10 Depressing & Tragic Facts about England’s Youngest King
When he was 9 years and three months previous, Edward VI grew to become King of England at Westminster Abbey. He reigned for six years underneath the management of an unbiased parliament and Lord Protector and was a zealous Protestant king decided to implement his father’s imaginative and prescient of the Church of England. He died when he was solely fifteen years previous and is remembered as a weak and sick king. This isn’t totally true, however there are positively some disagreeable conditions in his life.
You will have learn it The Prince and the Pauper, and sure, Mark Twain was writing in regards to the boy who grew to become Edward VI, however there was by no means a change in boys so far as historians know. Whether or not the true Edward might be something just like the one within the guide is unlikely. Nonetheless, the riches that the prince encounters are very actual. In fact, being a king has its perks, however no life is free from unhappiness, and Edward has many tragedies of his personal.
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10 He ascended the throne on the age of 9
Edward was the youngest monarch to ascend the throne of England on the time of his accession, and he continues to carry that place to today. For any regular nine-year-old boy, ruling a whole nation is perhaps a frightening activity, however for Edward, properly…it was positively a frightening activity. So a council was shaped to assist him make selections and, typically, cope with points on his behalf. He was a thought of baby, and the truth that Henry VIII had lengthy needed a male inheritor meant that he was ready for the throne from delivery. His father fondly known as him “essentially the most valuable jewel of all this kingdom.”
The stress had actually been mounting for the 9 years earlier than Edward’s youthful reign, and this was significantly the case among the many Tudors. All Tudor kings earlier than and after Edward gained the throne by nature fairly than delivery. Henry VII was a vassal who gained the crown within the battle, and the others grew to become kings as a result of demise of a brother. In Edward’s case, he was born because the inheritor to the throne and continued to be so till the time he succeeded him on the throne.[1]
9 Ready To Be A Copy Of His Father
Due to his youth and his father’s sturdy political opinions, Edward VI would turn out to be an enthusiastic model of his father’s philosophy. This was intentional on Henry’s half, and every thing about Edward in his youth – from his research to the decorations in his room to Edward’s authentic clothes – was a duplicate of his father. He performed the identical video games Henry VIII was recognized to excel in and was given a robust schooling in evangelical Protestantism.
All this had the impact that as a king, Edward was so zealous and devoted to the Protestant trigger that he labored laborious to proceed the success of the Church of England; he hit Frequent Prayer E-book they usually supplied restrictions on many conventional Catholic ideas.[2]
8 His father’s will leaves room for terrorism
A baby king can’t rule by himself, and Henry VIII knew this truth. As a substitute of appointing a single king to rule in Edward’s place, Henry appointed a council of sixteen males in his will to meet this position. Some sources point out that this final will was made very rigorously and incorporates false signatures, with the purpose of eradicating a number of the members of parliament who’re non secular. He additionally had two different phrases which gave beneficiant rights to the executors of his will, one among which supplied for “infinite items” to honor.
Ultimately, the sixteen males appointed as Edward’s council gave permission for modifications in its construction, which led to Edward Seymour’s ascension as “the king’s protector.” Seymour, Edward’s maternal uncle, was eliminated and killed for his fraud, however not till a few years down the highway.[3]
7 His mom handed away when he was two weeks previous
Edward’s mom, Jane Seymour, the third spouse of Henry VIII, died simply twelve days after the delivery of her son. At first, she appeared to really feel higher and spent the night time following the letters saying the delivery of her son. She was additionally seen sitting on the mattress receiving friends for Edward’s baptism. With no downside from delivery and a wholesome baby to indicate for it, the docs had been very stunned when after 4 days, she grew to become pale and weak throughout the night time. Regardless of this miracle that she went via in her well being, she recovered rapidly and didn’t get sick once more till three days later. Throughout this time, she continued to deteriorate till her demise within the early hours of October 24, 1537.
It’s not recognized what sickness Jane Seymour suffered from and the way Edward lastly felt in regards to the lack of his mom. Nonetheless, Jane is typically thought of Henry VIII’s favourite spouse (for offering a male inheritor). With this in thoughts, Edward would have favored his mom, maybe his father’s love for her had gained her over.[4]
6 Edward is fierce and scary
Edward was very spoiled in his youth, with fixed items, wealthy meals, and everybody in his family did it usually. His father even gave Edward his personal choir for the only real goal of entertaining him. It might appear that nothing ever, from his instruments to highschool books, is best than the second greatest. He’s so spoiled that if he would not get his means, the anger that follows can flip violent. A recent account claims that in such a match, Edward tore the residing falcon into 4 items.
Edward started preserving a diary of his ideas and passions. One of many entries referred to when he ordered the beheading of his uncle, merely says, “The Duke of Somerset minimize himself on Tower Hill between eight and 9 o’clock within the morning.” Slicing off his head is best than shaving.
