Review

General Books

Griffiths states in his preface that his book is a study of the exercise of royal authority, a subject that did not lend itself to either biography or political narrative. What results is an exhaustive examination of varied forms, uses and abuses of authority during Henry's reign, complete with a wealth of prosopographical material. Along the way, however, sections such as that on contemporary commentary on Henry's personality and character meld the biographical into the political and keep the text from becoming unbearably weighty. But make no mistake—this is a heavy, intensely detailed volume which might frustrate a casual or uninformed reader, who would struggle not to lose the plot among the wealth of detail provided. That said, this monumental work is one that a graduate student, or a teacher of Henry's reign or time period would be well advised to keep on the shelf. The bibliography in the first edition must surely cover all the known sources from the early nineteenth century on, and the introduction to the second edition provides an addendum of new work between 1981 and 1996, along with Griffiths' helpful commentary on these more recent studies. For this reason alone, this book is a rich resource for further study or reference.	1
The book is divided into three chronological phases, then into thematic chapters, which in their turn are generally worked through chronologically. Due to this, there is repetition and no perfectly clear narrative. Patronage considerations are addressed in three different chapters, covering different times in the reign, and such points as the need to crown Henry VI in England prior to his French coronation are repeated in separate chapters. Fortunately, the style of offering subtitled sections under each chapter heading, similar to the Oxford History Series, makes it easy to quickly find the section pertinent to one's interest. Brief biographies, such as that of Thomas Chaucer, and prosopographical paragraphs, such as that which names the councilors of Henry VI who died early in the reign and gives their political significance, make the reading slow but the content rich for those who already know the plot.	2
The text still merits its original accolades by such as Rosemary Horrox and Colin Richmond, one being that it is the kind of book that rarely gets written anymore, and exposition of the cumulative knowledge of more than two decades of research by a scholar on a monarchical subject. However, this book should not be considered the last word simply because its size and density give the impression of omnicompetence. Griffiths' Henry VI is neither an inept buffoon nor a vindictive, cowardly man, but a kindly, well-intentioned type with large tragic flaws. This portrait must be balanced against more critical views, such as that of B. P. Wolffe, or more concentrated works of analysis, such as that of John Watts, to make better judgments of the specific theses.	3
With undergraduate students, this book could be effectively used in small chunks. Griffiths' notion of dissecting each phase of the reign thematically has produced short chapters focusing on a single idea such as "Cade's Rebellion" or "The Aliens in the Realm," which could be used for assigned readings in themselves. The density is offset by Griffiths' chatty, colloquial style, replete with parenthetical asides and homely metaphor (Warwick stepping into Bedford's shoes as a political influence), as well as intriguing minutiae such as the fact that both Henry's nurse and his tutor, the Earl of Warwick, obtained permission to chastise the child king for misbehavior, lest the adult king later hold their disciplinary actions again them! But; some knowledge of the period is assumed. Casual comments such as "in the years following 1216 and 1377 the care of the king was separated from the government of the realm" might be lost on someone unfamiliar with medieval regencies, and concepts such as tonnage and poundage or lollardy are referred to without further explanation. There are also several points where both the text and footnotes can be curiously unsatisfying in their cryptic nature, and leave unanswered questions. However, the questions Griffiths leaves are compensated for by the provision of sources with which to find an answer. The sharp-eyed research student may find a ready thesis provided, and dedicated scholars will surely find plenty of material with which to buttress arguments or provide counterpoint. Overall, it is well worth reading, and provides an abundance of material for both study and teaching.	4
University of St. Andrews   L. L. Ford

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