English king, Henry VI, who came of age in 1437, was an incompetent ruler and war leader. The French held the initiative, and, by 1444, English rule in France was limited to Normandy in the north and a strip of land in Gascony in the southwest, while Charles VII ruled over Paris and the rest of France with the support of most of the French regional nobility. The English territories in France could not withstand more taxation, whereas the English state was nearing bankruptcy. The English political establishment believed that an agreement would have to be reached with the French and that concessions would have to be made, with the exception of the king's uncle, Humphrey, Duke of Gloucester – then the heir to the throne – who advocated for continued military presence in France to preserve England's possessions there. A truce would provide the English a much needed break from hostilities. For the French, it would give them time to strengthen their armies in preparation for a possible resumption of the war, and prevent any hypothetical renewal of the Anglo-Burgundian alliance. Treaty It is unclear which side had the initiative to propose discussions, but by January 1444 the English council decided to open talks with the French. In 1444, Henry VI, Charles VII, and Duke Philip of Burgundy reached an agreement that their commissioners should meet at Tours to discuss peace terms and a possible marriage alliance between England and France. The English embassy was headed by William de la Pole, Earl of Suffolk, who on 1 February was dispatched to France. The French delegation was led by Jean de Dunois. In March 1444, Suffolk landed in France and in April, he met with the French embassy. The English offered to drop Henry VI's claim to French throne in exchange for Normandy without French suzerainty, but this was rejected. The English in turn rejected French demands that landowners who fled the English occupation be restored to their possessions. Negotiations bogged down, the French refusing any significant concessions. Suffolk formally requested the hand of Margaret of Anjou, daughter of René of Anjou (brother in law to Charles VII) as a wife for Henry. Rene agreed, but insisted that he had no money and could not provide the customary dowry, when the amount that should have been given was 20,000 livres. He demanded that in exchange for the marriage and a