Find out who King Edward VI was and how old he was when he died. Learn about the short and tragic life of the Tudor king who only briefly held the English throne.
Updated: 11/21/2023
King Edward VI | Life, Death & Successors
Table of Contents
- Who Was King Edward VI?
- Early Life and Family of Edward VI
- King Edward VI and His Regents
- King Edward VI's Death and Successors
- Legacy of King Edward VI
- Lesson Summary
Frequently Asked Questions
How old was Edward when he became king?
Edward VI was just 9 years old when he became king. He was crowned immediately following the death of his father, King Henry VIII.
Who did Edward VI marry?
Edward VI never married. He was only 15 years old when he died and had not yet taken full control of the kingdom due to his youth and illness.
Who became king after Edward VI?
After Edward VI, England was ruled not by a king but by a succession of women. Edward's immediate successor was Lady Jane Grey, followed swiftly by Mary I and then by Elizabeth I.
What happened to Jane Seymour's son?
Jane Seymour's son was Edward VI. He became king after the death of King Henry VIII, but he died of an illness when he was only 15 years old.
How old was King Edward when he died?
King Edward VI was 15 years old when he died. Some sources suggest he had been sickly all his life, while others say it was only later that he contracted the illness that killed him.
What illness did Edward VI die from?
It is not entirely clear what illness killed Edward VI. Many historians attribute his death to tuberculosis, though others have suggested a form of lung cancer or even poison.
Table of Contents
- Who Was King Edward VI?
- Early Life and Family of Edward VI
- King Edward VI and His Regents
- King Edward VI's Death and Successors
- Legacy of King Edward VI
- Lesson Summary
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King Edward VI was an English monarch who had a very brief reign. He was born on October 12, 1537, and died on July 6, 1553, at the age of just 15. Edward VI was the son of King Henry VIII and his third wife, Jane Seymour. Because he was a member of the Tudor family, he is sometimes referred to as King Edward Tudor. Edward VI was king of England from 1547 until his death in 1553. He took over the throne after his father died. He was notable for his controversial and ultimately failed attempt to name his cousin, rather than one of his sisters, as his successor.
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Edward VI was born into the English royal family in 1537. His father, King Henry VIII, famously had six wives, partially in a bid to produce a male heir. Edward VI was the result of that effort: he was Henry VIII's only legitimate son, making him the heir to the throne. Henry was overjoyed by the birth of a son, but Edward's birth was marred by the death of his mother shortly thereafter due to complications from childbirth. By some accounts, Edward was a sickly child, which may have made Henry VIII anxious to have another son to secure his line of succession. He went on to marry three more times, but none of his wives produced another heir.
Although Edward was the king's only legitimate son, he was not Henry's only child. Edward had two historically significant half-sisters: Mary, who would later become Queen Mary (also known as "Bloody Mary"), and Elizabeth, who would later become Queen Elizabeth I. Mary was the daughter of Catherine of Aragon, Henry VIII's first wife. Elizabeth was the daughter of Anne Boleyn, Henry's second wife. Henry divorced Catherine of Aragon and had Anne Boleyn executed on charges of witchcraft and adultery. He reportedly loved Jane Seymour, however, and was devastated by her death. Edward was close with Catherine Parr, his stepmother and Henry VIII's sixth and final wife, who managed to outlive Henry.
King Edward VI received a comprehensive and humanist education befitting his royal status. Edward VI did not attend formal institutions like modern schools or universities. Instead, he received private tutoring, notably under the guidance of Sir John Cheke. While there is no record of specific academic awards, his education was designed to equip him with a comprehensive understanding of various subjects. His tutor, the learned Sir John Cheke, guided him in classical languages such as Latin and Greek, instilling a deep appreciation for literature and philosophy. Edward also studied mathematics, theology, and music, showcasing a well-rounded curriculum.
His education aimed not only at academic excellence but also at fostering moral virtues and leadership qualities based on his future endeavors. Under the guidance of skilled educators, young Edward VI developed a broad intellectual foundation that would later influence his reign as the king of England. His education is instrumental in his legacy as a monarch of England.
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King Edward VI took the throne immediately after his father's death when he was just 9 years old. While royal children were able to be crowned as monarchs in England at the time, they could not assume full power over the governance of the country. As a result, a regency was created that ruled the country while Edward was growing up, with the assumption that he would take on his full royal responsibilities when he came of age. Edward VI had two regents during his reign, each of whom had his own reasons for wanting power and his own agenda while helping the young king. Because Edward died so young, he never had the opportunity to become a king in his own right; his power was always circumscribed, making it difficult to know what kind of ruler he would have been, had he had the chance.
Edward Seymour, Duke of Somerset
King Henry VIII did not want a single Protector of the Realm to be in power in the event of his death; instead, he asked that a Council of Regency be created to assist Edward VI. Despite this, shortly after Henry VIII's death, things changed. Edward Seymour, Duke of Somerset, was Edward VI's uncle and the brother of Jane Seymour. He quickly seized control of the Privy Council, which was (and still is) a formal body of advisors to the reigning monarch.
