Who did more to make England a Protestant nation during Edward VI's reign, Northumberland or Somerset?

Edward VI's reign (1547 - 1553) experienced a religious transformation, turning England from a predominately Catholic nation at the close of Henry VIII's reign to a fully fledged Protestant Country in 1553. Both regents, Edward Seymour, First Duke of Somerset and John Dudley, Duke of Northumberland oversaw different aspects of England's spiritual conversion. Somerset's protectorate can be attributed to with an effective campaign for the removal of Catholicism rather than the direct establishment of Protestantism. For example, under Somerset's tenure, the Treason Act of 1534 was repealed which allowed the further publication of Protestant religious books such as the Lutheran Book of Homilies. In addition, Seymour also implemented the Chantries Act in December 1547, an Act that ordered the dissolution of religious houses that were used for prayers to the dead in order to reduce the deceased time in purgatory.
This is in comparison to Dudley's premiership, which built upon the foundations set by Somerset, and actively oversaw the complete implementation of Protestant doctrine and ceremony into England. Northumberland endorsed the Second Prayer Book in January 1552, an explicit Protestant text in comparison to the more conservative First Prayer Book of 1548, published under Somerset's premiership. Dudley, also indicated his commitment to establishing Protestantism by appointing devout Protestants to important clerical offices. Men such as Nicolas Ridley and John Hooper, were appointed as Bishop of London and Gloucester respectively and while Ridley was in office he issued injunctions enforcing Protestant measures within his diocese.

Related History A Level answers

All answers ▸

"'Gladstone's attack on Disraeli's foreign policy was the most important reason for the Conservative defeat in the 1880 election.' How far do you agree? [50]" - How would one write an introduction to this essay question?


I know a lot of the content for my history exam but my marks are consistently poor. What do I need to do to improve?


Were the main consequences of the Treaty of Versailles economic?


How can I effectively plan my essay?


We're here to help

contact us iconContact usWhatsapp logoMessage us on Whatsapptelephone icon+44 (0) 203 773 6020
Facebook logoInstagram logoLinkedIn logo
Cookie Preferences