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King Edward VI: A Life From Beginning to End

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Series House of Tudor Book 3

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Edward VI, the only legitimate male heir of King Henry VIII, took his seat on the throne at the age of nine. His life would come to an end when he was only fifteen years old, but the mark he would come to leave on England’s history has endured to this day. This part of the Tudor period was chock-full of social unrest and economic struggles as well as turmoil over religious reforms, which the young king and his advisors often made worse by imposing substantial changes on their subjects.


✓ The Rough Wooing
✓ England’s First Protestant King
✓ The Year of Rebellions
✓ The English Reformation
✓ Succession Crisis
✓ Death of a Boy King
And much more!

Edward VI led his country into a new age where the Church of England was no longer tied to the Catholic Church. Putting his efforts into spreading Protestantism throughout all of England, he continued his father’s work of freeing England from the Holy Roman Empire’s grasp. His successor and half-sister, Queen Mary I, better known as “Bloody Mary,” would try to undo many of Edward’s reforms, but the English Reformation to which Edward contributed significantly would resume its course upon her death.

41 pages, Kindle Edition

Published February 11, 2019

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Hourly History

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5 stars
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 34 reviews
Profile Image for Brooke (Books are my Favorite!!).
803 reviews25 followers
July 30, 2025
Reading these British histories is giving me context for the fiction I'm reading now The Game of Kings. King Edward VI ruled from ages 9-15. His skirmishes with Scotland are referenced in the book. He was so determined to keep his Catholic half-sister Mary off the throne he politicked his way to assigning a new heir to avoid Mary being crowned After he died as a teen likely from tuberculosis, Mary could have lived out the rest of life in luxury and comfort. But that was not enough for Bloody Mary who organized a coup to overtake Edwards iv's appointed successor and eventually took the throne for a short time, increasing the tensions between Protestants and Catholics.

Not the most nuanced look at history, but this time period is filled with intrigue that has inspired so much literature, and worth it for me as it helps me connect the dots of complex histories.
Profile Image for Patsy.
614 reviews9 followers
February 17, 2019
This is the Royal History of England during the 1500's, Edward VI at the age of nine was crowned King Edward VI of England, he was the only legitimate heir of King Henry VIII. King Edward only reigned a short time until he was fifteen years old.

Although King Edward VI lived a short life, he followed in his father's foot steps, he continued to lead the people in Protestantism. He left a lasting impression on the people, especially on the Churches of England.

King Edward's rise was a struggle with economics and social issues his work advanced the religious reformation of the Church of England that changed the country forever. King Edward VI made his place in history as a boy king who opened the doors for Protestantism. No matter what happen after his death, the people of England can still see the impact he made while he was king. At the age of fifteen the King Edward VI became ill and on July 6, 1553, he died. He was buried beside his father, King Henry VIII.

Mary, King Edward's half sister, became Queen Mary of England.. Mary reigned for five years before she died. Elizabeth Tudor, her half sister whom was Protestant became Queen Elizabeth of England she reigned for 43 years. The characters were well describe and the book was well written. I enjoy reading these books, they give me a better understanding of England's history. I recommend this book to everyone of all ages.
3,936 reviews21 followers
September 9, 2020
Edward, as the only legitimate son of Henry Vlll, came to the throne at the age of 9 years.  In a word, his goal was 'religion.' It was surprising that such a young person would be so dedicated to reform of his church.  He renounced Catholic ceremonies and rituals; the Church of England became truly Protestant during Edward's reign. 

Another concern Edward faced was the line of succession; there were only females remaining and England had never had a woman rule. He pushed for Lady Jane Grey* to lead England but his choice did not come to pass. 

