• What was the significance of the dry stamp at the beginning of E's reign? The reform faction could legalise any doc at the end of H8's reign that they chose using the fry stamp. This included an altered will. This left the succession as H had approved as of the 1544 Succession Act, but also added provisions that strengthened the power of the Regency Council.
• What was the regency council? The Regency Council was est by H to rule on E's behalf until he came of age, Formed of 16 men, was mainly dominated by members of the reform group. Paget, Seymour, Denny.
• What were H8's plans for the council? How and why did these change? Henry intended for the gov to be formed out of a committee. Conservative members were expelled from council/executed (ex. Duke of Norfolk - narrowly escaped, and Earl of Surrey Dec 1546). Bishop Gardiner removed. BUT plans too ambitious and unusual: E's uncle, Earl of Hertford, ended up being elected Lord Protector 3 days after H's death.
  In the REGENCY COUNCIL:
  REFORM - Cranmer, Seymour, Denny.
  CONSERV - Wriothesley, Paulet, Tunstall.

Who was EVI?
Born to H8 and Jane Seymour Oct 1537, the only legit son of H. Became king at 9. Reign of a 'minor'. Hugh Latimer (Protestant), quoted Ecclesiastes in 1549, 'Woe to thee, O lan, where the king is a child'.
Other Child monarchs had not seen success.
How do we know so much about him?
Main source = his Chronicle. Started age 12, completed daily until after 15th. Able young monarch, well informed on gov business. Produced for scrutiny of E's professors, but after May 1551, used for own initiative.
What was the upbringing of E6?
Many personal servants: 3 physicians, 6 surgeons, 2 apothecaries, French cook, stone engraver, organ maker, 3 court painters, French tutor, 5 scholars, 5 musicians and 4 principle gentlemen. 3 gentlemen and 5 grooms always present. Hardly ever alone. Walls and floors washed 3x daily.

Profile//Timeline:

• 1506, born
• 1536, Henry married Jane Seymour, rise to power begins.
• March 1537, becomes member of Privy Council and Earl of Hertford after birth of E6 in Oct
• 1540s, experience of diplomacy in battlefields in Scotland and France.
• 31 Jan 1536, Privy Council elect Somerset as Protector.
• Feb 1547, Edward and executors sign doc giving S sovereign authority until E is 18
• 16 Feb 1547, becomes Duke of Somserset.
• Oct 1549, dismissed and imprisoned - April 1550, released and returned to Privy Council.
• Jan 1552, trialled and executed.

SOMERSET - Edward's involvement:

• Within days of H's death, Somerset had ignored intentions that country should be ruled by council; had made himself Lord Protector.
• Strict with Edward; reduced servants, kept him under close control of brother-in-law (Michael Stanhope).
• Ruled through dry-stamp and proclamations, based at new, expensive residence, Somerset House. Autocratic rule, alienated members of court.
• E was 12 at time of uncle's fall from power, complained about lack of pocket money from Somerset. Virtually no direct involvement in politics - much of his time was taken up by education.
• E's influence considerable. Autumn 1549, Somerset losing grip on power, retreated to Windsor, taking E with him. E fell ill, complained of surroundings.
• E's turn away from supporting uncle was crucial for his downfall. Condemned him by saying S had threatened to create riots in streets if overthrown. S' denial worthless, couldn't argue w/ King.

Struc/style of gov:

