Since none of his cousins had yet produced a male heir, he changed his ‘devise’ in favour of Lady Jane Grey.Īlthough Jane would reign as queen, the crown could only follow to a male heir. The first version was written before he realised his illness was terminal, and it did not single out Jane as his heir.Įdward wanted above all to ensure that his successor was a male Protestant, so he disinherited his half-sisters Mary and Elizabeth in favour of the male heirs of his cousin, Lady Frances Grey or of her children, Jane, Catherine and Mary.īy June 1553 it became clear that the King was fatally ill. Worried about the fate of the Crown, he wrote his ‘Devise for the Succession.’ Inspired by his father’s own will, it took Edward several drafts to complete. It would take turns, sometimes seeming to improve, only to worsen again. From then on, his health remained volatile. In January 1553, the 15-year-old Edward VI fell ill with a fever and a cough.
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