Edward Seymour, 1st Duke of Somerset, Lord Protector of England 1547-1549
Illustration from history of England by Cassell, Petter, Galpin & Company circa 1880. Info from Wiki: Edward Seymour, 1st Duke of Somerset KG (c. 1500[3] – 22 January 1552) was Lord Protector of England during part of the Tudor period from 1547 until 1549 during the minority of his nephew, King Edward VI (1547-1553). Despite his popularity with the common people, his policies often angered the gentry and he was overthrown. Somerset’s only undoubted skill was as a soldier, which he had proved on expeditions to Scotland, burning Edinburgh in May 1544, and in the defence of Boulogne-sur-Mer in 1546. From the first, his main interest as Protector was the war against Scotland.[32] After a crushing victory at the Battle of Pinkie Cleugh in September 1547, he set up a network of garrisons in Scotland, stretching as far north as Dundee.[33] His initial successes, however, were followed by a loss of direction, as his aim of uniting the realms through conquest became increasingly unrealistic. The Scots allied with France, who sent reinforcements for the defence of Edinburgh in 1548,[34] while Mary, Queen of Scots, was removed to France, where she was betrothed to the dauphin.[35] The cost of maintaining the Protector's massive armies and his permanent garrisons in Scotland also placed an unsustainable burden on the royal finances.[36] A French attack on Boulogne in August 1549 at last forced Somerset to begin a withdrawal from Scotland
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