Henry VI Part 3 Summary

William Shakespeare’s Henry VI, Part 3 (1590) is one of his earliest plays. It is part of a group of four plays that tell the story of the Wars of the Roses, a series of civil wars fought in England in the fifteenth century. The play begins just after the House of Lancaster is defeated by the House of York in the First Battle of St. Albans in 1455. This battle is seen by many historians as the unofficial beginning of the Wars of the Roses, after a long period of conflict among England’s powerful families, which Shakespeare covers in the first two parts of the Henry VI plays.

After losing the First Battle of St. Albans, King Henry VI and his wife, Margaret, are forced to flee from the supporters of the Duke of York. The major groups fighting in the war all come to London, where both Henry and York fight for the throne. They make a deal: Henry will stay King, but when he dies, York will take over and his family will rule. This agreement makes Margaret angry because it means her son, Edward, Prince of Wales, will not be king. Margaret decides to go to war against York and his supporters, and she gets help from Lord Clifford, a military commander who wants revenge on York for killing his father in battle.

Margaret and Clifford attack York’s castle in Wakefield. They kill York’s youngest son, Rutland, who is only twelve years old. Clifford humiliates York by forcing him to wipe his face with a handkerchief covered in his son’s blood. Clifford then kills York. The Yorkists suffer more losses when Warwick, one of their key noblemen, is defeated by Margaret’s army at the Second Battle of St. Albans, although Warwick survives. Meanwhile, Henry changes his mind and refuses to give up the throne to York’s family, after being pressured by Margaret.

At the Battle of Towton, the Yorkists win, and Clifford is killed. The Yorkists declare Edward, the eldest son of York, to be the new King of England. Edward’s brother, Richard, is made the Duke of Gloucester. However, Richard secretly tells the audience that he wants to take the throne from his brother, Edward.

To strengthen the Yorkist side, Warwick goes to France to arrange a marriage between Edward and Lady Bona, the sister-in-law of King Louis XI of France. But when Warwick arrives, he finds out that Louis is already negotiating with Margaret to send French troops to help the Lancastrians. Warwick convinces Louis to side with the Yorkists and approve the marriage between Edward and Lady Bona. However, just as Warwick succeeds in this, Edward falls in love with Lady Grey, a noble widow. Edward decides he wants Lady Grey to be his mistress, but she refuses unless he marries her. Edward agrees to marry her, despite the fact that he had promised Warwick the marriage with Lady Bona.

Warwick is furious with Edward for breaking his promise and marrying Lady Grey instead. Warwick switches sides and joins the Lancastrians. He promises his daughter Anne’s hand in marriage to Henry’s son, the Prince of Wales. Edward’s brother, George, also joins the Lancastrians, strongly advising Edward against marrying Lady Grey. With French troops sent by Margaret, Warwick and George invade England, capture Edward, and force him into prison. Lady Grey escapes into exile.

After a brief break in the fighting, England once again becomes engulfed in war. Richard frees Edward from prison, and they gather Yorkist supporters to fight Warwick’s forces. At the Battle of Barnet, Warwick loses after his own brother George betrays him and returns to the Yorkist side. Warwick is killed, and Oxford and Somerset take control of the Lancastrian army. Their forces are joined by another wave of French troops, led by Margaret and the Prince of Wales.

Meanwhile, Henry, feeling disillusioned by the violence of the war, sits on a hill where York was executed. He meets two men who have turned against their families because of the war, including one father who killed his own son in battle. Sad and disheartened, Henry is easily captured by two gamekeepers loyal to the Yorkists. Edward’s forces face the Lancastrians at the Battle of Tewkesbury, where the Yorkists win. All the main leaders of the Lancastrian army are captured, including Margaret, who is banished from England. Edward, George, and Richard give the Prince of Wales a chance to accept Edward as the true king, but the Prince refuses and is killed as a result.

Angry that the Lancastrians refused to accept Yorkist rule, Richard goes to the Tower of London where Henry is imprisoned. Richard kills Henry, and Henry, near death, warns Richard that his desire for power will only lead to chaos for England. The play ends with Edward victorious, reunited with Lady Grey, who is now Queen Elizabeth, and their baby son. While Edward hopes for peace in England, his brother Richard secretly plans to take the throne from him.