The rhetoric of cleansing parish churches of idolatrous and sacrilegious images sounded hollow as wagonloads of gold and silver objects headed toward the smelters shop in the lord protectors backyard. So Somerset ordered new forts built at both cities and managed to fend off an attack at Boulogne. The exact date she met the king is not known. Instead, he was forced to shout and insult his peers into action, at one time driving a man to tears. Pious, intelligent and an accomplished nurse, she would be his last wife. Mary, first born child of King Henry VIII, endured a turbulent childhood and youth, often in genuine fear for her life, The Dissolution of the Monasteries took place between 1536 and 1540 and involved the sale or suppression of monasteries, abbeys and religious houses by Henry VIII. He planned a sumptuous burial for 12 November and the churches that had celebrated Edwards birth now began to pray for the soul of the late queen. On 12 October, the eve of the Feast of St Edward, the child was born. But he never allowed the council to function with any degree of autonomy and rarely consulted its members. Foreseeing the permanent annexation of Scotland to France in the same way that the Netherlands had been annexed to Spain, Somerset determined to conquer the Scottish Lowlands and to establish permanent castles and strongholds as a buffer between the kingdoms. Seymours foreign policy was close to collapsing, bringing unity and a sense of purpose to Englands enemies as well as draining the Treasury. His father knew the dangers of leaving a child as heir and did his best to protect the court from factionalism. And the twelve government-endorsed homilies continued this destruction, railing against good works and purgatory while advocating salvation through faith alone. Somerset dealt with crises by consulting his own advisors and not the council. But others had heard of Seymours plans and one of these was Lord Russell, the keeper of the Privy Seal, an important office in Tudor England. Edward VI was thus consulted on this new plan which he agreed to, naming Lady Jane Grey as his successor in a document called My devise for the Succession. Jane Seymour was buried as a queen unlike Katharine of Aragon who had died as Princess Dowager and Anne Boleyn, who had died divorced and disgraced. By this point he was now fourteen years of age and showing clear signs of rapidly declining health. His son and heir, young Edward, son of Jane Seymour looked set to be inheriting a disjointed and divided legacy from his father. His foreign policy was dominated by one thing Scotland. Hales introduced many bills to parliament 1548-49, the main ones were: the maintenance of tillage, requiring sheep farmers to keep a certain number of cows to ensure regular milk and cheese supplies; he also attempted to end the compulsory purchase by the government of food at fixed prices. Accordingly, King Henry did all he could to protect his sons health; the infant prince lived in safe seclusion until his father wed Katharine Parr. The gamble failed, for when Edward died on July 6, 1553, the kingdom rallied to the daughter of Catherine of Aragon. To this perception of arrogance and class-betrayal was added a spiritual weakness Somerset would not allow anyone to be tortured or burned over religious matters. The Book of Common Prayer succeeded only in antagonizing Protestants and Roman Catholics alike. For her husband, increasingly obese, bald, and well into middle-age, the grief was genuine. She may have responded to Henrys flirtations (who would deny the king?) And with the Franco-Scottish alliance a pressing concern, Somerset could not afford to alienate the neutral Charles V. (Like Henry VIII, Somerset wanted to avoid a Franco-Spanish-Scottish alliance against England.) In 1930, the Prince met and fell in love with a married American woman, Mrs Wallis Simpson. He died, aged just 1553 in 1553. Their descendants watched the desecration with sullen anger. All churchmen felt themselves under attack while their parishes agreed. Every time Henry VIII had tried to assert his claims to French territories, kings of Scotland had taken the opportunity to invade England. On 16 February 1547, Henry VIII was buried with the Seymour brothers sister, Jane, at St Georges chapel in Windsor, and the very next day Edward VI confirmed his uncle as duke of Somerset. Elizabeths religious settlement was constructed on the doctrine of adiaphorism, the belief that, except for a few fundamentals, there exists in religion a wide area of things indifferent that could be decided by the government on the basis of expediency. Meanwhile, he had grown close to his sisters, both Elizabeth and Mary, although Marys Catholicism would bring distance to their relationship later. The Archbishop Thomas Cranmer presided over the ceremony declaring Edward the leader of the Church of England, destined to continue the difficult and complex process of the Reformation. She denied the