Somerset Research Paper

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Who was he? The Protector Somerset was, firstly, Edward Seymour, brother of Jane Seymour. This made him Edward's uncle. He was also the Earl of Hertford. He was given the title of the Duke of Somerset by Edward, shortly after the young boy became King and this is the title most used by historians. But it is important to remember that before 1547 he was not 'Somerset'. He had served in Henry's council, and was well liked by the dead king. He probably earned Henry's respect through his military exploits. By 1547, he had a reputation as a fine soldier, having seen action in France and in the north. He was one of the sixteen men appointed to rule as the regency council. However, he quickly rose to prominence, presenting himself as the 'natural'…show more content…
The international position was such in 1547 that England was at war with France, and relations with Scotland were also very strained. To make matters worse, the French had an alliance with the Scots, which made their northern enemy all the more aggressive in their dealings with England, and it meant that England could easily find itself fighting a war on two fronts, which would be extremely costly. Somerset was bound by Henry's will. Henry had made a bid for the Scottish throne by betrothing, his then six year old son, Edward, to the young Scottish princess, Mary (later Queen of Scots - don't confuse her with Mary Tudor, who was Edward's half-sister). This arrangement was finalised by the Treaty of Greenwich, 1543. However, the engagement was broken by the Scots, and it was arranged that Mary would marry the Dauphin. With the possibility of an alliance with France totally removed, Somerset began his campaign against Scotland. Things went well initially. Somerset and Dudley led their armies on Berwick, and with the aid of a number of foreign mercenaries marched up into the lowlands to defeat the Scots in the Battle of Pinkie (September 1547). But then Somerset did nothing for months, allowing the Scottish to secure French support, and this they did. In June 1548, over 6,000 French troops landed in Scotland. They captured English forts, and secured the safe passage of the princess Mary to France for her impending
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