• Granted quasi-royal powers by Letters Patent in March 1547.
• Authority not granted by parliament, so he was more independent of them.
• Used more proclamations than any other Tudor (over 70 in less than 3 years, 77 in total), meaning that he was creating them w/out using parliament.
• Obtained sole custody of the dry stamp, which had been left under control of 4 councillors, and he tried to insist that the King's true signature was not valid without his own counter signature.
• Used household servants as gov officials - Thomas Smith, Michael Stanhope, William Cecil, Sir John Thynne and William Grey.
• Methods aroused intense opposition and at downfall 19 of council accused him of 'malice and evil'.
• Style of gov and policy failures weakened his support. Most important enemy was Earl of Warwick (Became Duke of Northumberland).
• Regime suffered factional rivalries. First victim was his brother, Thomas Seymour. Thomas had been left out of Regency Council, had married Katherine Parr. Plotted with Southampton against S. Charged with treason, executed March 1549. Southampton denounced Seymour, achieved readmission to Council.
• Warwick was Lord Chamberlain, promoted to Duke of Northumberland, and appointed his own hardman Sir John Gated as Vice-Chamberlain of household to ensure control over court. Though his supporters were conservs (ex. Southampton), who hoped for regency led by Mary, Warwick led a second coup directed at conservs. Assumed that this was his plan to increase his power, more likely he feared he would be ejected by them.
• 1550, after Warwick's coup, Somerset released and allowed to rejoin Privy Council, but in 1551, Somerset was accused of plotting against the gov and was executed in Jan 1552.

Use of Privy Council:

• By-passed Privy Council.
• Council convened at Somerset House, and group of household servants were nicknamed 'The New Council'.
• Members of actual PC increasingly resented Somerset; within a few weeks, one had been arrested (Earl of Southampton). No guarantee of wider public acceptance of S' protectorate, so there were fears about breakdown of law and order.
• Even before 1549, misgivings about S had been growing. His arrogant and dictatorial manner created enemies, especially Southampton, who resented his earlier imprisonment.

Use of Parliament:

• Practice of frequent parliaments established under H8 in 1530s, continued under E6.
• 2 Parliaments in 6 years, and 1551 was only year without session. Used to establish religious laws, not establish/destroy Protectorate or to pass Act of Succession.

Problems:

• S bound by H's wish for E to marry MQoS, and by need to retain support of nobility.
• Periodic invasions of Scotland had failed to achieve overall objectives and war expensive.
• S had been leader of successful attacks in 1540s, had plan to save money on invasions by garrisoning Scottish lowlands.
• Pursuing war would require a lot of money to be raised, ending it would be unpopular.

Solutions:

• Failed to secure marriage alliance between England and Scotland. Deteriorating relations with France in 1549 led to threat of war and French southern invasion, when S at weakest due to rebellions. S' strategy against Scottish in FP was to defeat them in battle, build and garrison forts in borders and south of Scotland, and for them into submission. Began well - Battle of Pinkie 1547 - but strategy began to unravel - forts difficult and expensive to garrison, and Somerset underestimated amount of cooperation between Scotland and France.
• 1547, S inherited ruinous FP from H. Tried to unite England and Scotland through marriage. Scotland was S' main priority, where H8 had seen France as priority, and Scotland being sideshow.
• S failed to block Firth of the Forth (Scottish bridge) properly, and Drench relieved Edinburgh, gaining control of MQoS, who was taken to France in Aug 1548 to marry the Dauphin. Disastrous consequences for S.
• S mainly concerned with Scottish war and therefore continued to spend vast amounts of money. 1547-1549: S spent £580,393 on Scottish wars and continued to finance fortifications at Boulogne in France, captured by H8 in 1544. Debasement continued, no attempt made to reform gov finance.

Problems:

• S' policy of establishing garrisons proved a costly failure. Aristocracy still looked to warfare as a means of achieving status and prestige.
• Holding on to Boulogne was an important part of maintaining H8's legacy.
• Pursuing wars could be costly simply to raise. Ending wars would ease financial hardship.

Solutions:
N's policy of reducing spending was done as follows:

• Drastic cuts in military and household expenditure ordered.
• Boulogne returned to France for £133,333 and garrisons withdrawn from Scotland.
• Expenditure on navy and forts continued.
• Commissions established to inquire into state of finances and Winchester enforced stricter methods of accounting.
• An emergency household fund - a privy coffer - was established.
  N needed to cut back spending but also had to ensure that he was rewarding his supporters. Spending was cut back but it was not realistic for the King to 'live of his own' in the 16th cent.

Relationship with King:

• When it came to E's succession, it's believed that N changed the succession so that he could retain grip on power by marrying son Guildford Dudley to LJG, E's successor.
• Also careful to cultivate close relationship with E, pursued policies which would guarantee this - ex. extreme Protestantism.

