live to die....

Hello everyone!

2008-03-13T19:44:59Z

Dear lord, this community seems to have died a long time ago. Let's resurrect it, shall we?

Well, this is really the only Edward community of any kind that I've ever seen in all of my days. And I'm very glad that it is here.
Edward is my very favorite monarch and one of my greatest heros. He's really everything I find beautiful in a human being, I've always wanted to be like him.
I myself have created a small Edwardian space on the vast internet, which you can see here.
I've made a few Edward icons and I believe I'll share them soon.
Let's keep up the Edward discussion, he deserves at least that much in his honor.
-Elizabeth

Edward Art

Happy Birthday, Edward!!! Part Deux

2006-10-12T16:32:45Z

Wow, I was able to get on coloring that picture much sooner than I'd expected. O_o So here's that birthday pic again, in all its colored glory! ;)

~~Yes, I realize that his haircolor changes with each pic. :P~~

Happy Birthday, Edward!!!

2006-10-12T14:35:53Z

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, EDWARD!!!

Eeeee, today is dear Eddie's Birthday! His... 469th, if my calculations are correct. Last year I totally missed it, and this year it only occurred to me that I should do something like... yesterday. *sigh* Ah well, the only thing I really could have done is written a ficlet or something (which I still might do), or possibly done some more fanart (which I actually did do, sort of)and/or icons. If I were really thinking, I would've gotten a good layout up. Alas, I never think of these things in time.

The two things I did do, though, are:

1. Chapter One of The King's Keeper: Book One, The Hawk of May is complete!!! I finished it very early this morning. Of course, I still have to edit it, but at least the first draft is done. And I've already begun on chapter two, which is all mapped out so it should be easy. YAY! I don't think I will post this one online, though; I'll just email it to a couple of friends for critique.

2. I did do a bit of fanart last night. I haven't colored it yet, but I'm going to post it anyway in case I don't get a chance to do so today. I am attempting to draw Edward in different styles. I'm a manga fan (Japanese comics, sort of, in case you don't know), so I am drawing him in the respective style of each of my favorite manga artists. First I did Kanoshita Sakura's style, because her main characters are often children so she's got the "cute and innocent" look down pretty well. Whether I succeeded in copying that is up for interpretation... XD

Gah, I wish I had a better scanner. ><

And that is about it for now. I'm going to go edit Chapter One, and see if I can't whip up a little ficlet, or a drabble, or something. In the meantime, I hope everyone (because I know you're out there now!) has a wonderful Edward's Birthday! ;)

The rest of those pics... (all TWO of them!!)

2006-10-01T03:23:20Z

Ooops. I just remembered that I scanned, colored, and posted the rest of those Edward VI pics I promised a while ago on my Xanga (yes, I still have one of those, and yes, I know it's pathetic ><). So I guess I should post 'em here now, shouldn't I?

Of course, it's not like they are particularly deserving of such build-up, but hey - they're my first scanned-and-colored-in-Photoshop pictures (and the first pictures I've drawn in a while, period), and I am actually half-way satisfied with them. At the moment these are my only Edward pictures that I've drawn (actually, there is one more waiting to be colored), but I'm just waiting for the inspiration to strike and I'll draw more. :3

Okay, here they are! ...All two of them. >_>;

(This was just a doodle I did while tearing my hair out over how to characterize these two - Barnaby Fitzpatrick and Edward - in my series. Hence the SD-ness. ^^;)

~~Take that, Alison Weir. :X~~ Please ignore the strange "ha's" (if anyone here reads Japanese hiragana) that I doodled on the side there and forgot to erase. :P

Okay, now on to outlining book one of The King's Keeper. It sucks, because I never outline any of my stories, but I talked to one of my favorite authors (a PUBLISHED author, Gerald Morris) recently, and he said that all through junior and senior high, he filled notebook after notebook with unfinished stories - which is exactly what I do. It's because both of us have trouble staying interested in one subject long enough to finish a story about it. So he found that outlining his story is what gets him through to the end - and he hates it, too. Even when I wrote outlines for my essays and papers, I almost always wrote just the beginning of an outline, and then wrote the rest after finishing the essay, because I just never stuck to the outline. So I am attempting to retrain myself to stick to one, and it's HARD. But if this is what it takes to get my stories finished, then it'll be more than worth it in the end. :3