This is a fine explanation for the unrest in England over religion and the succession that was part of Edward's reign.  Edward was much more active than one would expect of someone of such young years.  He died at the age of 15. Overall: 4.5 stars

* Jane was the great-granddaughter of Henry VII through his younger daughter Mary and was a first cousin once removed of Edward.  Jane was queen for only 9 days before Mary I established her legitimacy and took the throne. 
152 reviews4 followers
August 2, 2019
The Boy King

King Edward was only 9 when he ascended the throne. He was the son of Henry VIII and his 3rd wife, Jane Seymour, who died shortly after his birth. Although a regent initially ruled in his stead, Edward began making decisions on his own around age 14. He was born and raised Protestant and considered his greatest accomplishment to be religious reform. He died only a couple of years later of possible tuberculosis, and tried desperately to have a Protestant cousin placed on the throne instead of his older half-sister Mary, who was a staunch Catholic. This failed, but "Bloody Mary" only ruled 5 years before her own demise and her half-sister Elizabeth continued Edward's reformation of the Church of England. He would be glad to know that the reformation survives today.
Profile Image for Μαρία .
227 reviews3 followers
September 13, 2025
Ο Εδουάρδος ΣΤ΄ σε ηλικία εννέα ετών στέφθηκε Βασιλιάς της Αγγλίας, ως ο μόνος νόμιμος κληρονόμος του Βασιλιά Ερρίκου Η΄. Βασίλευσε για ένα μικρό χρονικό διάστημα, μέχρι την ηλικία των δεκαπέντε ετών. Ακολούθησε τα βήματα του πατέρα του και συνέχισε να ηγείται του λαού στον Προτεσταντισμό. Η άνοδος του ήταν μια διαρκής μάχη με οικονομικά και κοινωνικά ζητήματα. Προώθησε τη θρησκευτική μεταρρύθμιση της Εκκλησίας της Αγγλίας, αλλάζοντας για πάντα τη χώρα. Στις 6 Ιουλίου 1553, σε ηλικία δεκαπέντε ετών, αρρώστησε και πέθανε. Τάφηκε δίπλα στον πατέρα του, τον Βασιλιά Ερρίκο Η΄. Ό,τι και αν συνέβη μετά τον θάνατό του, η επίδρασή του όσο υπήρξε βασιλιάς, είναι ακομη ορατή στον λαό της Αγγλίας.

Γρήγορο, καλογραμμένο με γεγονότα και χαρακτήρες που περιγράφονται έντονα.
1 review
November 2, 2020
A decent overview.

As a student of history, and currently the Tudor period, I have to say that this was a decent enough overview of this young monarch's short, turbulent and often overlooked reign. Obviously it's really only useful as a jumping-off point, and serious students need to dig a lot deeper into the complex issues, and not just the religious ones - which is what this period is most infamous for - but this is a balanced and pretty accurate booklet to help familiarise oneself with its key events.
Profile Image for melody  fuess.
1 review
August 12, 2019
Brief overview

Which is what I expected but I was left wanting to know more about his short life. This is what I like about these books, they can spark my interest and I can choose to do further reading (which I have done with several of these books) or if I'm not interested in the person move on to another subject. Well done!
12 reviews
October 8, 2019
Hourly ebooks always informative

I'm able to read or listen to these on my kindle. I love getting my Friday notice for 6 free ones. Their concise details give me an overview of topic. Look forward to potential subjects of The Queen Mother & the conflict in Belfast Catholics& protestants
20 reviews1 follower
January 26, 2021
Short Life Fits Short Book

While the "Boy King" lived a short time and ruled England an even shorter, he did much to establish the kingdom as Protestant. He desired to keep the Reformation going and block Mary from ascending the throne. He failed in his latter desire. However, because of his reign, Protestantism continues to this day in Great Britain.
Profile Image for Kimberly.
575 reviews17 followers
July 24, 2021
The boy king

His life was short and troubled. He had excellent advisors until they chose personal gain over the good of the realm. It was sad that his relationship with Mary was so awful. Both were stubborn, to the point of stupidity. All of that hate over opinions on religion had to have affected their mental health, and probably their physical health issues too.
2 reviews
October 12, 2021
Found this book very interesting and will encourage me to read more on this time in history, Edward V1 is much less talked about than either of his half sisters Mary or Elizabeth, however after Henry's break from the church in Rome it was Edward and his protectors that really cemented the protestant church in England. Would recommend
40 reviews
October 14, 2023
Interesting reign

