INSTABILITY AND CONSOLIDATION: THE ‘MID TUDOR CRISIS’ – EDWARD VI 1547-1553
SOMERSET/ EDWARD SEYMOUR/ EARL OF HERTFORD
HVIII REGENCY COUNCIL: DEC 1546: order of succession and Regency Council of 16 (Gardiner + Norfolk
removed) – achieved balanced array of religious views, chosen on how competently they could serve his son
JAN 1547: Henry VIII dies – EdVI = King of England aged 9
SOM (somerset) PERVERTS HVIII’S WILL: does not use the balanced regency council of educated individuals +
assumes title of ‘Lord Protector’ – BYPASSES! Uses own household servants to advise him = ‘new council’ -
ONLY SMITH on HVIII council = likely to tell Som what he wants to hear…
ROYAL
SYSTEM OF RULE = ruthless, wants to protect his own power – uses ‘letters of patent’ under Great Seal of Eng
AUTHRORITY
issued by Edward VI = grant him royal power + able to rule independently – representative of an autocrat
AND GOV
PROCLAMATIONS: not statute law
1539 Proc Law: declared equal in weight to statute law (still not definitive)
-issued 77 in 3 years vs HVIII 6/year – evidence of autocratic style rule, necessary due to religious instability?
DRY STAMP: takes sole control of the dry stamp; ensured any time Edward signed a document, he had
countersign it = subverted and undermined royal authority – NOT IGNORED EDWARD COMPLETELY – takes
into account his protestant stance despite not being a necessarily ‘natural’ reformer
ECONOMY: inability to solve = factor in downfall
-POP INCREASING = THREAT = inflation due to greater food demands combined with Scot war + debasement +
1548 poor harvest
- END OF HVIII: Scot war already cost £2 million = domestic AND foreign loans, subsidies, selling crown lands
etc + possessed shortfall of £1million+ inherited by EVI
-SW funds = raised through land sales + borrowing = LT issues
- POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS = taxes/customs reforms BUT does not want = unpopular with gentry etc = continues
with HVIII’s pursuit of the debasement = great detrimental impacts on wealth of pop – SPARKS 2 REBELLIONS
Prayer Book + KETT
- 1547-1551 – took £547,000 in debasement
- 1551 – silver coin = 75% copper (policy of debasement = continued by Northumberland)
SOCIAL POLICY:
-ENCLOSURES - assigned commissioners eg. JH to look into enclosures ESP. Midlands = displaced people from
ECONOMIC their land + economic impact – nothing came of it, gave people hope that gov would take decisive action but
AND SOCIAL they did not = did more to create unrest – issues proclamation in 1548 stating that all previous laws against
POLICY enclosures remain applicable + introduces 5% tax on sheep 1549 = immense fin pressure for small farmers
- VAGRANCY ACT 1547 – step towards proper poor provision, had to be provided for ‘deserving poor’ e.g.
disabled individuals VS vagrants = impotent poor, seen as cause of riots – abled-bodied person out of work for
3+ days = branded with ‘V’ + sold into slavery = not popular with JPs, didn’t enforce it
-concerned the ignored Privy Council on a personal and national level of security
- challenges perception of Somerset as ‘champion of the poor’
- 1547 TREASON ACT: to deny RS in writing/3x in speech = treason but could not be proved without 2
witnesses- STILL REPRESSIVE, accused = no right to confront hostile witness/ no counsel of own
-encourages prot widespread debate = problems + public meetings led to disorder = paradoxically promoted
the very disorder it attempted to prevent + undermined confidence of ruling elites – renewed surge of
pamphlets demanding radical doctrinal reforms
-1548 PROCLAMATION banning all unlawful assembly in an attempt to quell violence – unsuccessful =
EMERGENCY MEASURE, econ position was getting out of hand + feared consequences
-Added to cost + threatened SOL at a time when wages were not increasing = rising popular discontent but
uncertain how to tackle problems
THOMAS SEYMOUR = disappointed that he had not been appointed on regency council, wanted title of LP +
FACTION control of Edward VI – married Catherine Parr in April 1547
– Dudley (Northumberland) actively encourages Thomas – SOM placates = title of Lord Admiral
-TS attempts to undermine Som EG. give Ed pocket money etc to win his favour, encouraged further by Dudley
SOMERSET/ EDWARD SEYMOUR/ EARL OF HERTFORD
HVIII REGENCY COUNCIL: DEC 1546: order of succession and Regency Council of 16 (Gardiner + Norfolk
removed) – achieved balanced array of religious views, chosen on how competently they could serve his son
JAN 1547: Henry VIII dies – EdVI = King of England aged 9
SOM (somerset) PERVERTS HVIII’S WILL: does not use the balanced regency council of educated individuals +
assumes title of ‘Lord Protector’ – BYPASSES! Uses own household servants to advise him = ‘new council’ -
ONLY SMITH on HVIII council = likely to tell Som what he wants to hear…
ROYAL
SYSTEM OF RULE = ruthless, wants to protect his own power – uses ‘letters of patent’ under Great Seal of Eng
AUTHRORITY
issued by Edward VI = grant him royal power + able to rule independently – representative of an autocrat
AND GOV
PROCLAMATIONS: not statute law
1539 Proc Law: declared equal in weight to statute law (still not definitive)
-issued 77 in 3 years vs HVIII 6/year – evidence of autocratic style rule, necessary due to religious instability?
