This Is History: A Dynasty to Die For

Season 9, Episode 1: "Problem Child"
Host: Dan Jones | Date: January 6, 2026
Produced by Sony Music Entertainment

Episode Overview

In this debut episode of Season 9, Dan Jones launches the story of Henry VI, England's infant monarch, whose reign triggers one of the bloodiest chapters in English history—the Wars of the Roses. The episode sets the turbulent scene: England's greatest king, Henry V, is gone, leaving his crown to a two-year-old boy. As power struggles simmer among the kingdom’s greatest men, the foundations of Plantagenet rule begin to crack. The focus alternates between the absurdity and peril of a child king and the adult machinations and rivalries his reign unleashes, foreshadowing the chaos to come.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

The "King" Is a Toddler (03:11–07:02)

• The pod opens with a vivid scene at a riverside inn in Staines: the royal barge crew are delayed as baby King Henry VI refuses to leave for Parliament, having a full-blown tantrum.
• Quote (Dan Jones, 04:07):
  "He won't get dressed. He won't have his royal Weetabix. In fact, he's being impossible… He shrieks and shreems."
• The predicament: England's fate rests with an absent and screaming toddler. The episode highlights the absurdity and fragility of hereditary monarchy.

Child Monarchs: Bad Idea, Medieval Edition (07:03–11:30)

• Dan uses humor and modern references—comparing exceptional children to chess prodigies and darts champion Luke Littler—to illustrate why making a toddler king is far from ideal.
• Medieval England was treacherous even for adult rulers:
  "Being king is definitely a job best left to the grown ups." (08:45)
• But heredity’s rules are unbreakable—England has to accept a baby as king (and, in theory, also King of France):
  "So a baby king it is. And everyone has to accept there's now going to be a very long period where the English simultaneously have a king and don't." (09:41)

The Regency and Henry’s Childhood (11:31–16:10)

• Young Henry VI is mostly kept away from direct rule. He grows up under the watchful eyes of his mother Catherine de Valois and key nobles:
  • Duke of Exeter: Approval of Henry’s household
  • Earl of Warwick: Education
  • Humphrey, Duke of Gloucester: Principal counselor, but not full regent
• Henry lives a mostly normal odd royal childhood: music lessons, toys (including little suits of armor), and palace life.
• Occasionally wheeled out for state occasions—like the disastrous trip to Parliament at Staines—to maintain constitutional tradition.
• Quote (Dan Jones, 14:13):
  "When Henry does get to Parliament several days late, he sits on his mum's lap while a few speeches are made thanking him for coming. He's oblivious to the whole thing. It sounds kind of comical, but actually there's a ceremonial propriety to having Henry at Parliament now and again."
• Even baby Henry’s hand is pressed onto England’s Great Seal to legitimize the new Chancellor’s appointment: a "silly pantomime," but with deep political meaning.

Power Vacuum and Political Tension (16:11–25:55)

• With a boy king, governing is left to powerful counsellors, which works only if they cooperate—a rarity for Plantagenet England.
• A major early crisis: October 29, 1425, on the night of London's mayoral feast. Humphrey, Duke of Gloucester (Henry’s uncle), and Henry Beaufort (another uncle, Bishop of Winchester, and Chancellor) nearly spark street warfare over who should control the king.
  • Gloucester is a brash, aggressive war hero with political ambition.
  • Beaufort, a senior churchman and political operator, is rival and foil.
• Gloucester attempts an ill-advised military campaign in Flanders to support his wife's claims, stirring diplomatic discord and xenophobic turmoil in London.
• The rivalry leads to both uncles raising forces on opposite sides of the Thames, threatening a battle over custody of young Henry.
• Quote (Dan Jones, 22:29): "Everyone is acting as though they'd been in the land of war, as though they would have fought against the King's people and breaking of the peace. This looks awfully like the sort of thing the French do. If it all plays out, there could be a battle between the King's two uncles on London Bridge."

