It is my intention here to explore Henry VI as an evolving individual struggling in an extraordinary situation. In short, to consider him as a man.
-- Author Lauren Johnson (Prologue)

Importance: This quote outlines the author's intention for this biography. It also sets her goals apart from other previous biographers of King Henry VI who have focused more on the politics of the time. By outlining her intensions, Johnson also suggests what she would like readers to consider when working their way through this book. Her focus is on the universal humanity of an ordinary man in extraordinary circumstances. By emphasizing this humanity and focusing on Henry "as a man," Johnson makes him more relatable to contemporary readers regardless of how familiar they may or may not be with the medieval context.

The vital ingredient of medieval kingship was royal will – the ability to take counsel from a number of sources but ultimately to commit...
-- Author Lauren Johnson (chapter 8)