Seymour was successful in taking power, and his major contributions were religious in nature. At the time, England was in limbo between Catholicism and the newer Church of England. Seymour instituted Protestant elements into English society that were unpopular with Catholics and caused religious conflict and uprisings across the country. He banned Catholic religious styles and practices, including stained glass windows, bell ringing, and decorations in churches. The enclosure movement, which privatized previously common lands, also generated controversy and uprisings that Seymour struggled to manage.
Seymour also had difficulties with foreign policy. He poured money into attacking the Scots, which had the unintended consequence of pushing the Scots to form an alliance with the French, England's other major enemy. Ongoing fighting drained the treasury and made Seymour unpopular. These factors eventually led to Seymour's downfall.
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John Dudley, Earl of Warwick, Duke of Northumberland
In 1549, just two years after Seymour had taken control as Lord Protector, John Dudley conducted a successful coup and expelled Seymour from office. Dudley had been a member of the Privy Council under Seymour, and he had close links to British nobility, but he was not directly related to the king as Seymour was. Generally speaking, Dudley was less controversial as a leader than Seymour had been. He worked on ending wars and reforming coinage systems, attempting to gain the approval of the members of the Privy Council.
It is unclear whether Edward VI, who became a teenager during Dudley's reign, had a degree of influence over Dudley and the Privy Council's actions. Some historians believe that Edward VI was instrumental in efforts to favor Protestantism in England, while others disagree and argue that he had virtually no influence during his own reign. What is clear is that Dudley had significant influence over King Edward VI's succession plan, to disastrous effect.
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When Edward was around 14, his health began to decline quite rapidly. It is unclear what he was suffering from, but most historians believe it was tuberculosis that killed him. Others have suggested he died of lung cancer, and there were even rumors he was poisoned. King Edward's death was protracted and, by all accounts, agonizingly painful.
Because King Edward VI was only 15 years old when he died in 1553, he never got the chance to marry or to have children. This caused some problems when it came to succession, since Edward did not have a natural heir. The natural line of succession would have given the throne to Edward's sister, Mary, followed by Elizabeth if Mary were to have no children. The problem with this arrangement was that while Edward (and, notably, both of his regents) practiced Protestantism, Mary was a staunch Catholic. John Dudley provided an alternative arrangement for succession that happened to benefit his own family.
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John Dudley, possibly with Edward VI's collaboration, named Lady Jane Grey as Edward's successor. Lady Jane was Edward's cousin and was related to Henry VII, Edward VI's grandfather. She was a Protestant who had a claim, however tenuous, to the throne. John Dudley arranged for Lady Jane to marry his son, Guildford, creating an advantageous match. Or rather, it might have been an advantageous match if the plan had worked.
Lady Jane Grey was around 16 when she was crowned queen of England, but just nine days after her coronation, she was deposed and imprisoned in the Tower of London. The next year, she was executed. Lady Jane Grey is often called the Nine Days Queen because of her short and tragic reign and death. Her husband, Guildford Dudley, was also executed. Lady Jane Grey was given the option of renouncing her Protestant faith in order to have her execution stayed, but she refused.
After deposing Lady Jane Grey, Mary took the throne and promptly set about persecuting Protestants, earning the nickname "Bloody Mary." She married King Philip II of Spain, creating a connection between the Tudor line and the Spanish Habsburg line. After Mary died in 1558 without having children, Elizabeth I became queen of England, continuing Edward VI's Protestant reforms and bringing England into an era of relative stability.
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King Edward VI had various accomplishments as the monarch of England. Some of them are mentioned below.
- He was the first monarch to be acknowledged as most educated in England. He received education for his royal duties, and his quest for knowledge saw him study more.
- He played a pivotal role in shaping the identity of the Church of England. Under his watch and reign, Catholicism was abolished, with the Book of Common Prayer being introduced, a practice that would strengthen the Church of England. He laid a foundation for the current appearance of the Church of England.
- His regents established and implemented harsh persecution against Catholics, leaving a dark stain on his reign.
- During Edwards VI's reign, policies instituted in 1547 aimed to address social issues like poverty and vagrancy, introducing a limited welfare system. However, the impact was constrained. Additionally, in 1549, the publication of the Book of Common Prayer reflected changes in religious practices but did not signify a new version of the Bible.
- His reign focused on strengthening the monarchy through the centralization of power. Although these efforts were faced with rebellion and social unrest, it demonstrated the challenges of establishing a centralized government in England.
- Edwards VI's reign witnessed the publication of the first prayer book and a revised edition of the Great Bible in 1549. This significant development played a crucial role in standardizing the English language, as the texts provided a widely adopted framework for religious practices and contributed to linguistic uniformity.
- He founded prestigious educational institutions such as the Christ Church School and Trinity College; this also demonstrated his commitment to education.
