Edward VI

Tudor 20 markers

H8 legacy and E6 immediate problems

• minor on throne, regency council

• 1547 → CofE mishmash

• Cost of war by 1546 was £2 mill

• Failure in France/threat of Scotland

problems w/ a minor

• couldn’t lead war

• foreign exploitation

• civil war? faction?

• image? not strong? (personal monarch). new coin showed king as adult.

minor on throne not so bad?

• E6 not sickly. should become an adult and have an heir.

• Somerset’s assumption of power smooth.

Rise of Somerset

• unsurprising. Uncle of the king, Successful soldier in 1540 wars.

• Smooth transfer of power

• regency council → decisions were slow

• 1547, called himself ‘lord protector’

• supported by Paget

• Instability from the start as some questioned whether he was going against H8s wishes

problems facing Somerset

• cost of administration, poor living standards

• vagrants

• population growing at 1% a year.

• continue wars for prestige sake but taxes

• needed to please protestants without causing catholic rebellion

economy and society

• inflation, poor harvests, Antwerp market in poor state (unemployment)

• young population

• 1520, prices 37% higher than 1508

• 1530, prices 69% higher than 1508

• debasement

• ½ population unable to support themselves.

• fear of rebellion

• vagrancy act 1547 (savage)

• little poor relief due to DoM.

• influenzas/epidemics

• 1549 rebellions

religious situation 1547

• Cranmer/ridley wanted reform

• gardiner/bonner opposed it

• 9 wanted reform, 10 did not, 8 coudln’t decide.

• Many protestants had settled in EA after fleeing Europe.

• Noble elite unwilling to oppose reform

Somerset’s gov

• power came from letters of patent not parliament, issued march 1547. Often bypassed PC

• ruled by proclamation (70)

• Took control of dry stamp

• at trial accused of ‘evil gov’

• treason act 1547, Encouraged debate which led to violence/rioting

• repeal of limitations on proclamations from 1539

• chantries act 1547 → raised money for wars. gold silver used for coins

• debasement!!!

somerset religion

• chantries act 1547

• treason act 1547

• book of homilies 1547

• 1548 policy of iconoclasm.

• 1549 1st act of uniformity. everything in English. bread and wine recieved by both laity and clergy, clerical marriage allowed.

• 1549, 1st book of common prayer (W. rebellion)

• visitations to ensure parishioners could recite 10Cs in English.

Somerset social policy

• 1548 enclosure commission

• April 1549 → proclamation LOs forced to take down fences.

‘the good duke’

debasement → inflation, many unable to support themselves

Somerset finance

• 1547, gov virtually bankrupt

• debt from wars

• Somerset should have raised taxes and ended war

• continued to seize more church property and debase coinage. spiralling inflation!

• continued borrowing from abroad.

• 1547-1551 silver content in coins dropped from 50% to 25%

• 1548 sheep tax → helped lead to kett.

• 1549 → around 30 counties saw unrest!

somerset’s foreign policy

H8 wanted E6+MQoS

• tried to isolate SC, negotiations for a alliance. BUT Francis dead and H2 aggro.

• strengthened defences at calais, boulogne and newhaven. fleet sent to patrol channel.

• June 1547, H2 sent fleet w/ 4000 troops to SC.

• Sept 1547, invasion of SC. Battle of Pinkie, Scots defeated, ENG held major strongholds but couldn’t afford them. withdrew and recalled fleet from channel.

• defeat of SC → asked Fr for help. more troops/advisors, MQoS taken to FR. (although this annoyed Sc eventually and FR tired of expense)

• FR attacked boulogne whilst England distracted w/ SC.

• Somerset failed.

causes western rebellion

religion

• act of uniformity (bodmin)

• objection to new prayer book (sampford Courtenay)

• 13/14 rebels demands

economic

• letter from Somerset to E6 references sheep tax

• Antwerp cloth market in decline

social

• attacked gentry ‘kill the gentleman’

• devon → attacked trematon castle

• fears during siege of Exeter

• gentries gained from DoM and now implementing religious reform

demands of western rebellion

• end rumoured changes in baptism/confirmation

• restore 6 articles

• restore latin mass/images

• restore transubstatiation/purgatory

• return of cardinal pole from exile to king’s council

but written by catholic priests.

rejected by Cranmer

Western rebellion

1549 → act of uniformity, rebellion at bodmin,

June → Arundel led them to devon (uprising at Sampford Courtenay due to prayer book).

joined forces and set up armed camp.

blockaded Exeter with 6000 men.

