how did edward 6 die?

Answer 1

Hey Ruzmina,

The young king died of tuberculosis at age 15.

Answer 2

Edward VI died at Greenwich Palace on 6 July 1553, either of tuberculosis, arsenic poisoning, or syphilis. His last words were said to have been: "Oh my Lord God, defend this realm from papistry and maintain their true religion." He was buried in Henry VII Lady Chapel at Westminster Abbey by Thomas Cranmer with Protestant rites on 9 August, while Mary had Mass said for his soul in the Tower.

Edward VI's death was kept secret for a couple of days so that preparations could be made for Jane's accession. High civic authorities privately swore their allegiance to the new Queen, who was not publicly proclaimed until 10 July. But the people were much more supportive of Mary, the rightful heir under the Act of Succession. On 19 July, Mary rode triumphantly into London, and Jane was forced to give up the Crown. Jane's proclamation was revoked as an act done under coercion; her succession was deemed unlawful. Thus, Edward VI's de jure successor was Mary I (1553–58), but his de facto successor was Jane.:-)

Answer 3

On the authority of Clifford Brewer, TD, FRCS, Medical Historian, Edward died of pulmonary tuberculosis aggravated by an attack of measles, followed by generalised tuberculous infection and the misuse of stimulants of an unkown type.

Shortly after his 15th birthday in 1552, Edward was very ill with a persistent cough, weight loss and exhaustion. By March 1553 he had slightly improved, but he was emaciated and his left shoulder was higher than his right; he was also coughing up sputum with some blood. Said a physician: "...he is suffering from a suppurative tumour on the lung. He is beginning to break out in ulcers; he is vexed with a harsh and continuous cough, his body is dry and burning, his belly is swollen, he had a slow fever upon him that never leaves him".

The Duke of Northumberland, his Protector, tried now to keep the poor young king alive for his own purposes, hiding the real state of Edward's health and sending away the doctors. (He married his son Guilford Dudley to Lady Jane Grey, who had a claim to the throne.) He installed a "wise woman" to look after Edward; she did, in fact, keep Edward alive just long enough for the king to disinherit Mary and Elizabeth and give the crown to Lady Jane Grey. It is possible the wise woman treated him with arsenic.

By now, Edward had lost most of his hair, and even his nails, fingers and toes were becoming gangrenous. He longed for the relief of death.

On 5 July, a terrible storm struck England, and continued throughout the next day as the king lay dying. On the afternoon of 6 July, he died in the arms of his friend, Henry Stanley.

(We do not know for certain what happened to Edward VI's body. A letter written a few days later by one of Northumberland's sons states that the Duke had not dared to let the late king lie in state [the weather was warm, the corpse was beginning to decay, and there could be no post-mortem which might reveal the presence of poison] but had 'buried him privately in a paddock adjoining the palace, and substituted in his place, to be seen by the people, a young man not very unlike him, whom they had murdered'. Was this the body delivered to the embalmers, the body that was shortly afterwards carried in a coffin to Westminster Abbey by twelve peers of the realm, who watched over it in turn 'without torches or tapers', as a French observer noted in shocked tones? If so, then it is an impostor who rests today in the altar tomb in the Henry VII Chapel, while the pathetic remains of the true Edward lie somewhere in Greenwich Park.)

Answer 4

King Edward VI died of tuberculosis at age 15

Answer 5

The Death of Edward VI
King Edward fell ill in April 1552, of a combination of measles and smallpox. Later in the year he began to exhibit signs of tuberculosis, or consumption as it was known at the time. By June it was obvious that the King was unlikely to survive. It is now known that the measles virus supresses host immunity to tuberculosis. The unscrupulous Northumberland, fearing for his own political survival under Edward's successor, the fanatically Catholic Mary, influenced the King to disinherit both his sisters in favour of his cousin Lady Jane Grey.

Lady Jane was the grand-daughter of Henry VIII's younger sister, Mary and was conveniently married to Northumberland's son, Guildford Dudley. To allow time for his plans to progress, the Protector dismissed Edward's doctors and installed a female to administer to the dying king. Her 'restringents' brought on a temporary improvement but probably slowly poisoned him through the levels of arsenic they contained. Edward's sufferings reached a pitch where they became intolerable, he was heard to whisper to his tutor "I am glad to die." His legs and arms swelled and his skin darkened, while his fingers and toes became gangrenous, he also lost his hair and nails.

On January 6th, 1553, during the close atmosphere of a violent thunderstorm, which rumour said was the spectre of Henry VIII, stamping his feet in characteristic fury and venting his wrath at the extinction of his dynasty, King Edward VI died in agony, crying out with pathos "Lord, have mercy upon me, take my spirit.".

News of the King's death was not released until 10th June to allow Northumberland time to establish his daughter-in-law on the throne. Edward's body lay unburied until August 8th, when it was interred in Westminster Abbey under Protestant rites by his eventual successor, his sister Mary I. The service was carried out by his godfather, Thomas Cramner. Mary had wanted to give her half-brother a Catholic funeral, but was persuaded against it, instead, while the Protestant service was taking place, she had masses said for the soul of her young brother at the Tower.

Answer 6

He died an agonizing death at 15, possibly from a combination of tuberculosis and the measles.

Answer 7

Natural causes. He had never been a robust youngster. Medical knowledge was not very detailed in 1553. Try a Google or Yahoo web-search.

Answer 8

He was a sickly kid growing up and died from an illness at 16.