Henry VI of England

Henry VI became King of England at nine months old in 1422, inheriting the throne after Henry V's death, and was crowned King of France at Notre-Dame in 1431 - the only English monarch to hold both titles. A regency ruled while English power in France peaked, but once he took control in 1437, military reversals followed: by 1453, only Calais remained. Described as timid, passive, and averse to violence - the opposite of his father - he married Margaret of Anjou in 1445 hoping for peace, but war continued and his domestic support collapsed. In 1453 he suffered a mental breakdown that triggered a power struggle between Richard, Duke of York, Edmund Beaufort, and Queen Margaret, igniting the Wars of the Roses in 1455. Deposed by Edward IV in 1461, he was captured in 1465 and imprisoned in the Tower of London, briefly restored by Warwick the Kingmaker in 1470, then dethroned again when Edward returned and killed Henry's only son. Henry died in the Tower in May 1471, possibly murdered - his corpse later found with hair matted in what appeared to be blood.