lord dudley lord protector

The Royal Scandal That Rocked Elizabeth I's Teenage Years On 11 October, the council had Seymour arrested and brought the king to Richmond. The Lord Protector's victory was short-lived; he followed Thomas to the scaffold in January 1552, after a coup by another grasping nobleman. [51] Edward summarised the charges against Somerset in his Chronicle: "ambition, vainglory, entering into rash wars in mine youth, negligent looking on Newhaven, enriching himself of my treasure, following his own opinion, and doing all by his own authority, etc."[54]. [206] Further questions were unwelcome, as Charles V's ambassadors found out: "it was thought best not to inquire too closely into what had happened, so as to make no discoveries that might prejudice those [who tried the duke]". Although Seymour was released from the Tower and restored to the council in early 1550, in October 1551 he was sent to the Tower on an exaggerated charge of treason. Together with Sir William Paulet and the Earl of Arundel, another Catholic, he visited Somerset in the Tower to conduct his examination on treason . Convicted of high treason, Northumberland returned to Catholicism and abjured the Protestant faith before his execution. [26], In 1545, he directed the fleet's operations before, during, and after the Battle of the Solent and entertained King Henry on the flagship Henri Grace a Dieu. John Dudley is the new Lord Protector (Becoming Elizabeth) [53] Somerset tried in vain to raise a popular force and entrenched himself with the King at the fortress Windsor Castle. The execution of Edward Seymour, Duke of Somerset 266, 271, Loades 1996 pp. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester | Olivia Hayfield [131] A year later it was agreed that King Edward was to have a French bride, the six-year-old Elisabeth of Valois. [133] Despite the cessation of hostilities, English defences were kept on a high level: nearly 200,000p.a. [28], Edward Seymour faced less manageable opposition from his younger brother Thomas, who has been described as a "worm in the bud". All dudley products are built with the unmatched strength and durability that you've come to know and trust. [23] In late 1544 he was appointed Governor of Boulogne, the siege of which had cost the life of his eldest son, Henry. Shall we hold the plough ourselves, play the carters and labour the ground with our own hands?" [203], A black legend about the Duke of Northumberland was already in the making when he was still in power, the more after his fall. Northumberland was completely unprepared for the crisis which eventually overtook him. [78] William Cecil was still in the Duke of Somerset's service when he gradually shifted his loyalty to John Dudley, who made him Secretary of State and thought him "a most faithful servant and by that term most witty [wise] councillor as was scarce like in this realm". His sister Mary was invited to visit him, the Council doing "duty and obeisance to her as if she had been Queen of England". These executors were supplemented by twelve men "of counsail" who would assist the executors when called on. In 1547, Dudley was created Earl of Warwick and, with the Duke of Somerset, England's Lord Protector, distinguished himself in the renewed Scottish war at the Battle of Pinkie Cleugh. 176177; Heal 1980 pp. The high costs of the garrison could thus be saved and French payments of redemption of roughly 180,000 were a most welcome cash income. At home he reversed Somersets liberal agrarian policies by suppressing peasants who resisted enclosurenormally the taking by propertied classes of arable land held in common by the peasants. [4], Upon the death of Henry VIII (28 January 1547), Seymour's nephew became king as Edward VI. The threat of war with Scotland was also neutralised, England giving up some isolated garrisons in exchange. Knowing this was imminent, he married his son Guildford off to Lady Jane Grey, Edward's Protestant cousin . the Duke of Somerset had granted himself, thus reaching an income of over 10,000p.a. But the Scots were not to be won over yet, and would not be persuaded; the protector led another army into Scotland in September 1547, and won the Battle of Pinkie Cleugh on 10 September. [167] As late as 12 June, though, he still knew nothing specific, despite having inside information about Edward's sickness. 7980; Starkey 2001 pp. In conclusion: from birth, Dudley had been taught that violence and screaming would always allow him to get his own way. viiviii; Jordan and Gleason 1975 pp. Omissions? [58] In the early 20th century this line was taken by the influential A. F. Pollard, to be echoed by Edward VI's 1960s biographer W. K. Jordan. Until recent decades, Seymour's reputation with historians was high, in view of his many proclamations that appeared to back the common people against a rapacious landowning class. "[187] The next morning the Earl of Arundel arrived to arrest him. Military force near King Edward's presence was unthinkable and, apparently, Dudley and Archbishop Cranmer brokered an unofficial deal with Somerset, who surrendered. [4], Seymour also attempted to bring uniformity to forms of worship, and in 1549 the first Act of Uniformity introduced a Book of Common Prayer that attempted to compromise between different teachings; it was replaced by a more severe form in 1552, after his fall. In the following weeks Dudley conducted courts-martial which executed many rebels, perhaps up to 300. 