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100-442: Thomas Culpeper (c. 1514–1541) was a courtier at Henry VIII's court, executed for adultery with Queen Catherine Howard. Thomas Culpeper (Culpepper or Colepeper) may also refer to: Thomas Culpeper Thomas Culpeper was the second of the three sons of Alexander Culpeper (d. 1541) of Bedgebury in Kent, and his second wife, Constance Harper. His elder brother, also named Thomas,

200-404: A coup d'état . By 1 October 1549, Somerset had been alerted that his rule faced a serious threat. He issued a proclamation calling for assistance, took possession of the king's person, and withdrew for safety to the fortified Windsor Castle , where Edward wrote, "Me thinks I am in prison". Meanwhile, a united council published details of Somerset's government mismanagement. They made clear that

300-841: A treatise on the pope as Antichrist and was making informed notes on theological controversies. Many aspects of Edward's religion were essentially Catholic in his early years, including the celebration of the mass and reverence for images and relics of the saints. Both Edward's sisters were attentive to their brother and often visited him—on one occasion, Elizabeth gave him a shirt "of her own working". Edward "took special content" in Mary's company, though he disapproved of her taste for foreign dances; "I love you most", he wrote to her in 1546. In 1543, Henry invited his children to spend Christmas with him, signalling his reconciliation with his daughters, whom he had previously illegitimised and disinherited. The following spring, he restored them to their place in

400-465: A "beggarly king". He also urged the king to throw off the Protector within two years and "bear rule as other kings do"; but Edward, schooled to defer to the council, failed to co-operate. In the spring of 1547, using Edward's support to circumvent Somerset's opposition, Thomas Seymour secretly married Henry VIII's widow Catherine Parr, whose Protestant household included the 11-year-old Lady Jane Grey and

500-427: A "godly imp". Edward was depicted during his life and afterwards as a new Josiah, the biblical king who destroyed the idols of Baal . He could be priggish in his anti-Catholicism and once asked Catherine Parr to persuade Lady Mary "to attend no longer to foreign dances and merriments which do not become a most Christian princess". Edward's biographer Jennifer Loach cautions, however, against accepting too readily

600-545: A "worm in the bud". As King Edward's uncle, Thomas Seymour demanded the governorship of the king's person and a greater share of power. Somerset tried to buy his brother off with a barony , an appointment to the Lord Admiralship , and a seat on the Privy Council — but Thomas was bent on scheming for power. He began smuggling pocket money to King Edward, telling him that Somerset held the purse strings too tight, making him

700-566: A Catholic, reversed Edward's Protestant reforms during her reign, but Elizabeth restored them in 1559. Edward was born on 12 October 1537 in his mother's room inside Hampton Court Palace , in Middlesex . He was the son of King Henry VIII by his third wife, Jane Seymour , and was the only son of Henry VIII to outlive him. Throughout the realm, the people greeted the birth of a male heir, "whom we hungered for so long", with joy and relief. Te Deums were sung in churches, bonfires lit, and "their

800-502: A barony, joined Warwick when he realised that a conservative policy would not bring the emperor onto the English side over Boulogne. Southampton prepared a case for executing Somerset, aiming to discredit Warwick through Somerset's statements that he had done all with Warwick's co-operation. As a counter-move, Warwick convinced Parliament to free Somerset, which it did on 14 January 1550. Warwick then had Southampton and his followers purged from

900-446: A colossal failure of government, and the council laid the responsibility at the Protector's door. In July 1549, Paget wrote to Somerset: "Every man of the council have misliked your proceedings ... would to God, that, at the first stir you had followed the matter hotly, and caused justice to be ministered in solemn fashion to the terror of others ...". The sequence of events that led to Somerset's removal from power has often been called

1000-414: A compromise, was attacked by traditionalists for dispensing with many cherished rituals of the liturgy, such as the elevation of the bread and wine, while some reformers complained about the retention of too many "popish" elements, including vestiges of sacrificial rites at communion. Many senior Catholic clerics, including Bishops Stephen Gardiner of Winchester and Edmund Bonner of London, also opposed

1100-477: A contented child. From the age of six, Edward began his formal education under Richard Cox and John Cheke , concentrating, as he recalled himself, on "learning of tongues, of the scripture, of philosophy, and all liberal sciences". He received tuition from his sister Elizabeth's tutor, Roger Ascham , and from Jean Belmain , learning French, Spanish and Italian. In addition, he is known to have studied geometry and learned to play musical instruments, including

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1200-451: A cruel, arrogant man whose interest in Catherine is purely sexual; his relationship with her is facilitated by a pre-existing affair with Lady Rochford, something that has no known historical basis. Edward VI of England Edward VI (12 October 1537 – 6 July 1553) was King of England and Ireland from 28 January 1547 until his death in 1553. He was crowned on 20 February 1547 at