king just enough to ensure a chaste reputation and certainly Henry was like many men the forbidden fruit was all the more attractive. Hampton Court Palace, scene of her triumph and death, was hung with black. Fowler and Edward were close and shared conversations; they revealed the young kings increasing frustration with Somersets actions. But her dowry, the 104 manors and 5 castles, were given back to the king. Henry had ended his marriages to Katharine of Aragon and Anne Boleyn when they failed at the most important queenly duty, each woman bearing a healthy princess but no surviving prince. This understandably angered them. In the end, they failed and the English people suffered six years of turmoil. Pole was recalled to Rome by a hard-line pope and accused of heresy for his previous attempts to achieve an accommodation with Protestantism. The conflicts with Scotland and France cost a great deal of money and hurt Somersets reputation. It would be the last pitched battle between the two before the Union and became well-known thanks to an eyewitness account that was published. However, although the lords in Scotland initially agreed to the match . She also managed to capture and maintain a kings interest while he was married to another woman. His elevation to the kingship did not end his courtesy to his tutors. Marys decision to marry Prince Philip of Spain (later Philip II), her Habsburg cousin and the son of Charles V, the man who had defended her mothers marital rights, proved to be unwise. All creation was presumed to be a great chain of being, running from the tiniest insect to the Godhead itself, and the universe was seen as an organic whole in which each part played a divinely prescribed role. Whatever the case, when his own life came to an end, Henry envisioned a grand tomb to hold him and his entirely beloved Jane. Once queen, Jane chose a phoenix rising from a castle filled with Tudor roses and the panther for her heraldry. Still, in the back of all minds, the precedent of repudiated Katharine existed. Edward Seymour saw fit to occupy large parts of Scotland. Many of the wealthy Protestants had benefited from the dissolution of the monasteries in the 1530s but many historians have exaggerated Henry VIIIs generosity, implying that he gave vast monastic lands away to favored courtiers. In July, Somerset finally brought troops back from Scotland and sent them to smash the rebels with impunity. What did Edward VI think of his uncles autocratic use of power? In effect, he waffled between action and inaction. However, he died by the time he was 15 in 1553, so only had 6 years to make the changes. During Annes arrest and trial, Henrys sense of decency (never great) had persuaded him to send Jane away. Although he had two older sisters, Mary and Elizabeth, Edward was the next in line for the throne because he . The treason and heresy acts were repealed or modified, and the result came close to destroying the Tudor state. And finally, on 9 October, she went into labor. The christening was held three days later and, wrapped in furs and velvet, she attended. The combination of such traits was considered hypocritical and inconsistent. Janes father was over 60 when the kings fancy turned to her; it was her older brothers Edward and Thomas who stood to profit most from her ascendancy. would the use of an English bible be enforced? Edward VI, the boy king, a monarch with a famous and imposing father, was never able to attain real power as king. Nevertheless, only days after Henrys death, Edward Seymour was able to seize power, with thirteen out of the sixteen executors agreeing to his role as Protector for Edward VI. But the religious policy was as confusing as everything else during those years what were the proper rites for church services? How did Somersets policies help foster a climate of betrayal and manipulation; specifically, how had he failed in his duties as Lord Protector? She was conservative in her religion as she was in her behavior. The marriage was famously annulled only a few months later. He was also embezzling vast sums in a complicated scheme with the vice-treasurer of the Bristol mint. Unfortunately, his pleas for unity were too late and on 28th January 1547 he passed away. He died of tuberculosis, and his will, probably prepared by the Duke of Northumberland . The result was inevitable: a palace revolution ensued in October 1549, in which he was arrested and deprived of office, and two and a half years later he was executed on trumped-up charges of treason. Edward became a staunch Protestant, and during his reign the Reformation progressed. Though he is notorious for his six marriages, one could easily argue that only his union with Jane Seymour brief though it was completely satisfied him, as man and king. The same assumption operated in the famous Elizabethan Poor Law of 1601the need to ensure a minimum standard of living to all men and women within an organic and noncompetitive society (see Poor Law). There were many pro-Protestant laws enacted during his reign, with his approval, but at the instigation of his guardians. He continued to enjoy royal favor into Henry VIIIs reign, accompanying the king on his French campaign in 1513 and also the infamous Field of Cloth of Gold in 1520. These poor people, who had suffered through rising inflation and prices and debased currency, were determined to end a grossly unfair practice. The first monarch to be a qualified pilot, Edward created The King's Flight in 1936 to provide air transport for the Royal family's official duties. At the Battle of Pinkie in September 1547, held on the banks of the River Esk, the English forces would secure a blinding victory against the Scottish. The crown was divine and gave leadership, but it did not exist alone, nor could it claim a monopoly of divinity, for all parts of the body politic had been created by God. It was Jane who, years after her death, was painted as Henrys consort in paintings of the Tudor dynasty; and it was Jane whom Henry wished to lie beside in death. His first wife, Katherine of Aragon, bore him five stillborn children and one surviving daughter, Mary I. Succeeding his father Henry VIII of England (r. 1509-1547 CE), Edward was only nine years old at the time and so the kingdom was ruled by a council of nobles, foremost among whom was Edward's maternal uncle, Edward Seymour (l. c. 1500-1552 CE) until he was replaced by John . The secret betrothal of King Henry and Jane took place at Hampton Court the next day. As Edwards uncle and a soldier of experience, Somerset was the natural choice as Protector of all the realms and domains of the Kings Majesty and Governor of his most royal person. The other fifteen men Henry had selected as councilors were men only recently promoted to high office; twelve of them were Protestant, since the Howards the leading Catholic faction at court had fallen from power. How long did Edward VI reign for? In 1543 the captured nobles agreed to a marriage treaty that was intended to see the marriage of Henrys son and heir, Edward VI, to the infant Mary (Mary, Queen of Scots), with the aim of uniting the thrones of England and Scotland. Whilst England remained in a state of religious transition, social unrest began to breed, particularly with the publication of Cranmers Book of Common Prayer which resulted in an uprising in the West Country. Perhaps even the young Edward could sense his uncles calculating ambition. He refused to affix the seal to Somersets patent of formal authority. He had a Garter stall made for this long-awaited son in St Georges Chapel at Windsor; the royal apartments at Hampton Court Palace were refurbished in preparation for the birth; Janes brothers were yet again elevated to new positions, granted more lands and pensions. They were purchased by nobles who then were committed to keeping their new lands. King Henry VIII knew that before his death he needed to unite the different factions that were jostling for power, so that Edwards inheritance would not be the continued infighting and factionalism that had dominated his reign. Like Somerset, he resided in London where the new ideas were rampant. Edward VI was the son of King Henry VIII and his third wife, Jane Seymour. He was also ingratiating himself with King Edward by bribing a man called John Fowler, one of the kings closest servants. Somersets position as Lord Protector seemed natural enough. Somerset tried to be conciliatory but Seymour had none of it. He also knew that England could ill afford to continually invade their troublesome northern neighbor. Furthermore, Katharine of Aragon had finally passed away on 7 January 1536. Concern about Edward's private life grew in the Cabinet, opposition parties and the Dominions, when Mrs . Once she became infected, she was doomed. Edward VII (Albert Edward; 9 November 1841 - 6 May 1910) was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 22 January 1901 until his death in 1910. 5621230. Furthermore, he paid for the battles by debasing coinage (hardly an intelligent policy.) Princess Mary acted as godmother to her half-brother and four-year-old Elizabeth was carried by Thomas Seymour. Edward did not hold high respect for the traditions . Henry also planned an equally lavish coronation for his new queen. Dudley, the Duke of Northumberland realised that simply disinheriting her on the grounds of illegitimacy would also result in Elizabeth facing the same fate although she was Protestant. So he avoided an official declaration of Englands religious sympathies and allowed Charless cousin, Princess Mary, freedom to celebrate Catholic services. When Seymour married Katharine just four months after Henrys death, Anne and virtually everyone at court saw it as evidence of his vast ambition. Fowler, paid by Seymour, was happy to pass these complaints on. Instead, he issued grandiose proclamations and promised to pardon rebels if they stopped. Instead, clergy