The Young Protestant King
Henry VIII had established the Church of England in his long quest to have a legitimate son so it was no surprise that Edward VI was a convinced Protestant. Although he was a minor it was clear that if he reached adulthood then England’s future would be undoubtedly a Protestant one. However Edward VI was always a sick child.
The Duke of Somerset’s Protectorate
As soon as Henry VIII died Edward VIII’s uncle Edward Seymour made himself Lord Protectorate and became the Duke of Somerset. Protector Somerset was determined to further reform the Church of England. Although Somerset had already proved an able soldier, he would prove a less capable statesman. The Six Articles and the heresy laws were suspended and later repealed.
The reformers in the government wished to bring in the most needed reform, the abolition of the Latin and Catholic mass. The mass was to be replaced by a simpler communion. The Act of Uniformity that enforced it was at the centre of the reforms of the Somerset regime, hi name the 1549 Prayer Book was drawn up by a group of thirteen divines, known as the Windsor Commission, although it was mainly Cranmer's work.
The Prayer Book was unpopular in many parts of the country, and church attendance had not been made compulsory. Unrest was worsened by economic recession in the cloth trade with Flanders. Kett's rebellion in Kent and a further uprising in East Anglia and most seriously the Western Rebellion were enough to finish Somerset. He had made the mistake of placing the foreign mercenaries that restored order, under the command of his rival, John Dudley the earl of Warwick.
The Duke of Northumberland’s Regime and Edward VI’s Death
Dudley ruthlessly restored order at a high cost, 4,000 rebels were killed in the southwest with even more dying after Kett's rebellion was crushed. Dudley took advantage of his military successes by taking power at the end of 1549, and made himself the Duke of Northumberland.
Northumberland gaining power was to push the English Reformation into a more radical direction, both to end the confusion, but also to enhance his own position. Northumberland had prevented a successful reaction partly because of Edward VI being influenced by Cranmer. Both men were afraid of a Catholic backlash, which when it eventually came, proved to be fatal to both of them. In the end Cranmer would die a martyrs death whilst Northumberland's slippery twists and turns did not save his head.
In the spring of 1553, Northumberland realized that Edward was dying, and he needed to prevent the succession of the Catholic, Princess Mary, to save his own life. The King died in July; his death unannounced while Lady Jane Grey was placed on the throne. Edward backed the plan and attempted to get the Privy Council to carry it out. Northumberland saw the plan as the last throw of the dice and he knew the consequences of failure for himself and his new daughter in law. However, Mary had remained free and was able to gain enough support to march on London, after nine days she was able to enter the city as Queen. Mary was supported because she was a Tudor and the rightful monarch, not because she was a Catholic.
Bibliography
Ashley M, (2002) A brief history of British Kings & Queens, Robinson, London
MacCulloch D, Reformation – Europe’s House Divided (2004) Penguin Books, London
Gardiner & Wenborn (1995) the History Today Companion to British History,Collins and Brown Ltd, London
Morgan K O, (1993) the Oxford Popular History of Britain, Oxford University Press, Oxford
Roberts J.M, (1996) A History of Europe, Penguin, London
Vale B (2006) A History of the Church of England 1529 - 1662
