The Earl of Hertford and the Earl of Warwick

Paper Summary:

This paper examines how the six years of the young Edward VI's reign represent the most volatile and unstable of any monarch since the Wars of the Roses and how it was filled by the most influential, powerful and successful nobles the Earl of Hertford in 1547 and the Earl of Warwick two years later, otherwise known as Somerset or Northumberland. It looks at how both regencies were short-lived, both plagued by similar social, economic and religious difficulties and both ultimately dependent on the favor of the boy-king. It shows how, despite these similarities, they experienced contrasting success and it examines the legacies each regent inherited, their foreign policies, personalities and contextualises their reigns in regards to the social, economic and political climate of mid-sixteenth century England.

From the Paper:

"Somerset's economic policies revolved around the financing of an exorbitant Scottish campaign. His attacks on enclosures and the debasement of the coinage resulted in rampant inflation forcing the borrowing of money and the mass sale of crown land and a progressive indirect tax on sheep and cloth was pushed through that only served to increase already simmering social tensions. Attempts were made to counter inflation legislative bills to maintain the quality of leather, malt and steel were passed whilst north Atlantic fishermen were made exempt from duties. However, other such bills experienced rejection by parliament, suggesting both a lack of support and respect for the protectorates regime from his immediate peers."

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