Edward VI 1547-53
Edward VI ascended to the throne when he was nine-years-old.
§ He was the first to succeed the titles of Supreme Head of the Church of England and Defender of the Faith.
§ Following the death of Henry VIII, there were many issues that needed to be dealt with:
The Crown’s finances had been ruined by expensive wars against France and Scotland.
Divided on religious grounds
To pay for the wars, the coinage had been debased. This led to a rise in inflation and a decline in real incomes
for many people.
The Crown had compromised its long-term security, by selling off monastic lands, in order to raise money for
war quickly.
§ In Henry VIII’s will, he had set up a Regency Council, to govern England whilst Edward was still a minor- sixteen
members
§ Members of the Regency Council were balanced between Protestants, such as Hertford and Cranmer, and
religious conservatives, such as the Earl of Southampton.
§ The Regency Council did not last long, and delegated its power to Hertford, who later granted himself the title of
the Duke of Somerset.
§ Hertford relied on the support of Cranmer, Viscount Lisle (who later became Earl of Warwick and Duke of
Northumberland) and Sir William Paget.
§ The government was fearful of good order and security, as there was no guarantee of wider public acceptance of
Somerset as protectorate.
§ The clergy were required to reinforce the idea that the authority of the King was in accordance with the will of
God. Disobedience of the King, therefore, was a mortal sin.
Edward Seymour was made Earl of Hertford in October 1537
§ He made himself the Duke of Somerset on 16th Feb 1547
§ From 31st January 1547 until 31st October 1549 Somerset ruled as Lord Protector
Somerset’s rise to power
§ Born Edward Seymour in about 1506, brother of Jane Seymour
§ In March 1537 he became a member of the Privy Council. Experience of diplomacy and the battlefield in Scotland and
France
§ 31st Jan elected Somerset as protector and he ruled with virtual royal authority. In January 1552 he was tried and
executed
Dudley- Warwick- Northumberland (Duke of Northumberland)
§ John Dudley was made Earl of Warwick in February 1547
§ He made himself duke of Northumberland on 11th October 1551
§ On 21st February 1550 Northumberland was appointed Lord President of the council-
Northumberlands rise to power
§ Born john Dudley in 1504; son of Edmund Dudley who was executed by henry VII
§ He was brought up by Sir Edward Guildford, treated him like a son
§ 1540’s earned military reputation in land and sea battles against the Scots and French. On henry VIII death he
became the earl of Warwick August 1553 he was tried and executed
, The Regency Of Somerset
§ When Somerset was appointed Protector, under the Regency Council, he rewarded himself and supporters with
promotions within the peerage, and substantial grants of Crown lands.
§ Within weeks, Somerset had gained control, and reinforced his power by controlling the Privy Chamber, through
appointing one of his supporters as Chief Gentleman.
§ Increasingly, members of the Privy Council resented Somerset, and the atmosphere of his regime was quickly
soured by factional rivalries.
§ Thomas Seymour, the brother of Somerset, sought to turn Edward VI against his brother.
§ Seymour also plotted with the Earl of Southampton against Somerset. Somerset had little choice but to charge his
brother of treason.
§ Southampton denounced Seymour and, consequently, achieved his readmission to the Council.
§ His arrogant and dictatorial manner created many enemies, especially Southampton.
§ His style of government and policy failings made him appear weaker to those who had originally supported him.
§ One of Somerset’s most important enemies was the Earl of Warwick, who was given the opportunity to strike
Somerset, following his weak response to the rebellions of 1549.
§ In August 1549, Warwick and Southampton decided that Somerset’s control should be brought to an end, and tried
to secure the support of Princess Mary, but she refused to be a part of any conspiracy.
§ At the time that the conspirators were ready to strike, Somerset was at Hampton Court and still had control over
the king
§ Somerset and Edward retreated to Windsor, but Somerset surrendered after being promised that no treason
charges would be pressed against him
Iconoclasm - Destruction of images within churches
Injunctions- Orders issued for the implication of church policy either by the church or by bishops
Chantries- Chapels set aside for the signing of masses for peacefulness of dead souls in purgatory
Visitations- Inspection of parish churches
Purgatory- The place where dead souls went so that their sins could be purged before entering heaven. The rejection of
this by the C of E made this redundant
Eucharistic declaration- Made by the priest when offering the Eucharist. The words ‘take this and eat it, this is my
body’ were held by Gardiner to imply the acceptance of transubstantiation
Transubstantiation- Proclaimed that the bread and wine as consecrated in the Eucharist were transformed into the
actual blood and body of Christ
Elevation of the host- the consecrated bread had been raised by the priest and shown to the congregation
Communion in both kinds - priests took both the bread and wine whilst the lay people only took bread. This was
challenged by reformers like Martin Luther who believed that both groups should take this.
