Hello, and Welcome to Western Sieve episode two hundred and eighty nine. Promise
unfulfilled, Dudley struck gold early on. In five point fifty one, he
was able to reach an agreement with Henry the second, the King of France,
there would be a new French English alliance, and to seal the deal,
King Edward the sixth would marry Henry's daughter Elizabeth. With this alliance firmly
in place, Dudley now felt confident enough to resolve the problem of Mary and
her disobedience. The revival of the Habsburg Valois conflict, the intermittent rivalry,
as we know, between the ruling houses of France and the Empire, which
had torn most of Italy and northern Italy that is asunder, also meant that
Emperor Charles the fifth had his hands tied and would be unlikely to come to
the rescue of his cousin Mary. The only sticking point was any potential resistance
at home. Mary had her supporters, notably, of course, Somerset,
and then the Catholic Earls of Arundel, Derby and Shrewsbury, who voiced their
opposition to her treatment back in the spring. Dudley decided to keep his enemies
close, and on August the ninth, Arundell and Derby were drafted onto the
Council for one day only for an extraordinary meeting at Richmond, where it was
resolved to prohibit the saying of any mass or divine service within Mary's household.
Dudley's plan was to prove that he meant business by ensuring that Arundel and Derby
signed up for his latest round of attacks on Mary. He forced them to
show their hand, leaving them with only choice to rebel or to remain in
silence. On the twenty third of August, three officers of Mary's household,
Rochester, Engelfield and Waldgrave were charged with disobedience and sent to the Tower of
London. With the Unified agreement, the Council now turned to Mary. When
a deputation led by Lord Rich visited her at the end of August, ordering
her chaplain's desist from saying mass in the future. They were welcomed by a
defiant and somewhat histrionic performance from Mary, who told them that rather than quote
use any other service, I will lay my I had on a block and
suffer death end quote. This is as we know her sort of common refrain,
She blamed the council for her current sickness she was actually ill, and
again refused to acknowledge that Edward had any part in her treatment, naively insisting
that he was simply too young to understand what was going on. But with
the Emperor's support having evaporated, Mary was in no position to call the shots.
She caved in and her protests died down. For the next two years,
her household heard no mass as Mary alone continued to console herself with her
own private devotions behind closed doors. There is a chance, of course,
that Dudley's attack on Mary was caused purely by the situation abroad, but the
actual reasons are likely far deeper. The reality was Mary was merely the means
by which Dudley wanted to finally and conclusively bring down Somerset. Somerset's position was
increasingly becoming untenable. He had taken the opportunity to side with the Princess Princess
Mary over religious freedoms that he himself had granted her during his time as protector.
It was probably no coincidence that Somerset's planned attack on Dudley had taken place
after Edward's showdown with Mary. Then the Duke had managed to galvanize the members
of the conservative nobility, outraged by the princess's treatment into supporting his potential schemes.
With Derby's support secured at a meeting on August the ninth, this time,
he hoped it would be different, as the attacks on Mary grew increasingly
degrading. Dudley refused, for example, to recognize her royal title as princess,
calling her only the King's sister. Somerset made the suggestion that her household
be able to hear mass, provoking a furious outburst from Dudley. He retorted,
quote, the mass is either of God or the devil. If it
is of God, it is but right that all our people should be allowed
to go to it. But if it is not out of God, as
we were taught in the scriptures, then why should we not allow the voice
of this fury i e. The Mass prescribed to all? According to Edward,
the meeting on August the ninth that resolved to take action against Mary had
only been agreed to at length. Maybe Somerset had even been reluctant to sign
the agreement, Dudley had now pushed Somerset too far. During the end of
August, and after Mary's confrontation with the various lords, Somerset met with the
Earl of Arundel to discuss how to finally bring down Dudley. As their plans
continued to be set throughout the audience, Dudley realized that he would need to
act fast, particularly given the fact that the Emperor's sister, Mary of Hungary
was making disconcerting noises about organizing an invasion to free Edward from the hands of
his current counselors. Dudley needed to send out a message both to the remaining
Conservatives at home and to Mary's allies abroad that he meant business. Within two
weeks, Lord Somerset once more found himself in the Tower of London. The
final pieces fell into place in October of fifteen fifty one, when Dudley was
visited by Sir Thomas Palmer, a former associate of Somersets but who had now
drawn in close with Dudley. The evidence for their meeting comes entirely from Edward's
diary, but it seems that Palmer divulged to Dudley. How Somerset had planned
to quote raise the people end quote. A banquet had been planned at which
Dudley and Northampton were to be assassinated, the method of execution being to simply
cut off their heads, a red wedding of sorts, I suppose. Four
days later, Palmer had further confessed that Somerset's follower, Sir Ralph Vane,
had two thousand men prepared to act. Another supporter, Miles Patridge, was
to raise London with the hope of certain apprentices seizing the Great Seal and then
the Tower of London. Alexander Seymour, a distant relative of Somerset's, and
Lawrence Hammond, possibly a yeoman of the Guard were not sure, were to
ensure that all all the horses were to be slain to prevent an escape.
Whether Palmer's accusations were true or false remains to be seen, but for the
moment, it gave Dudley all the evidence that he needed to destroy his greatest
enemy once and for all. But first Dudley needed to bolster his support.
He did this with the creation of new peerages, essentially new titles of nobility,
the same tactic he had used before in the winter of fifteen forty nine,
when he planned to destroy Risley in an age of ruthless ambition, It
turned out loyalty could be easily bought. Henry Gray suddenly became Duke of Suffolk.
