#anyway justice for henry vi every account i read of him either speculated on his mental illness or his lack of sex drive but usually both

[adderstones]

It's almost Valentine's! I was able to finish the Henry VI and Margaret of Anjou piece for my Wars of the Roses series <3

Henry VI tends to be brushed off as a mentally-ill and ineffective monarch to this day, and it's difficult to find information that does not infantalize or malign him. Margaret of Anjou, my favorite figure from this period, would was a steadfast pillar of support for Henry until the day he died. A lot of historians paint Margaret as only supporting her husband to secure the throne for their son, but I find that narrative difficult to be the only reason. Margaret campaigned for Henry's release from captivity tirelessly and worked extremely hard to gather support for his reign and even raised armies for him. While their relationship doesn't have the passion and flare that Edward IV and Elizabeth Woodville did, I think their kind of devotion is exemplary in royal diplomatic marriages from the period.

#art #wars of the roses #henry vi #margaret of anjou #english history #english costume #watercolor #colored pencil #artists on tumblr #anyway justice for henry vi every account i read of him either speculated on his mental illness or his lack of sex drive but usually both #also margaret is depicted as this like stone cold bitch thank youuuuu shakespeare