Edward's Inheritance: Somerset Flashcards
What attempts did Henry make to ensure Edward wouldn’t be usurped?
- he was crowned king shortly after his accession
- government of country in hands of balanced Privy Council
- Edward was educated by tutors with Protestant sympathies to ensure continuation of separation from Rome
What signs showed that Edward’s reign had the potential to go well?
- he was crowned king of independent sovereign state
- seemingly more stable than in the War of the Roses
Within weeks, who had control of government?
- Edward Seymour, Edward’s uncle
- in February 1547 he secured leadership of the Regency Privy Council for “better conduct of business”
By the end of February 1547 what had Edward Seymour achieved?
- he had secured the support of majority of councillors and was made Lord Protector
Why was the conservative weak at this point and what did this contribute to?
- Norfolk had been disgraced
- Earl of Surrey had been executed
- this contributed to the reformist faction’s ability to control the Church
What three factors contributed to the decision to create a Lord Protector?
- Seymour’s personality
- support of William Paget
- need for a strong military leader when England was still in a war on two fronts
Was it Henry’s plan to have power vested in the hands of the Duke of Somerset?
- no, far from it
What did Cranmer preach at Edward’s coronation and what significance did this have?
- he preached a sermon drawing similarities between Edward and King Josiah
- he was encapsulating his hopes for Edward’s reign to rebuild the Church and country as a new Jerusalem ie. that Protestantism could be established and embedded
Was Edward’s death anticipated?
- no
- up his last 6 months he was healthy and increasingly involved in government
What evidence is there that Edward was quite actively involved in government?
- he wrote plans for the economic developments of England which would have established a form of bureaucracy not developed until the 19th century
- his notebook contained a detailed account of state affairs including a clinical account of his uncle’s execution
How was government admin in the first two years of Edward’s reign similar to that of Henry?
- it followed the pattern established by Henry
- the personnel were very similar
- the Privy Council used the same methods and machinery of government
How is opinion divided over the views of Somerset and Northumberland?
- Somerset as ‘Good Duke’ and Northumberland’s policies as tyrannical
- Northumberland had to rescue England from near anarchy in 1549 as a result of Somerset’s failures
What do people who regard Somerset as the ‘Good Duke’ emphasise?
- him as a leader who sought to establish a Protestant Commonwealth
What do critics of Somerset say about him?
- that he was incapable of effectively dealing with the problems inherited from Henry VIII
(though undoubtedly Henry’s legacy was almost impossible to maintain)
What short term problem did Somerset have in regards to the wars with France and Scotland?
- it was imperative that national pride was maintained through wars
- the war against Scotland had to be continued as it was seen as the way Edward and Mary Queen of Scots would marry and the succession would be secured
- 1548: Somerset issued appeal to Scots proposing union between countries - rejected by Scots
Although the 1547 Battle of Pinkie was a decisive British victory, what were the problems?
- the occupation of border strongholds had limited success and the remainder of Scotland was unoccupied
- Somerset did not follow this up
- Scottish were able to secure French support, and in 1548 6,000 French troops arrived in Scotland
- 1549: Henry II of France declared war (put them in an even worse positions)
How was the financial situation in regards to the war?
- Edward barely had enough money to pay for ordinary expenditure, never mind a war (Henry had spent £2,100,000 on wars and Crown income was at a low £200,000 a year)
How did Somerset respond to Edward’s financial problems?
- increased taxation (March: 5% tax on personal property and special tax on sheep)
- debased coinage
What long term problems did Somerset’s handling of the financial problems exacerbate?
- population increase
- inflation
- poverty
What act did Somerset implement in an attempt to gain support and impose his authority on the problem of increasing crime?
- Vagrancy and Public Order Act
What were the various reactions to the Vagrancy and Public Order Act?
- widely regarded as unpopular and barbaric
- gained support from able-bodied ‘hard-working heads of families
What did Somerset believe the main problem of increasing crime was?
- enclosure
How did Somerset combat enclosure?
- issued proclamations against the practice
- increased taxes on wool
- became head of the Enclosure Commission in 1548
What effects did Somerset’s policies against enclosure have?
- it exacerbated the economic problems of the countryside
- he lost support of landed elites who saw enclosure as a way of increasing wealth
- there was social unrest
- he failed to contain attacks on property and lost him the support of the Privy Council (this was evident in letter written by William Paget)
After losing Edward’s support in 1549, what did Somerset do?
- he effectively kidnapped Edward and held him at Windsor castle in a desperate attempt to maintain in power
What was Edward’s reaction to being effectively kidnapped by Somerset?
- was very affronted and asserted his authority
- Somerset’s actions led to the withdrawal of support from a coalition in the Privy Council
- he was ultimately replaced by the Earl of Warwick
Was Somerset’s style of government effective?
- immensely personal - alienated many people through his high-handed management
- reluctant to delegate
- used own household officials, excluding a number of leading nobles (promoted Stanhope to Chief Gentleman of the PC in 1548)
- issued more proclamations than any other Tudor kings
- even close ally Paget berated him for not utilising his advisors
- imperial ambassador identified that he ruled from ‘the Protector’s place’
How had Somerset failed in Western Rebellion?
- views on social policy became very dangerous because they arguably encouraged the rebels (more on rebellions page)
What shows how controlling Somerset was?
- didn’t even allow Edward pocket money, and when Somerset’s brother slipped his coins he was beheaded for treason
