A much needed book! I teach about the Tudors and well written books on Edward are lacking. This will be a much welcome addition as a classroom resource.

I live and die by Tudor England books, and this was such an interesting account of one of the players that I really knew nothing about coming into this! We always think of the Henry's and the wives, so it was fascinating learning about Edward. Can't wait to read more of Stephanie's research!

There hasn't been a lot written on Edward VI, except that he was Elizabeth's brother. This book shown some light on the tragic life of Henry's son. I loved reading about his early life and how his father's paranoia left him somewhat isolated from court and then made him a pawn after he came to the throne at such a young age. A very much needed book in world of the Tudor dynasty.

Edward VI is too often remembered as the boy who died and left the crown to Lady Jane Grey. The boy who was led astray by the plotting Dudleys. Now he emerges as his own person in this well written biography.

We don’t really see much about this monarch because he does young and never done anything of note but I enjoyed this book and learning more about this forgotten king.

I have never read a book about Edward. It is easy to find books on Elizabeth and Henry VIII but there is a lack of books about other rulers. This book actually showed details about Edward’s childhood, family, reign, and death. It gave context and information that helps you develop a deeper knowledge of the characters in Edward’s life. I really recommend this book. It helped show another side to the Tudor court.


I received an arc via Netgalley in exchange for a honest review.

I have never read an autobiography on Edward the sixth he has always been just a footnote in history the brother of queen Mary and Queen Elizabeth the only son of king Henry but from reading Stephanie Klein‘s autobiography I said there’s much more to his story then just his tragic mothers life him falling off of a horse and so far he was a staunch protestant Who in the end did I lock for the repformation had a very friendly relationship with the sister Elizabeth and although he had religious differences with Queen Mary he still regarded her with fineness I also didn’t know about him being close to Thomas Seymour and the shady things he tried to do behind Edwards Guardian Summit back. He was a king before his education was over and although you would think he wouldn’t have a big role in decision-making he did even renaming his fathers ships and letting his point be heard on things he felt strongly about. I really enjoyed this book and feel I know Edward the sixth so much more than I did it was truly interesting and like all books about royalty when you strip away the titles it just sounds like a dysfunctional family something I totally love. I received this book from NetGalley and the publisher but I am leaving this review voluntarily please forgive any mistakes as I am blind and dictate my review.

Edward VI always feels like an afterthought in nonfiction centered around the Tudors, so I was excited to read a biography focused on him.

This is a fairly short book by biography standards. With such a short life and reign, most of the important historical context of his life comes from outside the time he was alive, so understandably a fairly sizeable percentage of this book covers the events leading up to Edward's birth and after his death.

Most of the parts focusing on his life were new to me, and it was very intriguing to read more about this oft-forgotten Tudor. Highly recommend for anyone interested in Tudor history!

This was such a fantastic read! It can be difficult to make history interesting but this book was excellent.

When I heard Stephanie Kline who runs the blog The Tudor Enthusiast wrote Edward VI: Henry VIII's Overshadowed Son, I wanted to read the book. I have known of the blog for several years, and felt it was well run and was interested in what the author had to say. Personally, I have not been too interested in Edward VI over the years I've been a Tudor fan, however that adds to the point of the book.

Edward VI is more interesting than people think. People overlook him because he was a boy when he was king, and therefore many people write him off since he probably was boring or could not make decisions for himself. However, Kline argues this is false. Edward was interested in making changes as King. He did have his own ideas and his own mind. And he was not as easily manipulated by the adults around him as people assume.

I also enjoyed reading about his relationships with his sisters', advisors and Lady Jane Grey. I had a little bit of knowledge about this part, but it was interesting to dive more into depth. Besides I usually read the female point of view of the relationships with him, and now I could see it more from his side.

Kline writes a very important story. Edward is the most underrepresented child of Henry VIII in scholarly work, yet he was born to rule. Just because he was young and had a short reign shouldn't diminish his achievements that deserve to be represented.

Overall this was a great book and important contribution to Tudor non fiction work. The book was well researched and written. My only complaint is a few times I felt Edward took a backseat to a few other historical figures during the book. Also the pictures in the back of the book were not in color, but I do not know if it will changed for print copies. I really would like to see paintings and drawings in color and not black and white.

