Infant Henry VI Ascends English Throne
In the midst of the Hundred Years' War, King Henry V of England had been campaigning successfully in France when he fell ill with dysentery during the siege of Meaux. He died on August 31, 1422, at the Château de Vincennes near Paris at age 35. His only son, Henry VI, born the previous December, was just nine months old and immediately succeeded to the English throne as the youngest monarch in English history. Under the terms of the Treaty of Troyes, the infant also stood to inherit the French crown upon the death of his grandfather Charles VI, which occurred weeks later. Regents including the Duke of Bedford were appointed to govern during the minority, setting the stage for prolonged instability in both kingdoms.
Why it matters: The accession placed a child on the throne during a critical phase of the Hundred Years' War, leading to divided regencies and eventual English losses in France. It contributed directly to the outbreak of the Wars of the Roses decades later by weakening Lancastrian authority and fueling noble rivalries over control of the young king.