William Pollett was promoted to the Marquess of Winchester. William Herbert, having
been created Lord Herbert the previous day, now found himself in just forty eight
hours, going from nobody to an earldom, the Earl of Pembroke. No
less, Dudley awarded himself a dukedom I guess for fun, becoming the Duke
of Northumberland. In one sense. The giving of titles, in fact merely
reflected the existing political situation of Dudley's now Northumberland's dominance. He was now undoubtedly
the most important noblemen of the land, holding three of the five most important
offices of state. By mid October, it was clear that Somerset's days were
numbered. On October the fifteenth, the power of Lord Northumberland, and I'm
going to refer to Dudley as Northumberland from now on, moved against Somerset's remaining
allies. King Edward recorded the following events in his diary, quote this morning
none was at Westminster. Of the conspirators the verse was the Duke, who
came later than he was wont of himself. After dinner, he Somerset was
apprehended. Sir Thomas Palmer was taken on the terrace. Walking there, Hammond,
passing by the Vice Chamberlain's door, was called in by John Peers to
make a match at shooting, and so he was taken. Newgate was called
for from my Lord his master, and he was taken. Likewise were John
Seymour and Dave Seymour. Sir Thomas Arundel was also taken, and Lord Gray,
coming out of the country. Vain, upon sendings of my Lord,
was not so stout, and if he could not get a comb, he
cared for none of them. All. He was discovered hiding beneath the straw
of his stable at Lambeth. These all went with the Duke Somerset to the
tower, saving Palmer, Arundel, and Vain, who were kept in chambers
here apart end quote. And so just like that all of Somerset's allies found
themselves locked in the Tower of London. This matters because just a few days
prior, on October the twelfth, fifteen fifty one, Edward turned fourteen.
This was the age when many kings achieved the age of majority and took the
reins of power for themselves. Edward was already deeply engaged in the administration of
the realm. While his father may have been bored with the minushev state.
Edward was not throwing himself into whatever tasks he might have been assigned had he
lived a spoiler alert, he's not going to which you could probably tell by
the title of this episode, he might have made an excellent king. On
October the twenty second, members of the Privy Council announced they had gotten to
the bottom of Somerset's various plots. Evidently the wicked Duke had intended to capture
the Tower of London, burned down the Capitol, and then sail away.
That made no sense at all. Hardly anybody believe the accusations. You may
as well have accused him of intending to kidnap the Pope and burn Rome to
the ground. Still, what few allies Somerset had remaining began to melt away,
whether out of fear or simply a conviction that they were backing the wrong
horse. It was only a matter of time now before Somerset himself would be
accused of treason. Indeed, the clock was ticking rather quickly, for on
November the sixteenth, charges of treason were already drawn up. On the night
of November thirtieth, fifteen fifty one, Somerset was informed that his trial would
begin the following morning. Stripped of his Order of the Garter, he remained
defiant, declaring he wouldn't confess a thing. The next day, security remained
tight. Armed officers with their swords visible but not drawn, were placed in
strategic positions, while that night a double watch was kept, with every householder
ordered to quote, see to his family and keep his house end quote to
prevent a large crowd gathering. Somerset was brought from the tower to Westminster by
a boat at five in the morning. Despite this, two men drowned in
the Thames as they sought to catch a glimpse of the Duke as he passed
on our London Bridge. The trial lasted from eight in the morning until three
in the afternoon. The charges were laid out. Quote Edward, Duke of
Somerset, did on the twentieth of April at his mansion house called Somerset place
in the strand compass and imagine with other persons to deprive the King of his
royal dignity and to seize the King's person, that at his the Duke's will
and pleasure, exercise royal authority. That the Duke, in order to carry
out his traitorous intentions into effect, together with Michael Stanhope, Miles Patridge,
Thomas Holcroft, Francis Newtgate another persons assembled for the purpose of taking and imprisoning
John now Duke of Northumberland. Furthermore, that the said Duke of Somerset compassed
to obtain possession of the Great Seal, and also to obtain possession of the
Tower of London and of the treasure, jewels and munitions of war therein contained.
And furthermore that the said Duke, of his own authority, incited the
citizens and inhabitants of London to rebellion an insurrection against the King, with drums
and trumpets crying out English liberty, liberty, and for the purpose of robbing
and destroying such other citizens and inhabitants as would not follow his will. Somerset,
though remained defiant, he still had some support, and he knew it.
Moreover, he knew that the charges, or at least the bulk of
the charges, were false. Crowds gathered outside Westminster, chanting God save the
Duke, so his belief that he had significant support remaining in London was true.
Moments later, the crowd erupted into applause, went low and behold.
