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How successfully was England governed between 1547-1553 by the Duke of
Somerset and Northumberland?
Between 1547 and 1553 England was primarily governed by the Duke of Somerset and
Northumberland in place of the infant King, Edward VI. Like any rule, the governance of
the country relied on four particular factors; religious, economic, foreign and social policy. It
can be argued that collectively Somerset and Northumberland governed England
successfully in relation to these factors. However, when the two Dukes are assessed in
isolation it can be deemed that the latter years were governed more successfully than the
first. When arguing in favour that England was governed successfully it is said to be
because of the intervention of Northumberland and deposition of Somerset. Although there
were successful attributes to their governance, it was not consistent and their rule caused
a lot of contention amongst the social classes.
One of the most contentious issues that arose between 1547-1553 was religious
policy and the religious identity that England had. After the death of Henry VIII in 1547, the
religious state of the country was left in limbo and many of the religious legislations
contradicted one another; the state did not know whether it was wholly Catholic or
Protestant. One may argue that at the beginning of Edward’s reign religious policy was not
very decisive; this assumption is usually connected with the Duke of Somerset’s lack of
tenacity to resolutely make England Protestant. For example, this is seen with Somerset’s
dealings with repealing the Six Articles Act established in Henry VIII’s reign. The slowness
in the steps taken to reverse this act put this part of religious policy at a stalemate,
showing that sensitivity to religious contention at this time was more important than easing
the country’s confusion. On the other hand, Northumberland recognised the need to make
a decisive shift in religious policy and because of this he became a dominant figure in the
Privy Council as he held the same radical religious views other prominent councillors had.
The gradual progression in religious policy is exemplified when comparing the results of
two different parliament sessions that were called. In 1547, Somerset called parliament to
enact religious change however the legislations that were invoked created such little
change and only really highlighted changes that were already happening. Whereas, the
parliament called by Northumberland in 1552 primarily discussed religious reforms and
passed decisive laws that created an effective change; these included the Treason Act, the
Second Act of Uniformity and the removal of all traces of Catholicism from the Prayer
Book. Although it can be concluded that religious policy between 1547-1551 were not very
successful, towards the end of Edward’s reign the policies had been more effective,
progressive and distinct, resulting in England being declared a Protestant state. Therefore
it can be argued that Somerset and Northumberland achieved their goal of recreating a
new religious identity for England. Nevertheless it can be contested that religious policy
was not consistently successful throughout 1547-53 and therefore making the authority of
the government and its administration of England weaker. Other factors such as economic
policies also proved to have the same outcome with success.
It is fair to say that Henry VIII left Edward a throne that was not secure
economically, which resulted in extreme amounts of pressure to create new economic
policies to solve these problems. Throughout most of Edward’s reign the country was still
in the realms of experiencing issues with inflation and debasement of coinage. The tension
that the economic crisis caused was heightened by the added financial pressures of
funding wars under Somerset’s rule. As a result the government relied on borrowing
money from European bankers, making England seemed comparatively weaker and
unstable compared to other foreign powers. In addition to this the population rate in
England was rising significantly and there were poor harvests which put up the price of
basic necessities such as food. In this respect economic policy between 1547-1551 can be
deemed as unsuccessful as people were starving (often the poor), inflation rates were
How successfully was England governed between 1547-1553 by the Duke of
Somerset and Northumberland?
Between 1547 and 1553 England was primarily governed by the Duke of Somerset and
Northumberland in place of the infant King, Edward VI. Like any rule, the governance of
the country relied on four particular factors; religious, economic, foreign and social policy. It
can be argued that collectively Somerset and Northumberland governed England
successfully in relation to these factors. However, when the two Dukes are assessed in
isolation it can be deemed that the latter years were governed more successfully than the
first. When arguing in favour that England was governed successfully it is said to be
because of the intervention of Northumberland and deposition of Somerset. Although there
were successful attributes to their governance, it was not consistent and their rule caused
a lot of contention amongst the social classes.
One of the most contentious issues that arose between 1547-1553 was religious
policy and the religious identity that England had. After the death of Henry VIII in 1547, the
religious state of the country was left in limbo and many of the religious legislations
contradicted one another; the state did not know whether it was wholly Catholic or
Protestant. One may argue that at the beginning of Edward’s reign religious policy was not
very decisive; this assumption is usually connected with the Duke of Somerset’s lack of
tenacity to resolutely make England Protestant. For example, this is seen with Somerset’s
dealings with repealing the Six Articles Act established in Henry VIII’s reign. The slowness
in the steps taken to reverse this act put this part of religious policy at a stalemate,
showing that sensitivity to religious contention at this time was more important than easing
the country’s confusion. On the other hand, Northumberland recognised the need to make
a decisive shift in religious policy and because of this he became a dominant figure in the
Privy Council as he held the same radical religious views other prominent councillors had.
The gradual progression in religious policy is exemplified when comparing the results of
two different parliament sessions that were called. In 1547, Somerset called parliament to
enact religious change however the legislations that were invoked created such little
change and only really highlighted changes that were already happening. Whereas, the
parliament called by Northumberland in 1552 primarily discussed religious reforms and
passed decisive laws that created an effective change; these included the Treason Act, the
Second Act of Uniformity and the removal of all traces of Catholicism from the Prayer
Book. Although it can be concluded that religious policy between 1547-1551 were not very
successful, towards the end of Edward’s reign the policies had been more effective,
progressive and distinct, resulting in England being declared a Protestant state. Therefore
it can be argued that Somerset and Northumberland achieved their goal of recreating a
new religious identity for England. Nevertheless it can be contested that religious policy
was not consistently successful throughout 1547-53 and therefore making the authority of
the government and its administration of England weaker. Other factors such as economic
policies also proved to have the same outcome with success.
It is fair to say that Henry VIII left Edward a throne that was not secure
economically, which resulted in extreme amounts of pressure to create new economic
policies to solve these problems. Throughout most of Edward’s reign the country was still
in the realms of experiencing issues with inflation and debasement of coinage. The tension
that the economic crisis caused was heightened by the added financial pressures of
funding wars under Somerset’s rule. As a result the government relied on borrowing
money from European bankers, making England seemed comparatively weaker and
unstable compared to other foreign powers. In addition to this the population rate in
England was rising significantly and there were poor harvests which put up the price of
basic necessities such as food. In this respect economic policy between 1547-1551 can be
deemed as unsuccessful as people were starving (often the poor), inflation rates were