This was an interesting read about a less well-known English King. So many different possibilities presented themselves during this period. In the early 21st century all the struggles of this time would appear quite irrelevant in modern Europe where religion is not very important any longer.
Profile Image for Autumn Kearney.
1,205 reviews
July 6, 2024
King Edward VI: A Life from Begining to End. The only information that I was exposed to about the king was while watching the show The Tudors. To be honest, all that I remembered was that he was sickly, isolated, and pampered. He was intelligent and spoke more than one language. Now that I finished reading the book, I now know that he was coddled and a spoiled brat. This book was enlightening.
Profile Image for Lalin.
6 reviews
February 24, 2019
Me encanto

Esta es una perspectiva de la vida de edward que nunca habia leido
Apesar de que su vida fue corta no sabia que habia hecho tanto esfuerzo en evitar the old religion
La verdad me gusto mucho el libro
Cada dia mas hook con libros de historia de los reyes de inglaterra
Profile Image for Anil Swarup.
Author 3 books721 followers
July 26, 2019
He was too young and his tenure too short to make an impact on British History but Edward arrived on the scene as such a juncture that he had to play a critical role in the transition that was taking place in England. The book brings forth such tumultuous moments quite vividly.
200 reviews
November 3, 2020
What a great little book, for when you want to learn a little bit about Edward VI, but you don't want to read an epic-length biography. Quite informative, and written in an interesting, engaging way. I will be reading more books in this series for sure.
Profile Image for Charlie.
1,365 reviews
November 20, 2020
Concise

Clearly written chronological accounting of a brief, but important, part of British, and ultimately American, history. Best written of any of the hourly history pieces I've read so far.
Profile Image for Michael Jones.
10 reviews
February 25, 2021
Good information

Although not a lot of information what was presented is accurate and seems to have a lot of very important dates and people named during the king’s reign. Good quick read. Would recommend.
5 reviews1 follower
November 1, 2021
Edward VI Boy King and Protestant Reformer

Better written than many of the Hourly Histories, this book held my rapt attention. Especially interesting was the account of Kett's Rebellion.

'
Profile Image for Mercedes.
632 reviews13 followers
June 6, 2022
Informative brief synopsis of the life of King Edward VI - England’s boy king on the throne from age 9 to 15 - he influenced much re paving the way for Protestant reform in UK - like his father Henry VIII - he was the first Protestant King, dying so young - was he poisoned or was it TB?
45 reviews
December 31, 2022
I love Elizabethan Stories

I love this era in history. The more I learn, the more I want to read the real lives of these players. The authors have been very good at keeping to the truth and not giving way to rumors, innuendos, and out in out lies.
Profile Image for Lynn.
618 reviews5 followers
January 24, 2023
I learned much from this book

I knew very little about Edward VI other than he died young and was succeeded by Bloody Mary. This book filled in the gaps of my knowledge and explained why Protestantism succeeded in Britain.
13 reviews
January 8, 2025
Edward VI too young to die.

Had Edward been older or in better health his history may have been much different. This time in English history is very interesting and this book was informative, concise and enjoyable I look forward to more books of the same era of England's history.
Profile Image for F.
1,176 reviews9 followers
July 8, 2025
I knew next to nothing concerning this male heir of Henry VIII until I read this tiny volume. Like most Hourly History books this book is concise and yet full of content. I have been reading about Henry's wives, his daughters and now his son. Interesting people, interesting times.
4 reviews1 follower
February 17, 2019
Good brief hidtory

Very pro-Protestant but helpful biography of the king and his reign. A map would be helpful to see where the battles and rebellions took place.
6 reviews1 follower
August 3, 2021
Short and concise

Edward's reign deserves more than a footnote in Tudor history.This brief biography is a good summary and starting point for further research.
Profile Image for Marilyn Arnold.
52 reviews
August 9, 2021
Short but to the point and very interesting. I knew nothing about the boy king but really enjoyed
5 reviews
January 23, 2023
Easy to read in one sitting

I like his style of writing and the thoroughness of the historic characters he writes about. I am reading them all.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 34 reviews

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