Edward VI, Somerset and Northumberland

Question 1

What left the Crown insecure?

Answer 1

The accession of a nine year old king in 1547 as it was not clear that the new king (on whose behalf the reigns of government had been seized uncle Seymour and later duke of Somerset, would have a trouble free accession

Question 2

What had Henry V|II’s will established?

Answer 2

A Regency Council that would govern during Edward’s minority

Question 3

Who was significantly not included in the Regency Council?

Answer 3

Neither the arch-conservative Gardner nor Norfolk, who was accused of treason and put in the tower
Great noble families were under represented

Question 4

Who became Lord Protector of Edward and how?

Answer 4

Whether Henry names Edward Seymour (Earl of Hertford), the new king’s uncle as ‘Protector’ is not known but it is possible he did so verbally
Whatever the circumstances within days, the Regency Council had delegated its power to Hertford who awarded himself the title of Duke of Somerset and became Lord Protector

Question 5

What did the Regency Council consist of?

Answer 5

16 members, supported by 12 more (who were to assist as required) - decisions of the council were to be by majority
Balanced between protestants like Hereford, Cranmer and Sir Anthony Denny and religious conservatives like Thomas Wriothesley and Lord St John as well as several administrators and lawyers who were expected to ensure the interests of good government

Question 6

Who were key Religious conservatives?

Answer 6

Thomas Wriotheseley - (Lord Chancellor since 1544 made Earl of Southampton in 1547 by Somerset - dead kings wishes)
William Paulet - (styled Lord St John - became first Marquis of Winchester in 15151)
Cuthbert Tunstall - (Bishop of Durham)

Question 7

Who were key religious reformers?

Answer 7

Edward Seymour (Earl of Hertford from 1537 and Duke of Somerset from 1547)
Archbishop Thomas Cranmer
Sir Anthony Denny (MP for Hertfordshire)

Question 8

Somerset rapidly promoted his own supporters and who did he initially rely on and how did he reward himself/his supporters?

Answer 8

Archbishop Thomas Cranmer
Sir William Paget (who had been one of Henry VIII’s private secretaries)
John Dudley (the son of Henry VII’s executed minister, Edmund Dudley; Dudley was created Earl of Warwick in 1547 (and Duke of Northumberland in 1551)
Rewarded himself and his supporters with promotions within the peerage e.g. he became Duke of Somerset and with substantial grants of crown lands

Question 9

How did Somerset govern?

Answer 9

Largely with members of his own household (allowing him to gain control)
Sir Thomas Smith was appointed a member of the Privy Council

Question 10

How did Somerset control the Privy Chamber?

Answer 10

By appointing his brother in-law, Sir Michael Stanhope as Groom of the Stool and Chief Gentleman of the Privy Chamber, effectively making him the king’s keeper, as well as other supporters

Question 11

What were three main problems Somerset faced?

Answer 11

Public acceptance of Somerset’s protectorate was uncertain - creating widespread fears about the breakdown of law and order
He had created enemies among his former supporters through his arrogant and dictatorial manner and increasingly members of the members of the P-Council felt resentment to the protectorate (especially Southampton who resented his earlier imprisonment)
Thomas Wriothesley, Earl of Southampton, was dismissed from the Chancellorship and arrested, losing his seat on the Privy Council

Question 12

To prevent disorder what did Cranmer do?

Answer 12

Published ‘On Obedience’ to be read in parish churches - the clergy in their pulpits were required to reinforce to their congregations that obedience to the authority of the king was in accordance to the will of God - emphasising that disobedience to the king was a mortal sin and could lead to damnation - highlighting the governments need for order and security

Question 13

What were three other problems Somerset faced?

Answer 13

Factional rivalries - Somerset’s own brother, Thomas Seymour, conspired with Southampton to turn Edward VI against Somerset (Seymour was charged with treason with 1549 - Southampton was persuaded to denounce him and readmitted to the Privy Council

Henry FitzAlan, Earl of Arundel (Lord Chamberlain and one of the 12 assistants on the Regency Council and William Paulet objected to Somerset’s dominance and plotted to unseat him
Somerset’s policy failings - particularly his poor showing in the war against Scotland and his mishandling of the rebellion at home in 1549 weakened his position (even before then misgivings about Somerset had been growing)

Question 14

By autumn 1549 what was Somerset’s position like?

Answer 14

Even Dudley (Warwick) was convinced that Somerset would have to go and joined the Earl of Southampton, the Earl of Arundel and William Paulet (Lord St John?) in a plot to remove him - initially they tried to secure the support of princess Mary but she decided to avoid any conspiracy but by October the conspirators were ready to strike

Question 15

What happened to Somerset in October 1549?

Answer 15

There was a stand off between the conspirators (based in London) and Somerset who was in Hampton court but crucially still had control over the king
Somerset and Edward retreated to Windsor but he was arrested on the orders of the Regency Council and surrendered, having be promised (in a deal brokered by Cranmer) that no treason charges would be brought against him. He was promptly committed to the tower

Question 16

After Somerset’s downfall what did Cranmer and Dudley persuade Edward to do?