Style of Gov:

• Directed to his personal political objectives. His role in S' downfall and subsequent elevation seemed to be motivated by his survival instinct. Once in power, he ensured his position by staffing household with his men who could then access E. EG. John Gates as Vice-Chamberlain (commanded King's guard, held dry stamp, reported to N all comings and goings of the King), William Cecil as deputy.

Use of Privy Council:

• Extended use of PC. Understood that survival depended on control of Council. Made himself Lord President, so that he could fix agendas and meetings and bar councillors. Also assumed King's power to create new councillors. N's reform of PC marked 'revival' of gov by council.
• Did mastermind coup in 1549, gave him control of the PC. Purged people who had helped him in coup. Ordered S' arrest and manufactures ev in trial of Dec 1551 that led to S' execution. Though, did make effort to reconcile: by mid 1550, S returned to court, good restored, daughter married to N's son. S, however, continued to plot, leading to N's willingness to execute him.
• Gave priority to reorganisation of PC and Gov fiances to ensure secure position. Also careful to cultivate a close relationship with King and pursued policies that would guarantee this.

Use of Parliament:

• Continued frequent use of Parliament. 2 Parliaments in every year for 6 years. 1551 only year w/out session. Parliament used to pass religious laws, not used to est or destroy Protectorate, or to pass Acts of Succession.
  

Gov plans under N were 3 fold: end debasement, reduce expenditure, end royal debt.

NORTHUMBERLAND:

• Edward's involvement: - E gradually assumed a more significant role in Gov after 1549 due to: S' fall, the change in personnel at the top of Gov and E's growing maturity and interest in gov.
• By Aug 1551, E was attending some meetings of the PC and by Nov 1552, he was attending them regularly and settling some agendas.
• He took the lead in some business and had his own thought-out views on some of the most important matters of the day.
• The council announces in Spring 1552, that E would reach his majority at age 16 rather than 18.
• By mid-1552, E was learning his craft in practice rather than though lessons. He was developing practical skills. His entries on foreign events in his Chronicle shows that he was using sources beyond the normal flow of info available to the council.. Cultivating links with foreign ambassador, making independent use of secretaries, Cecil and Pertre.
• N, learning from S' mistakes or just recognising the increasing power of the maturing King, was careful to ensure that E was consulted and involved much more in gov. Even N's title, the Lord President of the Council, demonstrated recognition of the diminished role in Parliament.
• N was still in overall control, and placed limits on what aspects of gov that E could be involved in - for example, FP.
• N manipulated where he could, placing his own men around the King and by packing the Privy Council with his own supporters. But, as with S, he was circumscribed by E's views.
• May be that N's pursuit of Protestantism was motivated by E's commitment to it.
• Final and potentially most serious act to which E was party was the attempt made to change the succession in favour of LJG.

1549:

• 16 rebellions this year, 23 counties affected. Year of concern for England due to overwhelming amount of unrest that erupted. Majority of rebellions all took place from May-July, meant that gov would have to divide attentions.
• Country in state of transition concerning both religious identity - First Book of common prayer published this year, introducing people to the trend of Protestant reformation that would see further relevance, and the fall of Somerset also took place around this time.
• People entirely divided - those who thought Book signified eradication of faith, and those who deemed it not radical enough.

Religious grievances:

• Contrast to Kett's, religion unquestionably central issue that sparked Western rebels. List of articles resolutely demanded the reintroduction of Catholicism. To be achieved through reinstatement of H8's Act of Six Articles, use of Latin, Communion in one kind, prayers for dead and Mass every Sunday.
• Widespread response of ordinary people was provoked as much by familiarity of new practices as by doctrinal and political issues behind them. Removal of images and intro of new Prayer Book could have left all community in no doubt as to how significantly religion under Somerset had changed.

Economic factors:

• Although articles produced by rebels dominated by religious grievances, it is a simplification to state this as the sole cause. Earlier stages, economic grievances featured more heavily. Complaints about taxes on sheep and cloth generated rumours about taxes on other animals. List of demands produced was a second list that superseded first. Initial list contained complaints about taxes and food prices, probably reflecting more accurately the fears of the rank and file members of crowd. Small group of clergy led by Robert Welsh hijacked control of movement.