....All right, I realize no one cares, so I'll be leaving now. ;)

P.S. Not directly Edward related, but I've just posted a collection of drabbles from the perspective of each of Henry VIII's wives on FictionPress.com, which you can find at my profile HERE.

godlyimp @ 2006-08-25T09:39:00

2006-08-25T13:41:20Z

Since I spent three hours coloring this thing last night (gaah!! *ded*), figured I might as well post it. Just a drawing-turned-ad (of sorts) for my upcoming Edward-centric novels. :3

More to come, if my scanner continues to work like it's supposed to...

Essay: The Forgotten Monarch

2006-07-13T05:32:20Z

Well, not that anyone else lurks around this community but me... But in the hope that someone, someday will give this comm a second glance, I decided to post an essay I wrote recently on dear Eddie. It was for a "Write for College" class I took this past spring, and I had, I think, 6 weeks to finish it... not surprisingly, I ended up dithering for about 5 of those weeks, and then frantically piecing this together.

Considering that, I s'pose it's not bad, really.

At any rate, what was supposed to be an 8-10 page research paper ended up stretching to 12 pages, so 'ware the length!

I do hope someone ends up reading this. If you do, please keep in mind that I was only a high school junior when I wrote it (and that it was my first research paper), and soften your criticism accordingly. ^^;; Having said that, however, if you've got constructive criticism, bring it on!!

All right, enough intro. Here 'tis, in all its ~~gushing~~ glory:

The Forgotten Monarch: Edward VI

“The King is dead! Long live the King!”

This incongruous cry had marked the passing of the English throne for centuries, and it rang out through the streets of London on the 28th of January, 1547. The infamous King Henry VIII was dead, and he had been succeeded by his only son, a child by the name of Edward, not quite ten years old. It was a drastic change, to say the least, and no doubt there was much anxiety on the part of the people. They were well aware of the dangers of having an underage monarch on the throne.

Nevertheless, they were devoted to the Royal Family. When, on the morning of February 19th, the new king rode through the city on the way to his coronation, he was greeted with outpourings of love and loyalty, in the form of cheers, entertainers, and songs. One song, which was sung throughout Edward’s reign, began: “Sing up, heart, sing up, heart, and sing no more down, For joy of King Edward, that weareth the crown!” And so they sang, all the rest of that day and all through the night, until the next morning (Chapman 90-91).

The length of the coronation ceremony had been cut by several hours in view of Edward’s age, but it was still a long, tiring and no doubt frightening day for a nine-year-old boy. Nonetheless, he carried himself with a regal composure that greatly impressed his contemporaries. His father’s sudden death had been a shock, but the time for grieving and bewilderment had passed; he knew his duty.

This was clearly evidenced when three swords, symbolic of his three kingdoms (England, Ireland and France) were brought to be carried in the procession. Edward declared that there was one “yet wanting.” When asked which, he replied, firmly, earnestly and without hesitation. “The Bible,” he said, and went on: “That book is the sword of the Spirit, and to be preferred before these swords… Without that sword we are nothing, we can do nothing, we have not power. From the Bible we are what we are this day...” (Woychuk 2-3).

This astonishing speech, spoken with such eloquence and conviction by a mere child, set the tone for the reign that was to come. It was a brief reign, cut short in its sixth year by Edward’s tragic and untimely death at the age of fifteen; nonetheless, it was a crucial period in English history.

For years historians have pushed Edward to the background in favor of his better-known family members, allowing his character to be hidden by ignorance or personal bias. His contemporaries were lavish in their praise of his good nature, his intelligence and his staunch Protestant faith; yet modern writers have branded him as intolerant and fanatical — a “cold-hearted prig” (Oxford Companion 334). The amount of spite and contempt with which he is viewed by most modern historians seems strangely disproportionate with the comparative anonymity of his reign.

In truth, few historians have made any real effort to investigate the mind and nature of this truly fascinating person (it might be noted that Hester W. Chapman’s book, The Last Tudor King, stands alone as the only modern in-depth analysis of Edward’s character). This is a grave disservice, both to English history as a whole, as well as to Edward himself, for careful study proves him to be, potentially at least, every bit as charming, talented and remarkable as any of his family.

