Little Arthur's history of England

by Lady Maria Callcott

Somerset did this to save his own life; but soon after this his enemies grew too strong for him, and Lord Warwick, who had become the chief ruler, got the king to sign an order to behead Somerset.

Although he was a king, the poor boy must have been very unhappy. He had been persuaded to order his own two uncles to be beheaded; and although he had two sisters, he could not make friends with them, because they were brought up to think all he did was wrong.

The Protector Somerset accusing his Brother before King Edward VI.

The eldest was the daughter of Henry the Eighth’s first wife, Catherine of Arragon. She was twenty-one years older than the king, and she was a Papist, and hated all the Protestants, and the king most of all.

The king’s second sister was the daughter of poor Queen Anne Boleyn. Her name was Elizabeth; she was a Protestant, and was only four years older than her brother, who loved her, and used to call her his “sweet sister Temperance.”

He had one cousin, whom he saw often, and who was very beautiful and good, and loved learning; her name was Lady Jane Grey. I shall have a good deal to tell you about her, and how she used to read and learn as well as the little king.

But I must now tell you what happened when the Protector was beheaded. Although he had offended the great lords, and they had persuaded the king that he deserved to die, the people loved him. He had always been kind to them, and the laws made while he was Protector were all good for England. On the day when his head was cut off on Tower-Hill—it was early in the morning—a great many people were collected to see him die. Suddenly one of the king’s messengers rode up to the scaffold where Somerset stood ready for the executioner; the people hoped the king had sent a pardon for his uncle, and shouted out, “A pardon! a pardon! God save the king!” But it was not true; there was no pardon. Somerset was a little moved when the people shouted, but soon became quite quiet. He spoke kindly and thankfully to some of his friends who were shedding tears near him, and then laid his head upon the block, and was beheaded.

After this time the Earl of Warwick managed the country for the king. But the poor young prince did not live long. Soon after his uncle’s death he began to cough and look very ill, and everybody saw that he was likely to die.

Now the person who was to reign over England after Edward’s death was his eldest sister, the Princess Mary, and, as I told you, she was a Papist, or, as we now call it, a Roman Catholic.