Only son of Henry VIII and Jane Seymour, who succeeded his father as King of England and Ireland from 1547-1553. Though he spent only five short years on the throne and was still only a middle teenager when he died, a firm footing was set in his reign, first by his Protector (and uncle Duke of Somerset) but more so by the latter's successor (Lord Northamberland), for the evangelical faith of the English reformation.
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Only nine years old when he came to the throne, many had hoped that he would become the English Josiah who would reform England after God's heart, and was also nicknamed "the godly imp". Edwaed was never physically strong from the beginning and dying in his teens there was hardly much time for him to leave any imprint of his own on his reign.
Edward's early reign was shaped entirely by his uncle and protector, Edward Seymour (Duke of Somerset) until the latter was displaced in 1549 by the John Dudley (earl of Warwick, and Duke of Northumberland afterwards). Both men were, however, champions of the Reformation cause (though not always for the right reasons), and with the help of Thomas Cranmer, did much to introduce an evangelical culture into the country. The Mass was removed, as were many of the festivals, pilgrimages, images, relics and roods. Churches were whitewashed of all their frescoes and adornment. Religiously it was a time of unrest, confusion and transition.
Edward VI first showed sign of tuberculosis in early 1553, and by May it became clear he would not last long. His will, drawn up under the influence of John Dudley (Northumberland), cut off his two step-sisters, Mary and Elizabeth, from the succession, and named Lady Jane Grey, a distant neice of Edward, and daughter-in-law of Northumberland, as successor to the throne. A power struggle ensued upon his death; in the end Mary's popularity won her the throne. Lady Jane Grey had ruled only nine days (10-19 July) before she was overthrown.
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