Causes of instability in Edward VI's reign (A-Level History)

:P

The overarching 3 - what were the causes of instability?

1. Edward’s age.

2. Financial/government problems left behind by Henry VIII (which may have contributed to all the problems Somerset had when he was in power)

3. Somerset’s desperate attempt to regain power in October 1549

Edward VI - when did he become king, how old was he? His family?

He was 9!!

He became king on the 28th of January, 1547.

Born as the long-awaited son to Henry VIII and Jane Seymour.

Somerset? Who was he in relation to the king? Who was he before he became the Duke of Somerset?

Edward Somerset was Edward’s maternal uncle. —> gave him a CLOSE PERSONAL RELATIONSHIP w his nephew.

He was the Earl of Hertford. He officially became the Duke of Somerset in February 1547.

He had a bro called THOMAS SEYMOUR.

How did Somerset gain so much power???

Edward was 9 - created a power vacuum because he wasn’t adult yet - couldn’t govern individually.

• He needed someone (or a group of someones) to govern on his behalf. H.8 wanted a Regency Council of 16 men to govern on Edward’s behalf (as written in his will) but William Paget and Somerset manipulated this arrangement.

  • they already decided Somerset was going to become Lord Protector before H’s death.

• 31st Jan - Councillors agreed to make Somerset Lord Protector, because of his close relationship to the king, and also he was far from an incompetent man; was an accomplished soldier in the wars in Scotland.

• 12th March - letters patent CONFIRMED: protector + governor

• THIS MEANT THAT SOMERSET NOW HAD DIRECT CONTROL OVER EDWARD + THE GOVERNMENT.

Why was control of access to Edward so important?

Edward = source of royal authority, so controlling access to him gave Somerset enormous political influence.

What was a faction? Why did Edward’s minority encourage factional conflict?

A group of politicians in government supporting a particular person/policy, and competing with rival groups for power.

Because Edward was too young to rule independently, so powerful politicians competed to control his government and access to him.

ALL ABOUT THOMAS SEYMOUR

Thomas was Edward Seymour’s brother - and Lord High Admiral.

He was envious of Somerset’s position and wanted greater influence over Edward.

—> entered Edward’s privy gardens, gave him pocket money, bribed servants, deliberately tried to convince Edward to resist Somerset’s authority, passed him notes.

Thomas Seymour was executed by his own BROTHER on the 20th of March, 1549.

3 Causes of financial instability under Henry VIII

1. Debasement of the Coinage.

   1. Basically caused: financial disruption, inflation, loss of confidence in the currency.

2. Heavy expenditure.

   1. Almost half of the former monastic land had been sold by 1547 EVEN THOUGH the dissolution of the monasteries gave henry lots of money.

3. Debt.

   1. Henry VIII borrowed a LOT, which obviously came with consequences. He owed £100,000 to the Antwerp money market by the end of his reign.

Scotland in 1547 - when was the battle, where was it, what was its objective? SUCCESS/FAILURE?

Battle of PINKIE - 10th September 1547. To secure the marriage of Edward VI to Mary, Queen of Scots.

England won… but failed to secure the Edward - Mary marriage.

Also Somerset had to maintain troops and garrisons continuously —> too expensive sobs + placed further pressure on England’s finances.

When did France declare war on England during E 6th’s reign?

1549.

THE 1549 REBELLIONS!!

Kett’s rebellion

• Based in Norfolk.

• Rebellion because of land enclosure, abuses by landlords/gentry, and grievances about local government.

• Leader: Robert Kett.

• When? July 1549.

NB: All of these grievances had been building up since Henry’s reign but the rebels believed a young king on the throne + Somerset’s gradual loosening of power made the perf. opportunity.

Western Rebellion

• Based in Devon + Cornwall.

• Opposition to Protestant religious reforms, especially the First Book of Common Prayer (1549)

These rebellions weakened Somerset because: They challenged his authority, further proved to his rivals eg Earl of Warwick that he was getting weaker, and cost lots of $$$. Also made Paget further dislike him because he believed Somerset was being too “lenient” with the rebels.

Somerset’s Fall: When did approximately 19 councillors gather against Somerset in London? Why did this happen?

5th Oct 1549.

They resented his personal style of government and concentration of power, as well as his handling of financial, military and social problems - TL;DR wanted Somerset to FIX THE PROBLEMS HE CREATED.

Somerset’s Fall: what did Somerset do when he realised the 19 councillors were against him?

Took Edward to Windsor castle lol, on the 9-10th of October 1549. He also ordered 500 harnesses from the Hampton Court armoury.

• Somerset claimed they were plotting to kill Edward.

• In reality it was because having access to Edward = access to royal authority = gave S lots of power (legitimacy, political power) Taking Edward to Windsor also meant that S could present himself as protecting the young king.

His position at Windsor collapsed quickly… he had insufficient food and supplies, and Edward reportedly called Windsor a ‘prison’. Paget and Cranmer helped persuade Somerset to surrender. He was arrested on the 11th Oct 1549.

13th Oct - offices abolished.

How did Warwick/Northumberland gain control after Somerset’s fall?

After Somerset’s fall in 1549, Warwick became the dominant political figure. In February 1550 he became Lord President of the Council and Great Master of the King’s Household, giving him control over government and influence over access to Edward.

Why was Somerset’s return to the Privy Council a problem for Warwick?

Somerset returned to the Privy Council on 10 April 1550. As a powerful rival, his return threatened Warwick’s control and political dominance.

How did Warwick become Northumberland, and what happened to Somerset?

Warwick became Duke of Northumberland on 11 October 1551. Somerset was subsequently executed on 22 January 1552 after being accused of plotting against Northumberland.