would recite twelve government-approved homilies/proverbs from the pulpit. And just a few weeks after Katharines death, Anne miscarried the child. The Ordinal of 1550 transformed the divinely ordained priest into a preacher and teacher, The Second Prayer Book of Edward VI (1552) was avowedly Protestant, altars were turned into tables, clerical vestments gave way to plain surplices, and religious orthodoxy was enforced by a new and more stringent Act of Uniformity. But as the date of Annes demise approached, Henry grew more impatient; Jane was moved to a closer house just a mile from the kings residence at Whitehall. A more temperate man would have been content with his newly ennobled title and position on the council but Seymour was ambitious and jealous a lethal combination. The Catholic defence even led to the city of Exeter being besieged whilst across the country in East Anglia, more social drama was unfolding in the form of land enclosures. Henry VIII wanted to bring Scotland under English control and stop the age-old enmity between the two countries. His fall was inevitable. His family was disgraced and he was angry at the councilors for so rapidly proceeding against his brother. The rebellion was crushed, but it revealed to Mary and her chief minister, Cardinal Pole, that the kingdom was filled with disloyal hearts who placed Protestantism and nationalism higher than their obedience to the throne. He vacated his apartments at Greenwich Palace so the Seymours could move in. But most were also committed to Protestantism for very real ideological and religious reasons. He also began visiting his nephew, attempting to gain Edwards affections by giving him presents and money. Jane herself was one of ten children; her own mother had six sons, though two of died of the sweating sickness in 1528. With the power behind the throne held by Edward Seymour, what could be said of the figurehead, nine year old Edward? Meanwhile, his brother was proving an embarrassment. He became king at the age of 9 when his father died. Certainly his heir, still a child, was king in name only. Seymour was furious. Nevertheless, Edward was a devout Protestant and embraced it wholeheartedly. Congress.) This was not a repeat of the Pilgrimage of Grace, where nobleman led their supporters in protest of new religious policies. When Somerset insisted the nobles had deliberately filled the juries with supporters, the people grew angry. . She tamed the House of Commons with tact combined with firmness, and she carried on a love affair with her kingdom in which womanhood, instead of being a disadvantage, became her greatest asset. They were determined to keep their land grants, gold plate, and other treasures. However, this is wrong as is the view that Edward VI was a sickly king, always delicate of health. In fact, he established a court of pleas at his own home in London. Many historians have written that Seymour and others courted Marys favor with the view that she would one day be queen. Somerset had achieved the position of Lord Protector simply because his younger sister, Jane, bore Henry VIII the longed-for son. As soon as it was healthy and safe, Jane would be officially crowned. (For example, good works and purgatory were deeply-held beliefs of common people.). having six wives What happened to Elizabeth I's mother Anne Boleyn? When he died, they struggled amongst themselves for Henrys vanished supreme authority. On Friday, 19 May 1536, Anne Boleyn was executed on various charges, the most powerful being that of treason. The boy king left behind a journal remarkable in its detachment; indeed, he recorded the executions of both Somerset and his younger brother with no emotion. Such an arrangement however, had not been agreed by Henry, who believed that a Protector held too much power and instead arranged for a Council of Regency to be appointed. Why? Edward V, (born November 2?, 1470, London, Englanddied 1483? Born on 12th October 1537, he was the only legitimate son of Henry VIII, born to his third wife, Jane Seymour who sadly died only a few days after his birth. 1936 Edward VIII abdicates After ruling for less than one year, Edward VIII becomes the first English monarch to voluntarily abdicate the throne. And, very soon indeed, speculation began who would receive these favors next? If the aunt of the Holy Roman Emperor could be divorced, why not Nan Bullen? And it possessed the enviable ability to feed its population without importing food but only during good harvests. In the eyes of the ruling elite, Somerset was responsible for governmental ineptitude and social and religious revolution. The second part of Edward's reign, from 1471 to 1483, was a period of relative peace and security. History of England King Edward VI by Jessica Brain One of the most famous Kings of England, perhaps one that epitomises the Tudor period the most, was Henry VIII. Again, a contrast to her predecessor who had despised and been despised by