Summary England (1485—1558): the early Tudors: Edward VI
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England : the early Tudors (H505)
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All key information pertaining to Edward VI's reign including the issue of his age, the Duke of Somerset, the Duke of Northumberland, rebellions, e.c.t...
Stability Religion Rebellion
Edward’s age: The roles of Somerset and Causes of Western and Kett
His age caused instability: Northumberland Rebellions
● A child monarch is vulnerable and Somerset: Western
defenceless to the people in power in ● Somerset was more cautious and slow ● Religion
their place. E.g: Edward V, aged 12, with religious changes, as religious ○ It was also called the “Prayer Book
succeeded to the throne in 1483. He changes were not supposed to occur rebellion”
was imprisoned in the Tower and until Edward was 18, as well as there ○ Previous protests were religiously
probably murdered on the orders of his were economic issues and concerns motivated before this larger
uncle, and protector, Richard III. rebellion
with usurpers or wars at the time,
● Other countries would use the ■ 1547, William Body, a local
especially the war with Scotland. archdeacon and Protestant
presence of a minor on the throne as ● Key changes under Somerset include: sympathiser, had been
encouragement to start a war or ● 1547: attack when he returned in
invade. Edward would not be able to ⤷ Chanceries Act, which 1548 to supervise the
lead troops into battle. dissolved chantries to destruction of images, which
● A child monarch would not be able to raise funds for the War protestants had believed to
control factional struggle which could with scotland be superstitious, and he
lead to another civil war. ⤷ Treason Act, which was murdered at Helston
● The Duke of Somerset easily took replaced the Henrican ■ 1549, a significant number
control of the Council that was treason, heresy, and of peasants gathered at
originally meant to equally rule in place Bodmin, the county town of
censorship laws, and
of Edward. As a child, Edward was Cornwall, to protest against
meant that religion could the imposition of the Act of
easy to manipulate. be freely discussed and Uniformity.
criticised. ■ Protest at Bodmin was a
His age was not a threat to instability: ● 1548 prelude to the larger
● A child as King can’t start a war or ⤷ Privy council issued disturbance at Sampford
exert extensive tyranny. E.g: Henry III proclamations to try and Courtenay, on Whit Monday,
came to the throne in 1216 aged nine. calm the situation but when the locals objected to
There was a civil war after he came of the use of the prayer book.
, age, but during his minority the unrest increased confusion over They also insisted that mass
that had resulted in Magna Carta was religious policy should be said according to
ended and the country was ruled well. ● 1549 the old custom
This also applies to Richard II. Henry ⤷ Education of the laity Wanted mass in Latin and
for it to be celebrated by the
VI succeeded to the throne at age eight occurred in English for
priest without anyone
months but the War of the Roses would the first time communicating with him
start after he came of age. ⤷ First Edwardian Act of ○ Wanted mass in Latin and for it to
● Despite certain drawbacks, Edward did Uniformity, which ordered be celebrated by the priest without
not come to the throne as a sickly child. all clergy of England and anyone communicating with him.
He was fully expected to grow up, get Wales to use a number ○ Wanted holy bread and water every
married, and produce an heir. of protestant practices Sunday, palms and ashes at
⤷ First Book of Common appropriate times, and for images
Prayer to be restored.
Weaknesses in government and ○ Wanted every preacher in his
finance inherited from Henry VIII: Northumberland sermon and every priest at mass to
● Northumberland is able to introduce pray for the souls in purgatory.
● England’s position in Europe: ● Economic
more radical reform because he has
○ England was at war with France ○ Sheep and cloth tax, which would
introduced the Treason Act, forced
and Scotland when Henry VIII have hit pastoral areas like Devon
people to go to Church, and dealt with and Cornwall hard
died and the Scottish-French past rebels by killing them which ● Gentry
alliance meant England could discourages future rebels from ○ They robbed and killed the gentry
have to fight a war on two fronts. revolting. Northumberland inherits a at St Michael’s Mount and at
○ England was not a major power bankrupt England so the Chantry law Bodmin they shouted “Kill the
in Europe. helps him regain funds Gentlemen!”.
● During the last three years of ○ In Devon, the rebels killed William
○ There had been fears of a Hellyons, a member of the gentry
Edward’s reign, the government
Catholic crusade against turned to extract the remaining who resisted them, and they also
England in the 1540s. wealth of the Church. attacked/plundered Trematon
● England’s government: Castle.
● In 1553, Northumberland began
○ The personality of the King was ○ Gentry were the people who gained
to attack these vast resources from the Dissolution of the
very important; he made all the which were worth half of all the Monasteries and Chantries and
, decisions, but Edward was only monastic wealth and much more then they started to enforce
a child. than the chantries. unpopular religious policy.
● Key changes under Northumberland ○ The leader of the royal army
○ The age of the king gave commented on the exploitation of
include:
opportunities for nobles to gain the peasantry by the nobility who
● Ridley:
power and for factional had raised rents excessively and
⤷ New Bishop of London abandoned the concept of ‘good
struggles. who firstly introduced lordship’.
○ Henry had ruled England radical change – altars
through the 1540s without a were removed and Kett
chief minister, making most of replaced by communion ● Religion
the decisions himself. His image tables ˃ More Protestant demands
● 1552, New Treason Act passed ˃ At Mousehold Heath, they brought
was of a ruthless ruler but
⤷ It made it an offence to in ministers who could preach and
Edward VI was only a child. question the Royal would use the new Prayer Book.
○ Henry had established a Supremacy or any of the ● Economic
Regency Council to govern articles of faith of the ˃ Rising rents
English Church. ˃ Landowners attempted to put up
England until Edward was old
rents to counter the effects of
enough. The Council Henry ⤷ Holy days were limited to
inflation
established was supposed to be 25. ● Enclosures
● March 1552 ˃ Rioters were angry with a local
balanced between religious
⤷ Second Act of uniformity lawyer (John Flowerdew) for buying
conservatives and reformers but passed. Became an a local abbey Church, demolishing
the Protestant reformers offensive for both clergy a part of it, and enclosing other
dominated the government. and laity to not attend land.
● Economic and social conditions: church services. ˃ The rebels’ first demand concerned
○ Henry had spent all the money ⤷ Cranmers new book of saffron, particularly valuable crop
common prayer used as a grown in the area
he had gained from the
basis of all service. All ˃ complaints about gentry overusing
Dissolution of the Monasteries the ‘foldcourse system’ where they
traces of catholic
on war and defence in the extended the time they were
scriptures and mass had supposed to graze their sheep on
1540s. £2 million was spent on
peasants’ fallows and unsown land.
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