DRY STAMP: takes sole control of the dry stamp; ensured any time Edward signed a document, he had
countersign it = subverted and undermined royal authority – NOT IGNORED EDWARD COMPLETELY – takes
into account his protestant stance despite not being a necessarily ‘natural’ reformer
ECONOMY: inability to solve = factor in downfall
-POP INCREASING = THREAT = inflation due to greater food demands combined with Scot war + debasement +
1548 poor harvest
- END OF HVIII: Scot war already cost £2 million = domestic AND foreign loans, subsidies, selling crown lands
etc + possessed shortfall of £1million+ inherited by EVI
-SW funds = raised through land sales + borrowing = LT issues
- POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS = taxes/customs reforms BUT does not want = unpopular with gentry etc = continues
with HVIII’s pursuit of the debasement = great detrimental impacts on wealth of pop – SPARKS 2 REBELLIONS
Prayer Book + KETT
- 1547-1551 – took £547,000 in debasement
- 1551 – silver coin = 75% copper (policy of debasement = continued by Northumberland)
SOCIAL POLICY:
-ENCLOSURES - assigned commissioners eg. JH to look into enclosures ESP. Midlands = displaced people from
ECONOMIC their land + economic impact – nothing came of it, gave people hope that gov would take decisive action but
AND SOCIAL they did not = did more to create unrest – issues proclamation in 1548 stating that all previous laws against
POLICY enclosures remain applicable + introduces 5% tax on sheep 1549 = immense fin pressure for small farmers
- VAGRANCY ACT 1547 – step towards proper poor provision, had to be provided for ‘deserving poor’ e.g.
disabled individuals VS vagrants = impotent poor, seen as cause of riots – abled-bodied person out of work for
3+ days = branded with ‘V’ + sold into slavery = not popular with JPs, didn’t enforce it
-concerned the ignored Privy Council on a personal and national level of security
- challenges perception of Somerset as ‘champion of the poor’
- 1547 TREASON ACT: to deny RS in writing/3x in speech = treason but could not be proved without 2
witnesses- STILL REPRESSIVE, accused = no right to confront hostile witness/ no counsel of own
-encourages prot widespread debate = problems + public meetings led to disorder = paradoxically promoted
the very disorder it attempted to prevent + undermined confidence of ruling elites – renewed surge of
pamphlets demanding radical doctrinal reforms
-1548 PROCLAMATION banning all unlawful assembly in an attempt to quell violence – unsuccessful =
EMERGENCY MEASURE, econ position was getting out of hand + feared consequences
-Added to cost + threatened SOL at a time when wages were not increasing = rising popular discontent but
uncertain how to tackle problems
THOMAS SEYMOUR = disappointed that he had not been appointed on regency council, wanted title of LP +
FACTION control of Edward VI – married Catherine Parr in April 1547
– Dudley (Northumberland) actively encourages Thomas – SOM placates = title of Lord Admiral
-TS attempts to undermine Som EG. give Ed pocket money etc to win his favour, encouraged further by Dudley
