The sole surviving male heir of Henry VIII, Edward VI was only nine years old when he came to the throne in 1547. Reigning for just six years, Edward was surrounded by the manipulation and plotting rife in the Tudor court even before his father’s death.

Power struggles between his uncles were just one indication of the turbulent and treacherous climate surrounding him. But changes wrought in Edward’s short reign make him a central figure in the Tudor age.

His own journals and letters offer a compelling picture not only of Edward’s personal and political life - a life of great promise, tragically cut short - but of the fascinating court in which he lived.