Edward’s contemporaries appear to be in agreement on this subject. John Knox, a fiery Scottish reformer, hailed him as “that most godly and virtuous king that has ever been known to have reigned in England” (Woychuk 5). Edward’s first biographer, Sir John Hayward called him “as noble a branch as ever sprung out of the Royal stock” (Hayward 31).

Naturally, some allowance must be made for flattery in the case of primary accounts — but no more than must be made for bias in modern ones. Even so, it seems obvious that Edward could hardly have been quite the terror modern historians make him out to be. So why has he been so maligned? It is a difficult question to answer. Perhaps it would be helpful to return to the narrative of Edward’s life and let the events speak for themselves.

During the two years that followed his coronation ceremony, Edward’s intellectual growth increased dramatically. He had a “precocious grasp of politics for his age; he knew what was going on in his realm, even if he did not fully comprehend all the issues” (Weir, Children 32). As he was underage, he had been placed under the Protectorship of his uncle, the Duke of Somerset (brother of Edward’s mother, Jane Seymour), whose stifling control and tightfistedness in regards to Edward’s pocket-money did not endear himself to his nephew.

Edward was not yet old enough to fully understand the limitations that had been placed upon him, nor the fact that his only real role at the moment was that of figurehead. Even if he did realize this, there was little he could do about it at present: he was still a child, for all his precocity. So he devoted himself to his studies.

Edward’s senior tutor was Sir John Cheke, a young man from Cambridge University, “one of the most outstanding minds of his day.” He was a firm Protestant, but far too sensible to stray into religious fanaticism (Weir, Henry VIII 466-7). He became Edward’s most trusted mentor, and remained so throughout the young king’s life. Under his supervision, Edward began his “Chronicle,” which was less a personal journal than it was a neat record of notable events, and thus cannot be viewed as an insight into Edward’s innermost thoughts and feelings on the subjects he recorded.

Edward was not educated alone: at least fourteen other boys of noble birth were brought in to join him. The two who were closest to Edward were Henry Sidney, eight years his senior, and Barnaby Fitzpatrick. The latter was the son of an Irish lord, two years older than the king, who called him his “dearest and most loving” friend (Chapman 152).

Surrounded by his closest friends and his other companions, Edward thrived, despite the inevitable isolation of his newly exalted position. His formidable curriculum consisted of languages (Latin and Greek), Scripture, classics, philosophy, astronomy, and “all liberal sciences” (Weir, Henry VIII 465). Historian Mary Luke, in her book The Nine Days Queen (a biography of Edward’s cousin, Lady Jane Grey), claims that Edward lacked Mary’s “intuitive, determined ability or Elizabeth’s quick, facile skills; learning did not come easy” (144-145). However, evidence seems to point towards just the opposite.

William Thomas, a clerk of the Privy Council, wrote, in a work entitled The Pilgrim:

If you knew the eagerness of that young prince, your hearts would melt to hear him named, and you would abhor the malice of them that wish him ill. The most beautiful boy that liveth under the sun; the wittiest, the most amiable and the gentlest creature of all the world. Such a capacity in learning the things taught him by his schoolmasters, that it is a wonder to hear…. (Woychuk 25-26)

Other contemporaries are equally enthusiastic in their praise of Edward’s wit, maturity, and good nature. Reformer John Hooper, in a letter to Henry Bullinger, wrote: “…you have never seen in the world for these thousand years so much erudition united with piety and sweetness of disposition” (Woychuk 33).

Edward’s temperament was not all scholarliness and solemnity, but Somerset’s oppressive Protectorship during the first few years of his reign greatly stifled the boy’s natural boisterousness. That, combined with the attempted kidnapping of his person by his other uncle, Thomas Seymour (his once-favorite uncle, no less), and another similar, but better-intentioned attempt by Somerset himself, molded him into a “self-contained child” (Weir, Six Wives 505-6).

Fortunately for Edward, relief came with the fall of Somerset and the appointment of the new Protector, John Dudley, who then became the Duke of Northumberland. He had watched from the shadows all this time, and he knew better than Somerset how to handle Edward. The boy was fascinated by Northumberland’s charisma (Weir, Children 101), and Northumberland made the most of it. Well aware of Edward’s capability, he allowed the young king much greater freedom while keeping him securely under his own subtle control.