Princess Mary. In modern times, we call her illness puerperal fever. The Seymours had old antecedents though their claim of Norman ancestry was dubious. This evident dislike of bachelorhood was a cornerstone of Henrys adult life. It was also a terribly hot summer with a bad harvest. No one in 1558, any more than in 1485, would have predicted thatdespite the social discord, political floundering, and international humiliation of the past decadethe kingdom again stood on the threshold of an extraordinary reign. But their sister who had made such celebrating possible was not recovering from the birth. In truth, Somerset had emerged as a competent soldier and politician. There needed to be a leader, a respected man who (in the councils opinion) would not be a ruler but a figurehead. Unlike their sister Elizabeth, who declared she wanted no windows in mens souls, Edward and Mary believed they were guiding their subjects onto the path of righteousness. Luckily, Jane became pregnant a few months later, in early January 1537. It was only a matter of time before he, too, fell from power. Since Somerset was strict with his nephew and kept him constantly short of money, the king was grateful for the gifts. 20 Feb 1547. On 22 February, the council officially indicted him of thirty-three charges of treason. In Janes time, it was the most common cause of death for pregnant women. If Jane would have maintained Henrys interest and affection forever cannot, of course, be known. On 18 January, the council officially sent agents to question everyone Seymour had conspired with; among those questioned were Princess Elizabeth and her household. In doing so, they appealed to the intellectual vanity of their young king. It may be that Somerset was uneasy in his role since, before his sisters ascendancy, his family was only moderately successful. As mentioned earlier, Somersets economic policy was essentially nonexistent. Somerset ignored Paget as he ignored most everyone else. By contrast, Henry VIII left Princesses Mary and Elizabeth 3000 pds each less than half of Somersets income but still considered a great sum. She ensured the kings lasting affection when she gave birth to Edward, but she died soon afterwards of puerperal sepsis. Thousands of deaths ensued and much property was damaged. At around 2am on 12 October 1537, Jane Seymour, the third wife of King Henry VIII, was delivered of a healthy son - "the most beautiful boy that ever was seen". And these two or one wanting, farewell all just society, farewell king, government, justice and all other virtue. Along with the title came an income of 7400 pds a year, a vast sum in those days. This earned him the nickname the Good Duke but to his councilors he was too moderate to satisfy any faction and too headstrong to listen to anyone. In truth, he and Cromwell charged a fair and often steep price for most of the lands. 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His earliest tutors were female and he was guarded under the strictest regulations for example, nobody less than a knight was allowed to visit him. His reign was dominated by others, symptomatic of the power-plays and infighting dominating the court. It sought to bring into a single Protestant fold all varieties of middle-of-the-road religious beliefs by deliberately obscuring the central issue of the exact nature of the masswhether it was a miraculous sacrament or a commemorative service. Thomas Cranmer performed the ceremony. Of course, such a plan depended on the leader being willing to share power privately. 1547-1553 How long did Mary I rule? These Protestant lords had profitted economically from the dissolution of the monasteries and no one lord or commoner wanted to reinstate papal taxation. In just ten years, they had become the pre-eminent family in the land and he may have been insecure about such a rapid rise. He was also Edwards closest friend and, away on a mission to France, received letters from the king which betray normal adolescent exuberance. He would maintain a permanent English presence in Scotland by constructing armed garrisons. They were revolting against the noblemen with, so they believed, the governments support. The infant prince was the only male Tudor heir of his generation; he had two sisters and Henry VIIIs sisters Mary and Margaret had several daughters. After all, his councilors muttered, who was Somerset to criticize their rents when he spent the governments money with little regard for moderation? He was a devout Protestant, the product of the new religion which even his father had not understood. He died an agonizing death at 15, possibly from a combination of tuberculosis and the measles. Meanwhile, Jane displayed good common sense by ordering her ladies-in-waiting to dress conservatively. In general, the rebels wanted such basic rights as this the right to have landlords forced off common ground and the right to fish freely. These questions and many others remained hotly