Edward VI of England

King of England and Ireland (1547-1553)

Born: October 12, 1537, London Died: July 6, 1553, London

Only legitimate son of Henry VIII, Edward was the third monarch of the Tudor dynasty and England's first Protestant ruler. His mother, Henry’s third wife, Jane Seymour, died 12 days after his birth. Although Edward has traditionally been viewed as a frail child who was never in good health, some recent authorities have maintained that until several years before his death he was a robust, athletically inclined youth. His tutors found him to be intellectually gifted, a precocious student of Greek, Latin, French, and theology.

Reign
Henry VIII died on January 28, 1547, when Edward was only nine. His father had arranged that a council of regency should rule on his behalf, but Edward's uncle, Edward Seymour, Duke of Somerset, took power and established himself as protector. He and the archbishop of Canterbury, Thomas Cranmer, were intent on making England a truly Protestant state, supported by the young king.

In the summer of 1549, peasants in the West Country revolted in protest against the Prayer Book. Kett's Rebellion in Norfolk was focused on economic and social injustices. At the same time, the French declared war on England. The Norfolk rebellion was suppressed by John Dudley, Earl of Warwick. In the atmosphere of uncertainty, Dudley exploited his success by bringing about the downfall of Somerset, who was arrested and later executed. Although Dudley, later duke of Northumberland, never took the title of protector, this is the role he now assumed. Protestant reform was stepped up - the new Prayer Book of 1552 was avowedly Protestant. Altars were turned into tables, religious imagery destroyed and religious orthodoxy was enforced by a new and more stringent Act of Uniformity.

Death and Succession Crisis
Edward's illness began in January 1553 with fever and coughs that gradually worsened. It soon became clear that Edward was suffering from tuberculosis and would not live long. Northumberland was determined that his religious reforms should not be undone, so he persuaded Edward to approve a new order of succession. This declared Princess Mary, eldest daughter of Henry VIII, illegitimate and passed the throne to Northumberland's daughter-in-law, Lady Jane Grey, who was a more distant descendant of Henry VIII. Edward made his final appearance in public on July 1, when he showed himself at his window in Greenwich Palace, horrifying those who saw him by his "thin and wasted" condition. He died on July 6, 1553 at the age of fifteen. As a result, a power struggle erupted between Lady Jane Grey, titular queen of England, and Princess Mary. However, Jane was only queen for nine days until Mary I took the throne with overwhelming popular support.

Protestant Legacy
Although Edward reigned for only six years and died at the age of fifteen, his reign made a lasting contribution to the English Reformation and the structure of the Church of England. In those six years, the Church transferred from an essentially Roman Catholic liturgy and structure to one that is usually identified as Protestant. In particular, the introduction of the Book of Common Prayer, the Ordinal of 1550, and Cranmer's Forty-two Articles formed the basis for English Church practices that continue to this day. On Mary’s death in 1558, the English Reformation resumed its course, and most of the reforms instituted during Edward’s reign were reinstated during Queen Elizabeth’s reign.