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Edward VI (AQA A Level History)
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Notes on the reign of Edward VI () for AQA A Level History 1C The Tudors: England,
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Background to Edward VIEdward VI became King of England in 1547, when he was just 9 years old; due to his age, he
relied on the Regency Council to make decisions during his ‘minority rule’. He had a short
reign, dying in 1553 after just 6 years on the throne. Since he was only 16 years old when he
died, he never ruled on his own; the governing of England throughout his entire reign had
been the responsibility of the Regency Council, led first by his uncle, Edward Seymour (Duke
of Somerset) and then by John Dudley, Duke of Northumberland. However, though Edward
was always a minor king, he was seemingly increasingly inclined to participate in
government as he approached adulthood and it is thought that the Regency Council
anticipated that he would take formal control of government on his 16 th birthday in October
1553.
Introduction to Somerset
His father had served Henry VII and Henry VIII
Somerset’s rise to prominence began with his knighthood in 1523 for military service in
France
In 1524, Wolsey promoted him to the King’s service as a member of the royal household
He survived Wolsey’s fall in 1529 by publicly supporting Henry in the divorce matter
His sister Jane’s marriage to Henry in 1536 brought him into the royal family He was
made Viscount Beauchamp a week after the wedding and Earl of Hertford in 1537, the
same year in which he became a member of the King’s ruling council
In around 1542, he became Lord High Admiral and in 1544, he was made Lieutenant-
General in the North
After Henry VIII’s death in January 1547, he became Lord Protector and Duke of
Somerset
His ally and fellow councillor, Sir William Paget, had custody of Henry VIII’s will They
kept his death secret for 4 days so they could take advantage of the weakness of the
conservative faction and rally support for the nomination of Somerset as leader of the
Regency Council
He had the right to appoint and dismiss members of the Privy Council, effectively making
him the ruler of the country
His relationship to Edward VI (he was his uncle) probably helped him to rise to power so
quickly
The Privy Council was kept almost the same as under Henry but problems began to arise,
as there was no strong leader because Somerset was not good at making decisions
How effective was Edward Seymour as Lord Protector?
Edward Seymour was Jane Seymour’s brother and uncle of Prince Edward. After Edward’s
birth, Seymour gained riches and titles from Henry VIII, including Lord High Admiral and
Lieutenant General of the North. This power he accumulated meant that he was in a really
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