Kingship and Politics in the Reign of Edward VI

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by Stephen Alford

Cambridge University Press

Due/Published June 2002, 276 pages, cloth

ISBN 0521660556

This book is a reconstruction of the kingship and politics of the third Tudor king of England, Edward VI (born 1537), who reigned between 1547 (from the age of nine) until his death in 1553. The reign has often been interpreted as a period of political instability, mainly because of the king's age. This book explores how the reign was remarkably stable; and also how, during the reign of Elizabeth I (1558-1603) the Edwardian idea of what it was to be a monarch--and many of the same men who had served Edward VI as councillors and courtiers--dominated Tudor politics.

Contents

Preface; 1. Constructing the reign of Edward VI; 2. King and kingship; 3. The dynamics of power, 1547-1553; 4. Reforming the kingdom; 5. An evolving polity, 1549-1553; 6. Beyond 1553: the Edwardian legacy; Bibliography.