Edward Vi Essay

909 Words4 Pages
‘Edward VI had no influence in government’. To what extent do you agree with this? It can be debated as to whether Edward VI was influential in government because of several factors such as being only nine years of age when he was crowned King and whether his early death altered people’s opinions of him and his influence because of his short and, some historians say, insignificant rule. However, there are some contradicting arguments about Edward, including the power of previous child monarchs, such as Henry III and Edward V, who had different experiences as King. Firstly, there are many arguments defending the fact that Edward VI had significant influence in government such as the previous power of child monarchs before him. Henry III, who was the same age as Edward when he came to the throne turned out to be an extremely powerful King, whose reign was defined by the ending of the Civil War and a well-ruled country and government. On the other hand, his adult reign was less of a positive experience, as it resulted in opposition to Henry because of his choice to have Frenchmen at his court. Edward V however was murdered at the age of 12, which was not promising for the child King’s to come. If we were to believe that the positive experiences of child monarchs were shared by each King there had been, it would be easy to say that Edward VI was a powerful King with significant influence in government. Furthermore, it is apparent that Henry VIII’s overwhelming desire for a male heir meant that his only son, Edward VI would have had a good upbringing and education prior to his kingship. Edward himself was very secluded from his father and spent the majority of his time around women, which was a very traditional way of life for a young and upcoming King. Edward’s education was important to him, and with a protestant teacher, Richard Coxe it is suggested that his
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