding every single conflict and where the War of The Roses came from. The book's timeline is roughly 1415 to 1471 which is a lot of groundwork to cover. However, besides how long it took me to read it, I really enjoyed this book!

This book gave me everything I wanted and more! A lot of the problems I had with The War of The Roses by Dan Jones were completely remedied in this book!

I liked Johnson's writing style, I think she effectively used direct quotes from primary sources well.

I like how she has extremely descriptive beginnings to her chapters, it really sucks you in and it sounds pretty.

Richard of York is extremely interesting in how arrogant he was while still being on the "right" side. Like that part when York returns to London in triumph and strides all the way up to the empty chair of the king in front of parliament and stands right in front of it(which is a big no-no, nobody goes on the dais unless you're king). The only way I describe my feelings towards that scene is OHOHOHO

I really enjoyed how Johnson tackled Henry's character and personality. She made him a real 3-dimensional person instead of "the shadow on the wall." It's quite tragic how devoted to peace Henry was and how much bloodshed happened for/because of him.

This book is really interesting to me in that it's basically a case study of how the lessons and principles you learn in your formative years define your entire life. Henry's actions make sense with how he was raised and what he saw as a child that told him how the world worked.

I REALLY enjoyed how Johnson wrote about Margaret of Anjou because unlike some other authors *cough* Dan Jones *cough*, Margaret of Anjou was not tyrannical, she was an extremely driven woman in a world that despised her for this. And like Henry, Johnson portrays Margaret as an actual real person with extremely clear motivations.

Johnson uses the perfect word in the prologue to describe Margaret, indefatigable. She was indefatigable, she never gave up(until Tewkesbury). And all I gotta say about Johnson's portrayal of Margaret is that THAT'S WHAT YOU GET WHEN A WOMEN WRITES ABOUT ANOTHER WOMAN.

Anyways, if Margaret was a man a lot more people would like her and be a lot more sympathetic to her........

I suppose one of the main takeaways from this is that Johnson knows how to effectively portray historical figures as real people like her writing might get me to read her book about Henry VIII and i fucking hate that guy.

This book was really good! Johnson's writing is captivating and the character study is really good.

[Sasha]

If you are looking for a chronology of the Wars of the Roses, this biography may be a good place to start, as the book is really a series of descriptions of events.

Unfortunately there was almost no analysis of the personalities of the time or the relationships between, for example, Margaret of Anjou and Henry. The author does not explain the reasons for action and antipathy between players. Why did the Duke of York rebel? There is no explanation. He just did. There is no mention, for example, of the money owed to York by the Crown when York was in France, which I have read in other histories was one of the causes of the rupture.

There is mention of “lawlessness” but no examples of the deterioration of civil order. No description of Henry’s day-to-day life. No description or analysis of the decisions made by Henry’s councillors that caused unrest and anger in the populace. Very few references to contemporary sources or quotes. Mention is made of Henry travelling far and wide to arbitrate disputes. If there are records of any of those proceedings, it would have been interesting to have details of some of the disputes to gauge what sort of decision he made. Was it wise? Too generous? Too conciliatory? We are told that he was too generous and too conciliatory but without examples it is difficult to get a sense of the man or the time.

Ms Johnson’s writing style is great and despite my frustrations I read to the end. If I had not known anything else about the Wars of the Roses, I would have concluded after reading this book that the whole saga was solely a power play amongst the elite. Of course that was part of it, but the complexities beyond greed and personal ambition were not explored. Henry remains a shadow.

[Elena · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is heavily endorsed by Dan Jones and this should have made me raise an eyebrow. But, all considered, it was not a bad book. Just not great. It is informative and interesting, and has some nice twists. I found the author a little too biased: Henry is described as an innocent man, peaceful, understanding, sympathetic, victim of others. While that could be partially true, I think there's much more to Henry, and he certainly could be pretty ruthless and petty sometimes. Also, at least until some point, I don't think he was merely a victim of others. On the other hand, the Duke of York is treated pretty harshly: he's cunning, ambitious, choleric, uncompromising, which I'm sorry I don't think it utterly suits the Duke, who tolerated and tolerated for so long. With this bias towards the Lancastrians I was scared to read about Henry's death, but with my great surprise the author clears Richard of Gloucester of it, and correctly states that even if Richard had to carry Edward's orders as High Constable, the responsibility of the deed restes solely on Edward IV's shoulders. Pheraphs mentioning the possibility of Henry dying of natural causes would have been better, or at least not giving the murder thesis as an absolute truth. Anyway I was little disappointed when, in a brief overview at the ending, she discard Richard's accession as usual, "usurpation", "nephew likely killed" and so on. And finally, the author starts every chapter with a fictional account, and what made me smile is that when is Kendall novelizing his writing he's just a romantic Ricardian, when it's done on the other side of the fence is apparently alright.

