Henry VI, Part I
Following the death of his father Henry V, the young Henry VI is proclaimed king under the protectorship of his uncles, the Dukes of Gloucester and Exeter.
There is conflict between Gloucester and his long-term rival, the Bishop of Winchester, and their respective supporters. Richard Plantagenet, having established a claim to the throne through the Mortimer line of his family, declares his animosity towards the Duke of Somerset. Each adopts a rose as an emblem for his faction: white for York, red for Lancaster. Roses are later to become synonymous with the wars after which they are named.
Charles the Dauphin, fortified by his alliance with the mysterious maid Joan Le Pucelle (Joan of Arc), continues to dominate the battles in France. The Duke of Bedford, Henry's uncle, is killed. The English captain Talbot - a legendary warrior, much feared by the French - is also killed. His death occurs as a direct result of the continuing enmity between York and Somerset, both of whom failed to supply reinforcements to the English Troops.
Joan is captured and burned, and an uneasy peace is concluded between England and France. In light of this, Gloucester engineers a politically astute marriage between Henry and the Earl of Armagnac's daughter. Meanwhile, in France, Suffolk is enchanted by Margaret, the daughter of the Duke of Anjou. Suffolk woos Margaret to be Henry's queen and in order to gain her father's consent cedes the newly-conquered French territories of Anjou and Maine. Suffolk returns to England and persuades Henry, against opposition from the court, to marry Margaret and make her Queen of England.