At last Edward was able to assist in making decisions, to attend meetings of the Privy Council where he could present his opinions (which he only did after first hearing those of his elders), and to feel as if he had some real power. Naturally, Northumberland made sure to keep most of the power himself.

It was during this time, from 1551-52, that the full force of his personality began to show. His natural energy and athleticism were allowed to come to the forefront: he had been instructed in archery, tennis, hunting, and the art of tilting and managing horses; he “delighted” in every sort of exercise. Indeed, far from being the sickly, bookish boy he is often made out to be, it seemed that Edward’s youth, rather than his temperament or health, was the cause of any limitations imposed upon him (for example, he was not permitted to joust in tournaments). More tournaments were held in his six year reign than the last fourteen years of his father’s (Young 28).

Naturally, Edward continued to develop intellectually at an astonishing rate as well. He was quite simply “brilliant,” with a tremendous aptitude for learning and a strong will (Ridley 40).

“His acquirements by industry,” Hayward wrote, “were exceedingly both enriched and enlarged by many excellent endowments of nature. For in disposition he was mild, gracious and pleasant, of a heavenly wit, in body beautiful, but especially in his eyes, which seemed to have a starry liveliness and luster… In a word, he was one that to praise fully, were fully to set down, whatsoever perfection nature or art can possibly bring forth” (34).

Visiting diplomats were equally dazzled by the young king’s “heavenly wit.” Northumberland was no fool, and he very wisely made the most of Edward’s charming good nature and tact. This was the area in which Edward flourished the most. All of his most winning characteristics were engaged: his gentleness, his intelligence, his strong beliefs, and his sense of humor, which was classically Tudor: very dry, somewhat cheeky, and quick.

One occasion on which this sense of humor was displayed took place during a visit from the French king, Henry II’s ambassadors, in July of 1551, when Edward was thirteen. One of them, a man by the name of de Gye, considering English food to be inferior, had had his food imported from France. The discourtesy was ignored, but not without causing hard feelings amongst the courtiers. Several days later, the final reception was held. Edward was standing with three of the ambassadors and asked one of them who would be left as the resident envoy. “A gentleman named M. de Theligny du Bois-Daulphin,” was the reply. “I beg Your Majesty to let me present him.” Edward, glancing towards the immensely tall and fat de Theligny du Bois-Daulphin, standing a few feet away, was silent a moment. Then he drew the three ambassadors aside and said with a smile, “You will bring me to shame through this Ambassador — for, not finding in this country the delicate food he is used to in France, he will waste away, which will be a constant reproach to me.” This good-natured teasing was received by a burst of laughter from all, and de Gye’s slight was avenged (Chapman 219-220).

This scene, and others like it, makes the claim that Edward was cold-natured or, as one historian asserts, an “unloved and unloving boy” (Mackie 492), seem somewhat baseless. Indeed, Hayward states emphatically that “never was a king more loving or better beloved” (36-37), and while he was of course prone to flattery, the fact remains that there is little proof that Edward was anything but good-tempered and well-liked.

It was not only his wit and agreeable personality for which Edward was admired. His staunch Protestant faith, always impressive, blossomed in his teenage years to an awe-inspiring purity. Thanks in part to his trust in Cheke’s level-headedness, Edward was no religious fanatic; he was very fervent in his beliefs, but it was out of genuine concern for the souls of his people, which he felt to be his responsibility, as their king.

Nonetheless, he was, as Hayward states, “much inclined” towards clemency (37). This was most clearly displayed in the burning of Joan Boacher, who claimed, as Edward recorded himself, that “Christ was not incarnate of the Virgin Mary” (England’s Boy King 51). Edward, then 12 years old, was extremely distraught by the situation. First he argued with Archbishop Cranmer, “firm both in reason and resolution,” that “religion cannot be supported with blood” (Hayward 37), but when Cranmer remained unmoved, the boy burst into tears of distress and made one last appeal for the woman’s life. Upon being informed, quite firmly (though not without regret), that there was nothing else to be done, Edward cried, “What, my lord? Will ye have me send her quick to the devil, in all her error?” (Chapman 144)

In the end, the unfortunate woman went to the stake, but she was one of only two heretics who were burned during Edward’s reign (Chapman 145), making it more merciful in that respect even than that of his much-lauded half-sister Elizabeth I.