debated. The controlling mind within this mystical union of crown and Parliament belonged to the queen. The guard let him leave but, upon learning of the incident, the council decided to confine Seymour to the Tower while they investigated. The union with Anne was not recognized. Somersets main rivals for power were John Dudley, earl of Northumberland (soon promoted to earl of Warwick) and his own brother, Thomas Seymour (soon created Baron Seymour of Sudeley and Lord High Admiral.) Instead Dudley made alternative arrangements in the form of Lady Jane Grey, the 15-year-old granddaughter of Henry VIIs daughter Mary. Shortly thereafter, Henry began the dalliance mentioned above. Roman Catholicism was not a lost cause when Mary came to the throne. Based in Kent and a lover of all things historical. Edward VII (r.1901-1910) Prince Albert Edward was born at Buckingham Palace on 9 November 1841, the eldest son and second child of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert. Mary was of marriageable age (seven years younger than Jane) and could be used as a tool in Henrys diplomacy. There were, of course, reasons for Seymour to be jealous. Meanwhile, what could be said of young King Edward VI? Edward VIII, also called (from 1936) Prince Edward, duke of Windsor, in full Edward Albert Christian George Andrew Patrick David, (born June 23, 1894, Richmond, Surrey, Englanddied May 28, 1972, Paris, France), prince of Wales (1911-36) and king of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and of the British dominions and emperor. She had survived the palace revolutions of her brothers reign and the Roman Catholicism of her sisters; she was the product of a fine Renaissance education, and she had learned the need for strong secular leadership devoid of religious bigotry. Somersets policies during the rebellions were typical of the Good Duke, or so the peasantry believed but they enraged the nobility. But this liberal Catholicism was in the process of being repudiated by the Council of Trent, with its uncompromising policies. Anne drove her rival from court, Chapuys relates, Henry was angry and threatening he told Anne that she had good reason tto be content with what he had done for her, which he would not do now if the thing were to begin and that she should consider from what she had come and other things. One can imagine the effect of such words on Anne. It did not help her disposition or relations with the king. Poor young Lady Jane Grey is famous for having the shortest reign in Englands history just nine days. Certainly she had obeyed their father but Edward was an adolescent who Mary believed was a pawn of Protestant heretics. Somersets main problem was that he lacked the charisma and will-power of Henry VIII, a man who had blustered and bullied his council into action. Suffice to say, 2000 shots were fired from the Tower and bells were rung throughout the countryside. Edward was not completely cold, however. He had not deserted his relationship with Anne, however; there was still a chance she would provide a male heir and Henry was loathe to end a marriage he had fought so hard to secure. Marys reign was a study in failure. Every aspect of government was intimate because it was small and rested on the support of probably no more than 5,000 key persons. Certainly, the peasants thought that he favoured the element in the House of Commons that was anxious to tax sheep raisers and to curb enclosures and that section of the clergy that was lashing out at economic inequality. Edward IV, also called (until 1459) Earl of March, (born April 28, 1442, Rouen, Francedied April 9, 1483, Westminster, England), king of England from 1461 until October 1470 and again from April 1471 until his death in 1483. Keep in mind that in 1547 just 20% of Londoners were Protestant; Protestants were also a vocal minority in Essex, Bristol, Kent and Sussex but outside this all-important southeast corridor, the religion had barely spread. Two years after the Battle of Pinkie, the French had moved Mary Stuart to France (thereby ending Somersets planned marriage between her and Edward.) Jane Seymour, the kings third wife, was luckier. But it did not happen until five years into Edwards reign, by which time Somerset had effectively cemented the new religion in England and offended virtually every other nobleman. Furthermore, Russell cautioned, King Edward would view a match with Elizabeth very suspiciously after all, it smacked of ambition and the next step would be his own death. But Elizabeth was cautious and less than thrilled; she retired to the country and stayed far away from London. (1841-1910) Who Was Edward VII? The dog woke up, barking, and Seymour shot him. It was long known that whoever could hold London could control all of England London was the capital and one of the largest cities in Europe. Somerset was reduced to hiring mercenaries (over 7000) to maintain some positions but conditions were bleak enough to drive