# The Madness of King Henry VI (and also of his grandfather): what was it?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-madness-of-king-henry-vi-and-also-of-his-grandfather-what-was-it/554200>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [September 18, 2010, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-madness-of-king-henry-vi-and-also-of-his-grandfather-what-was-it/554200 "2010-09-18T17:52:11Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 1\
**Page:** 2

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**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\
**Post date:** [September 20, 2010, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-madness-of-king-henry-vi-and-also-of-his-grandfather-what-was-it/554200/21 "2010-09-20T20:01:45Z")

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Henry VI didn’t seem to be the least bit bothered by or interested in battlefield disasters or bad news or good news. He seemed to be quite happy while in captivity. He made no escape attempts, spent his time reading various prayer books and other religious works, and had no apparent desire to be freed or reunited with his family.

Because of his illness there were lots of illegitimacy rumors about his son, his only child with Margeurite. (Rumored baby daddys included the Earl of Salisbury [her commander in some battles] and Henry’s Tudor half brothers.) There’s no way of really knowing one way or the other, but if the marriage weren’t consummated then it wouldn’t have been a bad idea for Margeurite to get pregnant by somebody else.

While I know that any resemblance twixt any historical character and their Shakespearean counterpart is purely coincidental, I must say I’ve always loved the scene in _RICHARD III_ when Margaret (a penniless bitter harpie who has lost her husband, crown, son, and everything else and is pulling a Randy Quaid in the royal residence), Duchess Cecily, and Queen Elizabeth (widow of Ed 4), three women who detest each other many different ways, bond over their bitterness and grieving.

> [@](#):
>
> Forbear to sleep the nights  
> and fast the days.  
> Compare dead happiness with living woe.  
> Think that thy babes were fairer than they were  
> And he that slew them fouler than he is.  
> Bettering thy loss makes the bad causer worse.  
> Revolving this will teach thee how to curse.

It’s still the greatest recipe for bitterness and hatred in literature.

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