Somerset had been found innocent of the trees and charges. Yet the adelation was
premature, the sentencing was not quite finished. Somerset, found innocent of treason,
had nonetheless been found guilty of committing a felony, in this case,
orchestrating an unlawful assembly. For that crime, he was sentenced to death by
hanging. The Duke fell to his knees in shock. In the end,
there was little other that he could do than to beg Northumberland to look after
his wife and children. Northumberland agreed, and later would write privately that he
regretted his role in the whole affair. Now, of course, all of
this signores that there definitely was a real conspiracy. In April of fifteen fifty
one, Somerset himself had admitted a plot to marry Edward to his daughter,
and thus reinstall himself as Lord Protector. Whether there was enough evidence to convict
him or not, the English lords determined Somerset was simply too dangerous to be
left alive. What Northumberland did not expect was the negative reaction to the news
of Somerset's sentence. It didn't help that there were plenty of rumors flying around
the country that now Northumberland wanted one hundred percent control of the government for himself,
compounded by news that King Edward physically was not well. At eight o'clock
in the morning on the twenty second of January fifteen fifty two, Somerset was
brought out of the tower, surrounded by an entourage of armed guard. He
was led to Tower Hill. Despite Northumberland's attempts to prevent an audience from being
present by moving the time of the execution three hours ahead, a huge crowd
had already go athered. Some still held out hope that the King's pardon might
grant the ducal ass reprieve, Others to pay their respects to a man that
they considered to be their hero. When he had reached the scaffold, some
are set nent down on both knees, raising his hands he commended himself to
God. A nobleman nearby recognized the gesture as one that he had frequently used
in his household. After reciting a few short prayers, he stood to face
the east of the scaffold. Emotionless at the sight of the axe as blade,
he displayed a cheerfulness of mind, according to one source, as he
bowed and addressed the crowd as follows, masters and good fellows. I am
come hither to die, but a true and faithful man, as any was
unto the King's majesty and to his realm. But I am condemned by a
law whereunto I am subject, and are we all, and therefore to show
obedience. I am content to die with. I am well, content,
being a thing most heartily welcome unto me, for which I do thank God,
taking it for a singular benefit as ever might have come to me.
For as I am a man, I have deserved at God's hands many deaths,
and has pleased his goodliness, whereas he might have taken me suddenly that
I should neither have known him nor myself. Thus now to visit me and
call me with this present death, as you do see, where I have
had time to remember and acknowledge Him, and to know also myself, for
which I do thank Him most heartily. And my friends, more I have
to say to you concerning religion, I have, always, being in authority,
a further of it, to further the glory of God to the utmost
of my power, whereof I am nothing sorry, but rather have cause and
do rejoice most gladly that I have so done for the mightiest benefit of God
that ever I had or any man might have in this world, beseeching you
all to take it so and follow it on still, for if it not,
we'll follow a worse and will come a great plague end quote Suddenly again,
according to the sources, at that last phrase, a great plague,
a thunderous sound burst across the skies. The crowd began to scatter in confusion.
Some ran into nearby house's, others dived into the tower ditch. Many
just fell to the ground and groveled. Sir Anthony Bowne, who was there,
circled beneath the scaffold on his horse, attempting to calm the crowd.
The message quickly spread. The king had sent his uncle a parton caps and
cloaks were suddenly thrown into the air, and chance of God save the King
went up, But of course there was no pardon. Shouts of rejoicing soon
turned to sorrow and tears. All the while Somerset had remained quiet, standing
on the same spot of the scaffold, his hat still in his hand.
Finally he made a sound to quiet the crowd when he continued, there is
no such thing, good people, there is no such thing he's talking about,
the pardon. It is the ordinance of God. Thus for to die
wherewith we must be content. And I pray you be quiet, for I
myself am quiet, and make you no stirring. And I pray you.
Now let us pray together for the King's majesty, to whose grace I have
always been faithful, a true and loving subject, desirous always of his most
prosperous success in all affairs, and ever glad of the furtherance and helping forth
ward of the commonwealth of this realm. His speech was repeatedly interrupted by cries
of yay, yay, and Amen. It was a time for old wounds
to be healed as well. Somerset looked to God for forgiveness. He claimed
he had made mistakes and asked God to forgive them. He urged for silence
repeatedly, and constantly asked for the crowd to forgive him, but to believe
in Edward, to believe in the future. There was one observer who wrote
an observation. His name was Antonio de Gerris. He was a Catholic when
he was hostile to everything that he was seeing before him. But still everything
that was happened was scarcely believable. He thought for certain there would be a
struggle, at least one last attempt to gain freedom. Surely, this man
would later writeque if he had cast himself from the scaffold or struggling with the
executioner, assuredly he had not died there. He was not held of any
chains or bonds, it being the custom to exempt noblemen from these when they
were led to the scaffold. The guard, among others, would have connived
at his escape on account of the favor of the people Somerset. In the
end, this man declared was killed by quote a want of spirit end quote.
The Duke turned to Neil. He was presented with a scroll containing his
confession. Without hesitation, he read it aloud, returned to his feet.
He then shook hands with everyone on the scaffold and rewarded the executioner with a
few coins set aside in the hope that he would deliver a blow that was
quick and painless. Taking off Somerset's gown, the executioner turned the stiff collar
around in order not to hinder the stroke of the axe, Somerset's cheeks turning
visibly red as the axe fell, the crowd groaned. The body was thrown
on to a cart and was taken away in the tower. Throughout the day,
crowds came to the execution site to talk about the Duke, lamenting and
bewailing his death. Edward was overcome at the news of his uncle's death.
It was said that if Somerset's name ever came up, Edward would sigh and
fall to tears, saying, quote, his uncle had done nothing, or
if he had, it was very small, and it proceeded from his wife,
then from himself. And where then, said he was the good nature
of a nephew, Where was this clemency of a prince? Ah? How
unfortunate have I, Edward bend to those of my blood? My mother I
slew at my birth and sins have made away two of her brothers, and
happily to make a way for others against myself. Was it ever known before
that a king's uncle, a lord protector, one whose fortunes had advanced the
honor of the realm, did lose his head for a felony, for a
felony neither clear in law, and in fact weakly proved. Now there was
another issue with Somerset's death, and that was church reform. Northumberland wasn't necessarily
a reformer. He wasn't opposed to it, but it certainly wasn't the first
thing on his mind. If he came to power, Cranmer's caused might well
collapse, or at the very least the reform would probably proceed at a much
slower pace. The Reform Party's only real hope now was that Edward would come
of age, that Edward would take power and complete the reformation of the English
Church. But the clock was ticking. Somerset was dead, Northumberland was completely
ascendant. Edward, for his part, loved Northumberland, reportedly like a father.