I also want to thank Pen and Sword Publishing and Netgalley for giving me an-arc of the book.

In her most recent book, Stephanie Kline explores the life of Henry VIII’s only surviving male heir, Edward VI, and Edward’s short reign. Kline highlights Edward’s interactions (or lack thereof) with his three stepmothers, particularly Katherine Parr, and his half-sisters Mary and Elizabeth. Kline then transitions into discussing the circumstances that led to Edward’s accession to the throne in 1547, and she notes the behind-the-scenes maneuvering to structure Edward’s advisory council and the family and sectional politics at play. When she discusses his reign, Kline primarily focuses on Edward VI’s religious policies, beliefs, and influences. Including references to a variety of primary documents, Kline’s analysis reflects her expertise and knowledge of the religious climate of mid-sixteenth century England. She even discusses the various marriage schemes planned for Edward by both his father and advisory council, examining the role that political marriage negotiations played in sixteenth century politics. Kline finishes the book by discussing Edward VI’s death and the minor succession crisis, with brief discussions of his half-sisters’ reigns. She concludes with the question of why Edward VI has been forgotten, overshadowed by his infamous father, infamous half-sister, and famous half-sister. Kline’s ability to incorporate primary documents, contextual evidence, and analysis, when coupled with her expertise and prose, creates an interesting picture of one of the young, overshadowed kings of England.

When it is reflected upon, it is perhaps bitterly ironic that despite the incredible effort that King Henry VIII invested in to have his son and heir - divorcing one wife, beheading another and the Reformation of the Church of England - that his legacy would be more strongly remembered by that of his unappreciated daughters.

Despite being born to be king and the most welcome child after King Henry's third marriage to Jane Seymour, Edward VI has rather, unjustly, been overlooked when compared with his more popular and famous (or infamous) Tudor monarchs.

To write a compelling book about Edward VI is no easy task. Often written off as merely the "boy-king" who was sickly and tragically died young, Stephanie Kline has managed to bring the life and times of this lesser known king to the forefront in this fascinating and magnificently researched study.

Kline dispels the myths surrounding Edward, emphasising that he was a robust and healthy youth who enjoyed similar physical activities as that to his father as he approached adulthood at a rapid pace. A devout Protestant, his strong religious ideals developed an inspiration in him from a young age as he grew keen to grasp the reigns of court and government in order to push the boundaries of the Reformation to their extremities.

Despite being surrounded by powerhouse figures such as Edward Seymour, Duke of Somerset and John Dudley, Duke of Northumberland - who are explored thoroughly in their connections to Edward - what I valued about this book was how Kline consistently keeps King Edward as the focus of this book. He was no mere "puppet king" to be treated as an afterthought, but instead is respected for his own sense of being.

A thought-provoking book that leaves you with a sense of "what if", Stephanie Kline's "Edward VI" is a book that absolutely must be read by any interested in the Tudor Era.

Genre: Biography

The Tudor history is always a big interest for me. I read some but frankly speaking still have a lot to dig into.

The author Stephanie Kline is an enthusiast for Tudor and she started her blog about this since 2011. It’s not hard to imagine the amount of research and books she had done in these years.

Stephanie used simple language to share her stand points, provided with strong arguments. Especially how the “Boy King” influenced the religious landscape in England. There were loads of story about Henry VIII, his wives, even Elizabeth I, however seldom with a biography that had an in-depth insight of Edward VI.

Such a fascinating read!

Many thanks to Netgalley, Pen & Sword Books and Stephanie Kline for the advanced copy.

I’ve read quite a bit about Tudor England, and it’s true that very little of it focuses on Henry VIII’s son. I realized as I read this book that I’d only seen two paintings of the young king, and both were when he was quite young; I had no idea what the teenage king looked like.

One of the things Kline dispels is the myth that Edward was a sickly boy. In reality, he was quite healthy and enjoyed all the pursuits his father had, like riding and hunting. He only fell ill once or twice during his short life, although his final illness lasted approximately 9 months. In all respects, he was a normal boy.

