Editing Edward VI (section)

===Devise for the succession===
[[File:Edward VI's 'devise for the succession'.png|thumb|alt= A letter written in pen and ink, with irregular writing and several alterations|In his "devise for the succession", Edward passed over his sisters' claims to the throne in favour of [[Lady Jane Grey]]. In the fourth line, he altered "L Janes heires masles" to "L Jane and her heires masles" (Lady Jane and her male heirs). [[Inner Temple Library]], London]]

In February 1553, Edward became ill, and by June, after several improvements and relapses, he was in a hopeless condition.<ref name="Ldeath"/> The king's death and the succession of his Catholic half-sister Mary would jeopardise the English Reformation, and Edward's council and officers had many reasons to fear it.{{Sfn|Starkey|2001|pp=111–112}} Edward himself opposed Mary's succession, not only on religious grounds but also on those of legitimacy and male inheritance, which also applied to Elizabeth.<ref>{{Harvnb|Starkey|2001|pp=112–113}}; {{Harvnb|Loades|1996|p=232}}.</ref> He composed a draft document, headed "My devise for the succession", in which he undertook to change the succession, most probably inspired by his father's precedent.{{Sfn|Ives|2009|pp=142–144}} He passed over the claims of his half-sisters and settled the Crown on his first cousin once removed, the 16-year-old Lady Jane Grey, who on 25 May 1553 had married [[Lord Guilford Dudley]], a younger son of the Duke of Northumberland.<ref>{{Harvnb|Ives|2009|p=321}}; {{Harvnb|Loades|1996|pp=238–239}}.</ref> In the document he writes:

{{Blockquote|text=My devise for the Succession

1. For lakke of issu ''[masle inserted above the line, but afterwards crossed out]'' of my body ''[to the issu (masle above the line) cumming of thissu femal, as i have after declared inserted, but crossed out]''. To the L Franceses heires masles, ''[For lakke of erased]'' ''[if she have any inserted]'' such issu ''[befor my death inserted]'' to the L' Janes ''[and her inserted]'' heires masles, To the L Katerins heires masles, To the L Maries heires masles, To the heires masles of the daughters wich she shal haue hereafter. Then to the L Margets heires masles. For lakke of such issu, To th'eires masles of the L Janes daughters. To th'eires masles of the L Katerins daughters, and so forth til yow come to the L Margets ''[daughters inserted]'' heires masles.

2. If after my death theire masle be entred into 18 yere old, then he to have the hole rule and gouernauce therof.

3. But if he be under 18, then his mother to be gouuernres til he entre 18 yere old, But to doe nothing w'out th'auise (and agremet inserted) of 6 parcel of a counsel to be pointed by my last will to the nombre of 20.

4. If the mother die befor th'eire entre into 18 the realme to be gouuerned by the cousel Prouided that after he be 14 yere al great matters of importaunce be opened to him.

5. If i died w'out issu, and there were none heire masle, then the L Fraunces to be (reget altered to) gouuernres. For lakke of her, the her eldest daughters,4 and for lakke of them the L Marget to be gouuernres after as is aforsaid, til sume heire masle be borne, and then the mother of that child to be gouuernres.

6. And if during the rule of the gouuernres ther die 4 of the counsel, then shal she by her letters cal an asseble of the counsel w'in on month folowing and chose 4 more, wherin she shal haue thre uoices. But after her death the 16 shal chose emong themselfes til th'eire come to (18 erased) 14 yeare olde, and then he by ther aduice shal chose them" (1553).|author=Edward VI |source=Devise for the Succession<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.luminarium.org/encyclopedia/edward6devise.htm|title=Edward VI: Devise for the Succession—1553|date=2010|publisher=Luminarium: Encyclopedia Project|access-date=21 October 2016|archive-date=26 December 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171226203018/http://www.luminarium.org/encyclopedia/edward6devise.htm|url-status=live}}</ref> }}

In his document Edward provided, in case of "lack of issue of my body", for the succession of male heirs only—those of Lady Jane Grey's mother, [[Frances Grey, Duchess of Suffolk]]; of Jane herself; or of her sisters [[Lady Katherine Grey|Katherine, Lady Herbert]], and [[Lady Mary Grey|Lady Mary]].{{Sfn|Ives|2009|pp=137, 139–140}}{{Efn|In case there were no male heirs at the time of his death, England should have no king, but the Duchess of Suffolk should act as regent until the birth of a royal male. Edward made detailed provisions for a minority rule, stipulated at what age the male rulers were to take power, and left open the possibility of his having children.<ref>{{Harvnb|Ives|2009|pp=137–139}}; {{Harvnb|Alford|2002|pp=172–173}}; {{Harvnb|Loades|1996|p=231}}.</ref>}} As his death approached, and possibly persuaded by Northumberland,{{Sfn|Loades|1996|p=240}} he altered the wording so that Jane and her sisters themselves could succeed. Yet Edward conceded their right only as an exception to male rule, demanded by reality, an example not to be followed if Jane and her sisters had only daughters.{{Sfn|Ives|2009|pp=147, 150}}{{efn|By the logic of the devise, [[Frances Grey, Duchess of Suffolk]], Jane's mother and Henry VIII's niece, should have been named as Edward's heir, but she, who had already been passed over in favour of her children in Henry's will, seems to have waived her claim after a visit to Edward.{{Sfn|Ives|2009|pp=157, 35}}}} In the final document both Mary and Elizabeth were excluded because of bastardy;{{Sfn|Ives|2009|p=167}} since both had been declared bastards under Henry VIII and never made legitimate again, this reason could be advanced for both.<ref>{{Harvnb|Jordan|1970|p=515}}; {{Harvnb|Elton|1977|p=373''n''16}}</ref> The provisions to alter the succession directly contravened Henry VIII's [[Third Succession Act]] of 1544 and have been described as bizarre and illogical.<ref>{{Harvnb|Loach|1999|p=163}}; {{Harvnb|Jordan|1970|p=515}}.</ref>

