 After his death , Henry 's only legitimate son , Edward , inherited the Crown , becoming Edward VI ( 1547 – 1553 ) . Since Edward was then only nine years old , he could not exercise actual power . Rather , Henry 's will designated 16 executors to serve on a council of regency until Edward reached the age of 18 . The executors chose Edward Seymour , 1st Earl of Hertford , Jane Seymour 's elder brother , to be Lord Protector of the Realm . If Edward went childless , the throne was to pass to Mary , Henry VIII 's daughter by Catherine of Aragon , and her heirs . If Mary 's issue failed , the crown was to go to Elizabeth , Henry 's daughter by Anne Boleyn , and her heirs . Finally , if Elizabeth 's line became extinct , the crown was to be inherited by the descendants of Henry VIII 's deceased younger sister , Queen Mary of France , the Greys . The descendants of Henry 's sister Margaret – the Stuarts , rulers of Scotland – were thereby excluded from the succession . This final provision failed when James VI of Scotland became James I of England upon Elizabeth 's death . 