[Leslie Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

Johnson brings to life a wide cast of characters and manages to make a complicated period comprehensible. This biography is well-written, lively and fast-paced despite its length. I've read three biographies of Henry VI in the past six months and this is by far the most readable. Johnson makes a tragic king with fragile mental health into a fully-fleshed, if rather sad, central character in a tale of Lady Fortune's indifferent wheel's turning. Recommended.

[Jacob Stelling · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another annoying incidence of getting 60% of the way through the book to find the rest references and indices!

On the whole, a strong book in a very crowded field looking at the Wars of the Roses and the reigns of Henry VI/Edward IV. Interestingly this author chooses to focus on the personality of Henry VI and judge the impact on his kingship, but focuses more on his traits and interestingly suggests that prior to his mental collapse of 1553, Henry VI was becoming a king worthy of the legacy of his father.

[Clare Snow]

How I love the follies of medieval royalty - the wars, the beheadings, the games of musical thrones.

"Henry was forgiving to the point of political folly."

Poor Henry, never caught a break.

[KAdelaide · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ive carried this book around for literally months now but i finally finished it- it was a great and interesting read. Easily 5 stars. Every time I picked it up there was a new gem to learn and digest. The book begins with  Henry V and his son Henry VI and richly describes how life turns out- I learned so much about Henry VI and Margaret of Anjou. The book was very sympathetic to Henry. And even Margaret. You really feel sorry for him though. Also, unusually, the book wasn't all that bad on Richard III either. Usually Richard is blamed for Henry's death, but the author was a bit more objective.

Some fun facts I collected from the book:
Margaret of Anjou married Henry by Proxy, in France. Henry wasn't even there! They later got properly married in London.

Henry gave Margaret a Lion for a wedding present.

Warwick was considered a war hero, a famous "living knight". He was also a bit of a pirate off the coast of France.

Interesting description of Margaret of Anjour and her son Edward spending Christmas in France in exile. Her father put her up in a castle and her brother lived nearby.

I didn't know that Warwick was not at Edward IV side at the Battle of Tewkesbury.  I always thought he was.

Henry Tudor met Henry VI age 13 and was influenced by him at this meeting. Apparently Henry VI had become quite a fortune teller and prophesied at 13 Henry VII becoming something significant "This truly, this is he unto whom both we and our adversaries must yield and give over the dominion." Henry VI met with Tudor and his mother, but was too tired to eat with them.

Warwick's body and his brothers was openly displayed in St Paul's when he was killed after Barnett.

Edward briefly lost Henry VI at Battle of Barnet before he found him again...

Prince Edward (Henry VI son) was killed running away, crying out for help from George, Duke of Clarence. This is from contemporary sources. It was only later sources that say Edward was dragged before Edward IV and k8lled by Richard.

19 men were execXxted. , condemned by Richard III. They were dragged out the church after 2 days.  This was on the orders of Edward.

36 milirary men were in attendance at the Tower of London the night of Henry VI death, besides Richard. If he was condemmed- the order came from Edward IV.  Objective words of Richard was written by the author, not really blaming him.

Margaret of Anjour commissioned a book 'Le Temple de Bocace' to be written about her life of misfortune and unjust criticism. I had no idea.

Margaret's will - Margaret left her highly prized hunting dogs to ger faithful servant. But King Louis XI  overturned this- he wanted them as payment for her burial. Margaret died penniless.

Henry VI body was moved to Windsor by Richard III.  In 1910 it was noticed someone had stolen Henry's right arm. He is missing an arm in his final resting place. Maybe kept as a holy relic.