Since he became king at age 6, Edward’s father appointed 16 men as councilors to help advise the young king. Of course, much of the history of Edward VI’s life is the machinations of various advisors and their attempt to control the king. Sometimes it worked, sometimes it didn’t, sometimes there was internal fighting amongst the advisors. Men were accused and found guilty of treason, their executions guaranteed. There were times when the life of Edward is overshadowed by men like Somerset or Northumberland, but that’s to be expected given the number of source materials available.

Though Edward’s reign was a mere six years, it was still longer than his half-sister Mary’s, and just as consequential. He was a fervent Protestant and issued all sorts of orders to make sure Catholicism was wiped from existence in England. He pushed the agenda further than his father did, and while Queen Mary undid many of those changes, it lay a blueprint for his sister, Elizabeth, who was much more tolerant while making sure England got back on the path to Protestantism.

Tudor kings and queens are easy, aren't they?
There's Henry VII, victor of the Battle of Bosworth and a miser and then Henry VIII with his six wives.. Then there are the two queens: the tyrant 'Bloody' Mary and Good Queen Bess herself, the Virgin Queen,, Elizabeth I.
But what about the awkward middle Tudor, the Virgin King Edward VI? The oldest son of Henry VIII and his third wife, Jane Seymour, the young monarch ruled for six years between 1547 and 1553, dying of tuberculosis before he came of age at the age of 16.
What sort of person was he? What were the key events of his short life and reign? Just how Protestant was he? Would he have grown up to be another tyrant or a more benevolent ruler?
Stephanie Kline's book aims to fill in the blanks about the boy king who inspired Mark Twain's, The Prince and the Pauper.

Let me say up front that I am no expert on the Tudors, so I don't know the historiography of Edward VI, but many of the author's critiques of the scholarship and views held about Edward VI rang true for me such as the belief that he was a sickly boy. Also the fact that he's been overlooked as a king within the Tudor dynasty because of his age and short reign...especially being sandwiched between Henry VIII, Mary I, and Elizabeth I. I knew that Edward VI's reign saw the continuation of the Protestant Reformation in England, but I did not know the extent to which Edward himself believed in the Reformation, so I found that extremely interesting as well as his relationships with other people in his family. I also really liked that the author put nice chunks of primary source material to back up what she was saying in the text because I think it's important to support your arguments with the evidence in a way that the reader can see. However, that can be a drawback too as I don't think this biography will draw in that reader that likes to ingest nonfiction that's in the form of a story, but that's okay.

I like that it includes images, footnotes, sources, and an index (very important). I think I would have also liked to see a further reading or recommended reading list by the author on topics in the book that she touches on but can't devote the space to due to the scope of the book. I would also like to see a similar treatment of Mary I if it already hasn't been done beyond being "Bloody Mary."

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC. These opinions are my own, and I've not been paid for them.

I really enjoyed this book because I'm a lover of anything about the Tudors. It is a very well-researched book and is well written. I agree Edward VI is largely ignored in book about the Tudors, mainly due to the lack of primary evidence about him but the author really brings together Edward's journals with the writing of several courtiers, nobles and council members. The usual shenanigans ensue between rival factions (Dukes of Northumberland and Somerset in this case), both of whom try to influence Edward's decision making, especially about the Protestant cause. Edward was dead just a few months short of his 16th birthday, probably from consumption so it's fascinating reading about the kinds of things he was required to engage in as King. It is difficult to imagine a boy (technically in Tudor England, a boy reached 'adulthood' at 14) dealing with some of the Protestant faith changes occurring at the time. The Book of Common Prayer was rewritten, the articles of faith changed, English churches stripped back their finery; no stained glass windows, idolatry allowed. The author does well with all this, especially Edward's desire to reinforce his father's beliefs and also with his elder sister, Mary's hatred of his reforms. She remained Roman Catholic and Edward fought with her about it all his life. We get a good picture of Edward and of his resilience in often hostile situations and by the end of the book, one can't help wondering what he might have achieved had he lived longer. A very interesting read and a long overdue addition to Tudor non-fiction.