Crisis Aversion: Diplomacy and Mediation (25:56–27:55)

• With London on the brink, two mediators step in:
  • Henry Chicheley, Archbishop of Canterbury: A seasoned hand, ties to Henry V’s glory days.
  • Pedro, Duke of Coimbra: Portuguese prince with diplomatic clout.
• Through negotiation, they avoid open bloodshed; Beaufort withdraws, and Gloucester stands down.
  "The prospect of a battle on London Bridge and the Thames foaming with blood, recedes a bit. But no one's very happy about it." (27:17)
• The episode underscores the flaw in monarchy-by-baby: only a king could bang heads together, and there isn't one; elderly clergy and foreign princes become last-ditch peacemakers.

The Eldest Uncle Returns: John, Duke of Bedford (27:56–29:00)

• Beaufort sends an urgent letter to John, Duke of Bedford—Henry’s eldest uncle, military chief in France—urging him to return home to settle the crisis.
  • Quote (Dan Jones, 28:37): "Hasten you thither… for by my troth, if ye tarry, we shall put this land in adventure with a field."
• Bedford returns, cajoles Beaufort into resigning his chancellorship, and makes Gloucester swear to uphold a council-based government (with fingers metaphorically crossed).
• The episode closes with Bedford feeling he's restored order in England—for now.

Prelude to Chaos: France and Joan of Arc (29:01–29:38)

• Meanwhile, in France:
  • The "dual monarchy" promised by Henry V—England and France united under Henry VI—is in peril.
  • Charles, dauphin and son of the mad French king, eyes his claim as Charles VII.
  • A peasant girl named Joan of Arc is about to change everything.
• Quote (Dan Jones, 29:20): "She's a peasant girl who's been hearing voices. Her name is Joan of Arc and she's about to change the course of European history forever. That's for next time on This is History."

Notable Quotes and Memorable Moments

• On the impossibility of child kingship:
  "There are some jobs that you wouldn't wish on a child prodigy or otherwise. And somewhere near the top of that list would be King of Medieval England." (08:17)

• On Plantagenet temperaments:
  "If history's taught us anything, it's that patience is not a Plantagenet trait." (16:05)

• Comic image of baby king's bureaucracy:
  "Henry's chubby little baby fingers are pressed onto the seal and its official case before it's handed over. On one level, it's a bit of a silly pantomime…" (15:41)

• Dire civil strife in the capital:
  "If it all plays out, there could be a battle between the King's two uncles on London Bridge. Someone needs to put the brakes on before things spiral bloodily out of control." (22:47)

• On France’s growing threat:
  "The trouble is, in France there's someone else who feels this will only happen over his dead body...a peasant girl who's been hearing voices. Her name is Joan of Arc..." (29:08–29:20)

Timestamps for Important Segments

• 03:11: The Staines Inn royal tantrum—England’s monarch refuses to cooperate.
• 08:45: Why kids shouldn’t be kings—Dan’s digression on prodigy and medieval statecraft.
• 14:13: Baby Henry makes a ceremonial appearance at Parliament.
• 15:41: The Great Seal pantomime—legitimizing government with a baby’s touch.
• 19:20: Appointment of young Henry's key minders and explanation of his upbringing.
• 21:00: The mayoral feast of 1425—crisis between the king’s rivals erupts in London.
• 22:47: Gloucester and Beaufort muster forces: threat of battle on London Bridge.
• 25:56: The mediation—how archbishops and princes averted civil war.
• 27:56: John, Duke of Bedford, called home to quash the rivalry.
• 29:01: Glimpses of troubles in France and the looming entrance of Joan of Arc.

Tone and Style

The episode blends wry humor and modern references with sharply drawn historical storytelling—Dan Jones's signature style. His language is lively, irreverent, but always clear-eyed about the stakes and absurdities of history. Shining through is a sense of foreboding and the promise of coming drama.

For Next Time

Episode 2 will focus on the growing crisis in France, the uncertain hold England has on its continental conquests, and the dramatic arrival of Joan of Arc—a turning point not just for Henry VI, but for all of European history.

Listener prompt:
Dan Jones asks royal favourites, "What's the weirdest thing you or someone you know has done in service of a rule?" (29:27)
Look out for producer Al’s post on Patreon to discuss.

[End of summary for S9 E1—Problem Child]