Henry VI of England was born on December 6, 1421, and became king at a young age after his father, Henry V, died. His reign was marked by periods of mental instability, which led to a power struggle among the nobility. This instability contributed to the outbreak of the Wars of the Roses, a series of civil wars for control of the English throne. Henry's reign saw the decline of the House of Lancaster and the rise of the House of York. He was captured during the wars and briefly deposed, but he regained the throne in 1470. Ultimately, he was killed in 1471, marking the end of his troubled reign.