Edward VI: The Lost King of England [Hardcover]

Chris Skidmore (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0312351429 | ISBN-13: 978-0312351427 | Publication Date: November 13, 2007 | Edition: 1st

The birth of Edward on October 12, 1537, ended his father’s twenty-seven-year wait for an heir. Nine years later, Edward was on the throne, a boy-king in a court where manipulation, treachery, and plotting were rife.

 

Henry VIII’s death in January 1547 marked the end of a political giant whose reign had dominated his kingdom with an iron grip for thirty-eight years. Few could remember an England without him---certainly little had remained untouched: the monasteries and friaries had been ripped down, the Pope’s authority discarded, and new authoritarian laws had been introduced that placed his subjects under constant fear of death.

 

Edward came to the throne promising a new start; the harsh legislation of his father’s was repealed and the country’s social and economic problems approached with greater sensitivity. Yet the early hope and promise he offered soon turned sour. Despite the terms of Henry’s will, real power had gone to just one man---the Protector, Edward’s uncle, the Duke of Somerset, and there were violent struggles for power, headed by the duke’s own brother, Thomas Seymour.

 

Chris Skidmore reveals how the countrywide rebellions of 1549 were orchestrated by the plotters at court and were all connected to the burning issue of religion: Henry VIII had left England in a religious limbo. Court intrigue, deceit, and treason very nearly plunged the country into civil war. The stability that the Tudors had sought to achieve came close to being torn apart in the six years of Edward’s reign.

 

Even today, the two dominant figures of the Tudor period are held to be Henry VIII and Elizabeth I. Yet Edward’s reign is equally important. His reign was one of dramatic change and tumult, yet many of the changes that were instigated during this period---certainly in terms of religious reformation---not only exceeded Henry’s ambitions but have endured for over four centuries since Edward’s death in 1553.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Skidmore, a Ph.D. candidate in Tudor history and adviser to the British shadow secretary for education, provides a revealing glimpse into the tumultuous six-year reign of Edward VI, who ascended to the English throne in 1547, at the age of 10, following the death of his father, Henry VIII. Edward's youth and brilliant precocity led many to hope his reign would be kinder and gentler than Henry's, and the young monarch was likened to the biblical King Josiah, who dramatically reformed Judah after the tyranny of King Manasseh. Young Edward was scholarly, studied theology and left more than 100 essays, one of them denouncing the papacy. During his reign the Church of England continued to flourish and grow. But Edward's rule was also a time of political, economic and religious crisis marked by intrigue and deceit. His own uncle and adviser, Thomas Seymour, was sent to the block for attempting to kidnap Edward, and his sister Mary refused to give up the banned Catholic mass. Skidmore's fast-paced biography, which draws on Edward's journals and correspondence, brings this king and his brief reign to vivid life. 16 pages of color photos. (Nov.)
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From Booklist

Henry VIII's longed-for son, who was crowned in 1537 at age nine and died just six years later, has always been lost in the shadows behind his father and his sisters, Mary I and Elizabeth I. Edward's own diary is one of the sources Skidmore employed for this account, but the book is really more about the deadly power struggle that characterized the boy-king's reign than it is about the boy himself. Readers are taken through a dense Tudor maze of conspiracy and treachery, beginning with a possible forgery regarding Henry's will. Chief among the players was Edward's controversial uncle Edward Seymour, who managed to have power transferred to himself as Protector of the Realm upon Henry's death, only to end up on the chopping block. So what kind of person was Edward VI? "The most gifted of all his siblings," he loved hunting and other sports, he was a good student, and he was devoted to the cause of religious reform. But he remains in the shadows, since his life was so short. Quinn, Mary Ellen

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 368 pages
• Publisher: St. Martin's Press; 1st edition (November 13, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312351429
• ISBN-13: 978-0312351427
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.2 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #256,876 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars `The struggle for the soul of England after the death of Henry VIII.', March 7, 2008

By 

J. Cameron-Smith "Expect the Unexpected" (ACT, Australia) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Edward VI: The Lost King of England (Hardcover)

Edward VI, son of Henry VIII and Jane Seymour became King of England in 1547, aged 9, and died in 1553 aged 16. Edward's reign is often viewed as almost incidental in the Tudor dynasty: most of his regnal period was influenced by self-serving advisers.

