1537 – 1553
Ruled: 1547 - 1553
Overview
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Edward was the son of Henry VIII
and Jane Seymour. He was 9
when he took the throne on the
death of his father.
He was raised as a true Protestant
and held more extreme Protestant
beliefs than his father.
He did not reach maturity and
therefore was not able to rule
directly. Instead he was guided
by a Regency Council headed
first by his uncle Edward
Seymour Duke of Somerset and
then John Dudley the Duke of
Northumberland.
Edward’s reign was a time of
political, social, economic and
religious change and unrest.
During his reign the Protestant
Reformation in England moved
forward
He died without a direct heir.
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Edward appointed Thomas Cranmer as
Archbishop of Canterbury
He moved the Protestant Reformation in
England forward and changed the Church of
England from a Catholic Church without Papal
Supremacy (under Henry VIII) to a truly
Protestant Church both in structure and belief.
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This outlined how Church services should be
conducted.
By doing this it also defined what the Church
of England believed in terms of doctrine.
Justification by faith alone became part of the
official doctrine of the Church of England as
did consubstantiation. Communion in two
kinds (taking both the bread and the wine) for
the laity as well as the clergy was introduced
Church decoration became much simpler.
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The Monarch was confirmed as the Supreme
Head of the Church.
The Government was now responsible for the
recruitment and training of the clergy. They
issued licences to allow clergy to preach and
give the sacraments.
The last of the Church lands (the chantries)
were seized and sold off. This produced further
sums of money for the Crown and financially
ruined the Church, making it dependent on the
Government.
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Edward’s health had never been good and he
was prone to bouts of serious illness.
He did not have a direct heir and therefore he
issued a law concerning the succession.
He passed over his two half-sisters (Mary and
Elizabeth) declaring them illegitimate. He
placed the succession on the male descendants
of his cousin once removed Lady Jane Grey.
The problem was that she did not have any
sons yet so Edward, on the eve of his death,
changed the succession to go to her.