Henry VI and the Politics of Kingship [Paperback]

John Watts (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 28, 1999

Henry VI (1422-61) was one of the most spectacularly inadequate kings of England, and his reign dissolved into the conflict known as the Wars of the Roses. Yet he held on to his throne for thirty-nine years and, for almost thirty of them, without much difficulty. What was the nature of Henry's inadequacy, and why did it have such ambivalent and complicated results? This book looks intensively at the political system itself, rather than at individuals, their personalities and patronage networks, and thus offers the first truly structured narrative of the reign.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Watts' book offers a great deal, not least in terms of his clarification of the values, norms, and expectations of politics in late medieval England.... " Michael J. Bennett, Albion

"This study takes a respectable place in the recent and admirable literature that reappraises 15th-century England." Choice

"...by far the most substantial and sustained case for the new constitutional history." American Historical Review

"...Watts has written a convincing argument.... The book, ...will engender much debate on this maligned monarch. For this, Watts has made a notable contribution to fifteenth-century English historical studies." Ronald Edward Zupko, The Historian

"The book...will engender much debate on this maligned monarch. ...a notable contribution to fifteenth-century English historical studies." Ronald Edward Zupko, The Historian

Book Description

Henry VI (1422-1461) was one of the most spectacularly inadequate kings of England, and his reign dissolved into the conflict known as the Wars of the Roses. Yet he held on to his throne for 39 years and, for almost 30 of them, without much difficulty. What was the nature of Henry's inadequacy, and why did it have such ambivalent and complicated results? This book looks intensively at the political system itself, rather than at individuals, their personalities and patronage networks, and thus offers the first truly structured narrative of the reign..

Product Details

• Paperback: 418 pages
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press (March 28, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0521653932
• ISBN-13: 978-0521653930
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,676,059 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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