Edward VI | |
---|---|
King of England and Ireland | |
![]() Edward as Prince of Wales, 1546. He wears the Prince of Wales's feathers and crown on the pendant jewel. Attributed to William Scrots. | |
King of England | |
Reign | 30 January 1547 – 6(OS)10 July 1553 (NS) |
Coronation | 20 February 1547 |
Predecessor | Henry VIII |
Successor | Lady Jane Grey or Mary I |
Lord Protecters | Lord Somerset (1547–1549) Lord Northumberland (1549–1553) |
Born | Edward Tudor of Hampton, Prince of Wales 12 October 1537/ 14 October 1537 (NS) Hampton Court Palace, near London |
Died | NS) Palace of Placentia, Greenwich, near London | July 6, 1553/10 July 1553 (aged 15) (
Burial | 9 August 1553 |
House | House of Tudor |
Father | Henry VIII |
Mother | Jane Seymour |
Edward VI (12 October 1537 – 6 July 1553) was King of England and Ireland, from 28 January 1547, until his death on 6 July 1553.
Edward was the son of Henry VIII of England and Jane Seymour. His mother died 12 days after his birth. He became king at the age of 9 when his father died. Although he had two older sisters, Mary and Elizabeth, Edward was the next in line for the throne because he was male. Because he was such a young king, the country was governed by nobles. He had two advisors (or regents). The first was his uncle, Edward Seymour, Duke of Somerset, who became Lord Protector.
For the first two-and-a-half years of Edward's reign, Lord Somerset advised and guided the young king. Somerset was then replaced by John Dudley, Duke of Northumberland.
Edward was the first Protestant king of England. Although his father, Henry VIII, had broken the Church of England away from the Roman Catholic Church, he had not changed much else. Most of the major changes to the Church of England happened during Edward's reign. They were led by Somerset, Northumberland and Archbishop Thomas Cranmer. Also during his reign, England tried to take over Scotland. After a good start, it ended in defeat. His reign also saw economic problems and unrest.
He died when he was 15 1⁄2 years old, probably from tuberculosis. Before he died, Edward named his cousin, Lady Jane Grey, as his heir and excluded his half-sisters, Mary and Elizabeth. He was trying to prevent Mary, a Catholic, from returning the country to Catholicism. However, Mary overthrew Jane less than two weeks later and became the queen. Mary undid the reforms of Edward's reign, but Elizabeth restored them in 1559.
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