Answer 16

To appoint some new religious reformers to the Regency Council and Privy Chamber

Question 17

What happened when Southampton tried to gain predominance?

Answer 17

He attempted to charge Dudley with treason but the plan backfired and Dudley had the religious conservatives Arundel and Southampton placed under house arrest and Dudley thus consolidated his power and in 1550 became Lord President of the (Privy) Council

Question 18

What did Dudley seek and how did this end?

Answer 18

Reconciliation with Somerset so he arranged his release and return to the Privy Council and Privy Chamber and in 1550 Dudley’s son, John married Somerset’s daughter, Anne
However, Somerset’s double dealing led to his re-arrest in 1551 and execution in 1552 as he plotted to recover his old position (according to some saving England from chaos that had characterised the protectorate)

Question 19

What did Dudley initially do in his position?

Answer 19

Created himself Duke of Northumberland in 1551 but initially tried to avoid the consecration of power that had let to Somerset’s downfall - he made no attempt to re-establish a protectorate and resided as Lord President of the Privy Council

Question 20

What did Northumberland move away from?

Answer 20

Conciliar government - he had William Paget (who attempted to draw up new guidelines) committed to the tower in 1551

Question 21

What were two strengths and two weaknesses of Northumberland?

Answer 21

He was more pragmatic and more capable than Somerset (for example he crushed the 1549 rebellions and brought some stability to the country)
He educated the young king in overnment and like Edward supported Protestant reform and the work of Cranmer
However he was not universally popular and his power rested entirely on Edward’s survival

Question 22

What was a protector?

Answer 22

The term used to describe Edward Seymour (Duke of Somerset), who was in charge of the kingdom as Edward was too young to rule in his own right
Somerset’s rule = a ‘protectorate’ or ‘protectorship’

Question 23

Why did Edward have a difficult inheritance?

Answer 23

The country was divided on religious grounds
Crown finances had been ruined by expensive wars against France and Scotland
To pay for the wars, the coinage had been debased, leading to considerable rise in the rate of inflation and a decline in real incomes for man
The crown had compromised long-term security by selling monastic-lands (often at a considerable discount) to raise money quickly

Question 24

Why did the regency council not last long?

Answer 24

It promptly delegated its power to Hertford who was appointed Protector

Question 25

Who did Somerset’s policy failings cause to turn against him and what was the significance?

Answer 25

Earl of Warwick - the apparent feebleness of Somerset’s response to the rebellions of 1549 gave Warwick the opportunity to strike

Question 26

What happened as a result of the coup against Somerset?

Answer 26

Warwick (as the leader of the plot found himself first among equals but he was anxious to avoid the excessive concentration of power that had brought Somerset down so there was no attempt to re-establish a protectorate
Warwick presided as lord President of the council but at first the type of regime he would preside over was unclear as many of his key supporters had been conservatives - some of which hoped for a regency led by princess Mary

Question 27

What made the nature of the regime after Somerset’s downfall clearer?

Answer 27

Warwick’s second coup - this time directed at conservatives
It was later assumed this second coup was always intended so that he could exercise unlimited power however it seems more likely Warwick acted as he feared he himself might be ejected by the conservatives

Question 28

What determined the religious character of the regime after Somerset’s downfall and what happened to Warwick’s influence?

Answer 28

The purging of the conservatives (Southampton and Arundel), Cranmer’s support and Edward’s own increasingly assertive Protestantism
Warwick was promoted to Duke of Northumberland and already lord chamberlain, he appointed his own hardman (Sir John gates) , as Vice-Chamberlain of the household to ensure his control over the court

Question 29

Did Northumberland operate effectively and what made this easier?

Answer 29

Operated effectively for a time through the Privy council - made easier by the expulsion of the Earl of Southampton
Paget had also drawn up a set of guidelines for effective operation of the Privy Council (some of which Northumberland instituted) but Paget was to find himself increasingly excluded from decision-making processes

Question 30

What happened to Cecil under Northumberland?

Answer 30

Cecil - who had originally prospered under Somerset, was able to transform himself, after a brief period of imprisonment, into Northumberland’s key administrator

Question 31

What did Northumberland do as a result of Somerset’s coup?

Answer 31

The broadly collective approach to government didn’t survive -it became less conciliar (started to behave more like Somerset had before he was removed from the council) and Paget was send to the tower
Power lay increasingly with Northumberland and his henchman Gates, who had possession of the dry stamp with which he could use the king’s signature on documents

Question 32

What is the historiography of Northumberland like?

Answer 32

For several centuries had a bad press - seen as particularly ruthless and immoral on account of his coups against Somerset and then the conservatives, his securing of Somerset’s execution and his failed attempt to alter the succession. He was ‘bad duke’ and Somerset ‘good duke’ - also suggested he was incompetent
In recent years been reassessed- some suggesting he was no more immoral than other leading Tudor politicians and an able governor solving many problems inherited from Somerset