England - Periods - Tudor 1485-1603

Edward VI

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Edward VI was born on October 12, 1537, at Hampton Court Palace, the only son of King Henry VIII and his third wife, Jane Seymour. His mother died just twelve days after giving birth, and Edward was raised by a series of governesses and tutors. When Henry VIII died in 1547, Edward was just nine years old and became king, with his uncle Edward Seymour, Duke of Somerset, serving as his Lord Protector. The political situation in England at the time was somewhat unstable, with ongoing religious and political conflicts between Protestants and Catholics. Edward VI was a devout Protestant, and during his short reign, he oversaw a number of religious reforms, including the establishment of the Church of England as a Protestant church and the adoption of the Book of Common Prayer. He also supported a number of social and economic reforms aimed at improving the lives of ordinary people. However, Edward's reign was marked by political instability and conflict, particularly between the Duke of Somerset and other members of the royal court. In 1551, Somerset was deposed as Lord Protector and later executed for treason. dward VI was raised as a Protestant mainly due to the influence of his father, King Henry VIII, who had broken with the Catholic Church in order to annul his marriage to Catherine of Aragon and marry Anne Boleyn. Henry VIII had established the Church of England as a Protestant church, and Edward's education was heavily influenced by Protestant reformers. One of the most significant figures in shaping Edward's religious views was the Archbishop of Canterbury, Thomas Cranmer. Cranmer was a leading figure in the English Reformation and worked closely with Edward to implement Protestant reforms, including the publication of the Book of Common Prayer and the adoption of a more Protestant form of worship. Another important influence on Edward's religious views was John Calvin, the French theologian and Protestant reformer. Edward corresponded with Calvin and was deeply impressed by his ideas, particularly his emphasis on predestination and the authority of Scripture. Overall, Edward VI was a committed Protestant who saw the English Reformation as a crucial part of his mission as king. He was deeply committed to the idea of a "godly commonwealth" in which the Church and the state worked together to promote the welfare of the people, and his religious and political reforms reflected this vision. Edward VI's relationship with his sisters, Mary and Elizabeth, was complex and strained. Edward was the youngest of Henry VIII's children and was born to his third wife, Jane Seymour, after both Mary and Elizabeth. As a result, Edward was raised somewhat separately from his sisters, and he did not have a close relationship with either of them. Mary was a devout Catholic, and her strong religious convictions put her at odds with Edward's Protestant beliefs. She also resented the fact that Edward was named as heir to the throne over her, and the two had a difficult relationship throughout Edward's reign. Elizabeth, on the other hand, was more sympathetic to Edward's Protestant views, but their relationship was still somewhat distant. Elizabeth was also excluded from the succession under Edward's Devise for the Succession, which named Lady Jane Grey as his heir instead. Despite these tensions, there were occasional moments of reconciliation between Edward and his sisters. For example, when Mary fell ill with smallpox in 1551, Edward visited her and offered his support. And after Edward's death, both Mary and Elizabeth mourned his passing and spoke fondly of him in their writings. Overall, however, the relationships between Edward and his sisters were shaped by religious and political differences, as well as the complex dynamics of the Tudor court. Despite his youth and relatively short reign, Edward VI played an important role in shaping the course of English history. His religious and political reforms laid the groundwork for the later reigns of Elizabeth I and James I, and his support for the English navy helped establish England as a major maritime power.

Jane Grey

Edward VI's relationship with Lady Jane Grey was a close one. Lady Jane Grey was the granddaughter of Henry VIII's sister, and Edward had named her as his heir in his will, bypassing his half-sisters Mary and Elizabeth, both of whom were Catholic. Edward was a highly intelligent and precocious child, and he and Lady Jane shared a love of learning and intellectual pursuits. They were both highly educated and well-read, and they frequently discussed religious and philosophical topics together. When Edward fell ill with tuberculosis in early 1553, he was aware that his days were numbered, and he began to make plans for the succession. He wrote a new will in which he named Lady Jane Grey as his successor, and he also drew up a document called the "Devise for the Succession," which outlined a complex plan for the transfer of power to Lady Jane and her heirs. Edward VI's "Devise for the Succession" was a document he drew up in 1553, outlining his preferred succession plan in the event of his death. The Devise bypassed his half-sisters Mary and Elizabeth, who were both Catholic, in favor of Lady Jane Grey, a Protestant and the granddaughter of Henry VIII's sister. Under the terms of the Devise, Lady Jane was to be named as Edward's successor, with the crown passing to her and her male heirs. However, if Lady Jane died without male issue, the crown would pass to the descendants of Mary Tudor, the younger sister of Henry VIII, and her husband Charles Brandon, Duke of Suffolk. The Devise also included a number of provisions aimed at limiting the power of the Catholic Church and strengthening the position of the Protestant nobility. Edward's Devise was highly controversial, and it was widely opposed by the Catholic nobility and many members of the royal court. Mary Tudor, who was next in line for the throne after Edward's half-sisters, saw the Devise as a direct threat to her own claim to the throne, and she began to rally support among the Catholic nobility to challenge Lady Jane's accession. After Edward's death on July 6, 1553, Lady Jane was proclaimed Queen, but her reign was short-lived. She was deposed just nine days later by Mary I, who had the support of the Catholic nobility and the backing of the Spanish King, Philip II. Lady Jane was later executed for treason, but she remained a sympathetic figure in Protestant history, and her story was often used to illustrate the dangers of political and religious extremism.

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Reference: Article by Greg Scott (Staff Historian), 2024

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