1300-576: A deal with some of the executors, who almost all received hand-outs. He is known to have done so with William Paget, private secretary to Henry VIII, and to have secured the support of Sir Anthony Browne of the Privy Chamber. Somerset's appointment was in keeping with historical precedent, and his eligibility for the role was reinforced by his military successes in Scotland and France. In March 1547, he secured letters patent from King Edward granting him

1400-476: A government-run appointment system, authorising ministers to preach the gospel and administer the sacraments rather than, as before, "to offer sacrifice and celebrate mass both for the living and the dead". After 1551, the Reformation advanced further, with the approval and encouragement of Edward, who began to exert more personal influence in his role as Supreme Head of the church. The new changes were also

1500-461: A majority of councillors, he encouraged a working council and used it to legitimise his authority. Lacking Somerset's blood-relationship with the king, he added members to the council from his own faction in order to control it. He also added members of his family to the royal household. He saw that to achieve personal dominance, he needed total procedural control of the council. In the words of historian John Guy , "Like Somerset, he became quasi-king;

1600-500: A mule as the wedding with Anne of Cleves is about to take place. In dragging the mule forward as a riot is starting outside the King's garden, he is described as "a man in green at the mule's head, [who] ... sprang like a wild cat under the beast's neck. His face blazed white, his teeth shone like a dog's, he screamed and struck his dagger through the butcher's throat [someone trying to block his and Catherine's way]. His motions were those of

1700-421: A number of items for them. In 1538, Honor presented Culpeper with a hawk and during that same year, Culpeper worked with Richard Cromwell to obtain a hawk for King Henry VIII. Culpeper was described as "a beautiful youth" and he was a great favourite of Henry. Culpeper had major influence with the King and was often bribed to use his influence on others' behalf. In 1539, a Thomas Culpeper was accused of raping

1800-452: A park-keeper's wife and then murdering a villager. However, there is a possibility that the rapist was Culpeper's elder brother, also called Thomas. Due to similar names, some confusion between the brothers is possible. However, his elder brother Thomas (born around 1501), may have received a knighthood, as referenced on the Culpeper family tree. Whoever was the guilty party, through influence on

1900-493: A regency council that would rule collectively, by majority decision, with "like and equal charge". Nevertheless, a few days after Henry's death, on 4 February, the executors chose to invest almost regal power in the Duke of Somerset. Thirteen out of the sixteen (the others being absent) agreed to his appointment as Protector, which they justified as their joint decision "by virtue of the authority" of Henry's will. Somerset may have done

2000-620: A response to criticism from such reformers as John Hooper , Bishop of Gloucester, and the Scot John Knox, who was employed as a minister in Newcastle upon Tyne under the Duke of Northumberland and whose preaching at court prompted the king to oppose kneeling at communion. Cranmer was also influenced by the views of the continental reformer Martin Bucer , who died in England in 1551; by Peter Martyr , who

2100-592: A search of Culpeper's rooms, provided the evidence for which Cranmer was looking. Whether the association between Culpeper and the Queen was ever consummated is still debated by historians, but the letter seems to give evidence of Catherine's feelings for Culpeper. Also in the letter was a reference to Lady Rochford. The act of Parliament authorising the executions is the Bill of Atteynder of Mestres Katherin Hawarde late Quene of England,

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2200-474: A unanimous council which they and observers, such as the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V 's ambassador, expected to reverse Somerset's policy of religious reform. Warwick, on the other hand, pinned his hopes on the king's strong Protestantism and, claiming that Edward was old enough to rule in person, moved himself and his people closer to the king, taking control of the Privy Chamber. Paget, accepting

2300-506: A very strong political position. As a well-liked member of the King's privy chamber he enjoyed a close relationship with Henry. If the promise Catherine mentioned was in reference to his possible knowledge about her previous sexual relationships, Culpeper could have used this as leverage to gain power and control over the Queen herself. In this specific letter Catherine states that she longs to talk with Culpeper but does not mention any desire to be intimate with him, although she does sign off with

2400-421: A wild beast". His introduction to court is brought about through Catherine. He is sent to Calais to keep him from getting in trouble at Court for his brawling. He is often mentioned as having sold property to buy his impoverished cousin Catherine a proper dress and is not at all consistent with the historical record. In the 1933 film The Private Life of Henry VIII , Culpeper was played by Robert Donat . In

2500-593: A withdrawal from Scotland. During 1548, England was subject to social unrest. After April 1549, a series of armed revolts broke out, fuelled by various religious and agrarian grievances. The two most serious rebellions, which required major military intervention to put down, were in Devon and Cornwall and in Norfolk . The first sometimes called the Prayer Book Rebellion , arose from the imposition of Protestantism , and

2600-553: The Royal Assent by Commission Act 1541 ( 33 Hen. 8 . c. 21). This says that, ``the Quene brought to passe that the said Culpepper and she mett in a secrett and vyle place, and that at an undue hower of xj [eleven] a Clocke in the night, and so remayned there with him till three of the clocke in the morninge, [and] ... afterward most falselie and traiterouselye comytted and perpetrated many detestable and adhomynable treasons..." Statutes of