The purity of Edward’s faith was exemplified even more dramatically in 1552, when his beloved tutor, John Cheke, fell ill with the sweating sickness. For days he lay dangerously ill, and Edward received daily reports on his condition. At last, the physicians informed the boy regretfully that Cheke was likely to die before the day was out. Edward’s answer astonished them. “No,” Edward stated calmly, “Cheke will not die at this time. I begged God for his life this morning in my prayer, and obtained it” (Woychuk 65). Miraculously, Cheke’s health did indeed suddenly begin to improve that very day, and he was soon able to return to court.

Sadly, little time remained to the tutor and his pupil. In February of 1553, during what was to be the last visit from his sister Mary, he suddenly fell ill with a chill that turned into a congestion of the lungs. It was at this time that his right shoulder was noticed to be much higher than the other (Chapman 268) — possibly an indication of adolescent onset scoliosis. Edward never quite recovered, and his health began to rapidly deteriorate. Unquestionably, the stress and expectations of his position were largely, perhaps entirely, to blame for this. He was clearly overworked, but he had never complained and no one had given it any consideration until his sudden illness.

Edward continued doggedly to hold court, although there were days when he could scarcely speak. It may have been about this time that Edward wrote, in the fly-leaf of Palearian’s Benefit of Christ’s Death, the phrase “Live to die, and die to live again” (Woychuk 107). Even with the shadow of death hanging over him, his faith was firm.

In April of 1553, Edward left his capital for the last time. He was by now very ill, probably with pulmonary tuberculosis. Barnaby, his dearest friend, was in Ireland, but Cheke and Henry Sidney stayed constantly at his side and tried to comfort him as best they could. “I am glad to die,” Cheke heard him whisper. Then he repeated the long prayer which he had composed during his months of illness, which was written down and later published.

Lord God, deliver me out of this miserable and wretched life, and take me amongst Thy chosen; howbeit, not my will but Thine be done. Lord, I commit my spirit to Thee. O! Lord, Thou knowest how happy it were for me to be with Thee: yet, for Thy chosen’s sake, send me life and health, that I may truly serve Thee. O! Lord God, bless Thy people and save Thine inheritance. O! my Lord God, defend this realm from papistry, and maintain Thy true religion, that I and my people may praise Thy holy name, for Thy son Jesus’ sake. Amen (Woychuk 107).

However, Edward was not to die yet. He lingered, painfully, for several more months. He was much concerned with the continuation of projects he had started—houses and schools for the poor—and he was determined to see them through to completion. Even more vital, in his mind, was the preservation of Protestantism, which would be destroyed if his zealously Catholic sister Mary, next in line, came to the throne.

Northumberland, seeing his years of planning slipping from his grasp, and well aware that his position and even his life would be in danger if Mary succeeded, worked on this fear. He did not foresee Edward’s love for his sister: as horrified as the boy was by the idea of Mary’s succession, he could not bring himself, at first, to go against his father’s arrangements or to shelve his other (Protestant) sister, Elizabeth. But Northumberland, desperate, reminded him sternly of his duty as a defender of the “True Faith,” and of the damnation that would surely await him if he failed in this duty (Chapman 175).

At last, weary and concerned for the spiritual wellbeing of his kingdom, Edward drew up his “Device for Succession,” which eliminated both Mary and Elizabeth—for the latter could be forced by the Catholic party to marry a French or Spanish prince, which would be as fatal to the Protestant cause as Mary (Chapman 175)—and set down his Protestant cousin, Lady Jane Grey, as his successor.

There was some objection to the new Will by the members of the Privy Council, because it went against the arrangements made by Edward’s father; even Cheke protested. “I will never distrust God so far in the preservation of his true religion as to disinherit orphans,” he said. But Edward had set his course, and nothing could dissuade him from seeing it through to the end. Using both angry and imploring words, he convinced everyone to sign it (Chapman 284).

