Edward Seymour, 1st Duke of Somerset
Edward Seymour, 1st Duke of Somerset, 1st Earl of Hertford, 1st Viscount Beauchamp, also known as Edward Semel, was an English nobleman and politician who served as Lord Protector of England from 1547 to 1549 during the minority of his nephew King Edward VI. He was the eldest surviving brother of Queen Jane Seymour, the third wife of King Henry VIII.
Portrait of Edward Seymour as 1st Earl of Hertford (cr 1537), wearing the Collar of the Order of the Garter. By unknown artist, Longleat House, Wiltshire.
Thomas Seymour, Lord Admiral and brother of Edward Seymour
One of Somerset's last desperate acts as Lord Protector was to request 1,000 troops from Sir Rowland Hill as Lord Mayor of London. Hill did not send assistance.
Monument to Lord Edward Seymour (d.1593), and to his son and daughter-in-law, St Mary's Church, Berry Pomeroy
Lord Protector was a title that has been used in British constitutional law for the head of state. It was also a particular title for the British heads of state in respect to the established church. It was sometimes used to refer to holders of other temporary posts; for example, a regent acting for the absent monarch.
Image: Oliver Cromwell by Samuel Cooper