2700-479: The chrisom ; the Garter King of Arms proclaimed him as Duke of Cornwall and Earl of Chester . The queen, however, fell ill and died from postnatal complications on 24 October, days after Edward's birth. Henry VIII wrote to Francis I of France that "Divine Providence ... hath mingled my joy with bitterness of the death of her who brought me this happiness". Edward was a healthy baby who suckled strongly from

2800-486: The lute and the virginals . He collected globes and maps and, according to coinage historian C. E. Challis developed a grasp of monetary affairs that indicated a high intelligence. Edward's religious education is assumed to have favoured the reforming agenda. His religious establishment was probably chosen by Archbishop Thomas Cranmer , a leading reformer. Both Cox and Cheke were "reformed" Catholics or Erasmians and later became Marian exiles . By 1549, Edward had written

2900-461: The 13-year-old Lady Elizabeth. In summer 1548, a pregnant Catherine Parr discovered Thomas Seymour embracing Lady Elizabeth. As a result, Elizabeth was removed from Parr's household and transferred to Sir Anthony Denny's. That September, Parr died shortly after childbirth, and Seymour promptly resumed his attentions to Elizabeth by letter, planning to marry her. Elizabeth was receptive, but, like Edward, unready to agree to anything unless permitted by

3000-509: The 1970 BBC series The Six Wives of Henry VIII , he was played by Ralph Bates , although Robin Sachs assumed the role in the subsequent 1972 film, Henry VIII and His Six Wives . In the 2003 TV film Henry VIII , Thomas Culpeper is portrayed by Joseph Morgan . In the Showtime TV series The Tudors , Thomas Culpeper is portrayed by Torrance Coombs ; in this series, he is characterised as

3100-493: The 20th century, historians have presented the whole gamut of possibilities, "balanc[ing] an articulate puppet against a mature, precocious, and essentially adult king", in the words of Stephen Alford. A special "Counsel for the Estate" was created when Edward was fourteen. He chose the members himself. In the weekly meetings with this council, Edward was "to hear the debating of things of most importance". A major point of contact with

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3200-493: The Duke of Northumberland's policies. The regime also cracked down on widespread embezzlement of government finances, and carried out a thorough review of revenue collection practices, which has been called "one of the more remarkable achievements of Tudor administration". In the matter of religion, the regime of Northumberland followed the same policy as that of Somerset, supporting an increasingly vigorous programme of reform. Although Edward VI's practical influence on government

3300-518: The King, a pardon was given. Culpeper was given the honour of being keeper of the armoury and Henry eventually made Culpeper a Gentleman of the Privy Chamber , giving him intimate access to the King, as the role involved dressing and undressing Henry and often sleeping in his bedchamber. He was part of the group of privileged courtiers who greeted Henry's fourth wife Anne of Cleves when she arrived in England for her marriage. From 1537–1541, Culpeper

3400-515: The King, received a commuted sentence of simple beheading. Dereham did not. Culpeper was executed along with Dereham at Tyburn on 10 December 1541, and their heads were put on display on London Bridge . Culpeper was buried at St Sepulchre-without-Newgate church in London. Queen Catherine and Lady Rochford were both executed on 13 February 1542, and were buried in the Church of St Peter ad Vincula , within

3500-481: The L Fraunces to be (reget altered to) gouuernres. For lakke of her, the her eldest daughters,4 and for lakke of them the L Marget to be gouuernres after as is aforsaid, til sume heire masle be borne, and then the mother of that child to be gouuernres. 6. And if during the rule of the gouuernres ther die 4 of the counsel, then shal she by her letters cal an asseble of the counsel w'in on month folowing and chose 4 more, wherin she shal haue thre uoices. But after her death

3600-443: The L Katerins heires masles, To the L Maries heires masles, To the heires masles of the daughters wich she shal haue hereafter. Then to the L Margets heires masles. For lakke of such issu, To th'eires masles of the L Janes daughters. To th'eires masles of the L Katerins daughters, and so forth til yow come to the L Margets [daughters inserted] heires masles. 2. If after my death theire masle be entred into 18 yere old, then he to have

3700-482: The Protector's power came from them, not from Henry VIII's will. On 11 October, the council had Somerset arrested and brought the king to Richmond Palace . Edward summarised the charges against Somerset in his Chronicle : "ambition, vainglory, entering into rash wars in mine youth, negligent looking on Newhaven, enriching himself of my treasure, following his own opinion, and doing all by his own authority, etc." In February 1550, John Dudley, Earl of Warwick , emerged as