A wrought iron money box is still there by Henry VI grave til this day. Pilgrims could literally  "pay their respects". Henry VI was supposed to be moved to Westminster (lot of wrangling) but it was left to Henry VIII in the end-  and he had other interests such as leaving the Catholic church(!). So it never happened.

Great book. Recommend.

[Mercedes Rochelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an extremely well-written biography about Henry VI. As expected, especially during his minority, the story concerns what his uncles and advisors are doing, rather about the boy himself. As a child, he is totally in the shadows, but the struggle continues as to who will control him. The first third of the book is preoccupied with the ongoing conflict between the Duke of Gloucester (youngest brother of Henry V) and Cardinal Beaufort, uncle to Henry V. Gloucester’s antagonism created many problems, and overall went against England’s interests, especially in France.

The war in France started downhill when Joan of Arc came on the scene, instilling the French with new hope, leading them to victory and convincing the dauphin Charles to crown himself in Reims. The English responded with their own coronation, first in England then in Paris, so young Henry became king of both countries—at least as far as the English were concerned. He was all of seven years old. But as king he started attending councils and even parliament, and though he was seen as a serious and even intelligent child, he was content to do as he was told. It became a habit, all the way into adulthood. But by his teenaged years, he loved giving gifts, grants of land, and pensions, and his generosity was becoming a drain on the exchequer. In this respect, he wouldn’t be governed. In another respect, his will was becoming clearer and clearer: young Henry VI wanted peace. And this policy was in direct conflict with his father’s legacy.

The biggest take-away from this book was that the author laid the blame for many of the most damaging mistakes directly on Henry’s shoulders. For instance, the Duke of Suffolk was blamed for the disastrous policy of giving away the county of Maine in exchange for the privilege of Henry marrying Margaret of Anjou. But according to Johnson, Suffolk was acting under Henry’s direct orders; he couldn’t have made these momentous decisions on his own. In the end, the duke was condemned for the negotiations and eventually it led to his exile (and death). Henry’s incapacity to negotiate for his own benefit, his indecisive behavior, his inability to see the consequences of his behavior left a trail of casualties in his wake. As Henry apparently never fully recovered from his psychotic incident, his queen felt obliged to step into his shoes, so to speak. She was already too deep in duplicity and partisanship to smooth over divisions between the great nobles. The broken government became paralyzed, and the horrors of civil war followed. By then, Henry was everyone’s puppet king, and the author mused that he surely must have viewed the tragedy of his life with dismay. “It is a terrible irony that a man so devoted to peace was the trigger for the bloodiest battle in English history.” Even though Henry VI was the subject of this book, he is not depicted as a hero, nor is he whitewashed in any way. His faults are laid bare, and his good points, few though they were, were also presented rationally and fairly. In the end, we see a man just not suited for the position that was thrust upon him, and for that I think we feel more pity than censure.

[Rob Dogaru · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good work that could have been great if it wasn't so unsure of itself.

Shadow King is a very engaging read which I breezed through (by my standards anyway), and definitely by the standards of quite dense, detail-filled narrative history. However, it may be because my brain absorbed so much detail across the 570 pages of the book in such a short space of time that by the end it felt like I was just trying to get to the end.

One of my biggest pet peeves in history book reviews is when people say "it feels like the author is just listing one event after the other" - that kind of is what history is! - but by the end of Shadow King, I started to understand this sentiment. While I whizzed through the first 300 or so pages, which struck a good balance between narrative, detail, and analysis for me, once we get to the meat of the Wars of the Roses it feels like it does somewhat become a list of names, events, and battles.

Crucially, I feel like these latter chapters lack an analysis of Henry's character and decision-making in key moments. Paradoxically, this is an issue from the moment Henry begins his adult rule - it seems the section on his minority give more analysis on his burgeoning character than the chapters when he is truly ruling. In my opinion, this lack of analysis is due to the book being quite unsure of what it's trying to do: is it a biography of Henry VI, or a more general history of the times he lived through? At points it does feel like he is a peripheral character, which does in a sense mirror the real life situation in this period (especially as we get to the Wars of the Roses), but does not work particularly well in a book presenting itself as a biography of his life.

