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he was caught wooing Lady Jane Grey. Eventually the Council had him arrested for various charges, he held trial and was beheaded in 1549. Edward Seymour's problems seemed to be at rest, however from that point on his position as Lord Protector was continuously under threat.

Religious tension fuelled the fire for revolts and general unrest during 1549. Near the end of the year Edward Seymour felt his role as Lord Protector was threatened because of his ineffectiveness to govern England. He fled to Windsor Castle with the young king for safety. The council, led by John Dudley, had Seymour arrested and took Edward VI back to Richmond. In February 1550 John Dudley, although not officially appointed Lord Protector, took over the position. Seymour was reinstated as a member of the Council, however he was arrested for a felony and executed in 1552.

In contrast to Edward Seymour's tenure John Dudley is credited for bringing balance back to the government. His desire for power, however, did not differ much. Over a two-year period John Dudley brought members of his own faction into the Council and filled the royal house with members of his own family. Because of the high cost of war John Dudley signed a peace treaty with France and pulled the troops out of Scotland. Local unrest was dealt with and measures were put in place to prevent further disturbances. Because Dudley believed in the same Protestant religion Edward VI did he could continue to reform England. And although the full effects were not felt until Queen Elizabeth's reign, John Dudley began to clean up the King's finances.

In January of 1553 Edward became ill with an ever-worsening cough and a fever. By the following May his condition was grave. All of John Dudley's work in the reformation of England and the station that everyone in the Council enjoyed was about to be destroyed by the succession of Mary, Edward's older Catholic sister. Going with the idea that Henry VIII set in motion that a king could decide who his heir would be Dudley had Edward remove Mary and Elizabeth from the line of succession and instead name Lady Jane Grey the next Queen of England. This worked out well for Dudley, as his son Guilford was married to Jane.

On July 6, 1553 Edward VI died. The cause of his death is not known, however many historians believe it could have been either tuberculosis or pneumonia. As with many royal deaths in that time poison is always suspect. Some thought that Dudley poisoned his young king in an effort to put his own son on the throne. Others think that the Catholics in support of Mary were at fault. Evidence of poisoning of any kind has never been found.

Jane was pronounced Queen of England on July 10th. Nine short days later Mary and her 20,000-strong Catholic supporters marched in and took the crown back. Dudley was beheaded on August 22nd. Sadly Jane and her husband Guilford Dudley were also beheaded some time thereafter.

Edward's reign and life were short, however his legacy in England was great. During the 6 years he held the throne the Church of England was fully established and structured. The articles and books written on Protestantism during his reign are the foundation of the religion found in England to this day. Despite her deep faith in Catholicism Mary was unable to reverse the reform from Edward's reign. When Edward and Mary's sister Elizabeth took the crown upon Mary's death in 1558 she continued the reformation that Edward began and even appointed his old councilors to her own council. Though serving as his country's supreme leader for such a short time and at such a young age, Edward VI was vital in creating the England we know today.

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