Will of Henry VIII
The will of King Henry VIII of England was a significant constitutional document, or set of contested documents created in the 1530s and 1540s, affecting English, Scottish and Irish politics for the rest of the 16th century. In conjunction with legislation passed by the English Parliament, it was supposed to have a regulative effect in deciding the succession to the three following monarchs of the House of Tudor, the three legitimate and illegitimate children of King Henry VIII. Its actual legal and constitutional status was much debated; and arguably the House of Stuart's succession to the English and Irish thrones after Elizabeth I did not respect Henry's wishes.
Last testament
Henry VIII made a final revision to his last will and testament on 30 December 1546. It was signed using the "dry stamp", a device in use since 1545 and under the control of Anthony Denny and John Gates. It confirmed the line of succession as one living male and six living females. It began with Henry's three children, Edward, Mary and Elizabeth, followed by the three daughters of Frances Grey, Duchess of Suffolk, who was the second child and eldest daughter of Henry VIII's younger sister, Princess Mary. Last in the line of succession was the daughter of Eleanor Clifford, Countess of Cumberland, who was the third child and younger daughter of the king's younger sister, Princess Mary.The will containing the line of succession was read, stamped and sealed on 30 December and placed in the custody of Edward Seymour, Earl of Hertford. After Henry died on the night of 27–28 January 1547, the will was locked in a box to which only Hertford had the key, delaying its reading to Parliament by Henry’s principal secretary until Hertford returned the key after he had secured the person of Prince Edward, Henry’s son and heir.
The document is still extant, but this fact was not generally known or accepted by the 1560s, when some believed it was lost, or had been destroyed.
Executors
The will appointed 16 executors. The executors had little impact in the short term because its powers were given to a smaller group. The executors were officially the council of King Edward VI until 12 March 1547, when Protector Somerset nominated the council. The effective end of the Somerset Protectorate came in early 1550. Those executors who were still alive had a leading constitutional role, in theory from 13 October 1549.The executors comprised:
| Name | Position/profession | Religious orientation | Date of death |
| Thomas Bromley | Chief Justice of the King's Bench | 1555 | |
| Sir Anthony Browne | Courtier | Catholic | 1548 |
| Thomas Cranmer | Archbishop of Canterbury | Reformer | 1556 |
| Sir Anthony Denny | Courtier | Reformer | 1549 |
| John Dudley, Viscount Lisle | Military leader | Reformer | 1553 |
| Sir William Herbert | Courtier | Reformer | 1570 |
| Sir Edward Montague | Chief Justice of the Common Pleas | 1557 | |
| Sir Edward North | Lawyer | Neutral | 1564 |
| Sir William Paget | Politician | Neutral | 1563 |
| William Paulet, Baron St John of Basing | Politician | Neutral | 1572 |
| John Russell | Admiral | Reformer | 1555 |
| Edward Seymour, Earl of Hertford | Military leader | Reformer | 1552 |
| Cuthbert Tunstall | Bishop of Durham | Catholic | 1559 |
| Sir Edward Wotton | Administrator | Possibly Catholic | 1551 |
| Nicholas Wotton | Cleric and diplomat | Possibly Catholic | 1567 |
| Thomas Wriothesley | Administrator | Catholic | 1550 |
Pollard wrote that the traditional view, that the balance of the group of executors on the religious question was deliberately poised to create an equilibrium, is mistaken since the exclusion of Stephen Gardiner tipped the balance to the evangelical reformers. MacCulloch considers that in 1550, after the fall of Somerset, there was a balance but that the evangelicals manoeuvred to a position of superiority.