Personality clashes:

• In Devon, gov agent William Body had intensified antagonism felt towards religious changes with heavy-handed investigation into church property.

Background:

• Cornwall had its own language, and its geographical location at the edge of the country made it a 'and apart'. Largest town in Bodmin had only 1,000 inhabitants, and county relied on profits made from tin mining. Poverty and vigorous regional industry had triggered the rebellion in 1497 against H7's tax request and had led to 3000 people joining Warbeck's attempt to claim the throne later on. Devon shared much of it's neighbours natural conservatism with regard to social and religious matters, and the common people of the country were more hostile towards gentry than in other parts of England.

Trigger causes:

• Western rebellion had 2 principle triggers: William Body, a commissioner investigating church property in the country in 1547. His arrogance and the investigation into the Chantries created a swirl of rumours and fears about the confiscation of church goods. The destruction of the church images by Body the following year led a group in Helston to set upon and murder him. Devon quickly dealt with the uprising, but the deep-seated antagonism remained. The final straw was the introduction of the new Prayer Book on 10 June 1547.
• In Devon, in the village of Sampford Courtenay, the people were also provoked by their priests use of the new Prayer Book on Whitsunday.

The rebellion takes hold:

• In Cornwall, protestors assembled in Bodmin. They soon came under the leadership of Humphrey Arundell and a list of Articles was compiled. The crowd then marched on into Devon.
• In Sampford Courtenay, the rebels persuaded the priest to deliver a traditional Catholic Mass and then moved on to join forced from Cornwall at Crediton on 20 June.

Local reaction:

• Very quickly the gentry lost their grip on the counties. A gentleman called Hellier, who attempted to clam the rebels in Devon, was hacked to pieces. Sir Peter Carew, the leading gentleman in Devon, rode to meet the combined force at Crediton on 21 June. Carew succeeded in aggravating the situation, as he was a known protestant and his tense meeting with the rebels nearly erupted into violence when one of his servants inadvertently set fire to a barn.
• Fled back to Exeter and then London.
• The sizeable rebel army moved up to the walls of Exeter then to Clyst St Mary on 23 June.
• Two gentlemen made further unsuccessful attempts to conciliate the rebels by agreeing that religion should remain as it was during Henry 8's reign until E came of age.

First gov response:

• Somerset acting on inadequate info and had only limited resources at his disposal.
• On 29 June he urged Lord Russell, a Catholic member of the Council, to find a peaceful settlement and wrote his own conciliatory response to the rebel demands.
• At the time, Somerset was struggling to suppress enclosure riots in the Midlands, maintain forces on the Scottish border and watch for any French aggression.
• He could therefore provide the cautious Russell with only a small army. Russell, knowing the weakness of his position, avoided confronting the enemy.
  

Descent into bloodshed:

• Loyalty to Crown led Exonians to defend their city staunchly against the rebel attack for 6 weeks. Russell still prevaricated and on 8 July he made his last attempt to reach a settlement with the rebels.
• On 12 July reinforcements under Lord Grey were delayed by another uprising in Oxfordshire.
• On 28 July, in response to the pressure from Somerset, Russell began his advance against the rebels. He was aided by the much-needed arrival of the forces of Lord Grey on 3 Aug.

Gov suppression:

• Confrontations between the rebels and the Government forces under Russell took place at Fenny Bridges, Clyst St Mary and Clyst Heath, each time the rebels were pushed further back.
• On 6 August, Exeter and Gov reinforcements under Sir William Herbert arrived. Time was running out for the rebels. Somserset heaped yet more pressure on Russell to finish the job, as the French had declared war on England on 8 Aug.
• Finally, on 16 Aug, Russell advanced on and defeated the rebel forces at Sampford Courtenay.