But Edward was also ready to rule. There could be no denying that
he had begun to take upon himself a greater share of the government of England.
His diary entries, especially in early fifteen fifty two, reflect a growing
consciousness of his own authority. Despite every sign that Edward was maturing into a
king able to seize the reigns of power, there is no surviving evidence for
his involvement in the formulation of the Second Book of Common Prayer, authorized in
April fifteen fifty two and brought into ust of November the first of that year.
This book was to act as a clarification to the fifteen forty nine Prayer
Book, which, despite acting as a compromise between Protestantism and Catholicism, was
most probably intended only as a temporary measure and had pleased no one, especially
the Reformers, who shirked at any mention of the Mass in the text.
The reformer John Hooper would later write quote I am so much offended with that
book that if it not be corrected, I neither can nor will communicate with
the Church in the administration of the Supper end quote. At the same time,
as the Reformers embedded themselves as bishops in their new seas, they had
been horrified to discover the state of religion. Attendance at the church was poor.
Half the priests Hooper met could not recite the Ten Commandments were continuing to
use forbidden ceremonies. Many simply found ways to work around the fifteen forty nine
Prayer Book while retaining the essential elements of their Catholic belief. The noble woman
Lady Marney, whose will requested that she be buried with full Catholic pomp,
including masses sung for her soul, could see no contradiction that on the day
of the burial she wanted sung quote. Such service is set out or appointed
by the King's Book, i e. The Prayer Book. Meanwhile, despite
the smashing of images, the whitewashing of churches, and the toppling of altars,
destruction could never amount to conversion and the formation of a Protestant nation.
Reforms had not been followed through with preaching and discipline. The reformer Martin Bucker
told Edward in person in fifteen fifty only quote by means of ordinances which the
majority obey very grudgingly, and by the removal of the instruments of ancient and
superstition end quote. Something simply had to be done and a uniform order imposed
upon every church. In doing so, the new revised Book of Common Prayer
made a decisive break with the past. Ceremonies that had been retained in the
old service and had been condemned by Protestants were now removed, and the baptism,
confirmation and burial services rewritten, with an end to any possibility of prayers
for the dead. The way communities viewed their world order was transformed drastically.
In the Communion service, many prayers were omitted and the former structure of the
mass removed. Any hint of transubstantiation that the bread and wine actually transformed into
the body of blood of Christ were removed, with emphasis being placed instead on
the remembrance of Christ's sacrifice quote take this and eat it underlined in remembrance underlined,
end that Christ died for the feed on him in thy heart by faith
and with thanksgiving. All mention of the Virgin Mary, saints and prophets now
disappeared, as did all vestments except for the priest's surplus, and music was
reduced to a bare minimum, while in a final coda, a black rubric
tagged on after the book had gone depressed, was forced to deny that kneeling
at the communion suggested adoration in any way. In fifteen fifty two, the
Prayer Book was the high water mark for Edward's reformation, and really it was,
in the words of another historian, the greatest single achievement of Edward's reign,
albeit a short one. Its legacy lives on even today. It was
the model of the Elizabethan Book, which only slightly changed in sixteen sixty two,
and which is still the liturgy for the Church of England as I speak
right now. In twenty twenty three, on April the si second, Edward
fell ill with measles and according to the records, smallpox, but he made
a swift recovery. By late May we have evidence that Edward was directly participating
in government, signing warrants in his own hand. For the first time.
He was on the threshold of his power, and he knew it. In
July he took his first progress through the realm. By the time Edward returned,
Northumberland was deeply depressed. England was once more in the throes of domestic
unrest and as a result of the enclosure crisis, and he knew that there
was serious business to attend to worse Still, England's debts continued to mount,
and Northumberland feared its credit on the Ford Market was on the verge of collapse.
It was clear that the King needed to call Parliament to pass a subsidy
and remained the debts, and he had to do it now, and Edward
continued to come to his own It was during late October that Edward met with
Hieronymous Cardano, an Italian physician and astrologer, whose later account of their meeting
is the most contemporary and possibly most objective account of Edward's abilities. Edward had
apparently grown physically weak, and the council wished for Cardono to discover the nature
of his illness and to cast his horoscope, which again was perfectly consistent with
medicine at the time. Received by the king, Cardano found Edward to be
of about middle height, pale faced, with large gray eyes, a grave
aspect, but somewhat handsome, adding that he has rather a bad habit of
body rather than a sufferer from fixed diseases. It appeared that he had a
projecting shoulder blade, which give him kind of a hunched look, which is
what we see in a lot of the paintings of Edward, but he said
that this defect did not amount to a deformity. The two conversed in last
for a long time. Edward asked Cardano about his recent book, which actually
had been dedicated to him. There then ensued a debate upon the nature of
comments, during which Cardono considered Edward spoke Latin as politely and fluently as he
did, but was reserved in his judgment of Edward's own reasoning, commenting that,
of course Edward just loved the liberal arts and sciences, but he didn't
really know them yet. I mean, we have to remember this is still
a sixteen year old kid here. He also noted that Edward seemed old before
his time, carrying himself like an old man. Nevertheless, the Italian was
impressed. He would later write, quote, it might seem a miracle of
nature to behold the excellent wilt and forwardness that appeared in him, being yet
but a child. This I speak not rhetorically to amplify things or to make
them more true. Is yay, the truth is more than I do utter
end quote. Edward's own interest in astronomy is readily evident in one of his
orations. A lengthy defense of the practice written in fifteen fifty one, against
those who quote hold that it is not useful to the body, nor the
mind, nor the state, a view which ought not undeservingly to become by
affected by much cursing end quote. He argued that astronomy is absolutely necessary to
understanding the world. Edward, we know, owned various astronomical instruments, including
a pillar of astronomy of white bone delivered to him, and also a dial
of ivory. In November fifteen forty nine, he ordered two cases of instruments
of astronomy to be presented to him, and we have every reason to believe
that they were. Cardano also found that Edward had a couple of other physical
defects that he wrote down. He was short cited and a little deaf.
