Historical Figures Codexery

Edward Seymour, 1st Duke of Somerset

Lord Protector of England and uncle of King Edward VI

Edward Seymour, 1st Duke of Somerset

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Edward Seymour, 1st Duke of Somerset, was an English nobleman who served as Lord Protector of England from 1547 to 1549 during the minority of his nephew King Edward VI.[1] He was the eldest surviving brother of Queen Jane Seymour, the third wife of King Henry VIII.[1] His rule ended in 1549 after a series of costly wars, financial ruin, and widespread rebellions.[2]

Quick Facts

Born
c. 1500
Died
22 January 1552
Field
Politics, military
Nationality
English
Known for
  • Lord Protector of England
  • Duke of Somerset
  • military campaigns in Scotland

Facts from the source article.

Life and work

Edward Seymour was born around 1500, the son of Sir John Seymour and Margery Wentworth.[3] In 1514, aged about 14, he received an appointment in the household of Mary Tudor, Queen of France.[3] He served in the Duke of Suffolk's campaign in France in 1523 and was knighted on 1 November.[4] In September 1542 he was appointed Warden of the Scottish Marches and later Lord High Admiral.[5]

Upon the death of Henry VIII in January 1547, Seymour's nephew became king as Edward VI.[2] In October 1551 he was sent to the Tower on an exaggerated charge of treason and was executed for felony on 22 January 1552.[6] In March 1547, he obtained letters patent that gave him the authority, nearly equal to a monarch's, to personally choose who would sit on the Privy Council.[7] The Vagabonds Act 1547, which he introduced, stipulated that any able-bodied man without work for three days or longer was to be sold into slavery for a two-year term.[8]

What the cited sources add

Both sons were excluded in 1540 from their paternal and maternal inheritances, with all claims to their father's dignities postponed to his children by his second wife.[9] The elder son John Seymour died in the Tower of London in December 1552, having survived his father by 11 months.[9] The younger son Lord Edward Seymour was sent to the Tower in 1551 but later released and became heir to his elder brother.[10] When the seventh Duke of Somerset died in 1750, the male line from Edward Seymour and Anne Stanhope ended, and the dukedom passed to those descended from Edward Seymour's first wife.[5]

References

  1. Wikipedia, "Edward Seymour, 1st Duke of Somerset" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Beer 2009 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  2. Wikipedia, "Edward Seymour, 1st Duke of Somerset" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: ; (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  3. Wikipedia, "Edward Seymour, 1st Duke of Somerset" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Pollard 1911; (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  4. Wikipedia, "Edward Seymour, 1st Duke of Somerset" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: ; Cartwright, "The History of Western Sussex", J. B. Nichols, 1830, p. 283 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  5. Wikipedia, "Edward Seymour, 1st Duke of Somerset" (CC BY-SA 4.0) en.wikipedia.org
  6. Wikipedia, "Edward Seymour, 1st Duke of Somerset" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: ; ; ;; (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  7. Wikipedia, "Edward Seymour, 1st Duke of Somerset" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: ; In 1549, William Paget described him as king in all but name.; ; (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  8. Wikipedia, "Edward Seymour, 1st Duke of Somerset" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Edward Seymour and Government", History Learning Site, 17 March 2015 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  9. Wikipedia, "Edward Seymour, 1st Duke of Somerset" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Beer 2009; , pedigree of Seymour; ; Seymour 1972, p. 116–117; Locke, A. Audrey, The Seymour Family: History and Romance, London, 1911, p. 193; Locke, A. Audrey, The Seymour Family: History and Romance, London, 1911, p. 193 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
  10. Wikipedia, "Edward Seymour, 1st Duke of Somerset" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Locke, A. Audrey, The Seymour Family: History and Romance, London, 1911, p. 194; The Complete Peerage vol.XIIpI, p.84 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org

Each numbered sentence above was checked against the source it cites before publication. Sentences citing Wikipedia adapt text from the English Wikipedia article Edward Seymour, 1st Duke of Somerset (contributors), used under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is available under the same licence. Other sources were used for facts only; no text or images are copied from them.

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