Ultimately, my biggest criticism of the book is that I did not come away from it with a much improved understanding of Henry VI the man. If anything he seems more of a 'Shadow King' than before - undoubtedly that is because of the character of the man himself, but I can't help but think it's also because of a lack of analysis of his decision-making, personality, and character.

The author also seems unsure of whether she's trying to write a popular history or a more academically-inclined work. While the book is written very well, and she does a truly great job of setting the scene at times, when key moments occur it feels like they are breezed through without analysis or an understanding of the magnitude of the moment. However, this fails on both the popular history and academic fronts as it does not provide the payoff and resolution that I look for as a popular history reader, or the analysis I look for in a more academic work. As a result, it feels like we don't truly understand the impact of these (often traumatic) key moments on Henry VI.

That being said, this was, for the most part, a very enjoyable and engaging read that brings this period of history to life. Unfortunately, it didn't quite bring Henry VI to life for me in the way that I expected.

[Jason Wilson · Rating 4 out of 5]

When Shakespeare’s Henry V kneels and prays before Agincourt, he is acutely aware that behind his kingship is the shadow of his Fathers deposition of Richard Ii, the biologically legitimate but unfit king .

As Henry VI acceded to power these issues resurfaced . The English grip on France receded and Henry failed to deal with corruption among his own lords. York saw their chance to strike back, and the wars of the roses began.

Henry slipped into periods of acute psychotic depression but he was neither a holy fool nor mad . He was, however, too much of a peace lover when a martial and divided age wanted otherwise. He was venerated with saint like devotion after his death, with rumours of miracles , and his brief restoration was helped by public disaffection with the high tax , low quality of life , warlike Yorkist regime

His reign is marked by others who made important moves . His Queen, Margaret of Anjou, effectively took control of both realm and resistance at different times , proving a formidable leader . Warwick, whose changing of sides proved vital to both Yorkist and Lancastrian success . The internal conflicts of France between France and Burgundy , traditional English supporters; these conflicts would lead both sides of the English wars into treaty with one or the other . And, of course , there is Joan of arc , a vital psychological figurehead for the French .

Keeping up with the tangled web of English noble families here isn’t easy ; just as modern political parties have factions so both sides here had families jockeying for position . Among these are the Greys, who came tantalisingly close by royal betrothal, which gives context to the later attempt with Jane.

Both fast paced and richly detailed, this is a coherent and deftly written portrait of an elusive king and his time .

[Magpie6493 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Happened upon this book by pure chance and I'm fairly happy about that since this has been one of my favorite history books I've read so far this year. The bibliography is massive, and im going to need to spend some time to sift through it.

Firstly, that was one hell of a well written first page.

Henry VI is an often overlooked historical figure in the war of the roses, at least in the sense that he almost always gets overshadowed by some of the larger personalities next to him. So reading a book that heavily focuses on not only him during that time but his rein as more of a whole was something I didn't expect to get as swept up in as I did.

Henry is the unfortunate example of the principal that every bad king from history isn't nessesarilly a tyrant and excessive mercy and lack of direct action in a monarch existing in an absolute monarchy can almost cause greater disorder. (dare I say king Louis XVI just a Lil on that one....)

Either way I'm not gonna wax too poetic when I'm not good at it lol.

If you're interested in this period you should definitely read this book. Also damn you game of thrones you even took the damn wheel analogy from an actual history thing.

[Siv30 · Rating 4 out of 5]

לסקירה מפורטת בעברית ואנגלית, קישור לבלוג שלי -

https://sivi-the-avid-reader.com/shad...

