Regency Government of England 1422-1437
Encyclopedia
The Regency Government of England 1422-37 ruled while Henry VI
was a minor. Decisions were made in the king's name by the regency Council made up of the most important and influential government of England, and dominated by Henry IV's son Humphrey, Duke of Gloucester
and Bishop Henry Beaufort (Cardinal Beaufort from 1426), who was Henry V's half-uncle.
The Council soon split along lines of opposition and support to the continuation of the war in France. Gloucester had always been fervently in favour of finishing the war his brother had started in France and seeing it through to victory at any price. However, in the face of a resurgent French army led by Joan of Arc
, the crowning of the Dauphin as Charles VII
in 1429, it became clear that the French were gaining the upper hand and slowly expelling the English from their country. A peace party emerged led by Cardinal Beaufort, who saw the war as a drain on resources and unwinnable.
However, for most of the period 1422-37, the regency council was able to govern effectively and fairly. The splits became most evident towards the end. In 1433 Anne of Burgundy
died; she had been married to John, Duke of Bedford, Henry V's other brother, a marriage which was instrumental in maintaining the alliance between England and Burgundy
against France
. However, following her death, Bedford married Jacquetta of Luxemburg, which the Duke of Burgundy disapproved of and Burgundy made peace with France. With the loss of the alliance with Burgundy, Bedford became convinced that peace was the only solution, but at a conference arranged in Arras in 1435, the English delegation refused to give up their claim to the French throne. Bedford died just after the conference and was replaced with Richard, Duke of York
who did not favour the peace policy.
When Henry finally came of age in 1437, he took over at just about the worst time possible, when splits about the war and rivalries between the various nobles were at their deepest, the crown had huge war debts and there was general lack of leadership in the French territories which seemed to be slipping slowly but surely out of the English hands.
Henry VI of England
Henry VI was King of England from 1422 to 1461 and again from 1470 to 1471, and disputed King of France from 1422 to 1453. Until 1437, his realm was governed by regents. Contemporaneous accounts described him as peaceful and pious, not suited for the violent dynastic civil wars, known as the Wars...
was a minor. Decisions were made in the king's name by the regency Council made up of the most important and influential government of England, and dominated by Henry IV's son Humphrey, Duke of Gloucester
Humphrey, Duke of Gloucester
Humphrey of Lancaster, 1st Duke of Gloucester, 1st Earl of Pembroke, KG , also known as Humphrey Plantagenet, was "son, brother and uncle of kings", being the fourth and youngest son of king Henry IV of England by his first wife, Mary de Bohun, brother to king Henry V of England, and uncle to the...
and Bishop Henry Beaufort (Cardinal Beaufort from 1426), who was Henry V's half-uncle.
The Council soon split along lines of opposition and support to the continuation of the war in France. Gloucester had always been fervently in favour of finishing the war his brother had started in France and seeing it through to victory at any price. However, in the face of a resurgent French army led by Joan of Arc
Joan of Arc
Saint Joan of Arc, nicknamed "The Maid of Orléans" , is a national heroine of France and a Roman Catholic saint. A peasant girl born in eastern France who claimed divine guidance, she led the French army to several important victories during the Hundred Years' War, which paved the way for the...
, the crowning of the Dauphin as Charles VII
Charles VII of France
Charles VII , called the Victorious or the Well-Served , was King of France from 1422 to his death, though he was initially opposed by Henry VI of England, whose Regent, the Duke of Bedford, ruled much of France including the capital, Paris...
in 1429, it became clear that the French were gaining the upper hand and slowly expelling the English from their country. A peace party emerged led by Cardinal Beaufort, who saw the war as a drain on resources and unwinnable.
However, for most of the period 1422-37, the regency council was able to govern effectively and fairly. The splits became most evident towards the end. In 1433 Anne of Burgundy
Anne of Burgundy
Anne of Burgundy, Duchess of Bedford was a daughter of John the Fearless, Duke of Burgundy and his wife Margaret of Bavaria.-Marriage:...
died; she had been married to John, Duke of Bedford, Henry V's other brother, a marriage which was instrumental in maintaining the alliance between England and Burgundy
Duchy of Burgundy
The Duchy of Burgundy , was heir to an ancient and prestigious reputation and a large division of the lands of the Second Kingdom of Burgundy and in its own right was one of the geographically larger ducal territories in the emergence of Early Modern Europe from Medieval Europe.Even in that...
against France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
. However, following her death, Bedford married Jacquetta of Luxemburg, which the Duke of Burgundy disapproved of and Burgundy made peace with France. With the loss of the alliance with Burgundy, Bedford became convinced that peace was the only solution, but at a conference arranged in Arras in 1435, the English delegation refused to give up their claim to the French throne. Bedford died just after the conference and was replaced with Richard, Duke of York
Richard Plantagenet, 3rd Duke of York
Richard Plantagenêt, 3rd Duke of York, 6th Earl of March, 4th Earl of Cambridge, and 7th Earl of Ulster, conventionally called Richard of York was a leading English magnate, great-grandson of King Edward III...
who did not favour the peace policy.
When Henry finally came of age in 1437, he took over at just about the worst time possible, when splits about the war and rivalries between the various nobles were at their deepest, the crown had huge war debts and there was general lack of leadership in the French territories which seemed to be slipping slowly but surely out of the English hands.