3800-430: The Queen's apartments and often came into contact with the Queen and her attendants. In March 1541 Henry went to Dover and left Catherine behind at Greenwich . At this time Culpeper began asking favours of Catherine. The private meetings between them are thought to have begun sometime around May of that same year. On these occasions only Lady Rochford and another lady-in-waiting, Katherine Tilney, were allowed entrance to

3900-469: The Queen's chamber. On 30 June, Catherine and Henry travelled north on progress with the intention of meeting James V of Scotland at York. They arrived at Lincoln on 9 August, where Culpeper met Catherine for another secret meeting in her bedchamber. These meetings continued in Pontefract Castle , after the court arrived there on 23 August. It is believed that the letter Catherine sent to Culpeper

4000-776: The Realm Vol 3 (1509-47) p. 919. Culpeper was arrested on orders from King Henry and, in December 1541, was tried for adultery alongside Francis Dereham , who was separately accused of adultery with the Queen before her marriage to Henry. Catherine had not hidden the affair with Culpeper from members of her household, who now testified against her to protect themselves. The Queen was portrayed as having seduced Culpeper at Chenies Palace in Buckinghamshire. With testimony given of private meetings at Hatfield House in Hertfordshire, and during

4100-459: The Succession 1. For lakke of issu [masle inserted above the line, but afterwards crossed out] of my body [to the issu (masle above the line) cumming of thissu femal, as i have after declared inserted, but crossed out] . To the L Franceses heires masles, [For lakke of erased] [if she have any inserted] such issu [befor my death inserted] to the L' Janes [and her inserted] heires masles, To

Thomas Culpeper (disambiguation) - Misplaced Pages Continue

4200-470: The Tower of London. Culpeper is referenced in nearly all biographies of Henry VIII and Catherine Howard. He is less well-represented in popular fiction, where he is often unrepresented except for his relationship with Catherine. In Ford Madox Ford 's trilogy on Catherine Howard, entitled The Fifth Queen , Culpeper is portrayed as an intimate of Catherine's who, early on in the novel, arrives with her in tow on

4300-448: The age of four, he fell ill with a life-threatening " quartan fever ", but, despite occasional illnesses and poor eyesight, he enjoyed generally good health until the last six months of his life. Edward was initially placed in the care of Margaret Bryan , "lady mistress" of the prince's household. She was succeeded by Blanche Herbert, Lady Troy . Until the age of six, Edward was brought up, as he put it later in his Chronicle , "among

4400-430: The age of nine. The only surviving son of Henry VIII by his third wife, Jane Seymour , Edward was the first English monarch to be raised as a Protestant . During his reign, the realm was governed by a regency council because Edward never reached maturity. The council was first led by his uncle Edward Seymour, Duke of Somerset (1547–1549), and then by John Dudley, Duke of Northumberland (1550–1553). Edward's reign

4500-660: The almost monarchical right to appoint members to the Privy Council himself and to consult them only when he wished. In the words of historian Geoffrey Elton, "from that moment his autocratic system was complete". He proceeded to rule largely by proclamation , calling on the Privy Council to do little more than rubber-stamp his decisions. Somerset's takeover of power was smooth and efficient. The imperial ambassador , François van der Delft , reported that he "governs everything absolutely", with Paget operating as his secretary, though he predicted trouble from John Dudley, Viscount Lisle, who had recently been raised to Earl of Warwick in

4600-619: The announcement of the king's death until arrangements had been made for a smooth succession. Seymour and Sir Anthony Browne , the Master of the Horse , rode to collect Edward from Hertford and brought him to Enfield , where Lady Elizabeth was living. He and Elizabeth were then told of their father's death and heard a reading of his will . Lord Chancellor Thomas Wriothesley announced Henry's death to Parliament on 31 January 1547, and general proclamations of Edward's succession were ordered. The new king

4700-437: The centre of power. Stephen Gardiner was refused access to Henry during his last months. Thomas Howard, Duke of Norfolk , found himself accused of treason ; the day before the king's death his vast estates were seized, making them available for redistribution, and he spent the whole of Edward's reign in the Tower of London. Other historians have argued that Gardiner's exclusion was based on non-religious matters, that Norfolk

4800-455: The common people against a rapacious landowning class. More recently, however, he has often been portrayed as an arrogant and aloof ruler, lacking in political and administrative skills. In contrast, Somerset's successor the Earl of Warwick, made Duke of Northumberland in 1551, was once regarded by historians merely as a grasping schemer who cynically elevated and enriched himself at the expense of

4900-476: The council after winning the support of council members in return for titles, and was made Lord President of the Council and great master of the king's household. Although not called a Protector, he was now clearly the head of the government. As Edward was growing up, he was able to understand more and more government business. However, his actual involvement in decisions has long been a matter of debate, and during

5000-486: The council. In January 1549, the council had Thomas Seymour arrested on various charges, including embezzlement at the Bristol mint . King Edward, whom Seymour was accused of planning to marry to Lady Jane Grey, himself testified about the pocket money. Lack of clear evidence for treason ruled out a trial, so Seymour was condemned instead by an act of attainder and beheaded on 20 March 1549. Somerset's only undoubted skill