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Born in 1537, King Edward VI was the only legitimate son of King Henry VIII. He was the reigning monarch for six years, from 1547 until his untimely death in 1553. Edward was only 9 years old when he became king, so he had two regents who managed affairs for him throughout his reign: Edward Seymour, his uncle, who struggled to manage a number of uprisings, and John Dudley, who created Edward VI's succession plan to bolster his own family's power. Edward VI's mother was Jane Seymour, Henry VIII's third wife. His reign is mainly known for instituting Protestant reforms in England, although it is unclear to what extent those reforms were Edward's idea and to what extent they were the purview of his regents.
During his reign, the Great Bible and the Book of Common Prayer were published, contributing to the standardization of the English language. However, Edward's health deteriorated, and he succumbed to illness at the age of 15. His death led to a succession crisis, with Lady Jane Grey briefly taking the throne. Despite his short reign, Edward VI's legacy includes religious reforms and contributions to the English language through the publication of the Bible.
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Video Transcript
A Famous Family
Edward VI was born into one of the most notorious royal families in England's history. The story of his father, King Henry VIII, and his many wives is still well known to this day and has been the subject of countless books, movies, and plays. Edward's half-sister would become Queen Elizabeth I, one of England's most successful and famous monarchs. Despite his family's popularity that has lasted over 500 years, little is remembered of Edward VI and his short reign.
Childhood
Edward VI was born on October 12, 1537 at Hampton Court Palace. He was the son of King Henry VIII and his third wife, Jane Seymour. The entire nation rejoiced at the birth of a prince, and no one was happier than his father, who had divorced his first wife and killed his second wife for not producing a male heir.
Tragedy struck Edward's life when his mother died a few days after his birth. Edward had two older half-sisters: Mary, the daughter of Henry's first wife Catherine of Aragon, and Elizabeth, the daughter of Henry's second wife Anne Boleyn. Edward was a healthy baby and enjoyed a happy childhood. His father delighted in him, saying that Edward was ''this whole realm's most precious jewel.'' His sisters were very attentive and often visited him, and he was also close to his father's sixth and last wife, Catherine Parr.
At the age of six, Edward began his formal education. He learned French, Spanish, and Italian. In addition, he studied geometry and learned to play musical instruments. Edward was devoted to his schoolwork and was motivated by his sister Elizabeth's high academic achievements.
Reign
Edward became king at the age of nine when his father Henry VIII died on January 28, 1547. He was crowned at Westminster Abbey four days later. A Regency was created until Edward reached the age of 18, with his uncle Thomas Seymour becoming Lord Protector of the Realm.
During Edward's reign, the recently-instituted Church of England became more Protestant. He instituted many reforms, including the Book of Common Prayer. Aspects of Roman Catholic practices (including statues and stained glass) were done away with, and the marriage of clergy allowed. The imposition of the Prayer Book (which replaced Latin services with English) led to rebellions in some parts of the country.
As a result of the riots and unrest, Seymour lost support, and John Dudley, the Duke of Northumberland, overthrew him. Seymour was executed in 1552. The Duke of Northumberland's mode of operation was very different from Seymour's. He encouraged a working Council and used it to legitimize his authority. Lacking Seymour's blood-relationship with the King, he added members to the Council from his own faction in order to control it. In the matter of religion, he followed the same policy as that of Seymour, supporting an increasingly vigorous program of reform. Church reform became as much a political as a religious policy under Edward, and by the end of his reign, the church had been financially ruined, with much of the property of the bishops transferred to the Crown.
Death
In February 1553, Edward VI became ill, and by June he was in serious condition. If the King died, his Catholic half-sister Mary would take the throne. Edward and his Council greatly feared this because it would jeopardize their Protestant reforms. He changed the succession from his half-sisters to his Protestant cousin, Lady Jane Grey.
Edward died of an unknown illness on July 6, 1553. He was 15 years old. Upon Edward's death, Lady Jane Grey was quickly crowned Queen, but was overthrown by Mary's supporters nine days later and was executed. Mary ascended the throne and reinstated Catholicism to England. However, she died childless five years later and her sister Elizabeth took the throne.
Unfortunately, Edward VI died before he was able to rule or make decisions for himself. His short reign was controlled by members of the Council, all scheming to gain power and forward their own agenda. However, his brief life set the stage for the reigns of his older siblings and made a lasting contribution to the English Reformation and the structure of the Church of England.
Lesson Summary
Edward VI was the only son of King Henry VIII and his third wife, Jane Seymour. He became King at the age of nine and only reigned six years before his sudden death at 15 years old. Despite losing both of his parents at a young age, Edward had a happy childhood and was close to his two older half-sisters throughout his life. As a result of his young age, a Regent ruled in his name; first his Uncle Thomas Seymour and then the Duke of Northumberland. Edward's short rule was largely known for the Protestant reforms made to the Church of England. His brief reign also set in motion the political and religious backdrop to the reigns of his older sisters who succeeded him: Mary and then his sister Elizabeth, who would become England's legendary Queen Elizabeth I.
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