On This Day

Edward Seymour, first Duke of Somerset, is dismissed for mismanagement as Treasurer and Lord Protector of the Realm and

Edward Seymour, first Duke of Somerset, is dismissed for mismanagement as Treasurer and Lord Protector of the Realm and imprisoned

Edward Seymour, 1st Duke of Somerset, 1st Earl of Hertford, 1st Viscount Beauchamp (1500 – 22 January 1552) was an English nobleman and politician who served as Lord Protector of England from 1547 to 1549 during the minority of his nephew King Edward VI. He was the eldest surviving brother of Queen Jane Seymour, the third wife of King Henry VIII and mother of King Edward VI.

Seymour grew rapidly in favour with Henry VIII following Jane's marriage to the king in 1536, and was subsequently made Earl of Hertford. On Henry's death in 1547, he was appointed protector by the Regency Council on the accession of the nine-year-old Edward VI. Rewarded with the title Duke of Somerset, Seymour became the effective ruler of England.

Historical Significance

Edward Seymour, 1st Duke of Somerset, 1st Earl of Hertford, 1st Viscount Beauchamp (1500 – 22 January 1552) was an English nobleman and politician who served as Lord Protector of England from 1547 to 1549 during the minority of his nephew King Edward VI.

Events Before

  1. Ivan the Terrible, aged 17, crowns himself the first Tsar of Russia

    Ivan IV Vasilyevich, commonly known as Ivan the Terrible, was Grand Prince of Moscow and all Russia from 1533 to 1547, and the first Tsar and Grand Prince of all Russia from 1547 until his death in…

  2. Russian Tsar Ivan IV [Ivan the Terrible] (17) marries Anastasia Romanova (17)

    Russian Tsar Ivan IV [Ivan the Terrible] (17) marries Anastasia Romanova (17)

  3. Henry Howard, Earl of Surrey, is executed in the Tower of London for treason

    Henry Howard, Earl of Surrey,, was an English nobleman, politician and poet. He was one of the founders of English Renaissance poetry and was the last known person to have been executed at the...

  4. Ottoman fleet under Piri Reis retakes the port of Aden (modern Yemen) from the Portuguese

    Piri Reis (Turkish: Pîrî Reis; born Muhiddin Piri; c. 1470–1553) was an Ottoman Turkish cartographer, admiral, navigator, and corsair.

  5. La Paz, Bolivia, is founded

    La Paz, officially Nuestra Señora de La Paz, is the seat of government of Bolivia. With 755,732 residents as of 2024, it is the third-most populous city in Bolivia.

Events After

  1. 1st sitting of "Vurige Chamber" in Paris

    1st sitting of "Vurige Chamber" in Paris

  2. Edward Seymour, Duke of Somerset and former Lord Protector is freed from the Tower of London

    Edward VI (12 October 1537 – 6 July 1553) was King of England and Ireland from 28 January 1547 until his death in 1553. He was crowned on 20 February 1547 at the age of nine.

  3. France and England sign the Peace of Boulogne

    France and England sign the Peace of Boulogne

  4. Jewish physician Joseph Hacohen is expelled from the city of Genoa, followed by the expulsion of all Jews soon afterward

    Jewish physician Joseph Hacohen is expelled from the city of Genoa, followed by the expulsion of all Jews soon afterward

  5. Emperor Charles V grants inquisitors additional powers

    Emperor Charles V grants inquisitors additional powers

More from the 1540s

Frequently Asked Questions

What happened on October 10, 1549?
Edward Seymour, 1st Duke of Somerset, 1st Earl of Hertford, 1st Viscount Beauchamp (1500 – 22 January 1552) was an English nobleman and politician who served as Lord Protector of England from 1547 to 1549 during the minority of his nephew King Edward VI. He was the eldest surviving brother of Queen Jane Seymour, the third wife of King Henry VIII and mother of King Edward VI. Seymour grew rapidly in favour with Henry VIII following Jane's marriage to the king in 1536, and was subsequently made Earl of Hertford.
Why is Edward Seymour, first Duke of Somerset, is dismissed for mismanagement as Tre... significant?
Edward Seymour, 1st Duke of Somerset, 1st Earl of Hertford, 1st Viscount Beauchamp (1500 – 22 January 1552) was an English nobleman and politician who served as Lord Protector of England from 1547 to 1549 during the minority of his nephew King Edward VI.

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