120123; Jordan and Gleason 1975 p. 57, Ives 2009 pp. At the same time Cecil had intimate contact with the King because Edward worked closely with the secretaries of state. [221] Historians have often believed that he had no faith whatsoever, being a mere cynic. [17] Seymour may have done a deal with some of the executors, who almost all received hand-outs. [45], The same justification for outbreaks of unrest was voiced throughout the country, not only in Norfolk and the west. [168] After Jane's accession in July the ambassadors of both powers were convinced she would prevail, although they were in no doubt that the common people backed Mary. The King was hoping for the good services "which the said John Dudley is likely to do". [20] After King Edward, now fourteen, had raised his father to the dukedom of Northumberland in October 1551, John Dudley became styled Earl of Warwick. [152] Often perceived as proof of a conspiracy to bring the Dudley family to the throne,[153] they have also been described as routine matches between aristocrats. Dudley took part in the 1544 campaigns in Scotland and France and was one of HenryVIII's intimates in the last years of the reign. [146], The 15-year-old King fell seriously ill in February 1553. 214215; Christmas 1997, Loades 2003 pp. [190] He was now commonly thought to have poisoned King Edward while Mary "would have been as glad of her brother's life, as the ragged bear is glad of his death". [40] On one occasion he fought his way out of an ambush and, spear in hand, chased his Scottish counterpart for some 250 yards (230m), nearly running him through. [50], Whatever the popular view of the Duke of Somerset, the disastrous events of 1549 were taken as evidence of a colossal failure of government, and the Council laid the responsibility at the Protector's door. 171172; Jordan 1970 pp. [97] However, the set prices were so unrealistic that farmers stopped to sell their produce at the open market and the regulations had to be rescinded. [48], The Lord Protector, in his proclamations, appealed to the common people. The two most serious rebellions, which required major military intervention to put down, were in Devon and Cornwall and in Norfolk. [24] Next to Edward Seymour, Prince Edward's maternal uncle, Dudley was one of the leaders of the Reformed party at court, and both their wives were among the friends of Anne Askew, the Protestant martyr destroyed by Bishop Stephen Gardiner in July 1546. [117] Cranmer's canon law was finally wrecked by Northumberland's furious intervention during the spring parliament of 1553. Quoted in, "Their aim was not to bring down government, but to help it correct the faults of local magistrates and identify the ways in which England could be reformed. [3] Prior to and during the Protectorate, the Book of Common Prayer was a central element of the emerging Protestant literature. "[239] A French eyewitness of 1553 described him as "an intelligent man who could explain his ideas and who displayed an impressive dignity. And after he had thus spoken he kneeled down and bowing toward the block he said, I have deserved a thousand deaths, and thereupon he made a cross upon the straw, and kissed it, and laid his head upon the block, and so died. It was said that "his men forsook him", as the London chronicler. 141142, MacCulloch 2001 p. 154; Loades 1996 p. 255, Loades 1996 pp. 3637, Ives 2009 p. 109; Loades 1996 pp. The panels of the jury and judges were largely made up of his former colleagues. Convinced of the Protector's incompetence, he and other privy councillors forced Somerset out of office in October 1549. The Earl of Leicester was a loyal supporter of Queen Elizabeth I. Dudley was a careful advisor and attended court regularly. 257258; Loach 2002 p. 170, Chapman 1962 p. 149; Ives 2009 p. 241242, Tytler 1839 pp. 248251; Loach 2002 p. 113; Hoak 1980 p. 42, Loades 2004 p. 76; Jordan and Gleason 1975 pp. He was already losing his grip upon the situation before the council defected, and that was why they did it. Answered that the Great Seal of a usurper was worth nothing, he asked "whether any such persons as were equally culpable of that crime might be his judges". Starting with the Protector, each side issued proclamations accusing the other of treason and declared to act in defence of the King's safety. 8285; MacCulloch 2001 pp. [29] As King Edward's uncle, Thomas Seymour demanded the governorship of the king's person and a greater share of power. He served under Edward Seymour, earl of Hertford, in the invasion of Scotland in 1544. 218219, Loades 1996 p. 254; MacCulloch 2001 p. 170, Loades 1996 pp. Rewarded with the title Duke of Somerset, Seymour became the effective ruler of England. The other remaining options are: Oliver Cromwell - became lord protector in 1653. 