Edward, the future Edward VI, was born at Hampton Court Palace on 12 October 1537. He was the son of Henry VIII and Jane Seymour. His birth gave Henry the legitimate male heir he had sought through three marriages.

Henry already had two surviving daughters, Mary and Elizabeth. Edward was baptised at Hampton Court three days after his birth.

Jane Seymour became seriously ill after childbirth and died at Hampton Court on 24 October, twelve days after her son was born.

Edward was raised in a separate royal household and received a Protestant education. He became king on 28 January 1547, aged nine, after Henry VIII’s death.

Because Edward was a child, government was conducted by senior councillors. His uncle Edward Seymour, Duke of Somerset, initially dominated the government, followed later by John Dudley, Duke of Northumberland.

Edward’s reign saw further Protestant changes to the Church of England, including the introduction of the Book of Common Prayer in 1549 and a revised version in 1552.

He died on 6 July 1553, aged 15. The succession crisis that followed briefly placed Lady Jane Grey on the throne before Edward’s half-sister Mary became queen.