This book is a reconstruction of the kingship and politics of the third Tudor king of England, Edward VI (born 1537), who reigned between 1547 (from the age of nine) until his death in 1553. The reign has often been interpreted as a period of political instability, mainly because of the king's age. This book explores how the reign was remarkably stable; and also how, during the reign of Elizabeth I (1558-1603) the Edwardian idea of what it was to be a monarch—and many of the same men who had served Edward VI as councillors and courtiers—dominated Tudor politics.