Primary sourceBook1444/1445

Talbot Shrewsbury Book

Master of the Munich Golden Legend · 1444/1445

An illuminated wedding-gift manuscript given to Margaret of Anjou that contains the best-known lifetime image of Henry VI enthroned beside his queen.

Shows Henry VI enthroned beside Margaret of Anjou in the best-known lifetime image of him, made for their betrothal.

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Full page of an illuminated manuscript: a miniature at top shows a figure presenting a book to a seated king with crowned attendants and courtiers under a blue vaulted hall with fleurs-de-lis, beside a second scene of a kneeling man. Below are columns of gothic text, a red wax-style seal and a coat of arms, decorated with floral borders and a scroll at the bottom. — Master of the Munich Golden Legend, Talbot Shrewsbury Book, 1444/5. British Library.

About this source

What it is

A large, richly illuminated manuscript made in Rouen around 1444–45 by the Master of the Munich Golden Legend. It was presented by John Talbot, 1st Earl of Shrewsbury, to Margaret of Anjou to mark her betrothal to King Henry VI. It is now held by the British Library.

Why it matters

The book contains tales of chivalry, warfare and the Statutes of the Order of the Garter, alongside a genealogy asserting Henry VI's claim to both England and France. Its opening miniature shows Talbot presenting the book to the king and queen, revealing how a powerful nobleman used art and literature to display loyalty and shape political ideas at court.

Look closer

Why might Talbot choose to give a book of chivalric romances as a wedding gift?
What does the genealogy included in the book suggest about Henry's claims?
What is left out of this flattering image of the royal couple?

This book is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of Henry VI on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.