Why Did King Henry VI Surrender English Land and Claims in France to Charles VII?

Queen Elizabeth II once remarked, "King Henry VI was a very weak king, suffering from bouts of severe depression and reliant on advisors and his Queen who were busy starting the Wars of the Roses."

This remark reflects the political and personal challenges faced by King Henry VI of England during his reign. In 1453, Henry VI was effectively pushed out of France, leaving many English territories under French control. However, it is important to clarify that while he lost his lands, he did not surrender his claim to be the king of France.

Context of the Hundred Years' War

The Hundred Years' War (1337–1453) was a long series of conflicts between the kingdoms of England and France rooted in a long-standing grudge and disputed succession to the French throne. The conflict was not resolved with a single peace treaty, and technically, it continued until 1475, when King Edward IV of England signed the Treaty of Picquigny. This treaty confirmed England’s loss of all territories in France beyond the Duchy of Guyenne, effectively ending the Hundred Years' War for England.

King Henry VI's Surrender and Its Impact

After the significant defeat at the Battle of Castillon (1453), which marked the end of English control of mainland France, King Henry VI faced substantial discontent at home. Despite these setbacks, King Henry VI did not formally surrender his claims to the French throne. The formal titulary of the Plantagenet, Tudor, Stewart, and Hanoverian kings of England, including those of King Henry VI, continued to include the title "King of France."

The Treaty of Brétigny

The most significant agreement in this context is the Treaty of Brétigny signed in 1360. This treaty was intended to conclude the first phase of the Hundred Years' War. Under this treaty, King Edward III of England ceded all English possessions in France to the French king, effectively giving up control over all of Normandy and Aquitaine, while retaining Calais and the Pale of Calais (the area around Calais where English civilians lived).

While King Henry VI did not formally surrender his claim to the French throne, he faced an economic and military collapse of English power in France. English forces struggled to maintain control, and French military efforts under Charles VII (reign: 1422–1461) led to the loss of a significant amount of English territory.

Conclusion

Thus, although King Henry VI effectively lost all of his lands in France to French forces under Charles VII, he did not formally surrender his claim to the French throne. The title "King of France" remained an important part of the formal titulary of the English monarchy, as it did for subsequent monarchs, including the Tudors, Stuarts, and Hanoverians, down to the Treaty of Amiens in 1803.

In summary, while King Henry VI faced significant setbacks and internal and external pressures, his surrender was more about the inevitable loss of English lands rather than a formal capitulation of his claim to the French throne. The outcome of the Hundred Years' War saw the end of English control over the majority of its possessions in France, but the title "King of France" persisted in the titular sense for centuries to come.