Ive read many many books about Henry VIII, Anne Boleyn, Elizabeth I but it is very hard to find a detailed, accurate, informative and enjoyable read focused on the reign of Edward VI. I found this book really interesting, and learnt so much about the boy king. He is largely overlooked due to his relatively short time as monarch, but he had a lasting effect on British life and society, particularly religion. A great addition to any history lover’s library.

The Tudor monarchs are probably some of the most well-known in European history. However, one is often glossed over, most likely due to his youth and brief reign. That one is King Edward VI, hence the aptness of the book title.
Edward VI was the longed-for male heir that Henry VIII went through 2 brides and a break from the Catholic church for. His arrival was followed by his mother's death. All the more reason why Henry VIII was so protective of his son.
At the tender age of 9, Edward became king but he was not the one actually ruling. That was being done by his uncle, Edward Seymour, Duke of Somerset. This particular uncle consolidated power so much so that it seemed the actual king was just a bystander. Eventually, Somerset fell from power just to be replaced by another greedy soul in the form of John Dudley, Duke of Northumberland. It is because of this that Edward VI is often portrayed as a mere puppet. He didn't seem to be the one running things.
But that is far from the truth. The furthering of Protestantism in England is largely due to Edward VI's strong & devout conviction that it was the true pathway to God. Without him, his sister Elizabeth I would not have the relative stability with regard to religion during her reign.
Author Stephanie Kline succeeds in explaining why Edward VI should not be overlooked. She does so all while explaining all the machinations that occurred during his brief life and even briefer reign. The only downside to this book is the decision to only use black and white images. Considering the sumptuousness of Tudor art, that seems to be a bit of an injustice to the reader. Aside from that, the book is excellent reading and a worthy addition to the large library of Tudor history already in existence.
Thanks to NetGalley and Pen&Sword for this ARC, which I voluntarily read and reviewed.

This is Stephanie Kline’s first historical biography, and she does an excellent job presenting the material. I recently saw the Broadway show Six in New York City and that sparked my interest in Tudor history again. I’ve always been fascinated by Queen Elizabeth I’s story, but hadn’t gone much further than that in Tudor history. As soon as I received this ARC, I started reading it. It’s a page turner if you enjoy historical biography. I love learning about obscure topics, so this was perfect. The surrounding individuals who came before and after King Edward VI are very well known, but this story hasn’t received the same coverage so nearly everything described was new information to me.

King Edward VI was well educated and took an active interest in his position as heir to the throne. I could tell that Stephanie did a lot of research about how he grew up, his interests and his writing that has survived. I really enjoyed the inclusion about how several people on the council jockeyed for power once Henry VIII died and Edward VI became King at age nine. Life at court was filled with drama and it’s fascinating to think about how things worked in a monarchy especially with a young boy king. When everything depended upon letters and being together in person, it’s astonishing how certain people took and maintained power.

I learned a lot about how religion was shaped and changed during this time period through reading this book. This book delves deep into the religious history and takes a hard look at how other scholarship has skipped over Edward VI’s importance in this particular part of England’s history and the Tudor dynasty. Stephanie makes the case that even as a young King, Edward VI had a strong influence on shaping Protestantism in England. She describes how he came to his religious beliefs and continued the changes his father started during his reign. She shows how he influenced those changes directly and didn’t rely just on his council. It’s fascinating to think about what would have been if he had reigned for a shorter period and Mary I, a devout Catholic, had reigned for a longer period.

I also learned so much about the Tudor dynasty leading up to the reign of Elizabeth I, one of my favorite monarchs to learn about. So much happened between the death of Henry VIII (during his life as well), and the crowning of Elizabeth I. There’s really a treasure trove of history to learn about and I can see why Stephanie Kline is a Tudor Enthusiast!

I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in Tudor history, monarchies, and historical biographies. I consider it a must read and pre-ordered my hardcover copy to have on my shelves. It has inspired me to keep reading more in this genre and I got several book recommendations from the sources included in the back of this book. I’m also following Stephanie’s blog and Facebook page now for updates and additional reading.

Thank you NetGalley and Pen & Sword Books for providing this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.