House of Tudor: Discover the Remarkable Lives of the Tudors by Hourly History

Author:Hourly History [History, Hourly]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2019-12-01T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Five

Struggling for Power

“The Duke of Somerset had his head cut off upon Tower Hill between eight and nine in the morning.”

—Edward VI

By mid-1549, Lord Protector Edward Seymour had seen a steep decline in his popularity both among the English gentry and the government. The widespread social unrest and subsequent rebellions fell squarely on Seymour’s shoulders because of his role as the king’s acting regent. In October, the lord protector was made aware that the council was planning his imminent removal from power. In response, he brought the king to Windsor Castle, presumably for his own and the king’s safety in the event of a coup, and issued a proclamation ordering all loyal troops to prepare to defend the land. Meanwhile, the council was laying out in writing all of the things Seymour had done wrong or incompetently as the protector to the king. The council then issued their publication, which also included the fact that the will of Henry VIII did not give Seymour any power—it was the council that had granted him authority.

Only about a week after Seymour had retreated with the king to Windsor Castle, he was arrested. At this point, he had realized that he lacked the support to take on his opposers and so he agreed to negotiate a settlement. Seymour was brought to the Tower of London where he faced several charges; King Edward wrote in his diary that they included “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.” However, Seymour would eventually be released from the tower, cleared of all charges, and was even restored as a council member in 1550.

Early in 1550, John Dudley, the earl of Warwick, emerged as the next leader of the council. Dudley had during the past year become increasingly popular because of his successes as a military leader, especially during Kett’s Rebellion. However, he faced a lot of work to get the country back to a better and more united standpoint. England was in ruins. The government was in financial trouble. The people were completely divided, and whole cities had suffered at the hands of rioters. Dudley would ultimately be able to restore the reputation of the English government and get things running a little bit more smoothly. In the eyes of the nobility, he was seen as less arrogant than Seymour because he tended to involve his council members as well as the king in the decision making. While Seymour had treated Edward like a child, Dudley’s manner was more respectful and focused on preparing the king for his future as the sole ruler of England.

As Dudley was solidifying his spot as the leader of the council, Edward was getting older and understanding more and more about the workings of the government. It is not definitely known when the young king started making decisions for his kingdom, but there are records that suggest he had some say on issues starting in his early teens.

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