mercenaries away. As prices rose, Somerset foolishly decided to fix maximum prices for goods but the prices were incredibly high and,, once again, demonstrated his knowledge of London prices and ignorance of the rest of England. Seymour further angered the council and his brother by flirting with Princess Elizabeth; she was sent from he and Katharines Chelsea home after Katharine became pregnant. Like his sister, Mary, Edward became committed to a specific ideology and determined to impose it upon the English people for their own good, of course. Sharington had taken advantage of the general laxity and chaos the new reign to clip and debase the coinage produced at Bristol. Somersets government was a confused jumble of misplaced idealism and factional squabbling. Most of the work was done by unpaid amateurs: the sheriffs of the shires, the lord lieutenants of the counties, and, above all, the Tudor maids of all work, the 1,500 or so justices of the peace. In a move of ever-increasing political ambition, he made sure to arrange an advantageous marriage for his son, Guildford Dudley who was to be married to Lady Jane, the future queen. If Edward died, the throne would pass to a woman and the Tudor dynasty would end. Edward was naturally cautious and asked his tutor, John Cheke, for guidance. In politics every element was expected to obey one head, one governor, one law in exactly the same way as all parts of the human body obeyed the brain. Governing body set up by Henry VIII to rule whilst Edward was minor. As Lord High Admiral, a post he had heretofore neglected, Seymour was able to control the English navy. The eldest surviving son of King Edward IV and Queen Elizabeth (Woodville), Edward was born at Westminster Abbey while his father, momentarily deposed, was in exile in Holland. The protectors successor and the man largely responsible for his fall was John Dudley, earl of Warwick, who became duke of Northumberland. When harvests were bad, famine occurred and the poor became beggars, often relying on the newly-impoverished churches for support. Edward VI became king even as his fathers past was catching up to the English economy. But his potential would never be realized. -How long did he reign for? Factionalism and squabbling had long marked Henrys court (particularly after Cromwells execution) and it only worsened after his death. Somerset is best remembered for these religious reforms, but their effectiveness was much blunted by their association with greed. Edwards ministers demonstrated passionate self-interest in this religious climate. Whatever the case, he began to voice open disapproval of his brothers government, threatening to disrupt Parliamenr; in short, he was a great embarrassment to the protector. Certainly Henry was optimistic and, as usual, the astrologers and doctors predicted the birth of a son. Edward VI was just a child when crowned at Westminster. Meanwhile, the revolts spread and the council urged action. Each new dalliance, each sharp word reinforced her tenuous position. Meanwhile, another central goal during Edward VIs time as monarch was the establishment and implementation of the Protestant church. There are stories which cannot be confirmed as true Anne discovered Jane sitting on the kings lap, Anne discovered gifts Henry had bought for Mistress Seymour but they are disquieting. She had the most pleasing feminine habit of showing disinterested concern for others. But for several years he was Lord Protector before his younger brothers jealousy and ambition destroyed them both. Edward VII became king upon the death of his mother, Queen Victoria, in 1901.A popular member of social and sporting circles, Edward VII strengthened England's ties . He planned to use the proceeds to finance his coup to take over the government. Chapuys, who had no cause to denigrate her, described her as of middle stature and no great beauty. But she was calm, courteous, and kindly. But thousands perished during the fighting. The Book of Common Prayer was introduced in 1549, aspects of Roman Catholic practices (including statues and stained glass) were eradicated and the marriage of clergy allowed. Somersets ally Lord Rich was quickly appointed lord chancellor and the Great Seal was finally affixed to the letters patent. The message was clear soon, the French would control Scotland.. A Yeoman of the Guard appeared, demanding an explanation, even as King Edward awoke and stood in his bedroom doorway; he was clad in his nightshirt and openly terrified. The bureaucracy consisted of a handful of privy councillors at the top and possibly 500 paid civil servants at the bottomthe 15 members of the secretariat, the 265 clerks and custom officials of the treasury, a staff of 50 in the judiciary, and approximately 150 more scattered in other departments. He was never particularly close to his other half-sister, Mary. He openly asked people for support in case of a coup. This tolerance was unexpected and unwelcome