[Paul McCarthy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent biography of H6 brings some different perspectives to the Wars of the Roses

[Phoebe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another reviewer called this book magnificent, and it is. Not a brief or quick read, it deserves one's full attention, it is so beautifully researched and detailed. Read Philippa Gregory and you will get a very different picture of Henry VI--mentally ill, frail, inept, lost in prayer and unable to cope with the real world, managed by his wife and courtiers. Johnson offers a fresh portrait of a man who had kingship thrust upon him in infancy and whose generous spirit, lack of political guile, and dislike of conflict (in stark contrast to his warrior father, Henry V) made him ill-prepared for the times he lived in and the violence of the Wars of the Roses. Johnson says, "the fundamental difference between father and son was that Henry VI could neither rejoice in, nor justify, a victory that entailed suffering as his father could. His inclination for mercy and peace put him out of step with many of his contemporaries, and it is a terrible irony that a man so devoted to peace was the trigger for the bloodiest battle in English history." (28,000 soldiers died in one day at the Battle of Towton, 1461.) This is a respectful investigation into the life and death of one of the most misunderstood figures in history, whose founding of educational institutions continuing strong today (Eton College, Kings College, Cambridge, All Souls College, Oxford) really did make him a man out of step with his contemporaries. Well done and a core, authoritative title for collections.

[Liam · Rating 4 out of 5]

Worth reading even without much background on the subject matter. Lauren Johnson takes a very traditional point of view on the key moments from this time period, often to the point of presenting them as facts with little context on how they became tradition. That said, her writing of a narrative is fantastic and more than makes up for other shortcomings. She is extremely pro-Lancasterian, sometimes to a fault but other times to her credit. She attempts to humanize Henry VI, where in other sources he's dismissed with an almost macho distain. By doing this she hits on important aspects of Henry's unique circumstance at birth which shaped much of what he stood for as an adult. Henry's was raised on the rhetoric which placed him as an ultimate peacemaker amongst his people and to Herny this did not just mean his English people. He was born the king of both England and France in a time when the meaning of each of those countries is unrecognizable today. He was isolated as a child and somebody forgot to warn him that he was the king of a warlike people and it was his job to make war. It never goes too deep beyond the surface, but a well written sympathetic take on Henry VI. (He deserves at least one)

[Stephanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Popsugar reading challenge: A book with a neurodivergent main character

Been making my way through this book in fits and starts since early summer. This was my read by the pool book.

It’s a really good book although sometimes I got overwhelmed the sheer amount of tragedy and bad luck that befell this guy. Due to his passivity the book has to spend a lot of time lingering over other historical figures AKA the ones who were actually waging the battles or the diplomatic maneuvering. Those parts were definitely interesting but the book was most enjoyable when it was focusing on Henry and his mind set/personality/influences etc. Johnson really sells him as an interesting figure in his own right even if he didn’t have the temperament to be king. She really makes Margaret of Anjou come alive too.

Rather sad to end this one.

[Mark · Rating 5 out of 5]

Huge fan of 14th/15th century shenanigans. What a wild time. This is simply the best book on Henry VI. Other books are quick to label him a disaster or a fool just to add to his character but the author here makes no such judgements just listing the facts (from which we can judge for ourselves he may well have been a fool or a good person in the wrong period). If you are looking for a book to step into the Wars of the Roses from scratch this is a good one as everything is detailed nicely and those who are prominent players in the period are introduced nicely.

5*

[Justin Grant-Duff · Rating 4 out of 5]

