Skip to main content

Primary sourceLetter1422-1509

The Paston Letters, Volume 2

Paston family · 1422-1509

A collection of 15th-century family letters describing events and politics of Henry VI's reign.

These letters, written during Henry VI's reign, record contemporary views of his rule and era.

Ask Henry VI about this sourceView the original(opens in new tab)
Full text (public-domain edition)

About this source

What it is

The Paston Letters are a large collection of correspondence written by members of the Paston family of Norfolk between 1422 and 1509. This volume contains letters touching on the politics and events of Henry VI's reign, written by people living through them.

Why it matters

Because these letters were written by ordinary gentry families rather than officials or chroniclers, they give a rare, direct view of how people experienced the turmoil of Henry VI's reign, including the disorder and factional conflict that marked his rule.

Look closer

  • What kind of everyday concerns do the letters mention alongside politics?
  • How might a private family letter differ from an official royal record?
  • What does the survival of so many personal letters tell us about literacy in this period?

This letter 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.

More Henry VI sources

Meet the AI Henry VI →
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.Book

Primary source

Talbot Shrewsbury Book

Master of the Munich Golden Legend · 1444/1445

Painted portrait of a young man in a black cap and black gown with white collar and gold chain of office, set against a red background. He has his hands clasped at the bottom of the image, one with a gold ring.Painting

Secondary source

King Henry VI

Unknown English artist · c. 1540

Front view of Eton College's brick gatehouse: two tall turrets with cupolas flank a central clock face and gate arch, with rows of mullioned windows along the wings under a cloudy sky.Artifact

Primary source

Eton College

1440

Front (west) view of King's College Chapel, Cambridge: tall pale stone towers with pinnacles flank a large pointed Gothic window filled with tracery, above a central doorway with a wooden door and iron gate. Green lawn in front, blue sky with clouds.Artifact

Primary source

King's College Chapel

1446–1515

A very dark, nearly black image of an ornate decorative frame or cartouche with scrollwork and an oval central panel, likely the front cover or title-page ornament of a printed book. Details are barely visible.Book

Secondary source

The Historie of the Arrivall of Edward IV

Unknown (servant of Edward IV) · c. 1500

Ready when you are

Start chatting with Henry VI now.

20 messages free · No credit card · Available in 50+ languages.

Trial Humy for freeGet a quote for institutions