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EDWARD VI. 1547-1553

Born 1537. - Died unmarried. - Began to reign.1547, Reigned 6 years - Died 1553.

		DOMINIONS England, Ireland, Calais, and the Boulonnais. In 1547 Roxburgh, Haddington, and some other places in Scotland were occupied, but were recovered by the Scots, or evacuated in the next three years. In 1550 Boulogne was surrendered to the French. Edward VI., King of England, son of Henry VIII. by Jane Seymour, was born in 1537. At his father's death he was only ten years of age. His education was in-trusted to men of the first character for learning, under whose training he made great progress, and grew up with a rooted zeal for the doctrines of the Reformation. His reign was, on the whole, tumultuous and unsettled. In October 1551 the Protector Somerset, who had hitherto governed the kingdom with energy and ability, was deposed by the intrigues of Dudley, duke of Northumberland, who became all-powerful, and induced the dying Edward to set aside the succession of his sisters, Mary and Elizabeth, and settle the crown upon Lady Jane Grey, to whom he had married his son Lord Guildford Dudley.
		Edward died of a pulmonary complaint in July 1553.

PRINCIPAL EVENTS
The duke of Somerset regent. War with Scotland: the Scots defeated. Protestantism formally established, 1547. Priests allowed to marry, and the new liturgy confirmed, 1548. Fall of the duke of Somerset, 1549. The duke of Northumberland regent. Peace renewed with France and Scotland. Somerset beheaded, 1552. Intrigues to settle the crown on Lady Jane Grey, 1553.

WARS

In 1547 the Protector invaded Scotland to try and enforce a marriage treaty between the king and the young queen Mary of Scotland. The Scots were defeated at Pinkie or Musselburgh, September 10th, but the only effect was to strengthen the French party in Scotland. A desultory war followed with Scotland, in which France joined in 1548, until 1550.
In 1549 there were serious rebellions against the religious policy of the government and because of social grievances. Cornwall, Devonshire, and Somersetshire rose for the mass and the six articles, and were only put down by foreign mercenaries after severe fighting, especially at Crediton, near Exeter. The people of Norfolk rose under Ket, a tanner, on social grounds, and were defeated near Norwich. There were riots, religions and social, in the same year in Yorkshire, Kent Middlesex, Surrey, Sussex, Hampshire, Berkshire, Wiltshire, Oxfordshire, Suffolk
Owing to the policy of the government in religion, and towards the Lady Mary, relations were strained with her relative the Emperor.

OFFICIALS

Archbishop - Thomas Cranmer, 1547-1553.
Chancellors - Lord Wriothesley, Earl of Southampton, 1547; Lord St. John, afterwards Earl of Wiltshire and Marquis of Winchester, Keeper, 1547; Lord Rich, 1547; Bishop of Ely, Thomas Goodrich, Keeper 1551, Chancellor 1552.
Lord Treasurer - Earl of Hertford, 1547; Earl of Wiltshire, afterwards Marquis of Winchester, 1551.
Edward Seymour, Earl of Hertford ( Duke of Somerset, February 16th ), Protector of the Realm, February 1, 1547.John Dudley, Duke of Northumberland, Lord President of the Council, February 2, 1550.

ACTS AND DOCUMENTS

1547. The first book of Homilies published by authority to be read in Churches.
These Homilies, though advocating the doctrines of the Reformation, are not Calvinistic, according with the first Prayer book which followed two years later.
Edward VI. 1 c.1. An Act commanding the administration of the Holy Communion in both kinds to the laity
Ed. VI. 1, c. 2. Bishops to be appointed by letters Patent
Ed. VI 1, c. 3. Act against vagabonds. A person loitering without work for three days could be adjudged as a slave for two years to the person who informed against him. If he tried to escape he could be adjudged a slave for life in either case by two Justices of the Peace. If he tried to escape a second time he could be punished as a felon. A clerk convict to be a slave for a year, or in the second case for five years. Impotent folk were to be provided with lodging, and licensed to beg in their parishes.
The Act was partly directed against the expelled monks. It was modified by Ed. VI 3 and 4, c. 16, and repealed under Elizabeth.
Ed. VI. 1, c. 12. Treasons limited to the offences made treason by the Acts of Ed. III. and Hen, IV.
Ed. VI. 1, c. 14. An Act for the vesting of the property of all Chantries, Hospitals, Colleges, Free Chapels, Fraternities, Brotherhoods, and Guilds in the King, with exceptions in favour of the Colleges in Oxford and Cambridge, Windsor, Winchester, Eton, Chapel-in-the-Sea in Ely, Cathedrals, and Chapels of Ease not endowed with land.
The subsequent foundations of schools and hospitals were partly to restore the mischief which this act and the previous suppressions of Henry's reign had done to the educational and charitable machinery of the country.
1548. A commission issued for visiting the Universities ad Eton and other colleges for regulating the funds, expelling members, and amalgamating foundations. Money employed in supporting the Fellows no to be diverted to lectures in Philosophy or other studies. Rymer, xv. 178.
Ed. VI 2 & 8, c. 1. An Act of Uniformity setting forth the first Prayer-book of Edward VI This book was drawn up by Cranmer chiefly, and founded upon the Breviary, the Sarum Missal, certain foreign Reformed Services, the Bible, and services already prepared in English in the late reign. To follow the progress of the Reformation it should be compared with the second Prayer-book, vide infra, set forth after foreign reformers had come to England and gained the ear of the Government. The first Prayer-book was accepted by the Convocation of the clergy before the passing of the Act.
Both books have been re-published by Messrs. Rivington.
Ed. VI 5 & 6, c. 1. An Act of Uniformity setting forth the second Prayer-book of Edward VI., April, 1552.
The book had been printed Sept, 1551, and considered by Convocation in the autumn probably.
1553 Forty-two Articles of Religion set forth by the king's authority, including an Article (35th) confirming the late Prayer-book and Ordination office, and accepted by Convocation, according to the testimony of Convocation itself in 1562 and 1566.
The Articles are printed in the Parker Society's publications, 1844.
The Acts given above are all printed in the Statutes.

WILL OF EDWARD VI.

Under the influence of the Duke of Northumberland, Edward VI., without parliamentary concurrence, made a will devising the crown differently from the provisions of his father's will. He passed over both his sisters, and his cousin the Lady Frances, the Duchess of Suffolk, and settled the crown upon her daughter, the Lady Jane, for the obvious reason that she was married to Guildford Dudley, the son of Northumberland, saving only the rights of any male heir born to the Lady Frances in the King's own lifetime.

Letters Patent under the Great Seal, were issued to this effect
Edward's will is printed in the Camden Society's publication, Queen Jane and Queen Mary.