Edward VI

Edward VI (16 – 24 March 1538), called the Posthumous, was the King of England and France from his birth in March 1538. He reigned for eight days throughout which the Angevin empire was ruled by a council of regents mainly led by the Lord Intendant of Parliament, Jocelyn d'Albret.

Death
Although the child mortality rate in Europe was very high, countless rumours spread regarding the death of Edward VI, ranging from allegations that he had been poisoned by his eventual successor, Hugh II, to having been plagued by demons. One particular rumour that gained wide support among the peasantry was that he had been murdered by his elder sister, Matilda of England.

His mother having died in childbirth and his father having perished before his death, there were no viable successors to the throne. As such, Edward's death began the War of the English Succession. This succession war was effectively the basis of the growth of English and French parliamentarianism in the sixteenth century.