5100-586: The country, not only in Norfolk and the west. The origin of the popular view of Somerset as sympathetic to the rebel cause lies partly in his series of sometimes liberal, often contradictory, proclamations, and partly in the uncoordinated activities of the commissions he sent out in 1548 and 1549 to investigate grievances about loss of tillage, encroachment of large sheep flocks on common land , and similar issues. Somerset's commissions were led by an evangelical MP called John Hales , whose socially liberal rhetoric linked

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5200-462: The crown. Since the 1970s, the administrative and economic achievements of his regime have been recognised, and he has been credited with restoring the authority of the royal council and returning the government to an even keel after the disasters of Somerset's protectorate. The Earl of Warwick's rival for leadership of the new regime was Thomas Wriothesley, Earl of Southampton, whose conservative supporters had allied with Warwick's followers to create

5300-437: The dedication, "Yours as long as life endures". Accounts of the Queen's premarital indiscretions had meanwhile come to the attention of Thomas Cranmer , then Archbishop of Canterbury . During Cranmer's investigations, he came across rumours of an affair between the Queen and Culpeper; Culpeper was soon arrested for questioning. Both he and the Queen denied the allegations, but the letter from Catherine to Culpeper, found during

5400-447: The difference was that he managed the bureaucracy on the pretence that Edward had assumed full sovereignty, whereas Somerset had asserted the right to near-sovereignty as Protector". Warwick's war policies were more pragmatic than Somerset's, and they have earned him criticism for weakness. In 1550, he signed a peace treaty with France that agreed to withdrawal from Boulogne and recalled all English garrisons from Scotland. In 1551, Edward

5500-445: The disastrous state of the kingdom's finances. However, his regime first succumbed to the temptations of a quick profit by further debasing the coinage. The economic disaster that resulted caused Warwick to hand the initiative to the expert Thomas Gresham . By 1552, confidence in the coinage was restored, prices fell and trade at last improved. Though a full economic recovery was not achieved until Elizabeth's reign, its origins lay in

5600-512: The divisive matter of the communion service. Cranmer's formulation of the reformed religion, finally divesting the communion service of any notion of the real presence of God in the bread and the wine, effectively abolished the mass. According to Elton, the publication of Cranmer's revised prayer book in 1552, supported by a second Act of Uniformity , "marked the arrival of the English Church at Protestantism". The prayer book of 1552 remains

5700-456: The efficiency of Somerset's takeover of power, in which they detect the organising skills of allies such as Paget, the "master of practices", with the subsequent ineptitude of his rule. By autumn 1549, his costly wars had lost momentum, the crown faced financial ruin, and riots and rebellions had broken out around the country. Until recent decades, Somerset's reputation with historians was high, in view of his many proclamations that appeared to back

5800-595: The foundation of the Church of England's services. However, Cranmer was unable to implement all these reforms once it became clear in spring 1553 that King Edward, upon whom the whole Reformation in England depended, was dying. After the Rough Wooing and Thomas Seymour's plan to marry him off to Lady Jane Grey, the 13-year-old King was betrothed to the five-year-old Elisabeth of Valois , daughter of Henry II of France and Catherine de' Medici , in 1550. The marriage alliance

5900-765: The granddaughter of his chamberlain, William Sidney, who in adulthood recalled the prince as "a marvellous sweet child, of very mild and generous condition". Edward was educated with sons of nobles, "appointed to attend upon him" in what was a form of miniature court. Among these, Barnaby Fitzpatrick , son of an Irish peer, became a close and lasting friend. Edward was more devoted to his schoolwork than his classmates and seems to have outshone them, motivated to do his "duty" and compete with his sister Elizabeth's academic prowess. Edward's surroundings and possessions were regally splendid: his rooms were hung with costly Flemish tapestries, and his clothes, books and cutlery were encrusted with precious jewels and gold. Like his father, Edward

6000-497: The hole rule and gouernauce therof. 3. But if he be under 18, then his mother to be gouuernres til he entre 18 yere old, But to doe nothing w'out th'auise (and agremet inserted) of 6 parcel of a counsel to be pointed by my last will to the nombre of 20. 4. If the mother die befor th'eire entre into 18 the realme to be gouuerned by the cousel Prouided that after he be 14 yere al great matters of importaunce be opened to him. 5. If i died w'out issu, and there were none heire masle, then

6100-453: The issue of enclosure with Reformation theology and the notion of a godly commonwealth . Local groups often assumed that the findings of these commissions entitled them to act against offending landlords themselves. King Edward wrote in his Chronicle that the 1549 risings began "because certain commissions were sent down to pluck down enclosures". Whatever the popular view of Somerset, the disastrous events of 1549 were taken as evidence of

