Edward VI Flashcards
Introduction
1537 - Edward VI born (Son of Jane Seymour and Henry, first legitimate child and Edward was immediately treasured and celebrated. H sent ‘all the doctors in the country’ when Edward got small pox, he was completely safeguarded and protected)
1543 - Married Catherine Parr and brought Mary and Elizabeth to court to help Edward’s schooling. Catherine was a strong protestant and so Edward was brought up as a protestant and was a quick learner.
Death of Henry VIII
1546 - Worry for H, worried there would be a repeat of Wars of Roses and when his will was revised, he removed a number of people from this regency council including religious conservatives who leaned more to Catholicism and the regency council were predominantly ruled by protestants
1547 - Henry VIII dies and Edward VI comes to the throne at age of 9 (Regency council ruled over Edward until he was old enough due to command of H will)
- Three days after H died, the council recognised Edward Seymour as lord protector despite the will saying it would be a regency council, the council is very quick to promote Edward Seymour (Edward VI uncle) Shortly after, Edward Seymour was named duke of Summerset, although the regency council continued in essence, Summerset was now regent.
- Edward was first king to become headship of the English Church -> God’s figure, no one above him and his coronation was in English
Threats
- Thomas Seymour (King’s uncle, winged about lack of power, 4 months after Henry VIII death he married Catherine Parr -> too soon cos could have been pregnant. Catharine dies and he tries to court Elizabeth I (perhaps even molested), undermined brother and sneaked into King’s bedroom to try and befriend him and bitch out brother Edward -> eventually accused of plotting to kidnap King & Elizabeth and was executed 1549 -> Damaged Edward Seymour’s reputation)
- Riots (Largely aimed at Somerset and his policies and begin in Cornwall in 1548 and spread throughout half the counties in England in 1549. They were caused by the religious reform as well as Somerset’s economic policies. The riots lead to Seymour’s removal as lord protector in 1549 and falls from power)
- John Dudley (Duke of Northumberland) (Edmond Dudley’s son -> ends up duke of Northumberland despite father being executed for treason. After Somerset’s fall, he takes regency council, takes Lord president of the council, not lord protector, he is more careful in how much power he took and trained Edward VI to be king. -> Dudley had been friends with Seymour and was probably responsible for Seymour fall, as Somerset does not like Dudley’s policies nor his promotion to Duke of Northumberland and Somerset is arrested again and eventually killed 1552. John Dudley remained leader of the regency council until Edward VI death)
Edward was welcomed as a second Josiah (king at age 8 like Edward) and enforced religious reform
Religious Changes
- Attack on Idolatry (1547, the council banned candles and shrines; 1548 they banned images in stained glass, wood and stone, white washing churches; 1553 Church properties and plate confiscated and sold; Visual ceremonies forbidden, palm Sunday etc )
- Vernacular Service (1549 Book of Common Prayer is first published, this provokes many revolts, provided basis for services in English and involved receiving communion more frequently than just at Easter. Bread and wine not just a wafer; 1550 Most alters were removed, and tables were placed there instead; 1552 Second Book of Common Prayer removed priest’s ornate robes)
- Attacks on Religious Conservatism (1547 repeal of Six Articles; 1549 Act of Uniformity is passed and comes out the same year as Common Prayer. Institutes Religious unity through the new book. If you say anything against the book there will be penalties such as stripping of beneficial benefices, prison and then life in prison; 1552 Second Act of Uniformity, punished unjustified absences from Sundays worship, you had to attend masses)
- Compromise and Censorship (Acts of uniformity = everyone must accord with the common book of prayer but there were sacrifices: Confession was tolerated even when not mentioned in 3 sacraments in bible and there was the permitted belief of transubstantiation but also they had to accept that it was not the body and blood of Christ but inhabits it; 1548 Banning of preaching; Aug 1549 official censorship was created to keep everyone in line; Church increasingly has elements of Protestantism but still even between that and Catholicism)
Driving Force for Reforms
- Edward VI (Strong Evangelical, extremely anti-Catholic and once referred to Pope as Devil an abdominal tyrant -> scolded Mary’s Catholic beliefs)
- Thomas Cranmer (Priest 1520s, helped orchestrate H break with Rome -> 1532 Archbishop of Canterbury and gave religious leadership and encouragement to Edward)
- Edward Seymour (Duke of Somerset -> created the speed of the religious reform, none of this reform would have taken place without support of council. Edward not powerful enough alone, seen as dedicated protestant > translated Calvin and had contacts with protestants in Geneva.)
- Protestant scholars (Stayed in Somerset’s household such as William Turner and John Hooper -> steady stream of protestant writing done and most were supported by Somerset. Of the 394 new books under Somerset protectorate, 109 were done by Protestant reformers -> encouraged Crammer for more radical reform.)
- Grass Roots Movement (Edward VI ascension caused immediate reaction from existing radicals. People had been stripping images from churches, London clergy had dispensed with the mass and were conducting services in the vernacular. There were 31 tracks attacking the mass in 1548 alone, a lot of popular interest in even more evangelical religion.)
- Public Controversies (ballads, stage plays ridiculing the mass had to be prohibited on the ground of public order, they had to censor the very radical evangelical attacks on the mass just to keep public order. 1/5 of London people were protestant by 1547 (minority),but outside most were conservative, not many protestants)
Edward VI Death
1553 - Clear he will not recover from illness and had no male heir for the succession to pass on to. Therefore in H’s will, it would be passed onto Mary I who was catholic and would undo all of Edward’s reforms -> Ed had kept peace with Mary to keep Spanish on his side.
1532 - Glasse of Truth (difficulty of female inheritance)- Elizabeth and Mary both female and declared bastards. Hence Edward not keen to go down that route and drafted succession, skipping them both.
Thought process:
1) Margaret Tudor should have been next but married into Scotland
2) Mary Tudor who married Louis XII of France and then Duke of Suffolk, had three daughters and eldest married Henry Grey who also had three daughters and the eldest was Lady Jane Grey (stepdad is John Dudley as she marries Gilfred Dudley)
Edward saw Jane as qualified to continue his spiritual work -> she was well educated and same age as Edward and had been learning with Catherine Parr -> impressed scholars
Edward dies -> John Dudley declares Jane queen and her and her husband head to the tower to see Mary who is having none of it and gathers an army.
Dudley and sons go to fight but Mary is too popular, and Dudley, sons and Jane are imprisoned.
Edward’s protestant reformation would have only been possible under Jane.
