Expert: Joseph Logue - 9/3/2006

Question
In terms of Law and order and power what was Henry the 8ths legacy to Edward the 6th

Answer
Hello Kieran,

This by necessity must be a short answer because it is too complex to answer fully here.  However, Henry VIII left his son Edward VI a kingdom that was at the beginning stages of becoming a nation.  By that, I mean that England had separated from Rome (though not cleanly; the religious issue would always remain), and was now answerable, if you will, only to itself.  This means that its system of justice had no higher court of appeal (to the Pope or Emperor primarily), and that its Parliament was the body entrusted with making law.  Since the break with Rome meant that the rule of canonical, or Church, law was now disrupted, the primacy of the common law could begin.  England had been building towards the establishment of the common law for centuries (Magna Carta and all that), but Henry's repudiation of Rome could facilitate it to its "logical" outcome:  a nation run by laws and not religious teachings.

Power?  That is a sticky issue, because Edward VI was a boy when he became king at the age of nine in 1547.  This meant that the nation needed a Regent, an adult who would act in the name of the monarch until he became an adult.  This man was the king's uncle, Edward Seymour (Queen Jane's brother), who as the Duke of Somerset became Protector.  As is often the case at such times, those who stood to benefit by this connection to the crown acted in ways that were not truly in the nation's best interests.  The monarch is usually seen to be above such squabbles, and thus can be trusted to always have the country's best interests at heart.  The nation became quite factionalized over the issue of religion, with those in the North generally adhering to the old faith, while those in the South and at court becoming Protestants.  Edward himself was a devout Protestant, which really meant anti-Catholic at that stage of developments.

So, yes, there was law and order throughout the land at Henry's death, chiefly due to his enormous appetite for exerting power and for attempting to stabilize the nation after the beginnings of the Reformation.  The crown was indeed quite powerful, but because of Edward's minority others with more immediate gains in mind exploited and dissipated the king's power.  At the time of Edward's death in 1553 (when he was 16), and the ascension of his older sister Mary -- a devout Catholic who turned the force of the throne against the "heretics" -- the laws of England and the power of the sovereign were joined in self-defeating religious wars.  It would take the reign of Edward and Mary's other sister, Elizabeth I, the last Tudor, to make England a great nation.

A visit to your local library will give you the opportunity to learn more about the subject.  I can recommend the titles "Tudor England" by John Guy, "The Tudors," by Richard Rex, and "Kingship and Politics in the Reign of Edward VI," by Stephen Alford.  Ask a reference librarian for assistance in finding these and other titles.

Thanks very much for visiting AllExperts, Kieran, and come back soon.

Sincerely,

Joseph Logue