I . Henry VI
(1421–71)
king of England (1422–61 and 1470–1) and son of Henry V . He was not popular, mainly because England finally lost the Hundred Years War while he was king. Opposition to him led to the Wars of the Roses , in which the House of Lancaster was defeated by the House of York and Henry was put in prison. As a result of this, Edward became king, but in 1470, with the help of the powerful Earl of Warwick, known as Warwick the Kingmaker, Henry became king again, but he was defeated once more in 1471. He was put in the Tower of London , where he was murdered, and Edward became king again. Henry established Eton College and King’s College , Cambridge.
II . Henry VI , Parts 1, 2 and 3
three plays ( c. 1590–92) by Shakespeare , set during the period of the Wars of the Roses . They are among Shakespeare’s earliest plays and some people believe that he may only have written parts of them.