1.1 Overview

This section deals with the short reign of Edward VI and the political and religious turmoil that marked its course. As the young king was only nine when he came to the throne, the real power lay in the hands of two powerful men; Edward Seymour and John Dudley. The first was Duke of Somerset, the brother of Henry VIII's third wife, Jane Seymour, and was therefore Edward’s uncle. John Dudley was the Earl of Warwick (warick), son of Henry VII’s tax collector, Edmund Dudley. Both men sought to control the king and the nation for their own ends, but both came to violent ends at the hands of the executioner. The young king was never strong and was ill for much of his reign.