To build your own Itinerary, click to add an item to your Itinerary basket.
Already saved an Itinerary?
You are here: UK History > Royal History > House of Tudor > Edward VI | The last Tudor king
Despite Henry VIII’s insistence on having a son to continue the great Tudor dynasty, it is his two daughters that are most well known. His only son, Edward VI became king at the age of nine and only ruled for 6 years before succumbing to illness and dying. Though he was only king for a short period of time, England went through many changes in that time, even with much of Edward’s reign being controlled by his council of regents.
Born: 12th October 1537, Hampton Court Palace, London
Died: 6th July 1553 (aged 15), Greenwich Palace
Reign: 28th January 1547 – 6th July 1553
Parents: Henry VIII and Jane Seymour
Predecessor: Henry VIII (father)
Successor: Lady Jane Grey (cousin, disputed), Mary I (sister)
Spouse: none
Children: none
Royal House: Tudor
Edward VI was born on 12th October 1537 in a time of great happiness and sadness. His father, Henry VIII had been longing for a son and hosted many celebrations to mark his birth, however, at just a week old, his mother, Jane Seymour died, possibly due to complications in childbirth. From his first moments, Edward was given the title of Prince of Wales, named the Heir Apparent and was given his own household. For his early years, he lived mostly under the care of a Lady Mistress in his own household which was under heavy guard and had a high level of cleanliness on his father’s orders. Henry VIII stressed to those in charge of Edward’s health and household that he was “the realm’s most precious jewel”. As you might expect, this meant that the baby Edward was spoiled and lavished with toys and books.
Image: Edward VI
Though Edward is known for being sickly and forgettable, he was actually a relatively healthy child and was described as being tall and merry throughout his childhood and early teens. In fact, his health was considered to be good up until the last six months of his life. Edward was considered to be an intelligent individual and was the first English monarch to have received an extensive education and adequate training for his position. He was also the first king to be raised as a protestant and contributed to the reformation and the structure of the Church of England as we know it.
Edward began his education at the age of 6, sharing a tutor with his sister Elizabeth, who was also raised protestant. He could play multiple instruments, spoke several languages, had an interest in geography and a head for sums. At the time of his birth, both his sisters had been removed from the line of succession and been declared illegitimate, however it was said that he had a good relationship with both Mary and Elizabeth and the three siblings would visit each other often. He also was fond of his step mother Catherine Parr, who reconciled the family and inspired Henry VIII to pass the third Act of Succession, which reintroduced Mary and Elizabeth to the royal line.
As you would expect for a royal child, Edward was betrothed at a young age to his second cousin, Mary Queen of Scots, in a bid to unite England and Scotland. The marriage treaty demanded that the infant Mary be relocated to London and raised as part of Edward’s household, however, the Scots refused, resulting in a war which continued into Edward’s reign and became known as the Rough Wooing. Mary Queen of Scots went on to be betrothed to the Dauphin of France, reigniting Scotland’s alliance with France and enraging Henry VIII and later, the Lord Protector.
From the time he could write, Edward kept a journal and chronicled everything that happened throughout his life, which provided lots of information about England at the time.
Edward was just nine when Henry VIII died. Henry left strict instructions in his will as to the line of succession, naming Edward as the new king and appointing 16 executors to act as a council who would rule as regents until Edward came of age. The council named Edward Seymour, the oldest brother of Jane Seymour, as Lord Protector.
Nine year old Edward's coronation took place at Westminster Abbey four days after his father’s death. Because of his small stature, a crown was made specially for him, as the usual one was too large and heavy. Records show that the new king wore his crown all day, including at the banquet after the event, but was changed out of his ceremonial robes in case he should trip over them. As the country was continuing with the Reformation, the coronation ceremony was shorter than previous ones, partly because the council were concerned about Edward’s age and because the changes to the church meant that some of the traditions were now inappropriate.
From the start of Edward’s reign, he was marred with conflict, mostly with Scotland following the failure of his betrothal to Mary Queen of Scots. His other most pressing problem were his uncles, Thomas and Edward Seymour.
His uncle, Edward Seymour was named as Lord Protector and as such, undertook much of the military strategy and governance of the country, something historians have criticised him for. Uncle Edward's biggest critic however, was his own brother, Thomas Seymour.
Edward's uncle Thomas would go on to marry Henry VIII’s widow Catherine Parr and would become a father figure of sorts to the princess Elizabeth and her cousin, Lady Jane Grey who were both raised protestant in Parr’s household. Elizabeth was removed from the home after Thomas was caught being amorous towards her. Following Catherine Parr's death, Thomas continued to woo Elizabeth, however, she wasn’t permitted to enter into a betrothal without approval from the royal council, and it is generally accepted that he abused her while acting as her guardian. Uncle Thomas was eventually executed for embezzling funds, both the young king Edward and Edward Seymour, his brother, oversaw the execution.
