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Henry VI's Mental Crisis

Type Event Region Western Europe Time 1453–1454

In August 1453, England's Henry VI suffered a severe mental breakdown after learning Gascony was lost, falling into over ten months of mute stupor, t…

Timeline

  1. 1453Clarendon Palace · WiltshireIn August 1453, Henry VI suffered a mental collapse at Clarendon Palace upon learning of the defeat at Castillon and the loss of all Gascony; he became mute and unresponsive, unable to exercise royal power. The place of onset was the royal palace in Wiltshire, not the 'Duchy of Clarence'.
  2. 1453–1454Windsor Castle · BerkshireQueen Margaret gave birth to Prince Edward in October 1453, but the king still could not speak and did not recognize his wife and child; factional struggle over the succession and regency intensified within the Lancastrian camp.
  3. 1454Westminster · LondonBecause the king could not govern, Parliament formally appointed Richard, Duke of York, as Protector of the Realm and chief minister; the Duke of Somerset was imprisoned, and the Lancaster–York power balance was fundamentally reversed.

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