Edward VI of England

:Edward Tudor redirects here; for another (though unlikely) Edward Tudor, see a putative younger son of Henry VII of England, thus this Edward's uncle if existed

Early life

Edward was born at the Palace of Placentia in Greenwich. He was the son of Henry VIII by his wife, Jane Seymour, who died twelve days afterwards from puerperal fever. It is sometimes asserted that Jane sacrificed her life by the performance of a Caesarean section, but such assertions are without basis. Edward automatically became Duke of Cornwall upon his birth; he was, however, never created Prince of Wales, as was (and still is) customary for the heir-apparent to the Throne.

Related Topics:
Palace of Placentia - Greenwich - Henry VIII - Jane Seymour - Puerperal fever - Caesarean section - Duke of Cornwall - Prince of Wales

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Henry VIII was extremely pleased by the birth of a male heir. He had left his two previous wives, Catherine of Aragon (mother of Mary) and Anne Boleyn (mother of Elizabeth), because of their failure to produce male heirs. Both marriages had been annulled, and Anne Boleyn was also executed; Mary and Elizabeth were deemed illegitimate. Despite their illegitimacy, however, they were reinserted into the line of succession after Edward in 1544.

Related Topics:
Catherine of Aragon - Mary - Anne Boleyn - Elizabeth - Annulled - Illegitimate - Line of succession - 1544

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Edward was an extremely sickly child. It has been theorised that he suffered from congenital syphilis or from tuberculosis. His frailty led Henry VIII to quickly seek to remarry; the King's last three marriages, however, did not produce any children. Edward's physical difficulties did not impede his education; on the contrary, the young prince was a very bright child, already able to speak Latin at the age of seven. He later learned to speak French and Greek; by the age of thirteen, he found himself translating books into the latter language. His principal tutors were Sir John Cheke, Leonard Cox, and Jean Belmain.

Related Topics:
Congenital syphilis - Tuberculosis - Latin - French - Greek - Sir John Cheke - Leonard Cox - Jean Belmain

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