Edward VI was the only surviving son of King Henry VIII of England (and Henry's only child with third wife Jane Seymour, who died two weeks after Edward's birth). Edward had many scholarly tutors and few children for companions, and he had always been sickly, but he was the only male heir. He succeeded his father on the throne in 1547 at the age of 9, and his mother's brother Edward Seymour, Earl of Hertford, became Protector to oversee the boy's childhood ruling (and made himself the Duke of Somerset into the bargain). Edward made zealous religious reformers such as John Knox his court chaplains, so obviously he was keeping to his father's Protestant church ways. He also funded several schools and hospitals.

In 1549, he was forced to agree to have his favorite uncle, Thomas Seymour, executed for treason. This embittered him against Protector Somerset, who was eventually also executed for treason, and replaced by John Dudley, Earl of Warwick ,who made himself Duke of Northumberland. By 1553, Edward was suffering from pulmonary tuberculosis and died after much suffering on 6 June 1553, worrying some English Protestants who did not want Edward's Catholic older half-sister Mary I as queen. Edward was briefly succeeded by Lady Jane Grey and then by Mary.

Thanks Noung for helping with names and titles!

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