King Edward VI was only 9 years old when he became King of England and Ireland on this day 476 years ago, and he was just 15 when he died, but some significant changes were accomplished during his reign. His father was Henry VIII, under whose reign the Church of England had broken away from the Church of Rome, although Henry liked Roman liturgical ceremony and had resisted many of the reforms being urged upon him.
Edward became the first Protestant king of England. Sixteen executors were appointed in his father’s will to act as Edward’s council until he reached 18. Edward’s uncle, Edward Seymour, became Lord Protector of the Realm and assumed most of the powers and responsibilities of government. Seymour was mainly interested in fighting expensive wars with Scotland, and in 1549 he was arrested and replaced by John Dudley.
During Edward’s reign, a number of important reforms were made to the Church of England under the leadership of Archbishop Thomas Cranmer. The requirement that clergy remain celibate was abolished. Worship services were required to be held in English, rather than Latin, using the Book of Common Prayer. The Mass was abolished. Although these reforms were reversed during the reign of Queen Mary, they subsequently became entrenched in the practices of the Church of England.