Edward Seymour, Earl of Hertford = Lord Protector and Duke of Somerset
Overthrew Regency Council and awarded himself control
Appointed own Household (Sir Michael Stanhope)
Led to factional rivalries - Earl of Southhampton arrested
William Cecil
Own household
had little
experience =
poor
government?
The situation in 1547
Religious Reform Confused
Religious Reform under Somerset
1547 Chantries Act
1548 = first
Prayer Book
still had catholic
elements
1548 first Act of Uniformity
made the prayer book the
offical liturgy
1547 Repeal
of the six
articles
removed
Catholic
doctrine
1549 Act allowed Clergy to Marry
1547 Book of Homilies
prevent Catholic
preaching
1547 Royal
injunctions
removed
superstitious
images
1548
proclamations
to lessen
Protestant
unrest
1548
images to be
removed
1548 Only
authorised
Clergy
allowed to
preach
Religious Reform under Northumberland
Dec 1549
Proclamations
orders the
destruction of
remaining images
Jan 1550: new
ordinal included oath
to saints
Nov 1550:
Stone altars
removed and
replaced with
wooden tables
Jan 1552: 2nd
book of common
prayer = highly
protestant
Apr 1552: 2nd Act of
uniformity enforced prayer
book
Nov 1552: 43 articles
War with Scotland
Invades Scotland to claim Edward's suzerainty over Scotland
Treaty of Greenwich
(1543) to marry MQS
and Edward
debases coinage to
pay for war (raises
£537,000) adds to
inflation
Consequences =
the declaration of
war from Henry II
in 1549
Forts hard to garrison
English could not capture Dunbar and Edinburgh castles
Need to increase revenue
Population increase and vagrancy increase
Social Policy = Rebellions
Kett's Rebellion 1549
Robert Kett: march on
Norfolk + 16,000 followers.
Stormed walls, controlling
2nd biggest city.
John Dudley: Duke of
Northumberland sent
to control rebels,
killing 3,000 of Kett's
men. Kett executed
December 7th 1549
Western Rebellion 1549
Cornwall and Devon
Government
Used 70 proclamation
over 3 years. Many
passed by Somerset.
Obtained sole custody
of dry stamp and tried to
insist that the King's
signiture was only valid
with his counter
signature.
Little concern for the
poor: Vagrancy Act
1547 (any person
who was out of work
for more than 3 days
would be sold into
slavery for two
years.