This may have been caused by the difficulty of straining to understand the Italian's pronunciation
of Latin, but certainly multiple people have confirmed that Edward had problems with sight,
and he did own a pair of spectacles which he used as much as
he could. Cardano and Edward actually met multiple times, and Cardono became impressed
more and more each meeting. It is again kind of a wonder to think
about what Edward might have become if he would have lived. Cardano then sat
down to do the second thing he had come to do. He cast Edward's
horoscope. This is a process that occupied him for around one hundred hours.
But again, remember this is serious business. Back in the day, he
calculated his life expectancy and he predicted a long life for the king, though
he did warrant that the King would suffer major illnesses at the age of of
thirty two, thirty four and fifty five. Time, of course, would
prove Cardono wrong on this final horoscope. Edward in fact, would be dead
within about a year. Still, there was a sense that the worst might
be behind England. As the calendar turned to fifteen fifty two. Edward had
restored relations with Princess Mary. Most of the king's foreign loans around one hundred
and thirty thousand pounds about twenty four million in today's money, had been repaid.
But all the money in the world could not paper over one devastating reality.
Edward was dying. In January, Edward fell ill with a fever and
a cough. By the middle of that month, when Mary went to visit
him. She found him bedridden. When Parliament opened that month, it was
a somber affair. We do have a painting from this period that shows Edward
administering over Parliament, which he almost certainly was not. Regardless, this would
prove to be the last living painting of Edward that would ever be made.
Edward had reached the threshold of power, on the very urge of taking the
throne, but now he was too weak to cross it. In April he
was moved to Greenwich, where everyone prayed the clean air would speed his recovery.
But a few days later his condition once again deteriorated. The Privy Council
continued to conduct business as usual, but there was little even they could do
to hide the reality that Edward's life was nearing its end. It was now
finally, at this stage that Edward turned his attentions seriously to a document that
he had been thinking about for a long time. He called it Quote his
Divide End, Quote for the Succession of the Crown. This was the plan
for in the event of his death, an event that seemed to be quickly
approaching, who would inherit the reigns of state? Obviously Edward didn't have any
children of his own, and so in doing this, the goal was pretty
simple. He was going to circumvent Henry the Eighth's succession plan, and he
was going to disinherit his two half sisters, Mary and Elizabeth. This was
remarkable and absolutely revolutionary. Edward was abandoning his family, turning against the traditional
laws of inheritance and his late father's wishes. Instead, he was going to
buy legal fiat create a new dynasty, one founded, in his opinion,
upon the true reformed faith. Whatever the future held, Edward was determined that
his dream of establishing an evangelical realm was going to survive beyond him. Edward
probably made a start on the original draft early that year. His writing is
bold and clear, hardly the work of someone suffering from a debilitating illness.
Edward made it perfectly clear that he might still marry and have heirs of his
own. Possibly he had been thinking of taking the problem of succession to Parliament,
for the initial purpose of the document seems to have been to secure against
a female succession, no doubt in anathema to the young king and the male
dominated tutor society that he ruled. In any case, it seems that at
least at this stage, Northumberland was not aware of the King's intentions for written
and corrected in his own hand, this devise reads very much as Edward's own
making. An anonymous French source believed that the Chief Gentleman of the Privy Chamber,
John Gates, to be one of the quote principles who induced the King
to make out his will to the prejudice of Lady Mary, but there could
have been others. Different sources mention other high ranking male officials like John Cheek,
Thomas Goodrich, and the Bishop of Eli. All of these could have
encouraged the King to work on his will at this point. Now, this
should never be taken as evidence that Edward was browbeaten into writing out his own
sisters from the succession, rather that the king took the widest possible counsel in
drawing up plans for his new evangelical dynasty. According to the original draft,
if Edward died childless, the crown would now descend through the male heirs of
Francis, Duchess of Suffolk, the daughter of Henry Yight's younger sister Mary.