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6200-400: The king was the Privy Chamber, and there Edward worked closely with William Cecil and William Petre , the principal secretaries . The king's greatest influence was in matters of religion, where the council followed the strongly Protestant policy that Edward favoured. The Duke of Northumberland's mode of operation was very different from Somerset's. Careful to make sure he always commanded

6300-475: The last minute, which allowed the executors to freely distribute lands and honours to themselves and the court, particularly to Edward Seymour, 1st Earl of Hertford, the new king's uncle who became Lord Protector of the Realm , Governor of the King's Person and Duke of Somerset . Henry VIII's will did not provide for the appointment of a Protector. It entrusted the government of the realm during his son's minority to

6400-463: The leader of the council and, in effect, as Somerset's successor. Although Somerset was released from the Tower and restored to the council, he was executed for felony in January 1552 after scheming to overthrow Dudley's regime. Edward noted his uncle's death in his Chronicle : "the duke of Somerset had his head cut off upon Tower Hill between eight and nine o'clock in the morning". Historians contrast

6500-447: The link between the English Church and Rome but continued to uphold most Catholic doctrine and ceremony. It was during Edward's reign that Protestantism was established for the first time in England with reforms that included the abolition of clerical celibacy and the Mass , and the imposition of compulsory English in church services. In 1553, at age 15, Edward fell ill. When his sickness

6600-499: The most savage campaign ever launched by the English against the Scots. The war, which continued into Edward's reign, has become known as "the Rough Wooing ". The nine-year-old Edward wrote to his father and stepmother on 10 January 1547 from Hertford thanking them for his New Year 's gift of their portraits from life. By 28 January, Henry VIII was dead. Those close to the throne, led by Edward Seymour and William Paget , agreed to delay

6700-548: The outset. His father was delighted with him; in May 1538, Henry was observed "dallying with him in his arms ... and so holding him in a window to the sight and great comfort of the people". That September, the Lord Chancellor, Lord Audley , reported Edward's rapid growth and vigour, and other accounts describe him as a tall and merry child. The tradition that Edward VI was a sickly boy has been challenged by more recent historians. At

6800-483: The pageants for a previous boy king, Henry VI . He laughed at a Spanish tightrope walker who "tumbled and played many pretty toys" outside St Paul's Cathedral . At the coronation service, Cranmer affirmed the royal supremacy and called Edward a second Josiah , urging him to continue the reformation of the Church of England , "the tyranny of the Bishops of Rome banished from your subjects, and images removed". After

6900-505: The peace with Edward's betrothal to the seven-month-old Mary, Queen of Scots , granddaughter of Edward's aunt and Henry's sister Margaret Tudor . The Scots were in a weak bargaining position after their defeat at the Battle of Solway Moss in November 1542, and Henry, seeking to unite the two realms, stipulated that Mary be handed over to him to be brought up in England. When the Scots repudiated

7000-594: The pious image of Edward handed down by the reformers, as in John Foxe's influential Acts and Monuments , where a woodcut depicts the young king listening to a sermon by Hugh Latimer . In the early part of his life, Edward conformed to the prevailing Catholic practices, including attendance at mass, but he became convinced, under the influence of Cranmer and the reformers among his tutors and courtiers, that "true" religion should be imposed in England. The English Reformation advanced under pressure from two directions: from

7100-528: The prayer book. Both were imprisoned in the Tower and, along with others, deprived of their sees. In 1549, over 5,500 people died in the Prayer Book Rebellion in Devon and Cornwall. Reformed doctrines were made official, such as justification by faith alone and communion for laity as well as clergy in both kinds , of bread and wine. The Ordinal of 1550 replaced the divine ordination of priests with

7200-410: The property of the bishops transferred into lay hands. The religious convictions of both Somerset and Northumberland have proved elusive for historians, who are divided on the sincerity of their Protestantism. There is less doubt, however, about the religious fervour of King Edward, who was said to have read twelve chapters of scripture daily and enjoyed sermons, and was commemorated by John Foxe as

7300-565: The realms through conquest became increasingly unrealistic. The Scots allied with France, who sent reinforcements for the defence of Edinburgh in 1548. The Queen of Scots was moved to France, where she was betrothed to the Dauphin . The cost of maintaining the Protector's massive armies and his permanent garrisons in Scotland also placed an unsustainable burden on the royal finances. A French attack on Boulogne in August 1549 at last forced Somerset to begin

7400-522: The royal progress to the north of England, his fate was sealed. Under interrogation, Culpeper admitted to intending to have sexual relations with Catherine and that she intended to sleep with him. Lady Rochford, however, stated in her interrogation that she believed that Culpeper had "known the Queen carnally." Both Culpeper and Dereham were found guilty and sentenced to death. They were both to be hanged, drawn and quartered . Both men pleaded for mercy; Culpeper, presumably because of his former closeness to

