In medieval England, a baby boy is sleeping soundly in his cot.

But he's no ordinary baby.

He's Henry VI, England's infant king.

Right now, he's living in a dream-scape entirely of his own making,

and it's best if he stays there a while,

because what's to come is going

to be one hell of a rude awakening. Not only is Henry going to inherit a more powerful, richer,

bigger kingdom, thanks, Dad. He's also going to be King of France, too. And the weight of expectation

on this small boy is incredible. But he need not worry.

By the time Henry comes of age, England will be unrecognizable. And that's a story I want to tell you.

Hello, I'm Dan Jones. I'm a medievalist, and in the latest season of my podcast,

this is history, a dynasty to die for, I'm going to trace the doomed reign of Henry

the 6th. It's a story where England's careful consolidation of power is undone by a secret marriage,

infighting, a bit of madness, and eventually an all-out civil war.

In this season you'll meet a new mob dubbed the Tudors and a whole range of other relatives all challenging Henry for the Crown.

And across the channel we'll meet a young girl called Joan of Arc.

With angels and saints in her ear, she convinces the French to rise up against English rule.

And they win spectacularly.

It's a shocking sequel to the story of a medieval kingdom that a generation ago was triumphant.

Together, we're going to trace how and why that happened.

So join me as we journey into the Wars of the Roses.

Search for This Is History, a dynasty to die for wherever you get your podcasts.

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