King Edward VI's 'Devise for the Succession', 1553.

Manuscript image of King Edward VI's 'Devise for the Succession'.

Edward VI: Devise for the Succession.

1553.

[According to Henry VIII's Third Act of Succession, passed in 1544, Edward was to be succeeded by his half-sister Mary and her issue, followed by his half-sister Elizabeth and her issue. When Edward became ill in early 1553, the Protestant lords realized that the English Reformation would be at stake, should Mary succeed. They convinced the fifteen-year-old king that Lady Jane Grey would be much better suited, after which Edward drafted the following "devise". —AJ]

My deuise for the Succession.¹

1. For lakke of issu (masle inserted above the line, but afterwards erased) of my body (to the issu (masle above the line) cumming of thissu femal, as i haue after declared inserted, but erased). To the L Franceses heires masles, (For lakke of erased) (if she have any inserted) such issu (befor my death inserted) to the L' Janes (and her inserted) heires masles, To the L Katerins heires masles, To the L Maries heires masles, To the heires masles of the daughters wich she² shal haue hereafter. Then to the L Margets heires masles. For lakke of such issu, To th'eires masles of the L Janes daughters. To th'eires masles of the L Katerins daughters, and so forth til yow come to the L Margets (daughters inserted) heires masles.

2. If after my death theire³ masle be entred into 18 yere old, then he to have the hole rule and gouernauce therof.

3. But if he be under 18, then his mother to be gouuernres til he entre 18 yere old, But to doe nothing w'out th'auise (and agremet inserted) of 6 parcel of a counsel to be pointed by my last will to the nombre of 20.

4. If the mother die befor th'eire entre into 18 the realme to be gouuerned by the cousel Prouided that after he be 14 yere al great matters of importaunce be opened to him.

5. If i died w'out issu, and there were none heire masle, then the L Fraunces to be (reget altered to) gouuernres. For lakke of her, the her eldest daughters,⁴ and for lakke of them the L Marget to be gouuernres after as is aforsaid, til sume heire masle be borne, and then the mother of that child to be gouuernres.

6. And if during the rule of the gouuernres ther die 4 of the counsel, then shal she by her letters cal an asseble of the counsel w'in on month folowing and chose 4 more, wherin she shal haue thre uoices. But after her death the 16 shal chose emong themselfes til th'eire come to (18 erased) 14 yeare olde, and then he by ther aduice shal chose them.

1 This paper is printed, as far as possible, in fac-simile of the original, including the contractions,
and the letter u for v.

2 "she," i.e. the lady Frances (duchess of Suffolk), whose three living daughters, Jane, Katharine,
and Mary, have now been enumerated.

3 the heir.

4 " the her eldest daughters," sic MS. probably for then her eldest daughter,—i. e. the lady Jane. This clause is wholly erased, and there is nothing in the letters patent corresponding to it; for it was rendered unnecessary when the arrangement had been admitted that the lady Jane should immediately succeed in the event of her mother having no son at the time of King Edward's decease. Still, as appears from the King signing " in six several places," there were six paragraphs in the fair copy of the Devise.

This clause, though (like the preceding) erased in the King's draft, is retained in the letters patent, but the council was to consist of thirty instead of twenty members.

Text source:

Literary Remains of King Edward the Sixth.. Vol II.
John Gough Nichols, Ed.
London: J. B. Nichols and Sons, for the Roxburghe Club, 1857. 571-2.

	to King Edward VI
	to Lady Jane Grey