[[File:Streathamladyjayne.jpg|thumb|alt=A stiff Elizabethan-style three-quarter portrait of Lady Jane Grey wearing elaborate formal dress and holding a prayer book. She is a tall pale young woman.|[[Lady Jane Grey]] was proclaimed queen four days after Edward's death.]]

In early June, Edward personally supervised the drafting of a clean version of his devise by lawyers, to which he lent his signature "in six several places."{{Sfn|Ives|2009|pp=145, 314}} On 15 June, he summoned high-ranking judges to his sickbed, commanding them on their allegiance "with sharp words and angry countenance" to prepare his devise as letters patent and announcing that he would have these passed in Parliament.<ref>{{Harvnb|Loach|1999|p=164}}; {{Harvnb|Hoak|2004}}</ref> His next measure was to have leading councillors and lawyers sign a bond in his presence, in which they agreed to perform Edward's will faithfully after his death.{{Sfn|Ives|2009|pp=160–161}} A few months later, [[Chief Justice of the Common Pleas|Chief Justice]] [[Edward Montagu (judge)|Edward Montagu]] recalled that when he and his colleagues had raised legal objections to the devise, Northumberland had threatened them "trembling for anger, and ... further said that he would fight in his shirt with any man in that quarrel".<ref>{{Harvnb|Ives|2009|pp=105, 147}}; {{Harvnb|Loades|1996|p=241}}.</ref> Montagu also overheard a group of lords standing behind him conclude "if they refused to do that, they were traitors".{{Sfn|Ives|2009|p=160}} At last, on 21 June, the devise was signed by over 100 notables, including councillors, peers, archbishops, bishops and sheriffs;{{Sfn|Ives|2009|p=161}} many of them later said they had been bullied into doing so by Northumberland, although in the words of Edward's biographer Jennifer Loach, "few of them gave any clear indication of reluctance at the time".{{Sfn|Loach|1999|p=165}}

It was now common knowledge that Edward was dying, and foreign diplomats suspected that some scheme to debar Mary was under way. France found the prospect of the emperor's cousin on the English throne disagreeable and engaged in secret talks with Northumberland, indicating support.<ref>{{Harvnb|Loach|1999|p=166}}; {{Harvnb|Loades|1996|pp=254–255}}.</ref> The diplomats were certain that the overwhelming majority of the English people backed Mary, but nevertheless believed that Queen Jane would be successfully established.{{Sfn|Loades|1996|pp=256–257}}

For centuries, the attempt to alter the succession was mostly seen as a one-man plot by the Duke of Northumberland.{{Sfn|Ives|2009|p=128}} But since the 1970s, many historians have attributed the inception of the "devise" and the insistence on its implementation to the king's initiative.<ref>e.g.: {{Harvnb|Jordan|1970|pp=514–517}}; {{Harvnb|Loades|1996|pp=239–241}}; {{Harvnb|Starkey|2001|pp=112–114}}; {{Harvnb|MacCulloch|2002|pp=39–41}}; {{Harvnb|Alford|2002|pp=171–174}}; {{Harvnb|Skidmore|2007|pp=247–250}}; {{Harvnb|Ives|2009|pp=136–142, 145–148}}; {{Harvnb|Hoak|2004}}</ref> [[Diarmaid MacCulloch]] has made out Edward's "teenage dreams of founding an evangelical realm of Christ",{{Sfn|MacCulloch|2002|p=41}} while [[David Starkey]] has written that "Edward had a couple of co-operators, but the driving will was his".{{Sfn|Starkey|2001|p=112}} Among other members of the Privy Chamber, Northumberland's intimate [[Sir John Gates]] has been suspected of suggesting to Edward to change his devise so that Lady Jane Grey herself—not just any sons of hers—could inherit the Crown.{{Sfn|Hoak|2004}} Whatever the degree of his contribution, Edward was convinced that his word was law{{Sfn|Mackie|1952|p=524}} and fully endorsed disinheriting his half-sisters: "barring Mary from the succession was a cause in which the young King believed".{{Sfn|Hoak|1980|p=49}}