The author of this new biography is a young graduate of History from Oxford. Her scholastic record is impressive and this book shows her thoroughgoing knowledge of the period. Several prestigious historians like Michael Prestwich and R A Griffiths have written extensively about this troubled king. While G A Harriss has composed a book that attempts to show that Henry VI's reign was instrumental in shaping the future English nation. Early 15th century life expectancy was quite low: plague, bread shortages, freezing winters, failed harvests, pestilence, and brutality or barbaric warfare all made life very precarious. Ms Johnson writes with a lyrical pen describing in prosaic form the colourful processions and courtly love of the period: putting together her knowledge from a lifetime of academic readings she draws a tableau of fascinating insights. London was a large city of 100,000 people, which the king rarely left except for Windsor Castle. He only once visited his kingdom of France, and then never went back. Perhaps that was because of the closely-held counsels of his uncles and legitimated cousins, the Beauforts. That the Suffolk - Beaufort peace party was favoured by Henry himself is exposed by his personal fraility, feebleness and reluctance to get involved in affairs of state. War is a catalyst for change: but Henry wanted less of it. Best for his bookishness and academic foundations, love of libraries and churches, it was a sensibility that only became a real challenge to the soldiers in his Council when he got married. Being father to a son and heir posed a real difficulty to the political plotters who emerged from the collapse of Lancastrian Normandy in 1449. But it was the death of General Talbot that prompted Henry's first of many mental breakdowns: perhaps his own frailty was a cause in itself for the paranoiac insecurity that he felt so acutely in public that it would enfeeble his mind and paralyse the power of speech. Catatonic, struck rigid by fear Henry became quite incapable of making a decision, and thus his own worst enemy. His weakness was a source of strength for a strongly domineering wife who quickly mastered the role of queenship. She was a fount of courage and fortitude, facing down his enemies at St Albans. The outbreak of hostilities was catastrophic for Henry personally, making him withdraw into his small dark world of uncertainties. Fragile at the best of times, Johnson builds on the former histories about the reign in describing the lawlessness and feuding that was largely to be landing at Henry's door. He would be blamed for the break down, not least by his cousin York, a charger champing at the bit, ready for more action. Always a bit of a brute, York was arrogant, swaggering, self-opinionated and prickly; yet he was also a prince of the blood who had served the Crown in France and Ireland with some courage and distinction. It was an unconstitutional impropriety to announce himself Lord Protector of the Realm but henry was nowhere to claim he could rule in his own name. The years after his son's birth in 1455 were one of declining fortunes for poor Henry. Johnson shows how a gentle man with a highly sensitive intellect was easily bruised, but was more resilient than given credit for.

The period like the man remains one of contradictions, at once revolutionary and yet achingly conservative. The Yorkists proved more professional and too energetic for Somerset's lacklustre attempts to defeat Henry's enemies in the field. But all his counsellors, evil or otherwise, were killed or murdered: Talbot, Suffolk, Somerset, Cromwell, even his uncle Humphrey none who supported the monarchy at this time seemed to have a guarantee for personal safety in the realm. In the end the Lancastrian House was snuffed out after the Readeption culminated in yet another invasion. It had begun with the unhappiness of the Usurpation, but poor Henry, after the murder of son Prince Edward, was left hungry and alone in the Tower before being despatched. A pitiable end for a man taken down by a brutal regime and era of virile violence among overmighty nobles.

A well-written and well-researched biography of a lesser-loved king but a reign of intrinsic importance in the development of the English monarchy. Henry VI's reign was the first of the modern kings which was born in the Renaissance out of dynastic squabbling, commercial expansion, an activist Commons, and aggressive nobility greedy for power. Ownership and responsibility played a big part in the moral dilemma presented to a king incapable of handling the crisis. Shakespeare wrote three books about the period immortalizing many of the historical characters that played such a part in bringing down a puppet king.

[Nick Artrip · Rating 4 out of 5]

I finally decided to tackle Shadow King: The Life and Death of Henry VI by Lauren Johnson following my previous reading of Christopher Allmand’s volume on Henry V. Going into this biography, I knew very little about Henry, the man. I knew plenty about the War of the Roses, but all I knew of Henry VI was that he was quite pious and had issues with mental illness. As Johnson writes in the prologue, “like a shadow he has been intangible in history and literature, seeming to disappear in the bright glow of the larger characters who surrounded him.” This certainly felt like the case in the first portion of this book. While I didn’t learn much about Henry in this section, it did nicely set up the tension of his reign, breaking down the Gloucester/Bedford/Beaufort squabbling and drawing on the anxiety surrounding a child-king in the “shadows” of Richard II. This section also clearly outlined the French issue and the problems Henry VI would encounter as king.

Things definitely improved as I moved into the second section titled “Adult Rule.” This section was full of great stuff, such as the marriage of Henry and Margaret of Anjou. The most interesting passages, for me, were about the Gloucester's downfall and the general reaction to the imprisonment of Eleanor Cobham. I also found myself absorbed in the chapter about Cade’s Rebellion, although this event seemed comparatively rushed against other events in the book. While this section used Henry reaching his majority to peel back the layers on his personality, he also seemed to once more recede into the shadows. Johnson does, however, use moments of inaction or questionable action to shine light on his character in a very effective way (treatment of Gloucester, division of Cornwall, underestimation of Richard of York.)