7500-407: The second , led by a tradesman called Robert Kett , mainly from the encroachment of landlords on common grazing ground. A complex aspect of the social unrest was that the protesters believed they were acting legitimately against enclosing landlords with the Protector's support, convinced that the landlords were the lawbreakers. The same justification for outbreaks of unrest was voiced throughout

7600-476: The service, Edward presided at a banquet in Westminster Hall , where, he recalled in his Chronicle , he dined with his crown on his head. Henry VIII's will named sixteen executors , who were to act as Edward's council until he reached the age of eighteen. These executors were supplemented by twelve men "of counsail" who would assist the executors when called on. The final state of Henry VIII's will has been

7700-680: The share-out of honours. In fact, in the early weeks of his Protectorate, Somerset was challenged only by the Chancellor, Thomas Wriothesley , whom the Earldom of Southampton had evidently failed to buy off, and by his own brother. Wriothesley, a religious conservative, objected to Somerset's assumption of monarchical power over the council. He then found himself abruptly dismissed from the chancellorship on charges of selling off some of his offices to delegates. Somerset faced less manageable opposition from his younger brother Thomas, who has been described as

7800-401: The subject of controversy. Some historians suggest that those close to the king manipulated either him or the will itself to ensure a share-out of power to their benefit, both material and religious. In this reading, the composition of the Privy Chamber shifted towards the end of 1546 in favour of the reforming faction . In addition, two leading conservative Privy Councillors were removed from

7900-521: The succession with a Third Succession Act , which also provided for a regency council during Edward's minority. This unaccustomed family harmony may have owed much to the influence of Henry's sixth wife, Catherine Parr , of whom Edward soon became fond. He called her his "most dear mother" and in September 1546 wrote to her: "I received so many benefits from you that my mind can hardly grasp them." Other children were brought to play with Edward, including

8000-462: The succession", in which he undertook to change the succession, most probably inspired by his father Henry VIII's precedent. He passed over the claims of his half-sisters and, at last, settled the Crown on his first cousin once removed, the 16-year-old Lady Jane Grey, who on 25 May 1553 had married Lord Guilford Dudley , a younger son of the Duke of Northumberland. In the document he writes: My devise for

8100-421: The traditionalists on the one hand and the zealots on the other, who led incidents of iconoclasm (image-smashing) and complained that reform did not go far enough. Cranmer set himself the task of writing a uniform liturgy in English, detailing all weekly and daily services and religious festivals, to be made compulsory in the first Act of Uniformity of 1549 . The Book of Common Prayer of 1549 , intended as

8200-468: The treaty in December 1543 and renewed their alliance with France, Henry was enraged. In April 1544, he ordered Edward's uncle, Edward Seymour, 1st Earl of Hertford , to invade Scotland and "put all to fire and sword, burn Edinburgh town , so razed and defaced when you have sacked and gotten what ye can of it, as there may remain forever a perpetual memory of the vengeance of God lightened upon [them] for their falsehood and disloyalty". Seymour responded with

8300-477: The women". The formal royal household established around Edward was, at first, under William Sidney , and later Richard Page , stepfather of Edward's aunt Anne (the wife of Edward Seymour ). Henry demanded exacting standards of security and cleanliness in his son's household, stressing that Edward was "this whole realm's most precious jewel". Visitors described the prince, who was lavishly provided with toys and comforts, including his own troupe of minstrels , as

8400-626: Was a client of Thomas Cromwell . The brothers were known for collecting valuable items for the royal family during their time at court. He was distantly related to the Howard family, who were immensely powerful at the time, being a distant cousin of Joyce Culpeper , Catherine Howard 's mother. Having bought the Higham Park estate at Bridge in Kent in 1534, by 1535 Culpeper was acting for Viscount Lisle and his wife, Honor , during which time he collected

8500-440: Was as a soldier, which he had proven on expeditions to Scotland and in the defence of Boulogne-sur-Mer in 1546. From the first, his main interest as Protector was the war against Scotland. After a crushing victory at the Battle of Pinkie in September 1547, he set up a network of garrisons in Scotland, stretching as far north as Dundee . His initial successes, however, were followed by a loss of direction, as his aim of uniting

8600-504: Was betrothed to Elisabeth of Valois , King Henry II 's daughter, and was made a Knight of Saint Michael . Warwick realised that England could no longer support the cost of wars. At home, he took measures to police local unrest. To forestall future rebellions, he kept permanent representatives of the crown in the localities, including lords lieutenant , who commanded military forces and reported back to central government. Working with William Paulet and Walter Mildmay , Warwick tackled

8700-516: Was crowned at Westminster Abbey on Sunday 20 February. The ceremonies were shortened, because of the "tedious length of the same which should weary and be hurtsome peradventure to the King's majesty, being yet of tender age", and also because the Reformation had rendered some of them inappropriate. On the eve of the coronation , Edward progressed on horseback from the Tower to the Palace of Westminster through thronging crowds and pageants, many based on