142, 148; Loades 1996 p. 202, Ives 2009 p. 7; Loades 1996 pp. [136] The Duke pursued a policy of neutrality, a balancing act that made peace between the two great powers attractive. [56] However, Dudley and Cranmer secured the Reformed agenda by persuading Edward to appoint additional Reformed-minded members to the Council and Privy Chamber. 122123, 124; Jordan and Gleason 1975 p. 12, Ives 2009 pp. Until the 1970s, historians had a highly positive view of Somerset, seeing him as a champion of political liberty and the common people, but since then he has also often been portrayed as an arrogant and inept ruler of the Tudor state. 8182, Loades 1996 pp. In October 1549, Somerset was forced out of power and imprisoned in the Tower of London by John Dudley, Earl of Warwick and a group of privy councillors. Guildford Dudley - Northumberland's son and Lady Jane Grey's husband. [70] Somerset was acquitted of treason, but convicted of felony for raising a contingent of armed men without a licence. John Dudley, 1st Duke of Northumberland KG (1504 [1] - 22 August 1553) was an English general, admiral, and politician, who led the government of the young King Edward VI from 1550 until 1553, and unsuccessfully tried to install Lady Jane Grey on the English throne after the King's death. Language links are at the top of the page across from the title. [4], In July 1544 he was appointed lieutenant of the realm under Catherine Parr, Henry's sixth wife and regent, during Henry's absence at Boulogne, but in August he joined the king and was present at the surrender of the town. 238239; Adams 1995 p. 44, Loades 1996 pp. Our editors will review what youve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. In defiance of Henry VIII's will, the new king's uncle, Edward Seymour, Duke of Somerset, had been named lord protector, and was ruling with the authority of a king and the arbitrariness of a tyrant. [211] However, he saw the King on the verge of assuming full authority at the beginning of 1553 (with Dudley contemplating retirement) and ascribed the succession alteration to Edward's resolution, Northumberland playing the part of the loyal and tragic enforcer instead of the original instigator. On this day in history, 11th October 1549, Edward Seymour, the Duke of Somerset, Lord Protector of the Realm and Governor of the King's Person, was arrested and brought in front of Edward VI who summarised his charges as "ambition, vainglory, entering into rash wars in mine youth, negligent looking on Newhaven, enriching himself of my treasure, . His Grace John Dudley Born 1504 London Died 22 August 1553 (aged 48-49) Tower Hill, London Cause of death What Happened To Lord Dudley Lord Protector? [4] Instead, he was executed for felony (that of seeking a change of government) on 22 January 1552 after scheming to overthrow Dudley's regime. If there were no male heirs at the time of his death, England should have no king until the birth of a male royal child; a detailed system of female regency provisions was to apply in this case. [60] He excluded Southampton and other conservatives, but arranged Somerset's release and his return to the Privy Council and Privy Chamber. [20], Seymour's appointment was in keeping with historical precedent,[21] and his eligibility for the role was reinforced by his military successes in Scotland and France. As his death approached, Edward changed his will so that his Protestant cousin Jane Grey, Northumberland's daughter-in-law, could inherit the Crown. When his wife would later end up dying after being pushed down a . The army proceeded from Cambridge to Bury St Edmunds and retreated again to Cambridge. So soon as he was in power, Dudley put pressure on her to stop her from allowing her entire household and flocks of visitors to attend. [7] In 1524 Dudley became a Knight of the Body,[8] and from 1534 he was responsible for the King's body armour as Master of the Tower Armoury. 238, Loades 1996 pp. 225226; Ives 2009 p. 96; Loades 1996 pp. [96] Parishes were to register their needy inhabitants as well as the amounts people agreed to give for them, while unwilling contributors were to be "induced" by the parson and, if need be, by the bishop. [209] This interpretation was enhanced by the High and Late Victorian historians, James Anthony Froude and A. F. Pollard, who saw Somerset as a champion of political liberty whose desire "to do good"[210] was thwarted by, in Pollard's phrase, "the subtlest intriguer in English History". "Parliament and the Reformation of Edward VI. ccxxii, ccxxiv; Ives 2009 p. 104, Katherine Hastings, Countess of Huntingdon, William Paulet, 1st Marquess of Winchester, Attainder of Duke of Northumberland and others Act 1553, "DUDLEY, Sir John (1504/6-53), of Halden, Kent; Dudley Castle, Staffs. [21] Being now a peer, Dudley became Lord Admiral and a Knight of the Garter in 1543; he was also admitted to the Privy Council. [134] In his capacity as Warden-General of the Scottish Marches, Northumberland arranged for the building of a new Italianate fortress at Berwick-upon-Tweed. [130] The peace with France was concluded in the Treaty of Boulogne in March 1550. Many of them see him as highly principled and concerned for the care of the poor within England's realm. John Roche Dasent (London, 1890), pp.