How Edward Seymour Went from Power to the Scaffold

 

On this day in Tudor history, 8 October 1549, England’s most powerful man became its newest traitor. Edward Seymour, Duke of Somerset and uncle to the boy-king Edward VI, had ruled England as Lord Protector since 1547. 

 

He pushed bold reforms (the Act of Uniformity and the Book of Common Prayer) but rebellion, rivalry, and ambition brought him down. When unrest broke out in 1549 - the Prayer Book Rebellion and Kett’s Rebellion - Somerset’s authority crumbled. He panicked, calling men to arms and taking the young king to Windsor. His enemies, led by John Dudley, Earl of Warwick, moved fast. On 8 October 1549, the Privy Council branded Somerset a traitor. By the 11th, he had surrendered. Within days, he was in the Tower; his protectorate abolished.

 

But this is Tudor England… and there’s always a twist.

Somerset returned to power briefly, only to be accused of plotting against Northumberland and executed in January 1552.

 

Join me, historian and author Claire Ridgway, as we explore how ambition, politics, and faith brought down the “Good Duke".

 

Was Somerset a reformer out of his depth, or a ruthless operator undone by his own hand? Tell me in the comments!

 

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