Edward VI,somerset and northumberland

How old was Edward VI when he came to the throne

9 years of age

january 28 1547

somerset government

• Strong start… but soon failed Edward became king at age 9, and his uncle, Edward Seymour assumed near-monarchical power  in March 1547. He ruled largely by proclamation, bypassing the Privy Council. 

• Economic mismanagement. Somerset financed wars with debased coinage, leading to inflation, social unrest, and rising national debt.

• Downfall. Political isolation and failures allowed John Dudley to orchestrate Somerset’s removal in late 1549.

1547-1549

Northumberland government

1550-1553

• Council-based, more stable governance. Dudley, as Duke of Northumberland, restored the Privy Council’s central role,

• Financial recovery. He halted debasement and stabilized the currency—bringing economic calm within a few years

assesment on government

Regent	Strengths	Weaknesses
Somerset	Initial decisive control, early reform attempts	Autocratic, poor administration, rebellions, economic collapse
Northumberland	Collaborative government, fiscal stability, effective suppression of unrest	Authoritarian succession manipulation, too radical religious shift

Overall judgement: Somerset’s rule was ineffectively managed and destabilizing; Northumberland, though more efficient and pragmatic, ended in scandal. The boy king, Edward, wielded minimal power—though his religious convictions did shape policy increasingly over time

Foreign policy under somserset

Following Henry VIII, Somerset pursued the “Rough Wooing”: the 1547 victory at Pinkie Cleugh was followed by establishing garrisons deep into Scotland—including up to Dundee—but these were expensive, unsustainable, and failed to secure Edinburgh or Dunbar.

• Scottish parliament refused to ratify the marriage alliance between edward iv and mary

• Financial drain and failure. The campaign cost an estimated £600,000, deeply straining the Crown’s finances and undermining domestic stability

Foreign policy under northumberland

Pragmatic withdrawal. He ended costly wars, relinquishing Boulogne via the 1550 Treaty of Boulogne—in return England received a payment (around £133,333 .

Foreign policy assessment

Somerset’s foreign policy: initially militarily successful, but economically and strategically flawed—actually strengthened enemies and achieved none of its long-term goals.

• Northumberland’s foreign policy: pragmatic and financially restorative, achieving peace and neutrality, wi—but some considered his concessions humiliating.

succession problems

Edward VI inherited the throne aged just nine upon Henry VIII’s death on 28 January 1547. His young age and instability necessitated a Regency Coucil, as established by his father’s will, comprising 16 executors and counsellors. Control quickly centralized under his uncle, Edward Seymour (Duke of Somerset), who became Lord Protector.

Legitimacy

The Succession Act of 1543 restored both Mary and Elizabeth to the line of succession, after Edward, despite earlier being declared illegitimate.

• Edward, a devout Protestant, feared that Mary (a Catholic) would reverse reforms. His "Devise for the Succession" of June 1553 attempted to exclude both Mary and Elizabeth—

Devise for succession

The Devise for the Succession was Edward VI's plan, supported by the Duke of Northumberland, to remove his half-sisters Mary and Elizabeth from succession and name , Lady Jane Grey, as his heir, preventing a Catholic monarch from ascending the throne. Though signed in 1553, the Devise was not legally binding, and after Edward's death, the nation largely supported Mary, who successfully deposed Jane and took the throne, restoring Catholicism.  

• Edward died on the 6 July 1553

• The failure exposed constitutional weakness: Edward tried to override statute law (Third Succession Act) with informal instruments, provoking dynastic chaos

Edward VI uncle Edward Seymour

Within days , his uncle edward seymour took the lead,proclaiming himself lord protector

Downfall of edward seymour

his directorial style and poor handling of the 1549 rebellions and the war against Scotland led to his downfall

John Dudley

next regent for the 11 year old king . learning from the mistakes of Seymour , he was more pragmatic and sought to unite rather than divide the council . this led to greater economic & political stability and dealing with the rebellions

Impending death

with the knowledge of his coming death Edward tried to alter the 15443 succession act that would put Catholic mary in power and thus undo his protestant reforms of the church

Devyse

this put Lady Jane Grey on the throne alongside her husband . However this act was not sanctioned by parliament and the fact it took Northumberland 3 days to enact (6-9 july) suggests he was under duress. without support from elites this was doomed to fail and Jane Grey was only queen for 9 days then mary swept to power with popular support - Grey and her husband were executed

Northumberland and the french war

He ended the war against Scotland and France. To end the french war Northumberland was forced to return Boulogne to the French , may have been perceived as humiliating, it did serve to bring about an immediate improvement in the crowns financial position. as the occupation of Boulogne proved to drain the crowns resources . Moreover, the french were willing to pay the substantial sum of 133,333 to recover the port . The financial benefit clearly outweighed any fears about continuing French influence over England.

Somerset and religion

Somerset had personal sympathy with key protestant ideas. As Lord Protector, however, he recognised the sensitivity in making religious changes and tried to adopt a moderate and cautious approac