On January 10, 1547, Edward, who was then nine, wrote to his father, Henry VIII and Catherine Parr, thanking them for their new years’ gift of life portraits. Henry VIII died at the age of 55 on January 28 of on-going complications resulting from a serious jousting accident in 1536 and an unhealthy lifestyle, which may have resulted from diabetes.
Following Henry’s death, his ministers, led by Edward’s uncle, the Earl of Hertford and William Paget, agreed to delay the announcement of Henry’s death until a smooth succession could be arranged. At the same time, the Earl of Hertford and Sir Anthony Browne, Henry’s Master of the Horse, went to Hertford to escort Edward to Enfield, where he and his older sister, Elizabeth, were both informed Henry’s death and read the contents of his will. Lord Chancellor Thomas Wriothesley formally announced Henry’s death to Parliament on January 31.
Edward was officially recognized as Henry’s successor at the same time. Edward was taken to the Tower of London where, according to the primary sources, he was greeted with "great shot of ordnance in all places there about, as well out of the Tower as out of the ships." The next day, the nobles swore loyalty to Edward and the Earl of Hertford was declared Protector of the Realm. Henry VIII was buried in St. George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle, on February 16, next to Edward’s mother, Jane Seymour.
Edward VI Becomes King of England
Edward was formally crowned King of England, at the age of 10, on February 20, at Westminster Abbey. Edward’s coronation was the first in England in almost 40 years. The ceremonies that made up Edward’s coronation were shortened due to the "tedious length of the same which should be weary and hurtsome peradventure to the King’s majesty, being yet of tender age."
Additionally, because of the Reformation, some of the ceremonies that comprised the coronation ritual were now seen as inappropriate. On the evening before the coronation, Edward rode through massive crowds in the streets of London. At the coronation, Thomas Cranmer, the Archbishop of Canterbury, urged Edward to continue the reformation of the Church of England. After the coronation, Edward presided over a feast at Westminster Hall, where he later wrote that he dined with his crown on.
The Last Will of Henry VIII called for the formation of a council of 16 executors to act as Edward’s council of regents until he turned 18. This council was supplemented by 12 men "of counsail" who assisted Edward’s executors when necessary. The state of Henry’s will at the time of his death has been the subject of controversy among historians. Some modern historians argue that Henry was manipulated by his ministers at the time of his death, or that they manipulated the drafting of his will, so as to ensure a greater share of personal power.
They point to the fact that the composition of the Privy Chamber shifted to favour the reform faction toward the end of 1546. At the same time, two of the leading conservative members of the Privy Chamber were removed from power. Stephen Gardiner was denied access to Henry VIII in the last few months of his life, while the Duke of Norfolk was accused of treason.
A few days before Henry’s death, the Duke of Norfolk’s estates were seized and turned over to the Crown. The Duke of Norfolk spent all of Edward’s reign imprisoned in Tower of London. Some historians have argued that Gardiner was excluded for non-religious reasons. They also claim that the Duke of Norfolk was not very conservative and that the radicalism of the Privy Chamber is debatable.
In either case, Henry’s death was followed by the giving of extravagant gifts of land and titles by the members of the Privy Chamber to themselves and their supporters. Henry’s will also contained an unfulfilled gift clause, which was added at the last minute and allowed the members of the Privy Chamber to grant further lands and titles to themselves, particularly to the Earl of Hertford, who became the Lord Protector of the Realm, the Governor of the King’s Person and the Duke of Somerset.
The Regency of Edward VI
However, Henry’s will did not provide for the appointment of a Protector. Instead, it called for the creation of a Regency Council that was to rule collectively and decide based on the rule of the majority. Despite this, Edward’s regents decided to invest significant amounts of power, in Edward’s uncle, Edward Seymour, who was now the Duke of Somerset. 13 out of the 16 members of the Privy Chamber agreed to the appointment by "virtue of the authority" of Henry’s will. The Duke of Somerset is thought to have bribed some members of the Privy Chamber, as the primary sources indicate that almost all of them received hand-outs of one sort or another.
Despite the use of these underhanded tactics, the appointment of the Duke of Somerset to the position of Lord Protector of the Realm was not without historical precedent and his military successes in Scotland and France made him ideal for the role. In March, 1547, the Duke of Somerset received Letters Patent from Edward, granting him the right to appoint and dismiss members of the Privy Chamber and to consult with them only when he deemed it necessary. The Duke of Somerset ruled mainly by proclamation and called the Privy Chamber only to provide royal assent for his decrees.
The Regency Council of Edward VI
The transition of power was carried out smoothly, and the ambassador from the Holy Roman Empire, Van der Delft wrote that the Duke of Somerset "governs everything absolutely," with the assistance of Paget who functioned as his personal secretary. In the early weeks of the protectorate of the Duke of Somerset, he was challenged by Lord Chancellor Wriothesley, who was now the Earl of Southampton and by his own brother, Thomas Seymour. Wriothesley was a religious conservative and had objected to the assumption of monarchical power by the Duke of Somerset. As a result, he found himself dismissed from the Privy Chamber on charges of trying to sell offices to his own supporters.
The Duke of Somerset found his brother, Thomas Seymour, to be a less easily managed problem. As Edward’s uncle, Thomas Seymour demanded the governorship of the King’s person and a greater share of power. The Duke of Somerset tried to buy his brother’s co-operation with titles, an appointment to the Lord Admiralty and a seat in the Privy Chamber.
Thomas was not satisfied and continued plotting against his brother. He began secretly giving Edward money and urged him to dissolve the Privy Chamber within two years. However, Edward had been raised to differ to the Privy Chamber and failed to act. In April, Thomas used Edward’s support to circumvent his brother’s opposition to marry Catherine Parr, the widow of Henry VIII. At the time Catherine’s household included Lady Jane Grey, the so-called Nine Days’ Queen, who was then 11 and Elizabeth, who was 13.
In the summer of 1548, Catherine, who was pregnant, discovered Thomas embracing Elizabeth. In the wake of this discovery, Elizabeth was sent to live with Sir Anthony Denny. In September, 1548, Catherine died in childbirth and Thomas Seymour sent Elizabeth a letter in which he declared his intention to marry her. Elizabeth was interested, but like Edward, she was unwilling to agree to anything that had not been approved by the Privy Chamber.
In January, 1549, Thomas Seymour was arrested on a variety of charges including embezzlement at the Bristol mint. He was also accused of attempting to arrange a marriage between Edward and Lady Jane Grey. Edward personally testified at Thomas’s trial, describing how Thomas had secretly brought him money, in defiance of the Duke of Somerset. There was no clear evidence to justify a charge of treason, so Thomas Seymour was condemned by an Act of Attainder instead.
He was beheaded on March 20, 1549. The execution of Thomas Seymour, in spite of a lack of evidence against him, coupled with Edward’s own testimony demonstrates that Edward had already been relegated to the position of a figurehead, while the real power lay with the Privy Chamber.
Source
- Ashley, Mike. British Kings and Queens. Robinson:London.1998
Terry Long - I hold degrees in history and journalism. In addition to my contributions to Suite 101, I have also written for the Brampton Bulletin, the ...
Join the Conversation