Edward VI
Accession
Upon Henry VIII’s death, Edward VI was crowned King of England on January 28 th 1547. He also
inherited the titles of Supreme Head of the Church of England and Defender of the Faith.
As Edward was only 9 when he came to the throne, a Regency Council ruled on his behalf. Between
1547-49, Edward Seymour, the Duke of Somerset took charge, taking up the position of Lord
Protector. Following the scare caused by the Western and Kett’s rebellions, Somerset was replaced by
the Duke of Northumberland.
Moderate religious reforms, 1547-49
Somerset, a moderate Protestant, experienced a great deal of pressure to implement further radical
changes, from the Privy Council, dominated by reformists (notably Cranmer), and from Protestants,
who had fled persecution during the 1530/40s and had begun returning from Germany and the
Netherlands upon the news of Henry’s death. Pressure for reform was increased with the growing
circulation of the writings of Matin Luther and John Calvin, facilitated by the relaxation of press
censorship.
Somerset, however, was concerned that dramatic changes might anger the largely Catholic population
and Catholic European powers, particularly Charles V, at a time when England was already at war
with France and Spain. There was also opposition on the Privy Council, with about half of the bishops
opposed to reform.
Thus, at first only moderate changes were made; measures were introduced to undo the Six Articles
Act and rules that provided services and the Bible to be in English were strengthened with injunctions.
To aid the spread of Protestant practices, each parish was given a copy of Cranmer’s Book of
Homilies (a book of sermons for use in church services) and Erasmus’ Paraphrases (a retelling of the
Bible that could be more easily understood by worshippers).
A full-scale enquiry into the state of the Church was launched, with commissioners sent to every
parish.
Parliament, which met in November 1547, only strengthened the changed being made. There were
two main pieces of legislation passed:
o The Treasons Act repealed the Six Articles Act and the heresy, treason and censorship laws
which had stifled relgious debate at the end of Henry’s reign. The immediate result was the
increased circulation of pamphlets demanding radical change and the writings of Luther and
Calvin.
o The Chantries Act abolished Chantries, believed to be hubs of Catholicism and superstition
(arguably done to raise money for the war against Scotland rather than for religious reasons).
Reaction of Protestant radicals
Radical reformists were angered by the government’s neutrality and lack of radical reform; for
example, the government would not directly specify which Protestant doctrine was to be followed.
Protestants who began returning from the Continent and settling in London, East Anglia, Essex and
Lincolnshire started riots, which often included the destruction of Catholic stain glass windows and
statues.
The government refused to take any action against the violence, which enraged conservatives.
The 1549 Act of Uniformity and Prayer Book
Only when the French withdrew from Scotland and the immediate threat of war was over, did the
government feel secure enough to pass the Act of Uniformity (1549). The Act imposed a single
, standard of worship across England, so to end the confusion and argument that had been growing
since 1534. Many Catholic ritual disappeared, for example, English became the required lanuage of
worship, the congregation were to be offered bread and wine (Catholics reserved this for the
priesthood), clerical marriage became lawful and removal of statues and other imagery was
encouraged. The Act, however, did not create a fully Protestant Church; for example, priests dressed
and behaved in the same manner as they already had done.
In 1549, Archbishop Cranmer also introduced a new Prayer Book, which was particularly vague in the
hope not to antagonise religious conservatives but to appease reformists. For example, it did not deny
the centeral Catholic idea that priests transformed the bread and wine into the ‘real presence’ of
Christ, but did give the impression that the priest was simply commemorating the event.
The effectiveness of the reforms depended on bishops and ruling elites’ enforcement of them.
Although, there was some opposition in the south-west and Yorkshire, the changes were generally
accepted.
Economic & social problems under Somerset
Over the course of the 16th century, England suffered an economic depression (inflation was at
around 400%), with prices rising the most between the 1520s and 1540s. This was caused by a
number of factors:
o A population boom which placed more pressure on food supplies and surplus of labour meant
wages did not keep up with price rises (between 1540 and 1560 alone wages fell by as much
as 60%). England’s population increased from about 2.3 million in the 1520’s, to nearly 3
million by 1551.
o High wool prices in the first half of the 16th century encouraged many to turn to sheep
farming, however, an excess of wool caused a collapse in the wool market during the 1540s.
o The debasement of coinage (lowering the value of coinage) to fund foreign wars, for
example, the ‘Great Debasement’ of 1544, meant more money was in circulation, forcing
prices upwards.
o Crop failures, such as that of 1549, increased food prices.
These economic conditions significantly decreased the standard of living and increased
unemployment.
The 1547 Vagrancy Act was a savage attack on able-bodied persons looking for work (Somerset saw
these as a cause of riots); those who were out of work for three days were to be branded with a V and
sold into slavery for 2 years. The children of vagrants could be taken away from their parents and to
set to work as apprentices. The Act was widely disliked and many authorities refused to enforce it.
Rising prices encouraged enclosures. In response, Somerset established a commission to investigate
the legality of recent enclosures, passed proclamations limiting the size of leaseholds and placing a
tax on sheep wool. These measures, however, caused further unrest; many members of the gentry
evaded the legislation which fell most heavily on the poorer section of society which it was supposed
to protect.
Western Rebellion, 1549
Riots began in the south-west with Archdeacon William Body’s attempts to remove Catholic statues
and images from local churches and to enforce the new Prayer Book. This sparked the independent
rebellions in Cornwall and Devon, in June 1549, which joined forced.
Instead of marching on London, the rebels stayed in the south-west and took control of lands around
Exeter.
Due to the hostility of the rebels expressed towards the gentry, only 6 Catholic local gentry joined the
Rebellion.
Motivation? The Rebellion was a direct response to the implantation of the new Prayer Book, thus
religion as certainly a factor. The main leaders of the Rebellion were local clergymen, who drew up