The line of succession would then continue through the male heirs of Francis's daughters Jane,
Catherine and Mary. Princess Mary and Princess Elizabeth, on the other hand,
were to be effectively bought out of the succession if they follow the advice
of the executors and quote be bound to live in quiet order end quote,
they would both receive an annuity of one thousand pounds. If they married according
to the Council's wishes, they would further receive a gift of ten thousand pounds
in addition to the top of the sum set out in Edward's bequest. Now,
of course, the only problem to this plan was that there were no
male heirs in Francis's line. It depends sometime since Francis last gave birth to
a child, and so for the moment, Edward's male heir remained unborn even
if he was choosing this line. Thus, it was more crucial that the
two unmarried daughters of Francis, Jane and Catherine, be married off as soon
as possible. This is the aforementioned Jane Gray, who I talked about in
a previous episode. Person who's going to become in a moment here the shortest
living monarch in English history. And so Jane and Catherine were duly married off
right away. But even after both women were married just a few days later,
Edward and everyone around him realized he couldn't wait for a male heir,
even if both of those women became pregnant instantaneously. He needed to choose somebody
right now. Thus he changed his final will to read that the crown should
pass directly to Lady Jane Gray and her male heirs. That change was crucial.
The crown would now go to Jane. Very few people knew of Edward's
decision. Jane actually didn't know herself. For centuries, people assumed that Northumberland
had been behind it all. Recent scholarship has revealed that Edward thought deeply about
the issue and made the decision himself. We know that Edward did not want
the crown to pass to Catholic Mary, and that was probably his driving impulse.
What led him to write out Elizabeth is a little bit trickier of a
question, regardless. By June the eleventh, the Imperial ambassador was frantically writing
back to the Continent that King Edward was near death. Edward had resolved in
his own mind that Jane was to heed him, but in order that the
legal ends be properly tied up. On June the twelfth, the judges of
the King's Bench were summoned by the Council to discuss the matter of the succession,
joan Edward's devise and commanded to turn it into a legal will. They
were evidently dumbfounded and demanded more time conferring together. However, they considered the
danger of treason overturning the legal succession too great, and two days later they
simply refused. Northumberland flew into a rage. He denounced the Lord Chief Justice
as a traitor and challenge them to the contrary, shouting that he would fight
them then and there if he had to. Always a great legal strategy pick
a fight with the judges. The judges then attempted to compromise. Okay,
maybe Mary should be allowed to succeed to the throne if she swears to make
no alteration to religion. Edward and all those around him sharply rejected that idea.
The next day, the judges returned to face Edward himself. He demanded
angrily to know why his wishes had not been obeyed, to which they explained
that they didn't want to commit treason. Despite his growing weakness, Edward then
proceeded to shout at them. He was convinced Mary would absolutely change the religion
of the country, and in fact, he believes she would leave no stone
unturned in her effort to gain control of the throne, and it would destroy
the foundation of the new evangelical realm. He therefore resolved to quote disown and
disinherit her together with her sister Elizabeth, as though she were a bastard and
sprung from an illegitimate bed end quote. In fact, the king would later
write as follows. For indeed, my sister Mary was the daughter by the
King of Catherine of the Spaniard, who, before she was married to my
worthy father, had been espoused to Arthur, my father's elder brother, and
was therefore for this reason alone divorced by my father. But it was the
fate of Elizabeth, my other sister, to have Anne Boleyn for a mother.
This woman was indeed not only cast off by my father because she was
more inclined to couple with a number of courtiers rather than reverencing her husband so
mighty a king, but also paid the penalty with her head a greater proof
of her guilt. Thus, in our judgment, they will be undeserved,
considered as being numbered among the heirs of our king, beloved father. Quote.
He demanded that his cousin Jane be his heir, and that the judges,
upon their allegiance, draw up letters patent of his will. Northumberland realized
the coming transition would be rocky, so he looked to France for military support
to shore up his position. Henry the Second, still alive, needed allies
to fight the Emperor, so the union made sense on both sides. What
neither side realized at the time was just how badly the English people were about
to reject the idea of Queen Jane. Edward was now unable to keep food
down and could not walk because his legs were so badly swollen. Realizing he
had the upper hand, Henry the Second pressed Northumberland for a commitment of military
force against the Empire in exchange for a promise to support Jane. Northumberland,
for his part, New England was not in a position to make such a
guarantee of strength, but he didn't have a choice. News of Edward's condition
swept across Europe in Brussels. The rumor was he was already dead. Charles
the Fifth was not about to sit idly by and watch his niece Mary failed
to secure the throne. If Northumberland had everything riding on Jane's ascension, Charles
had the same riding on Mary's. So in late June he sent a diplomatic
team with instructions to see that the Catholic princess was the next Queen of England.
Hence, as Edward lay dying, the battle lines were already drawn.