Arundell’s leadership meant they weren’t defeated until august

16th → 3000 killed. NO noble support, didnt siege Exeter or march on London.

causes/demands of kett rebellion

17/29 on enclosures/rents/landlords

• Concern over saffron (enclosures)

• Enclosures and gentry exploiting common land

• fishing rights

• rising rents

• 60% of land in Norfolk owned by nobility

• prices had doubled since 1500

• ministers to use new prayer book

• attacked nobles, and running of gov

• wanted end of serfdom

• ban of absenteeism

kett rebellion

• John flowered bought local abbey and demolished it. Kett rallied rebels

• 16000 men, set up camp for 6 weeks on household health in July.

• able to capture Norwich

• letter from gov didnt work.

• Marquis of Northampton defeated.

• Earl of Warwick sorted it out, nearly 4000 died. Kett captured and hanged.

NO NOBLE SUPPORT

Robert Kett

• discipline imposed

• governing council elected to maintain law and order

• every gentleman arrested was tried before kett and his council @ the ‘tree of reformation’

rebellions in 1549

all over (around 23/40 counties)

yorkshire → July, chantry commissioner killed

western rebellion, June-august

kett rebellion in July

rebellions WERE a threat

• lots, simultaneously

• 23 counties

• Marquis of Northampton defeated (K)

• potential French involvement

• directly led to Somersets downfall

• 1000s died in each

rebellions WERENT a threat

• no aim to remove monarch

• didnt march on LDN

• no noble support

• failed to Exeter (W)

• able to defeat them

John dudley

• lord president of PC 1550-3

• distinguished himself, battle of the pinkie, kett rebellion.

• instrumental in removing Somerset

Thomas wriothesley

earl of Southampton from 1547

catholic (disliked religious change)

lord chancellor in 1544 under H8

removed from PC under Somerset.

William paget

• one of the most influential men in gov

• trusted by H8/somerset but not northumberland but still employed by him (talent)

• religious convictions were private

• supported Mary

• opposition to extreme legislation under Gardiner.

Thomas Seymour

• Somerset’s brother, jealous

• secretly married CP in May 1547, very soon after death of H8

• gave E6 money and manipulated him.

• broke into his apartments and executed for 33 charges of treason march 1549.

Henry fitz alan

earl of Arundel

• lord high constable at E6 coronation

• continued as lord chamberlain under H8s will

• influence diminished under somerset

• catholic!

unhappiness with religious change

• radical protestants took matters into their own hands in EA and LDN. Images were smashed. gold and silver taken and given to poor families.

• Edward Bonner made a vehement protest against the council, imprisioned for 2 months.

• winter 47-48 many pamphlets published.

why did Somerset fall from power

• authoritarian style (proclamations)

• preoccupied w/ war abroad and failed

• debasement and inflation

• religious ambiguity

• no decisive action w/ rebellions (sympathy? lack of money?) failed

• Warwick wanted more power.

• anti-religious change in PC

• lost support of the king!!!! took him to Hampton court 5th oct, then Windsor the next day. E6 fell ill and claimed he was being held hostage. FATAL

Northumberland forpol, SC

• withdrew from SC

• SC nobles increasingly hostile to FR

• 1550, N decided to take control of confusion at border.

• March 1552, northern border restored to before H8’s Scottish campaigns

rise of northumberland

• lead contender for lord protectorate

• quelled kett rebellion

• commander of the main army in England

• brought in his own allies, removed opponents from PC

• pretended to be a catholic sympathiser

• Cranmer onside (royal household)

• April, made general warden of the north.

northumberland social policy

• unpopular 1547 vagrancy act and 1548 sheep tax repealed 1550

• 1552 new treason act, restoring censorship

• 1552, new poor law (did little) but made it easier for local authorities to support aged/infirm.

