Edward VI and Regency of Somerset, 1547-1549 Flashcards
Why was Edward Seymour named regent?
Edward Seymour, Earl of Hertford, was the brother of Jane Seymour (Henry VIII’s third wife). After Henry VIII’s death, Seymour was named protector by the regency council that Henry had nominated to run the government on behalf of his 9 year old son, Edward VI.
Seymour soon became Duke of Somerset in February 1547, and acted as king in all but name for two and a half years.
The young Edward VI
Edward VI ascended to the throne at the tender age of 9 and was the first to succeed the title Supreme Head of the Church of England and Defender of the Faith.
Edward was very clever, especially in languages and theology, and was known to be a serious character.
By his early teens, Edward was beginning to have significant influence on the Council’s decisions - especially over religious change.
Edward was not as physically weak as some historians have assumed, and until Spring 1553, there is no evidence that his early death was likely.
Religious reform, 1547-1549
Somerset sympathised with the Protestant cause, but as Lord Protector, he tried to adopt a moderate and cautious approach to religious reform. Thomas Cranmer, who had remained Archbishop of Canterbury, supported Somerset in this. Despite this, a cautious approach was not easy to maintain with pressures building up:
> Exiled Protestants who had fled persecution in the 1530s/40s returned from Germany and the Netherlands. They settled along the east coast, but their radical demands caused frequent clashes with the local community.
> The reform faction was in control of the government and were keen to see the Reformation get under way, but English bishops were split on whether to support further changes.
> The relaxation of press censorship led to an increase in the number of pamphlets and writings against Catholicism and to the free circulation of the writings of Martin Luther and John Calvin.
Church of England Investigation
A full-scale enquiry into the state of the Church of England was launched - commissioners were sent to every Parish to see what was happening.
Measures were introduced which undid the Six Articles Act of 1539 and rules that provided for services and Bibles to be in English were strengthened.
Treason Act of 1547
The Treason Act repealed the Six Articles Act (1539) and heresy, treason, and censorship laws which had stifled religious debate during the later years of Henry VIII’s reign.
Chantries Act of 1547
The Chantries Act abolished the chantries, which was a logical step after the dissolution of the monasteries a decade earlier. This Act was introduced because the main function of a chantry was to pray for the souls of the dead - a Catholic practice.
However, the Chantries Act was also introduced as a way to raise more money for the Scottish war, rather than religious reasons.
Act of Uniformity of 1549
The Act of Uniformity was designed to impose a single (uniform) standard of worship across England in order to end the religious confusions.
Among its terms were requirements that English was to be used as the language of worship and that congregations could be offered bread and wine during communion (a clear breach with the Catholic tradition of reserving the wine for the priesthood).
However, the Act did not go as far as to create a full Protestant Church.
Prayer Book of 1549
Archbishop Cranmer introduced a new Prayer Book. It was incredibly vague. White not denying the Catholic idea that the priest transformed the bread and wine of mass into the ‘real presence’ of Christ, the Prayer Book gave the impression that the priests were simply commemorating an event, thus reassuring Protestants.
Foreign Policy under Somerset
Somerset was bound by Henry VIII’s will which involved the arrangement of a marriage between Edward VI and Mary, Queen of Scots. This was not desired in Scotland and Somerset had to deal with the dual threat of Scotland and France. He had hoped to isolate Scotland through an alliance with France, but this plan fell through when the French king, Francis I, died in 1547.
Battle of Pinkie (1547)
Somerset invaded Scotland with a joint land and naval invasion. The Scottish army was large but poorly equipped in comparison to the English. Just south of Edinburgh, the Scots were defeated at the Battle of Pinkie in September. This victory gave Somerset control of all of the border region, but success was limited as the English Army was not strong enough to occupy the whole of Scotland.
Cementing links between Scotland and France…
French troops continued to gather in Scotland and Scottish nobles united against the English threat. Mary, Queen of Scots, was moved to France with the intention of her being married to the French heir, who would later become Francis II.
Somerset’s costly foreign policy (£600,000) had cemented links between Scotland and France, with the prospect of a marriage that would unite the two thrones.
Economic problems under Somerset - Enclosure
Somerset had the reputation of the ‘Good Duke’ due to his desire to help the poor and those who had suffered from the effects of enclosure. A commission was set up to investigate the legality of recent enclosures.
Families who had suffered due to the enclosures of land welcomed the commissioners and there was a real expectation that enclosure policies would be reversed.
However, not everyone welcomed the arrival of enclosure commissioners - Gentry landowners feared the loss of their livelihood, and were angered by new laws which raised the tax on sheep and cloth.
The investigation of enclosures was a well-meaning policy but led to frustration and fury among both the rich and the poor. The wealthy feared that this would limit their scope for wealth creation, while the less wealthy had high hopes that the government was finally on their side.
Economic problems under Somerset - Inflation
The major economic problem was inflation. The biggest rises affected foodstuffs such as bread, cheese, and meat. The rising population put further pressure on agriculture and wages were failing to keep pace with rising prices.
Rising prices and population growth seemed to have reached a peak in the 1540s, causing massive economic and social problems among the poorer classes, even when there was a good harvest.
Western Rebellion, 1549
As the government progressed towards limited reform from 1547, there were signs of resistance from local communities. The agitation was often instigated by concerns over religious change. There were concerns in the south-west of gentry families gaining Church land after the Reformation and the dissolution of the monasteries. This was coupled with the discontent arising from the issues of inflation and population increases.
Many of the riots were ill-focused and reflected a sense of desperation among the poorest classes. The leaders of the revolt in Cornwall demanded the restoration of Catholic doctrines and practices, including the mass in Latin and a ban on the English Bible.
The Western Rebellion grew out of these riots in Cornwall and Devon. When the government ordered that the new Prayer Book be used in churches, groups were formed to resist and a full-scale rebellion had begun by mid-June.
The rebels advanced past Exeter and set up camp - they did not march towards London to protest their grievances to the government, instead, they brought the south-west to a standstill and waited for the government to come to them.
Somerset underestimated the seriousness of the rebellion and it was difficult for the government to respond due to the need for troops elsewhere. By the time the rebels had gained control of the lands around Exeter, the government faced another rebellion in the East.
Kett’s Rebellion, 1549
In Norfolk, widespread economic and social problems resulting from another bad harvest and rapid prise rises.
Some of the rebels demands, including the dismissal of inadequate clergy, suggests that they were supporters of Protestantism and Church reform, however this was not their main motive.
Gangs emerged in May and June to break enclosures. Robert Kett was one of the landowners whose land was attacked, but he agreed to end enclosure on his estates and offered to lead the rebels to secure their rights.
The rebels did not march towards London, but set up camp near Norwich. They ran a largely peaceful campaign to end enclosure, improve local government, and secure better quality clergymen.