It wasn’t just Uncle Thomas and modern historians that criticised Edward Seymour's behaviour as Lord Protector. The rest of the council held a coup against him, resulting in Edward Seymour taking the king hostage and fleeing to Windsor Castle. Edward noted in his diary that he felt like a prisoner. After a few days of turmoil, Edward was rescued and moved to Richmond. Edward Seymour was arrested and John Dudley, the Duke of Northumberland, replaced him as Lord Protector. Uncle Edward was executed, something else that Edward wrote about in his diaries.
Though historians generally consider John Dudley to have his own agenda and to have been planning to elevate his family by influencing the line of succession, he did after all instigate the marriage between Edward's cousin, Lady Jane Grey and his own brother, ensured that his children were raised alongside Princess Elizabeth and convinced Edward to name Lady Jane his heir. Despite this, he was credited with restoring some order following the chaos of Edward Seymour.
Even though he was young and never ruled independently, Edward is thought to have had a good understanding of government business, but the extent of his involvement is up for debate. He did choose his own council of advisors at the age of 14 and had weekly meetings with them, he was also known to hold meetings with William Cecil, who would go on to advise Elizabeth I.
His influence was certainly felt through the more religious aspects of government policy though. Much of the reforms were left to Thomas Cranmer, the Archbishop of Canterbury. Under Cranmer, the English church remained essentially Catholic but was institutionally Protestant and rejected Papal supremacy. Under Edward, the reformation continued with him confiscating church property and introducing the Book of Common Prayer – which remains the foundation of the Church of England, however the reforms came to an end when it became clear that Edward was dying.
Edward’s health started to decline in January 1553 when it was recorded that he had a fever and a persistent cough resulting in a shortness of breath. He noted in his journal that he began to feel well again by April but had relapsed by June. By the summer, he was unable to walk by himself and he made his last public appearance on 1st July that year. It was clear by this point that he would not survive.
Though the Act of Succession implemented by Henry VIII stated that should Edward die without an heir, the crown should go to his sister Mary, the government could not undermine their own reforms by having a Catholic as head of the country. Though it was believed that Edward had a good relationship with both his sisters, he was also said to oppose Mary’s succession and instead, with the help of his new Lord Protector, drafted his own document, naming his cousin, Lady Jane Grey who had recently married Guilford Dudley, the younger brother of John Dudley.
Edward supervised the legal drafting of this document and called his council to his death bed to hear them swear to support it. Historians have concluded that the change in succession was likely brought about by pressure from the Dudleys, who would have been able to influence the 16 year old Jane, a fellow protestant and with no experience of living in a royal court, better than they could Mary. Some evidence exists to suggest that several of the lords only supported Edward’s plan because they felt threatened.
At this time, Edward’s poor health was common knowledge throughout Europe, as was the change in the line of succession. Much of Europe rejected the idea of Lady Jane Grey, preferring that the crown pass to Mary, something that seemed to be true of the English people too.
Edward eventually succumbed to his illness aged just 15 at Greenwich Palace. He was buried at Henry VII Lady Chapel at Westminster Abbey, but his final resting place was unmarked until the 1960s. Rumours as to the cause of his death continue to be debated, there is speculation that he was poisoned as part of a catholic plot to put Mary on the throne however, he did note in his own journal that he had contracted both measles and small pox the April before he died. Doctors have since said it was likely that he had tuberculosis or a similar lung condition.
Though Edward had named an heir, his death saw nine days of turmoil and violence. His sister, Mary immediately headed to her estates in Norfolk on hearing the news of her brother’s death in order to gain the support of her tenants. Dudley retaliated by sending ships to the Norfolk coast to prevent her from receiving aid from France. At the same time, he moved Lady Jane Grey into the Tower of London to await her coronation, announcing that she was the new queen. Mary would eventually receive the support of the people and would depose Jane.
Despite being considered sickly and ineffective, the majority of Edward’s reign was done on his behalf, so there is no fair way to know what kind of king he would have been. Considering he passed over both his sisters and presided over the execution of two of his uncles, there is every chance he could have been as ruthless as his father, he was certainly intelligent enough to have been a competent leader.
National Portrait Gallery, London
There are portraits of Edward and pages of his diary in their collection.
Newgate Street, London
Site of a former hospital founded by Edward on the grounds of the Greyriars Monastery. A blue sign is now all that remains of the hospital
St Thomas Hospital, London
There is a statue of Edward and his mother, Jane Seymour at the hospital.
Unilever House, London
Fomerly Bridewell Palace, Edward gifted the palace to the people of London, there is a plaque marking the spot.
Westminster Abbey
Edward is buried beneath the floor in front of the altar, he is the last monarch to be buried in the abbey itself.
© Visit Heritage 2024. All Rights Reserved