Edward VI

Edward VI ascended to the throne when he was nine years old. Because he was too young to rule, England was led by a Regency Council.

Protectors

As a minor, Edward VI’s government was run first by Lord Protector Somerset and then by Lord President of the Council Northumberland.
Edward VI’s influence in government increased greatly under Northumberland.
Edward VI and Northumberland tried to alter the succession set out by Henry VIII. The ‘Devise’ is in Edward’s hand.

Edward's personality

Edward was serious, studious (interested in political and military history) and a committed Protestant. He was self-disciplined in public and aware of his status.
He was cold towards others, suspicious and could be vindictive. He did have a close childhood friend, Barnaby Fitzpatrick (his whipping boy).
He was healthy until 1553, enjoying sport, hunting and horse riding.

Edward VI's approach to government

It is difficult to tell how much influence Edward VI had in governing the kingdom.
Although Edward VI was young, some historians have argued that he began to have considerable influence in the later years of his reign.
Edward VI appeared to take a keen interest in the shape of England's religious settlement.

Popular attitudes to Edward VI (Somerset, Northumberland)

Somerset faced rebellions and uprisings across England in 1549.
Jordan (1968): People at the time spoke of Somerset as the ‘Good Duke.’ This was due to his social policies.
Northumberland helped stabilise the English economy. His coup against Somerset and the Lady Jane Grey plot means historians have viewed him badly.
Hoskins (1976): Northumberland was ‘unprincipled’ and a political ‘predator’.

1Monarch & Government

1.1Tudor Monarchs

1.1.1Henry VII

1.1.2Henry VIII

1.1.3Edward VI

1.1.4Mary I

1.1.5Elizabeth I

1.1.6Succession Disputes

1.2Changing Role of Parliament

1.2.1Parliament & Henry VII

1.2.2Parliament & Henry VIII

1.2.3Parliament After the Reformation

1.3Principal Servants to the Crown

1.3.1Principal Servants to the Crown

2Religious Changes

2.1Tudor Monarchs & Religious Change

2.1.1The Henrician Reformation

2.1.2Impact of Religious Change Under Henry VIII

2.1.3Religious Change Under Edward VI

2.1.4Religious Change Under Mary I

2.1.5Elizabethan Settlement

2.2Catholicism & Survival

2.2.1Popular Attitudes to Catholicism

2.2.2Catholicism Under Henry VIII

2.2.3Catholicism Under Elizabeth I

2.2.4Catholic Nobility

2.3Protestantism & Puritanism

2.3.1Protestant Influences

2.3.2Protestantism Under Edward VI

2.3.3Protestantism Under Elizabeth I

3State Control & Popular Resistance

3.1Tudor Control of the Country

3.1.1Councils

3.1.2Role of Nobility

3.1.3Justices of the Peace

3.1.4Lord Lieutenant

3.2The State & the Poor

3.2.1Reasons for Growth of Poverty

3.2.2Punishments for Paupers

3.2.3Role of Charities

3.3Resistance to Tudor Rule

3.3.1Resistance to Tax & Subsidies

3.3.2Uprisings Against Henry VIII

3.3.3Uprisings Against Edward VI

3.3.4Uprisings Against Elizabeth I

3.3.5Decline of Popular Resistance

4Economic, Social & Cultural Change

4.1Patterns of Domestic & Foreign Trade

4.1.1Wool & Cloth

4.1.2Exploration & Trade

4.2Changing Structure of Society

4.2.1Population

4.2.2Dissolution of Monasteries

4.2.3Enclosure

4.3Cultural Change

4.3.1Education & Literature

4.3.2Impact of Religious Change

4.3.3Patronage

4.3.4The Arts

4.3.5Cult of Gloriana

5Historical Interpretations

5.1Significance of Threats to National Security

5.1.1Spain

5.1.2The Spanish Armada

5.1.3Ireland

5.2Court Politics

5.2.1Court Factions

5.2.2Essex's Rebellion

5.3Elizabeth & Parliament

5.3.1Conflict with Parliament

5.4Social Distress in the 1590s

5.4.1Social Distress in the 1590s

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