On the evening of the sixth of July fifteen fifty three, Edward seemed at
death's door. According to one witness, he raised his eyes to the heavens
and said, Lord, deliver me out of this miserable and wretched life,
and take me among thy chosen. And howbeit not my will, but thy
will be done. Lord, I commit my spirit to THEE. O Lord,
thou knowest how happy it were for me to be with THEE. Yet
for thy chosen sake, send me life and health that I may truly serve
THEE. Oh Lord, bless my people and save my inheritance. Oh Lord,
save thy chosen people of England. Oh my God. Defed my realm
from papistry and maintain thy true religion, that I and my people may praise
Thy holy name for the sin Jesus Christ's sake. It was moments later then
he was asked what he was doing. Edward's response was, I was praying
to God. He then turned and uttered what were his last words? I
am faint, Lord, have mercy on me and take my spirit. Then
Edward the same Andry the Eighth's only male heir, breathed his last. He
was not quite sixteen years old. Immediately there were rumors that Edward had been
poisoned, and those rumors continued all the way into Elizabeth's reign. The exact
cause of Edward's death has remained a matter of debate. The surgeon who later
opened up Edward's chest found that quote the disease whereon his Majesty died was a
disease of the lungs end quote. Others recorded that he had a tough,
straining cough that became more and more violent as he slowly weakened. Some people
believed that Edward developed a cold after drinking finn an infected cup after a game
of tennis. We don't really know the truth. To understand the nature of
Edward's illness, we can look back to April of fifteen fifty two. Then
Edward described in his journal how he fell sick with what he described as measles
and smallpox. He made a quick recovery, but his brief illness was significant
and most likely responsible for his eventual death. Modern research has shown that measles
can suppress natural immunity to tuberculosis, reactivating the bacteria that can survive within ourselves,
even within healthy lung tissue. The large cavities described by the surgeons opening
up Edward's lungs after his death are typical of such a reactivation and actually can
be seen in patients today. Edward was probably in close contact with at least
one person who had tuberculosis, most likely after his contraction of measles. Modern
studies have shown that exposure to tuberculosis would only need to be brief, perhaps
even fleeting. If this was the case, it was only a matter of
time after Edward had contracted measles that he would succumb to the disease. His
swelling legs, failing pulse, and the loosening of his finger and toenails and
changed skin color, signs that contemporaries took to be the work of poison were
actually secondary symptoms of the disease. Edward's death was lamented across the nation and
beyond, were many considered it to have been a measure of divine punishment.
The only question, though, was if that was true, who was to
be punished For the whole of the next day, Edward's death was kept secret,
but it did not take long for news to leak out. After all,
his death was far from unexpected. Immediately, Northumberland sprang into action.
Jane, if he had his way, was to he crowned Queen of England
in just four days. The key to the plan was to apprehend the Princess
Mary, But when a force arrived at her residency to place her under arrests,
the house was empty. Mary had already fled. In fact, truth
be told, Mary had left that house back on the fourth of July and
was now in Norfolk. Mary knew her rights. She was no puppet,
disinherited by her own father once before. She was not about to lose this
chance at the throne. Oddly, throughout the next few days, Mary had
to do it all on her own. Despite his promises, Charles the Fifth's
imperial delegation did little to nothing to aid her. Meanwhile, the Mayor of
London was brought to the tower where for the first time he was told Jane
Gray was to become queen. Probably stunned, this bewildered man, staring down
several armed guards, affixed his seal to Edward's will and swore to protect the
lady Jane. Jane was then brought to the tower where, on the tenth
of July fifteen fifty three, she was crowned the Queen of England. At
seven pm that night, Trumpeters announced Edward's death and proclaimed Jane queen simultaneously.
According to all reports, thousands of Londoners stood silently, their faces quote sorrowful
and averted end quote. They all knew what this meant. The wars of
the Roses seemed once more upon the Kingdom. Then, on the eleventh of
July, the very next day, the Council received a letter from Mary,
her defiance reverberated throughout mourning her brother's passing, she made clear that the crown
was hers and hers alone, her claim backed by an Act of Parliament and
her father's will was self evident. She wrote, quote, you know the
realm in the whole world, knoweth the roles and records appear by the authority
of the King are said father, and the King our said brother, and
the subjects of this realm, So that we verily trust that there is no
good, true subject that is can or would pretend to be ignorant thereof end
quote, she announced her intention to openly proclaim and publish her title as the
rightful Queen of England. So then it was decided that an armed guard led
by the Duke of Suffolk, would go and apprehend Mary, but he dithered
and dithered. Exasperated, Northumberland decided that he would go on his own.
The next morning, he departed with six hundred men, but as he marched,
the news of Edward's death and Jane's ascension, plus Mary's proclamation struck both
England and the continent. Europe, for its part, seemed ready to recognize
Jane. England wasn't so sure. Many towns were uncertain whether to proclaim Jane
or Mary queen, and did nothing at all. Sending his infantry first,
Northumberland's army made its way toward Cambridge, but once more, Mary was one
step ahead. She had already sent word to her supporters, who had begun
to flock to her defense. Mary realized she couldn't stand up to Northumberland,
and so she kept moving. These armed people that he was calling to her
defense was just a buffer. It was a smart move, by the way,
as she moved, sight of her led town after town to refuse to
support Lady Jane. In fact, town after town declared for Mary. Cities
soon followed suit. Northumberland simultaneously fired off messages to the continent to Henry the
Second, desperate for French military support. Henry sent back messages indicating he would
support Jane's claim, but he didn't send any actual aid. Peasants continued to
rise in Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire as morale around Jane in the Tower plummeted. The
greatest turning point, however, was yet to come. Before Northumberland's departure.
He had dispatched six ships containing around nine hundred men towards Yarmouth in an attempt
to arrest Mary, but they had been hastily prepared with men of little naval
experience and pressed into service to ensure his orders were obeyed. Northumberland had removed
the ship's captains, placing his retinue in charge of the fleet, his servant,
Gilbert Gryce, being in charge of the two hundred ton ship, the
Greyhound. However, a storm scattered the ships and forced the Greyhound to seek
shelter. There. Gryce went ashore to discover news and muster men, but
found himself arrested by suspicious townspeople. The Greyhound then lay at anchor for two
days while the ship's master received enticements from both sides, Gryce sending him three
gold rings requesting he come ashore and speak with him. Eventually, it was
Mary's servant who was allowed to get on board, but he was unable to
convince the crew to take sides, and the Greyhound cast anchor in search of
rest. By now desperate for wages, the mariners had broken over Gryce's chest
and distributed the money therein for themselves. Hearing the news that Greyhound had arrived
nearby, Mary sent her household officer to speak with the crew. At this
point, the crew, having had enough, asked Mary's troops if they would
simply arrest the officers. They replied, of course, that they would and
as a result, the Greyhound switched sides. However, the decision of the
ships to defect to Mary was hardly the mutinary that many commentators sense had made
out of it. Many of the crew had found themselves hastily thrown together under
the control of an unknown and inexperienced captain. Their resolve had been tested to
the extremes by the storm, yet they held out from declaring for Mary until
it was clear that their comrades would not take up arms against them. Back
in the tower, however, news of the ship's defection struck morale badly.
