Henry's lack of leadership skills showed when he failed to keep law and order. He also allowed himself to be dominated by a group of nobles and was too generous towards them with patronage.This caused jealousy and resentment among the rest of the nobility and led to corruption especially in the provinces. An example of this is right from the time he assumed control as king in 1437, he allowed his court to be dominated by a few noble favourites; the faction in favour of ending the war in France which had started before his reign, quickly came to dominate, while the voices of and , the leaders of the pro-war faction, were ignored.This resulted in a feud between the families causing some of the troubles which occured in England during Henry VI's reign. In fact civil war broke out.
The governments increasing unpopularity was due to this breakdown of law and order and Henry's actions. Some of the troubles that occured during Henry's reign were rebellions from rival families. These rebellions to some extent, were due to Henry whether it be that he was not firm enough with nobles or that he had poor control over his country's finances. Rivalries also broke out because of the distribution of royal land to the King's court favourites. An example of this rivalry is between Richard, Duke of York and the Duke of Somerset. Henry favoured Somerset over York which made York rebel and try and claim the throne himself. Henry also played another role in this rivalry as he never paid his debts to the Duke of York, whereas he did pay off the Duke of Somerset. These rebellions and rivalries caused havoc across England. To some extent, many people blamed Henry for this as it was his actions that led to arguments between nobles. If Henry had acted differently and treated all nobles equally, many people believe that the conflict between nobles would have never existed and there would not have been the Wars of the Roses. To this extent, Henry VI was to blame for these troubles.
By the late 1440's, it was clear that Henry was not right for the throne. He already had so much pressure on him as a King. He was in large amounts of debt and was still in constant need of taxest loans. He was beginning to be hated by the public and many people plotted treason against him. The break down of the feudal system which changed to bastard feudalism did not help him either; the whole way England was shaped was changing. England was desperate for a strong King. Henry failed to make a positive impact. Instead, he slipped in to a mental breakdown and became completely unaware of everything that was going on around him. His breakdown lasted more than a year. He even failed to respond to his own son and heir. York, meanwhile, had gained a very important ally, The Earl of Warwick. York was then named regent as Protector of the Realm in 1454 because of Henry's breakdown and his increasing popularity. York added to the commotion which was going on in England by excluding the Queen completely and detaining Somerset in the Tower of London.
It is argued that these problems could not have been stopped by Henry but to some extent the breakdown showed that he was simply not right for the crown. He could not handle the responsibility that being King required. Many people still blamed him for these further troubles.
The factors I have mentioned are just some of many which are responsible for the troubles that took place in England during Henry VI's reign . But there are many other arguments that say he was not entirely to blame; although he was a weak King, he did have a lot of responsibility that his father left him with, which he is not to be blamed for. An example of this is the feud with France that his father had left him with. From day one on the throne, Henry VI was already at war with France, but it is still argued that he could have dealt with his troubles in a better way. Another factor which shook the country was the Black Death. It changed the whole structure of society as so many people died. It is safe to say that Henry was not to blame for this ordeal.
There is no doubt that to some extent, Henry VI was to blame for the troubles that came across England during his reign. I believe that it was all due to Henry being a poor King. If he had been more decisive and a better leader for his country, then it is argued that many of the troubles would not have ocurred, particulary the Wars of the Roses which is believed to be the most serious. Henry seems to have been a decent man, but completely unsuited to kingship. He allowed himself to be totally dominated by the power-hungry factions which surrounded him at court and was later powerless to stop the outbreak of bloody civil war. I believe that he played a huge role in the troubles that swept across England during his reign.
Bibliography
The Wars of the Roses and the Yorkist Kings - by John Warren
The Wars of the Roses:a concise history - by Charles Ross
Henry VI - http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/historic_figures/henry_vi_king.shtml
