King Henry VIII died on the 28th of January. He left behind a nine-year-old heir - Prince Edward, Duke of Cornwall. It was the first time England had a king in his minority since Edward V and his reign ended in a bloodless coup, a trip to the tower, and the accession of Richard III, his uncle as monarch. 

Once again, the deceased king had left his son and heir in the care of an uncle, only this time, Uncle Richard, Edward’s uncle, the Earl of Hertford, Edward Seymour, was not inclined to get rid of his nephew and assume the throne. 

The kingdom was governed by a succession of advisors, beginning with Edward Seymour and ending with John Dudley the Duke of Northumberland. However, Edward, whose religious views were fully formed even at the age of nine, took an avid and active participatory interest in the religious trajectory of the realm. He was assisted in this by his uncle but also by his godfather Thomas Cranmer, the Archbishop of Canterbury. Under Edward VI, England was led to embrace Protestantism. In the south and southeast the move was applauded however in the north and the west the king met with resistance. 

Edward hosted men like Hugh Latimer, a staunch Protestant and powerful preacher at his court, often listening to his sermons at Whitehall Palace. During Edward’s reign, chantries were closed, thus ending prayers for the dead, images were removed from churches and the prayer book was issued in English.