The nobility had now become prisoners in their own fortress, with Suffolk refusing to
allow them to leave the tower. Stuck in Cambridge, Northumberland began to grow
uneasy, and now the bad news started to come like waterfalls. The next
day, Northumberland received news that the Earl of Oxford had defected. The same
day he got word that members of the ruling elite in Sussex had proclaimed Mary
Queen. It was over. Northumberland had failed. The next day, the
great Magnate himself proclaimed Mary Queen. He hoped his about face would earn himself
a pardon. He received an immediate reply. He was to disarm his men
and await further instructions. Mary, for her part, knew little of what
was happening as events continued to spiral. When she did receive word of Northumberland's
capitulation, she was overjoyed. Her first act was to erect a permanent crucifix
on the wall of the residency she happened to be occupying, in an early
sign of things to come to Mary, this was nothing less than the will
of God. Manifested, she would restore England to the true faith, or
she would die trying. Now, back in the tower, Jane was despondent.
She never wanted the crown now, no doubt. Holding back tears,
she wrote to her father and the Duke of Suffolk that she was going to
abdicate now as a quick aside. Remember, Jane Gray is technically the right
trivia answer for the question who was the shortest serving English monarch? She was
queen for nine days. On the third of August fifteen fifty three, Mary
made her triumphal entry into London. Five days later, her half brother was
finally laid to rest in Westminster. Despite some initial fears of vengeance, Mary
issued a blanket pardon for all those who had supported Jane, except Northumberland,
that is, and sadly Jane herself. Northumberland was brought to trial on charges
of treason and convicted to a sentence of death. Jane met the same fate.
Arriving at Tower Hill, Northumberland, was the first to proceed through the
scaffold. Throwing off his gown, he leant upon its east rail. He
confessed how he had been quote an evil liver, and having done wickedly all
the days of my life, and of all most against the Queen's highness end
quote. He asked for forgiveness, and then fell on his knees, claiming
he was not the original doer of his treason. There were others, but
he refused to name them. Instead, he placed the blame for his fall
elsewhere upon the quote false and sedition preachers end quote. He believed that they
had led him to denounce the true Catholic faith. Exalting this one faith,
he rounded upon the arrogance of those who had believed that Edward's reign heralded a
new start, saying, quote, for I pray you since the death of
King Henry the eighth into What misery we have been brought, What open rebellion,
what sedition? What great division has been brought throughout the whole realm.
For God hath delivered us up to our own sensualities, and every day we
wax worse and worse. End quote. He asked forgiveness for all that he
had offended. He thanked Mary in particular for his mercy. It was all
in all an impressive delay. Northumberland had acted the model of repentance, and
many were apparently swayed by his words. The speech was later printed by the
government in English, French and Latin to be distributed across Europe, and a
concern effort to persuade Protestants to return to the Catholic fold. The Duke then
recited a prayer and a psalm out of the deep. I have called unto
thee O Lord, Lord, hear my voice. Oh, let thine ears
consider well the voice of my complaint. If thou Lord will be extreme to
mark what is done, amiss O Lord, who may abide it? For
there is mercy with you. Therefore shalt thou be feared. I look for
the Lord. My soul doth wait for him in his word is my trust.
My soul fleeth unto the Lord before the morning watch. I say,
before the morning watch. If he still held out for a last reprieve,
and part of me thinks a lot of this is an effort to get a
final reprieve from Mary, it would appear clear that there wasn't going to be
one. Taking off Northumberland's jerkin and doublet the executioner handed him their necker sheef.
He placed his head on the block all over with one stroke of the
acts. His bones were taken, ironically to the same graveyard that held the
bones of the man who had fought so hard for the right to rule before
him, the Lord Somerset. Interestingly, there was another set of bones in
that same graveyard, a certain Anne Boleyn, whose daughter we will finally get
to meet in the next few episodes. Henry the sixth has one of the
shorter reigns in all of English history in terms of monarchs. But I don't
think that we can understate the importance of his reign for one second. And
that's because, as I've mentioned several times, upon the death of Henry the
Eighth in fifteen forty seven, it really wasn't clear which way England was going
to go religiously. Henry had walked a fine line. Sure he had created
the Church of England, but at the same time a lot of the doctrine
remained essentially Catholic under Edward the sixth in the six years that he is king,
but really others rule in his name. The situation is one hundred percent
transformed by the time it's over. The English Book of Common Prayer is in
place, Altars have been taken down, churches have been whitewashed, stained glass
windows have been removed. England is effectively Protestant. Now that doesn't mean there
aren't pockets of Catholic resistance. There are plenty, and we'll see them flare
up big time in the coming episodes. But the reality is that in fifteen
forty seven you might have turned back the clock, but as Mary is going
to find out, in fifteen fifty three, there simply was no going back.
And so, with all that being said, next time, Bloody Mary