• existing anti-enclosure legislature rigorously enforced. unpopular commissions were withdrawn

• revaluation of coinage.

religious changes under northumberland

• crammers ordinals, jan 1550 (new form of ordination, removed ideas of purgatory). radicals unhappy

• communion tables replaced alters

• removal of conservative clergy (Gardiner, bonner imprisoned)

• Treason act 1552 → treason to question royal supremacy

• 1552 2nd book of common prayer . All traces of Catholicism and transubstantiation and been removed. Christ not present in eucharist.

• 1552 second act of uniformity, offence for both clergy and laity to not attend CofE services.

• 42 articles 1553 -. list of doctrines of new protestant Church of England. never became law.

Northumberland forpol, continental powers

• 1551, N neutral.

• CV continued to disapprove of religion.

• March 1552, war between CV and H2

• N resisted joining, but relations w/ France deteriorated due to pressures from CV and reinforced garrisons at Calais.

• 2nd half of boulogne random remained unpaid, French privateers began attacking English shipping.

• Jan 1553, N proposed to act as mediator but negotiations collapsed.

Northumberland forpol, FR

• English fleet defeated force of French ships in battle off Channel Islands. England took control of channel

• Jan 1550, N sent delegation to FR to negotiate peace. Treaty of Boulogne signed in March.

• Eng had to retreat from Boulogne, remove remaining garrison in SC and not renew war unless provoked. 400,000 crowns from FR and they would remove all men from SC.

• Humiliating alliance w/ traditional enemy. N more unpopular

northumberland financial policy

• gov bankrupt

• Somerset had spent over £1 mill on war and sold £800k of crown lands.

• ending war drastically reduced expenditure

• march 1551, coins debased for the last time. (made £114k, but still had to borrow £243k from abroad)

• 1552 coinage reissued with silver value of 1527.

• reduced selling of crown lands (sold £140k)

• began repaying foreign loans.

northumberland, gov and administration

• council restored to procedures under H8, PC centre of gov.

• less proclamations, parliament used.

• able supporters of Somerset released and returned to posts.

• enlarged council membership to 33, loyal men!. Men of military experience in event of further rebellion.

• Council more efficient, smaller inner committee.

northumberland forpol, HRE

• improved relations with/ FR, deteriorated those w/ HRE. CV annoyed by alliance and religious change (attempts to force Mary to abandon catholicism).

• break down in commercial contacts

• April 1550, CV issued edict allowing catholic inquisition to arrest any heretics in Netherlands, English merchants were outraged. Helped with the collapse of the Antwerp cloth market.

• December 1550, CV attempted to restore good trade relations (fear of driving England closer to France).

who drove change in succession? E6

• Jane prepped from young age, protestant education

• v suspicious imperial ambassador Jehan Scheyfre, didnt note anything suspicious about Guildford + jane

• E6 made sure succession act of 1544 was ignored and E/M classed as illegitimate.

• plot poorly managed, so not N

• Not until June when E clearly gonna die that devise was revealed

• unlikely N knew of devise at time of marriage.

• EG concerned abt having a woman on the throne

who drove the change behind the succession? N

• LJG father = key advisor to N

• LJG father made Duke of Suffolk in 1551

• Marriage

• N kept death of E6 a secret while arrangements were made

• LJG pronounced queen 10th July after E6’s death

E6 death and LJG succession

• Jan 1553 → E6 fell ill and wrote his devise for the succession → LJG’s heirs male

• May 1553 → LJG married Guildford

• June → 2nd devise ‘LJG AND her heirs male’

• 6th July, E6 died

• 10th July, LJG pronounced queen, refused to make Guildford king.

• Mary sent letters to nobles/gentry all over England to gain support

• she went to Suffolk (Framingham castle), force of over 10,000 and rising.

• Northumberland left LDN w/ 2000 men (mistake)

• 18th July → stopped @ Cambridge, shocked by her power. His men abandoned him to join her side.

• PC switched sides in Dudley’s absence.

• 16th July → Mary proclaimed queen.