Figure 1.--This portrait shows Edward VI was pained in 1546. He was about 9 years old at the time, just before he became king. I'm not sure who the artist was.

We all know how important education is to an individual. The education of Prince Edward was critical to the nation. Arguably no other person's education was more critical to the future of the British nation. Prince Edward's education was entrusted to the greatest scholars of the land, including Archbishop Thomas Cranmer. Edward was schooled in Latin and Greek as well as the Reformation theology of the time. Edward did not attend school, but he did a lot of school work under the watchful eyes of carefully selected tutors. He noted that his lessons included "... learning of tounges (foreign languages), od Scriptures, of philosophy, and the liberal sciences." He studied both Latin and Greek and as part of his studies he translated books from Greek to Latin. Curiously King Henry does not appear to have taken a great interest in Edward's religious instruction. Many historians suggest that theological issues were of concern to Henry. The King's lack of concern with Prince Edward's religiouous education suggest that Henry's interest in theology was only to the extent that it affected him personally and not the nation. Edward became a fervent protestant in a way his farther never was. Henry's objection was with the power of the pope and access to the wealth of the monestaries, not with the theology of the Catholic chufrch. While Henry VIII broke with the Pope and disolved the monestaries, but relgious ritual was still essentially Catholic until Edward became King.

Created: 9:34 PM 1/26/2005
Last updated: 9:34 PM 1/26/2005