Aftermath:

• Resilience and commitment of rebels remained strong to end and, even after victory on battlefield, Russell had to deal with rearguard action and pockets of reisstance until an estimated 3,000 people had been killed.
• Robert Welsh, the vicar of the church of St. Thomas and probably the leader of the rebellion, was hanged on the gallows erected on his church tower, in his vestments and with a 'holy water bucket, a sprinkle, a sacring bell, a pair of beads and auch other like popish trash hanged about him.'
• The Gov operation further deepened hostility as Gov forces had acted illegally, executing without trials and confiscating and redistributing property.

Enclosure:

• Rebel attack on fences and hedges show opposition to enclosure in wooded pasture areas. First article of demands opposed future enclosure (but did protect the enclosure of expensive saffron fields).
• Over prior 1/2 cent more enclosures had been created because more money in sale of wool and other animal products than in cereal crops. In response to this, some farmers had begun to specialise in sheep farming and had built enclosed sheep rune.
• Attack on Flowerdew's enclosure that triggered the whole rebellion. List of demands does, however, contain complaints on a whole range of local farming issues, not just enclosure.
  
  • Gov action against enclosure: May 1548: royal deer park at Hampton Court was disparked (removed fences). 1 June 1548: Proclamation against men being 'driven to extreme poverty and compelled to leave placed they were born because of enclosure'. Simmer 1548: unusually large no of rural riots broke out including in Buckinghamshire where Hales was investigating. Summer 1548: The Council voiced opposition and with the populace increasingly restless, Hales began work of his commission again, but his work was a failure and he did not manage to bring proceedings against enclosures.

Rents: - Rebels also complain about rapid increase in rents. These complaints came in a period of rapid inflation, which worsened the economic situation for ordinary people. Rack renting was seen as a way in which unscrupulous landlords passed on the increased costs to the peasantry.

Somerset's policies:

• Somerset's rep as the 'Good Duke' was largely built in his social policy. Somerset's perceived sympathy with the plight of the poor and the social and agrarian problems they faced was believed by contemporaries and some historians to have encouraged the common people to riot. If some of the rebels were confident of the Protector's support, it gave them an extra incentive to express their grievances. Ev for Somerset's sympathy is as follows:
  
  • He gave support to 'Commonwealth men' - a group of Christian reformers who campaigned against exploitation of poor.
  • He appointed John Hales to lead a commission into enclosure (one of the most fiercely resented of the agrarian problems that the common people faced).
  • He attacked landlord's greed.
  • He passed an Act protecting the rights of copyhold tenants on his own estates.

Protest against bad gov in East Anglia:

• Kett's rebels picked out gentry and JPs in their country for the most vehement attack both in their articles and their actions. Kett's tactics seem to have been to appeal over the heads of the local gentry, directly to the central gov. - This appeal fits in with the traditional belief that the Gov wold respond to valid grievances and work on behalf of the ordinary people to redress them. Kett must have been devastated when on 21 June this was rejected.
• To prove that the quality of the gov of the county was one of the major concerns, the rebels ran Mousehold Heath camp fairly and effectively, setting up their own court and sending out searches for food with commissions in the King's name. There was no gentry involvement in the rebellion and it was led throughout those just outside governing classes, who may have been ambitious for power themselves.
  

Religion and the Clergy:

• The articles relating to religion are thoughtful calls for more competent and involved clergy, rather than controversial doctrinal statements. There was clearly concern with the poor quality of priests and their failure to fulfil their duties. One article requests that they do more to educate the poor and another states that the clergy should just be priests for the whole community and not just chaplains for the gentry.
• The rebels inclination towards Protestantism is shown by their demand for congregations to choose their own clergy and by their use of the new Prayer Book at Mousehold Heath camp.

Personality clashes:

• In both rebellions, hatred of particular individuals helped tip the countries into rebellion. In Norfolk, the first few fences and hedges to be uprooted were those of John Flowerdew, who had outraged the village of Wymondham with his rapacity.

Background:
East Anglia most densely populated and industrialised part of country. After London, Norwich was second biggest city in the country. (16,000 people) and had become a major textile centre. A collapse in the textile industry had thrown large numbers of cloth workers out of work, and many independent, small farmers were being badly affected by the enclosure of wooded pastoral areas by gentry and yeoman farmers.