Edward was not merely a cipher. His role in the work of government was limited, but not non-existent. Henry VIII had originally intended that England be governed by a council of regency during Edward's minority. As a consequence of the struggle for power, as Henry was dying, Edward Seymour emerged as Lord Protector. In a court riven by factionalism, Seymour dominated until he himself was forced out and subsequently executed, by John Dudley (later the Duke of Northumberland). While it is difficult to catch significant glimpses of the boy behind the king, Mr Skidmore does provide images that show that Edward was not always sickly, and had considerable promise both academically and athletically. There is also evidence that Edward's influence on the religious change taking place was quite profound. Henry VIII's reformation was driven purely by expedience and was institutionally based. Edward, by contrast, was influenced by reformers and the 1552 Prayer Book marked a shift from doctrinal conservatism to a Church of England which was more fundamentally protestant.

I'd recommend this book to anyone interested in knowing more about the short reign of Edward VI, the reasons why he named Lady Jane Grey as his successor and the development of the Church of England. Edward's reign cannot be looked at in isolation: far too many of the dominant political figures featured in the previous reign. However, reading Mr Skidmore's book sheds new light on a significant period of English history.

Jennifer Cameron-Smith

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Fine Biography, June 17, 2008

By 

Michael Gunther (Maryland, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Edward VI: The Lost King of England (Hardcover)

Chris Skidmore's biography of the Tudor boy-king, Edward VI, takes a lively and well-researched look at the court politics that surrounded Edward's six-year regency. While viciously infighting to increase their own power, titles, and wealth, Edward's ruling council also managed to set the course of Protestant reform in England, and to prepare the young king to assume power in his own right (cut short by Edward's death from tuberculosis in 1553, at the age of 15).

Edward was an intelligent and able boy, keenly Protestant in religion, and inheriting the Tudor temper and love of ostentation; in other words, he was a lot like Elizabeth. Skidmore argues convincingly that Edward was, at the time of his death, already assuming power; thus, for example, Edward's notorious "Devise for the Succession," that disinherited both Mary and Elizabeth in favor of Lady Jane Grey, was the product of Edward's own wishes, only reluctantly supported by his council (who lost their heads over it anyway, once Mary came to power).

Above all, "Edward VI" explains the complex politics of the time in a very clear and interesting way; it is a model of expository writing. Extensive quotes from contemporary letters, diaries, and poems immerse the reader in this fascinating world. The book also includes a quite helpful set of capsule biographies, geneological tables, notes, bibliography, and index. Most people who are interested in Tudor England will probably want to have this book in their personal library.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Edward VI is an erudite history of his reign by Chris Skidmore a young British scholar, October 30, 2009

By 

C. M Mills "Michael Mills" (Knoxville Tennessee) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Edward VI: The Lost King of England (Paperback)

Poor Edward VI1 (reigned as British King from 1547-1553). When you think of the Tudors the images which come to mind are that of Henry VIII and two of his daughters: Mary and Elizabeth. Somehow history has given the adolescent king Edward short shrift! In this new biography this omission is rectified with a sober and historically well researched book by Chris Skidmore.
Edward VI was born to Jane Seymour (she died a few days after the difficult birth) making Henry VIII a proud papa as he believed a long reign of Tudor monarchs was thereby ensured. He was wrong. His daughter Mary by first wife Catherine of Aragon would reign as Queen of England from 1553-1558 earning the sobriquet "Bloody Mary" for her penchant to send Protestants to the stake. Her famous half-sister Elizabeth I was the daughter of Henry and the executed Ann Boleyn. Elizabeth ruled England as a Protestant virgin queen from 1558-1603. Upon her death the son of Mary Queen of Scots James VI of Scotland became King of England until his demise in 1625.
Edward was doomed to an early death but the cause of his final illness has never been determined. It may have been TB or poison or some other ailment. We will never know. His reign was marked by rebellions and battles between Catholics and Protestants. The greatest rivalry occurred between Lord Somerset a brother of Jane Seymour and Lord Northumberland, Both of these pretenders to the throne would be beheaded on Tower Hill. They are the most intersting characters in the book.
Edward was a bright person enjoying hunting, hawking, reading ancient languages and was an evangelical Protestant. He died at only 15 years of age. Edward hoped to hand the crown to his cousin Lady Jane Grey. Instead, Jane ruled a few days before being captured by Mary who became queen. Jane and many of her family members would die on the block.
Skidmore writes in a scholarly style heavy on dates, diplomacy and political intrigues. His book is a good introduction to Edward and promises a bright career for its author.