Edward VI
His Early Life
Henry VIII deepest wish came true on 12 October 1537 with the birth of his only son, Edward.
Edward's mother died of child bed fever just days after the young prince was born. While
he lived, Henry visited his son only on occassion, and with his death, the nine year old prince
became king. But since he was only a minor, he was put into the protection of his uncle who
would rule England for him until the boy came of age.
The Young King
Edward was a somber child, quite taken with the protestant religion, of high intelligence.
But he was an unhappy child. His uncle, the Duke of Somerset, gave him very little money or
priviledges and was very strict with him. Frustrated by feelings of 'unkinglyness,'
Edward talked his advisors into letting him take control of England at his 16th birthday, two
years short of the time he would have otherwise.
A Short Life
But in the beginning of 1552, Edward became sick with the measles and with small pox. Although
he recoved, his illness seemed to seriously undermine his overall health. After a tour of
England in the summer, his health began to rapidly decline in the fall. By his birthday, he
was coughing up blood.
By this time, Edward was in the control of the Duke of Northumberland, a selfish man greedy for
power. He pressured Edward into writing his two sisters, Mary and Elizabeth, out of the succession,
replacing them with Jane Grey, his daughter-in-law.
On Thursday, 6 July 1553, Edward died.
Links
King and Queens of England,
Scotland and Wales.
Cool site on the Tudors and lots of other British monarchs.
Time Line
An Overview of the English Monarchy.
Royal Genealogies
Look up all of the Tudor's ancestors and relatives.
Royal Scandals by Michael Rarquhar
A funny (but accurate) look at the scandals that have plagued the British Royal family throughout history.
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