by his peers. Anne Stanhope was as proud and quarrelsome as her brother-in-law Seymour. They seized and relished this unexpected opportunity to advance their fortunes. On 19 October, she took to her bed again; she recovered somewhat on the 23rd, as her attendants reported, but only for a matter of hours. Only then was Henry VIIIs demise made public and Edward VI proclaimed king. She told Henry she had miscarried because he had suffered a serious fall and the news, related by her uncle Norfolk, had distressed her terribly. Their name was originally St Maur and a Sir Wido de Saint Maur was supposed to have come over with the conquest. This did not come to pass; instead, Henrys body was interred with Janes at her burial site, St Georges Chapel.It is indicative of Henrys contradictory character that, ten years and three wives after her death, he still held Jane in such sentimental regard. What is Henry VIII known for? With Seymour out of the way, Dudley now declared himself the Lord President of the Council and by the beginning of 1550 was the new man in central authority. Edward VI, (born October 12, 1537, London, Englanddied July 6, 1553, London), king of England and Ireland from 1547 to 1553. In January 1554, under the leadership of Sir Thomas Wyatt the Younger, the peasants of Kent rose up against the queens Roman Catholic and Spanish policies, and 3,000 men marched on London. Somerset was no Cromwell. The council was furious Somerset had blundered once again, disregarding their advice and following no clear policy of his own. But Edward VIs extreme youth ensured that his reign would not immediately be his own. In autumn 1535, the kings fancy turned to Jane Seymour. Henry VIII was said to be devastated at the loss of young Prince Edward's mother. One official mentioned the obvious solution restore the coinage but Somerset was desperate for quick money to fund his Scottish plans. He became King on the death of his father, Henry VIII, on the 28th of January 1547. As a result, his government policies were idealistic but his personal relationships with counncil members were unsatisfying. If you use any of the content on this page in your own work, please use the code below to cite this page as the source of the content. Throughout Somersets protectorate, the Tudor government though sympathetic to Protestantism did not dare officially declare itself Protestant. He was always affectionate to his stepmother, Katharine Parr, whose benevolent influence eased his lonely childhood. Seymour told them he had come to test the kings guards; the dog had attacked him so he was forced to shoot. ), The attempts to end enclosures was perhaps the most ill-advised of Somersets policies. But, for a long while, Somerset was impervious to Dudleys scheming. Her resolute Catholicism was laced with realism. With Edward now formally king however, his youth would mean that power would reside in a council that would, until he came of age, make the decisions. One can imagine it was a happy and triumphant day for Jane but confidence would have been foolhardy. He was the third. (A position, in other words, like that of Speaker of the House in the U.S. At the age of six, his two principal tutors were appointed Ricahrd Cox, a committed but moderate reformer, and John Cheke, the most distinguished humanist in the land. (In an ironic footnote, he was not only pardoned but restored to his office and position in life.). She became terminally insecure and anxious even as she struggled to conceive and deliver a healthy child. If she had lived as long as her sister Elizabeth was to live (the womb cancer from which Mary died in 1558 not only brought her Catholic restoration to an end but rendered her childless and heirless), England would probably have been an irrevocably Catholic country. Yet under his short reign, England underwent the reformation that transformed the country forever. Then, Seymour and Elizabeth would rule. She was also virtuous. There of course was only one slight problem with such a prospect: she was a devout Catholic. Most potential leaders of a resistance movement had been encouraged by Mary to emigrate and had done so, but there were scores of underground Protestant cells during her reign. Both Mary and Elizabeth benefited from Janes kindness. From the start the two seemed born for their respective roles, the heir and the spare. Edward was King Henry's only legitimate son Henry VIII was famously known to have had six wives, two divorced, two executed, one died in childhood, and the last that outlived him. So Somerset proposed a logical but impractical plan. Edward VI succeeded his father in 1547 and, under the protectorate of the Duke of Northumberland, zealously . At the same time, many of the old papal trappings of the church were retained. Born in October 1537, Edward was the fulfillment of his fathers tangled marital history. should the Host be elevated during mass? 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