This Week’s Question:
William IV, who was crowned king on September 8, was known by what nickname throughout his reign?
Last Week’s Question:
Who was the youngest king ever to ascend to the English throne?
Answer: Henry VI, son of Henry V (of Agincourt fame), who inherited the throne when he was only nine months old. As is usually the case, this resulted in a regency council, during which several nobles started gathering more power than they were entitled to. The Earl of Suffolk, in particular, had a strong hold over the young king, even after Henry was declared of age in 1437. Corruption was rife at court, where Henry readily handed out gifts of royal lands to his favorites, and the monarchy’s reputation started to suffer. This enabled the Duke of York, a great-grandson of Edward III, to start gathering allies and plot to take the throne from Henry, who started suffering from periodic bouts of insanity started in August 1453. The Wars of the Roses, which set the Duke of York against King Henry, started in 1455 and were fought off and on for the next 30 years. A new king of the House of York, Edward IV, took the throne while Henry was bundled off to Scotland, where he successfully hid until 1465, when he was captured and held in the Tower of London. He died sometime during the night of May 21-22, 1471.
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