Just as Henry begins to truly assert his authority, we find ourselves in the third section starting in 1453 which introduces Henry’s first bout of catatonia. History can often make for very dry reading, but the way Johnson sets up the tension of the Neville-Percy feud, Margaret’s pregnancy, and the looming parliament definitely captured my attention. My imagination ran wild reading about the First Battle of St. Albans and the brutality that Henry must have witnessed. Although the text acknowledges that “Henry’s first taste of warfare came very late in life” (339) I couldn’t help but wonder what impact that must have had on his mental state, particularly after only recently emerging from a catatonic state and luckily Johnson was quick to connect the issues. I also found this section to be where I started to feel a human connection with the king. As civil war breaks out and he is treated as a puppet, it is difficult not to feel some sympathy for the monarch, despite his own role in his fate (it is made quite clear that he pushed the limits of clemency against his own favor.)

The fourth section opens with the Yorkist regime in control and Edward IV newly proclaimed as king. Although Henry seemingly remains hidden, this section does a wonderful job of documenting Margaret’s determination and early errors made by Edward IV during his reign. The fourth section and the conclusion to Johnson’s biography document the events surrounding the final days of Henry VI and certainly inspire pity for the man. I’m not sure he is fully pulled from the shadow in this text, but how could he be? This biography does, however, excel at creating a balanced and sympathetic portrait of its subject. I really enjoyed this volume and thought it did a phenomenal job of breaking down the War of the Roses and the circumstances that made conflict seem inevitable.

[David Allen Hines · Rating 5 out of 5]

Unlike any other ruler, William Shakespeare penned not one, not two, but three plays about tragic King Henry 6th. But like almost everything about this tragic ruler, Shakespeare's Henry 6th plays are largely forgotten, ignored, considered "minor" and you will search long and hard to find them in live performance.

I've read many books on the English kings, and many in particular on several of the "Henrys" especially the famous Henry 8th; his ruthless father Henry 7th and the warrior King Henry 5th. But I knew little about the weak, ill-remembered Henry 6th who nonetheless served for half a century, so I was intrigued to see this book, and even more glad I read it.

This book is very well-written, easy to read, and fascinating, lacking the scholarly tone or obtuse theories seen in so many books on the English monarchy. You need not be an expert on English history to read this book, and yet you will walk away very well informed on the history of the times of Henry VI.

Henry VI's father, Henry 5th, hero of Agincourt and a warrior king, never met his only son, falling ill and dying, leaving his son an infant king. And as such Henry 6th it seems was doomed from birth. For whatever reason the son of the awesome and powerful 5th was not his father's son, and grew up to be weak in mind, body, and more geared to pacificim than war. A king more unlike his father could not be imagined. I think one of the author's insights is right on-- Henry 6th was given the education of a king, but since his father died when he was still an infant, he never got to see how a king should actually behave. Weakness in a ruler of that time could never be succesful.

Throughout his reign, Henry 6th essentially had nonstop civil war. His strong wife led a faction trying to control him while other powerful families angled continously for power. Henry 6th himself was so weak minded he essentially went along with whomever controlled his household at the moment. Troops were sent into battle in his name to put down rebellion, but unlike kings of his time he himself never led them. His wife tried her best but the era was not one for strong female leaders. Little by little the families who backed Henry were cut down. It is in fact a miracle he lasted as long as he did. Ensued the War of the Roses as rival English familes fought for control of the throne.

Finally the Earl of March deposed Henry to become King Edward IV. Like Napolean, Henry would briefly be restored to power. But his recovery of his throne was just as brief. He was soon overthrown again, put into the Tower of London then said to be found dead in 1471. Almost certainly he was killed. In death he was stronger than in life, his gentle, anti-warlike nature was held to be saintlike although he never was made an actual saint. King Edward IV would go on to rule strongly, but lived hard and died young, leaving 2 young princes one who became King Edward V, but who both also "disappeared" being usurped by Edward's brother, who briefly became the evil King Richard III whose reign would be ended along with the War of the Roses when forces of Henry Tudor defeated him at Bosworth, and the reign of the Tudors began.

This is a magnificent, interesting, informative book about a tragic king who today is little studied. Any fan of English royal history will enjoy and benefit from reading this book. Highly recommended.