Succession and Foreign Policy

• Somerset's foreign policy:

  • Inherited a challenging foreign policy situation from Henry VIII and made it worse
  • Concentrated on Scotland, aiming to dissolve the marriage between Edward VI and Mary Queen of Scots
  • Wanted to defeat the Scots militarily, invade, build garrisons and forts, and force them into submission
  • Initially successful with the defeat of the Scottish at the Battle of Pinkie in September 1547
  • Faced challenges such as expensive forts, failure to capture Dunbar and Edinburgh, and underestimated French involvement
• • Mary Queen of Scots married the Dauphin of France, leading to deteriorating relations between England and France
  • Internal rebellions weakened Somerset's position
  • Northumberland reduced foreign policy expenditure significantly after Somerset's removal
  • Sold/gave Boulogne back to the French for £133K
  • Abandoned forts in Scotland and adopted a less confrontational approach
• Northumberland's succession line:

  • Effective government during most of his rule, but remembered for power-hungry actions
  • Henry VIII's will stated Mary would take over if Edward VI couldn't rule or died childless
  • Edward's illness in 1553 raised concerns about his survival into adulthood
  • Northumberland, a staunch Protestant, feared trouble if the Catholic Mary took the throne
  • Participated in the Devyse with Edward to exclude Mary and Elizabeth from the line as 'illegitimate'
  • Lady Jane Grey, married to Northumberland's son, was chosen as the preferred candidate
• • Edward passed away before the plan could be ratified, catching Northumberland off guard
  • Managed to place Lady Jane Grey on the throne briefly before facing challenges
• The Devyse was not Northumberland’s sole idea – it also came from Edward, who only knew Protestantism as he was born after the 'Break from Rome'
• In an attempt to continue Protestantism in England, Edward was willing to disregard his father’s instructions
• The plan was to exclude both Mary and Elizabeth from the line as 'illegitimate' due to the divorce of Henry VIII from Catherine of Aragon and the associated policies
• Lady Jane Grey, a great granddaughter of Henry VII, was selected as the preferred candidate
• Lady Jane Grey was conveniently married to Northumberland's son, Guildford
• In June 1553, as parliament was preparing to confirm the new plan, Edward passed away before it could be ratified
• Northumberland, caught off guard, managed to get Lady Jane Grey on the throne in the few days he had to sort things out, but it was too late