However Edward’s diary reveals extra than simply how chilly he was about his uncle’s homicide. Edward VI’s diary sheds mild on the sort of man he grew to become—and he wasn’t. The entries reveal a chilly, impassive boy with no feelings in any respect. Who is aware of the person and the longer term king who would have lived to have full reign. Fortunately, we do not have to consider that.[5]
5 His relationship along with his siblings deteriorated
Edward VI had two sisters, each of whom ultimately grew to become queens. Mary, the eldest, and twenty-one years previous, appears to have beloved Edward very a lot and showered him with love, even performing as a sort of mom. On the age of 9, he wrote to her that she was his favourite. However, Elizabeth was solely 4 years older than him, they usually had a childhood relationship. Upon studying of their father’s demise, Elizabeth and Edward held one another and wept bitterly.
Nonetheless, all this sympathy rapidly disappeared when Edward grew to become king, and he centered on having a “royal” relationship with them as an alternative of brothers. Mary was a religious Catholic, and this led to an unbelievable debate about faith. It grew to become such a problem that Edward determined to jot down his sister Mary off the throne. Sadly, to take away Mary from victory on the only authorized grounds, he additionally has the identify Elizabeth just isn’t disputed. This led to the battle of 1553 and the demise of Edward’s heiress and cousin, Woman Jane Gray.[6]
4 Edward Has Two Electrical Protectors
After the parliamentary system that labored for Edward’s reign, the Duke of Somerset (Edward Seymour) emerged as the principle determine and was appointed Lord Protector. Seymour was Edward VI’s uncle via Jane Seymour and was a campaigner for additional reform. He needed to get as distant from the Catholic custom as he may go and made a determined try in opposition to the established practices. Nonetheless, his views alienated some teams, which led to insurrection. The failure to finish the violence, the accidents he suffered in opposition to his enemies, and the shortage of army energy led him to fall.
One in all Seymour’s best rivals, John Dudley (later Duke of Northumberland), led the demand for his elimination. It was Dudley who ultimately took over as Lord Protector. He was not one of the best, and in reality, historical past typically considers him worse (typically he’s known as “The Depraved Duke”). Dudley organized for a sick Edward to name Woman Jane Grey his successor. After Edward’s demise, he even married his son to Jane within the hope of changing into the son-in-law and guardian of the primary Queen of England.[7]
3 Edward’s Severe Sickness and Loss of life
Within the spring of 1553, Edward contracted measles. He recovered, however his immunity was severely weakened, and he ultimately contracted what historians imagine was tuberculosis. In Could 1553, he grew to become severely sick, and the Duke of Northumberland rushed to safe his advantages from the inheritor. On July 1, 1553, Edward was seen in public for the final time, though he appeared very unhappy and “misplaced.” Little doubt he was in nice ache, as firstly of July, he whispered the phrases, “I’m glad to die.” On the sixth of the month, he died, a surgeon who opened his chest after his demise revealed that it was lung illness.
Though this sickness lasted greater than a yr, Edward fought the entire time to be an efficient ruler. Whether or not that is profitable is up for dialogue. Nonetheless, his accidents within the final month or two of his life (and Northumberland’s abuse) ended up setting the stage for a succession disaster.[8]
2 His Father’s Will Confounds Edward’s Final Want
The Succession Act of 1544 allowed Henry VIII to specify in his will any heirs he needed, that means that though he declared his daughters Mary and Elizabeth illegitimate, he had the authorized proper to call them his heirs, who did. First Edward will come, then Mary, then Elizabeth, then a sequence of different heirs (the following 4 of them are ladies!).
When Edward was about to die and Mary succeeded him, he and his advisers realized that he didn’t need a Catholic king to ascend the throne and spent his years reforming Protestantism. To counter this, Edward wrote his sisters out of heirship in his will and named his youthful sister Woman Jane Grey heiress. After which follows the legacy disaster we have been speaking about!
In July 1553, Woman Jane was named Queen of England, however quickly so was Mary. The wills of the 2 useless kings conflicted, with Mary claiming the legitimacy of her father’s will and Jane claiming the legitimacy of her brother’s. Ultimately, Henry’s will and Mary’s public help and army energy ended up inserting her on the throne, and Jane misplaced his head.[9]
1 England’s Return to Catholicism (Short-term)
Two weeks after the demise of Edward VI, and on the age of 37, Mary Tudor grew to become Mary I and commenced the method of returning England to the Catholic Church. She is commonly remembered as “Bloody Mary” due to her excessive efforts to take action. However she, in reality, killed fewer individuals than Henry VIII.
Edward might have been deeply saddened to be taught that his cautious plans to maintain England a Protestant nation, as his father had needed, had failed. However this didn’t final lengthy, and 6 years later, Elizabeth succeeded her sister as Queen, and England modified once more. Finally, the Act of Parliament in 1701 meant that solely Protestants may declare the English and Irish crowns.[10]
