Edward VI, ‘The Boy King’

Like his second cousin, Lady Jane Grey, King Edward VI was born in 1537 and both their lives ended in their mid-teens, but while he died of an infection, her execution by Edward’s Catholic half-sister Mary was the direct result of his fervent desire to keep the country Protestant.

Edward was the long-awaited son of King Henry VIII and his third wife, Jane, who died after his birth. His safety was jealously guarded and he was the first royal heir to be immersed in the Protestantism of the new Church of England. His coronation in 1547 was noteworthy not only for its changes to suit a boy, e.g. extra cushions on the throne and lopping five hours off its length, but also for the Archbishop anointing him by the authority of God, not the Pope.

His uncle, Edward Seymour, ruled for him, taking the title ‘Lord Protector’, but he was corrupt and stole his money. Seymour was executed on 29 counts of treason. Meanwhile, Mary illegally continued with the Catholic Mass, but, as she was his heir, Edward felt powerless to stop her, until on his death-bed he declared the Protestant Lady Jane Grey as his heir, thereby making her Mary’s first target.

(Image: Ann Longmore-Etheridge at Flickr.com / Public domain)