Now his task was done, and he could die in peace. He suffered for fifteen more days. The rumor that Edward was poisoned does have some foundation in that the medicine which had seemed to revive him a month or two before was in fact killing him more slowly and agonizingly than the tuberculosis itself (Chapman 285).

It was the late afternoon of Thursday, 6 July, 1553, when Edward, held between his friends Henry Sidney and Thomas Wroth, spoke his final words. In a voice that was quite clear, he said, “Lord, have mercy upon me—take my spirit” (Chapman 285). And so he died, just three months and six days before his 16th birthday.

Tragically, his tomb was destroyed by the Civil War, and nothing but a plain cement slab remains now to mark his resting place.

Thus, Edward’s chapter in history comes to a close. Mark Twain’s work of fiction entitled The Prince and the Pauper (in which Edward was a principle character), concludes with the following words: “The reign of Edward VI was a singularly merciful one for those harsh times. Now that we are taking leave of him, let us try to keep this in our minds, to his credit… [he] lived only a few years, poor boy, but he lived them worthily” (203).

It seems evident by this brief survey of Edward’s life alone that this statement is true. Edward did indeed live his life worthily. He was not without his faults, but he is entirely undeserving of the scorn with which he is presented in modern history books. He should be remembered alongside the rest of the famous Tudors, for he was without a doubt just as gifted, intelligent, and capable as any of them. He never truly got a chance to rule, but if he had, it is hardly an exaggeration to say that he might very well have been one of England’s greatest kings. It will never be known.

In closing, perhaps it is fitting to return to the writing of John Hayward, as Edward’s first biographer. He was, of course, extravagant with his praise of the young monarch, but not all of his flattery is entirely off the mark.

…as the notable accidents in his tumultuous times do deserve to be recorded, so doth the King himself for his sweet condition, for his mind as innocent as his years, [and] for his rare endowments well deserve to be commended to everlasting memory, that he may be permanent so much the longer in the life of an history, by how much the thread of his natural life was cut shorter by the Fates (31).

The King is dead. Long live the King!

(I put some of the longer quotes in italics to make some contrast, since I had to change the spacing from the original.)

And for the meticulous ones among you (assuming more than one poor soul might someday read this), here's my bibliography, so you can double-check my citations if you are so inclined.

Works Cited

Chapman, Hester W. The Last Tudor King. New York: MacMillan Company, 1968. <--unquestionably THE best Edward book out there.

England’s Boy King: The Diary of Edward VI, 1547-1553. Ed. Jonathan North. Welwyn Garden City, UK: Ravenhall Books, 2005.

Hayward, John. The Life and Raigne of King Edward the Sixth. Ed. Barrett L. Beer. Kent, Ohio: Kent State University Press, 1993.

Luke, Mary. The Nine Days Queen: a Portrait of Lady Jane Grey. New York: William Morrow and Co., Inc., 1986.

Mackie, J. D. The Earlier Tudors: 1485-1558. New York: Oxford University Press, 1994.

The Oxford Companion to British History. Ed. John Cannon. New York: Oxford University Press, 1997.

Ridley, Jasper. The Tudor Age. Woodstock, NY: Overlook Press, 1990.

Twain, Mark. The Prince and the Pauper. New York: Penguin Group, 1980. (FICTION)

Weir, Alison. The Children of Henry VIII. New York: Ballantine Books, 1996. <-- Gaah, don't read her. Her research is HORRIBLY biased.

Weir, Alison. Henry VIII: The King and His Court. New York: Ballantine Books, 2001.

Weir, Alison. The Six Wives of Henry VIII. New York: Grove Weidenfield, 1991.

Woychuk, N. A. The British Josiah: “Edward VI… the Most Godly King of England.” St Louis, MO: SMF Press, 2001. <-- So's his, but differently.

Young, Alan. Tudor and Jacobean Tournaments. Dobbs Ferry, NY: Sheridan House,
Inc., 1987.

All right, that is all. Someday soon I will make something graphical for this comm and return to dust it off again. Until then, my unknown ~~and possibly non-existent~~ reader(s), ta!

~Tath-chan, Edward VI Apologist Extraordinaire

Edit, 10/1/06: Just added a few comments to the bibliography for anyone thinking about reading further about dear Eddie. :3