8800-433: Was discovered to be terminal, he and his council drew up a "Devise for the Succession" to prevent the country's return to Catholicism . Edward named his Protestant first cousin once removed, Lady Jane Grey , as his heir, excluding his half-sisters, Mary and Elizabeth . This decision was disputed following Edward's death, and Jane was deposed by Mary - the elder of the two half-sisters - nine days after becoming queen. Mary,

8900-495: Was fascinated by military arts, and many of his portraits show him wearing a gold dagger with a jewelled hilt, in imitation of Henry. Edward's Chronicle enthusiastically details English military campaigns against Scotland and France, and adventures such as John Dudley 's near capture at Musselburgh in 1547. On 1 July 1543, Henry signed the Treaty of Greenwich with the Scots , sealing

9000-454: Was given several gifts, including the office of keeper of the manor at Penshurst Palace and property in Kent, Essex , Gloucestershire and Wiltshire . In 1540, Culpeper caught the attention of Henry's young new bride, Catherine Howard, and by 1541 they were spending time together, often alone and late at night, aided and abetted by Catherine's lady-in-waiting, Lady Rochford , the widowed sister-in-law of Anne Boleyn . Culpeper had access to

9100-478: Was in a hopeless condition. The king's death and the succession of his Catholic half-sister Mary would jeopardise the English Reformation, and Edward's council and officers had many reasons to fear it. Edward himself opposed Mary's succession, not only on religious grounds but also on those of legitimacy and male inheritance, which also applied to Elizabeth. He composed a draft document, headed "My devise for

9200-423: Was institutionally Protestant. The confiscation of church property that had begun under Henry VIII resumed under Edward—notably with the dissolution of the chantries —to the great monetary advantage of the crown and the new owners of the seized property. Church reform was therefore as much a political as a religious policy under Edward VI. By the end of his reign, the church had been financially ruined, with much of

9300-419: Was limited, his intense Protestantism made a reforming administration obligatory; his succession was managed by the reforming faction, who continued in power throughout his reign. The man Edward trusted most, Thomas Cranmer, Archbishop of Canterbury, introduced a series of religious reforms that revolutionised the English church from one that—while rejecting papal supremacy—remained essentially Catholic to one that

9400-440: Was marked by many economic problems and social unrest that in 1549 erupted into riot and rebellion. An expensive war with Scotland , at first successful, ended with military withdrawal from Scotland and Boulogne-sur-Mer in exchange for peace. The transformation of the Church of England into a recognisably Protestant body also occurred under Edward, who took great interest in religious matters. His father, Henry VIII, had severed

9500-437: Was negotiated in secrecy, although Pope Julius III became aware of the plan and threatened to excommunicate both Henry and Elisabeth if the marriage went forward. A dowry of 200,000 écus was agreed to, but was never paid due to Edward's death before marriage. Elisabeth later married his sister Mary's widower, Philip II of Spain . In February 1553, Edward VI became ill, and by June, after several improvements and relapses, he

9600-404: Was not noticeably conservative in religion, that conservatives remained on the council, and that the radicalism of such men as Sir Anthony Denny , who controlled the dry stamp that replicated the king's signature, is debatable. Whatever the case, Henry's death was followed by a lavish hand-out of lands and honours to the new power group. The will contained an "unfulfilled gifts" clause, added at

9700-598: Was sent at this time. In this letter she wished to know how he was, and is troubled that he is ill. Catherine also wrote: "I never longed so muche for [a] thynge as I do to se you and to speke wyth you, the wyche I trust shal be shortely now," and "my trust ys allway in you that you wolbe as you have promysed me..." These statements cause some to believe that their affair was not only one of passion, but also centred on Culpeper's political agenda. With Henry in poor health and only his young son Edward to succeed him; being Catherine's favourite would undoubtedly have put Culpeper in

9800-422: Was shott at the Tower that night above two thousand gonnes". Queen Jane, appearing to recover quickly from the birth, sent out personally signed letters announcing the birth of "a Prince, conceived in most lawful matrimony between my Lord the King's Majesty and us". Edward was christened on 15 October, with his 21-year-old half-sister Lady Mary as godmother and his 4-year-old half-sister Lady Elizabeth carrying

9900-455: Was taken to the Tower of London , where he was welcomed with "great shot of ordnance in all places there about, as well out of the Tower as out of the ships". The following day, the nobles of the realm made their obeisance to Edward at the Tower, and Seymour was announced as Protector . Henry VIII was buried at Windsor on 16 February, in the same tomb as Jane Seymour, as he had wished. Edward VI

10000-521: Was teaching at Oxford; and by other foreign theologians. The progress of the Reformation was further speeded by the consecration of more reformers as bishops. In the winter of 1551–52, Cranmer rewrote the Book of Common Prayer in less ambiguous reformist terms, revised canon law and prepared a doctrinal statement, the Forty-two Articles , to clarify the practice of the reformed religion, particularly in

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