Jane Dudley, Duchess of Northumberland facts for kids

Jane Dudley, Duchess of Northumberland (born Guildford; 1508/1509 – 15 or 22 January 1555) was an important English noblewoman. She was the wife of John Dudley, 1st Duke of Northumberland, a very powerful politician. Jane was also the mother of Guildford Dudley and Robert Dudley, 1st Earl of Leicester.

Jane grew up with her future husband, John Dudley. He was under her father's care, like a foster child. She married him when she was about 16 years old. Together, they had 13 children.

Jane Dudley worked as a lady-in-waiting in the court of Henry VIII. She was a close friend of Henry VIII's last wife, Catherine Parr. Jane was a supporter of the Protestant faith. She also supported Anne Askew, a Protestant who was later killed for her beliefs.

Under the young King Edward VI, Jane's husband, John Dudley, became one of the most powerful people in England. He was first made Earl of Warwick and then Duke of Northumberland. After another powerful leader, Lord Protector Somerset, lost his power in 1549, John Dudley worked with his wife to help Somerset. They tried to bring their families together, even arranging a marriage between their children.

In 1553, Jane Dudley's son, Guildford, married Lady Jane Grey. After King Edward VI died, the Duke of Northumberland tried to make Lady Jane Grey the queen. But he failed, and Mary I became queen instead. Jane Dudley worked hard to save her husband's life. Sadly, her husband and son Guildford were executed. However, she managed to get the rest of her family released from prison. She did this by becoming friends with Spanish nobles who came to England with Philip of Spain. Jane Dudley died soon after, at the age of 46.

Early Life and Marriage

Jane Guildford was born in Kent, England, around 1508 or 1509. She was the only daughter of Sir Edward Guildford and Eleanor West. Jane was educated at home with her brother Richard. Her future husband, Sir John Dudley, also lived with them from 1512. He was under her father's care as a "ward."

In 1525, when Jane was about 16, she married John Dudley. He was 20 or 21 years old. Their parents had planned this marriage several years before.

Jane Dudley gave birth to 13 children. They had eight boys and five girls. It is hard to know the exact birth dates for most of them. One exception is Robert, who later became a favorite of Elizabeth I. He was born in 1532. He was their fifth son. Their eldest daughter, Mary, became the mother of the famous poet Philip Sidney.

John and Jane Dudley seemed to have a happy family life. There were no public scandals. Around 1535, a poem praised their "love and devotion."

Jane's father, Sir Edward Guildford, died in 1534. He did not write a will before he died. His son Richard had died earlier. So, Guildford's nephew, John Guildford, claimed the family's inheritance. The Dudleys argued that Jane, as Guildford's daughter, was the rightful heir. They won the court case with help from Thomas Cromwell.

Life at Court

Jane Dudley served as a lady-in-waiting to two of King Henry VIII's wives: Anne Boleyn and later Anne of Cleves. She was interested in the Protestant religion. From the mid-1530s, she and her husband were part of groups that supported new religious ideas.

In 1542, John Dudley was given the title of Viscount Lisle. He was friends with William Parr. William's sister, Catherine, became King Henry VIII's last queen in July 1543. Jane Dudley was one of Catherine Parr's closest friends. She was one of four ladies who led Catherine to the altar on her wedding day.

Jane Dudley also supported Anne Askew. Anne Askew was a strong Protestant. Jane contacted her when Anne was in prison between 1545 and 1546. Anne Askew was later burned at the stake as a heretic in July 1546. This happened because of conservative religious leaders at court.

John Dudley, Jane Dudley's husband, in the 1540s

The Dudley children received a good education. They learned about Renaissance humanism and science. In 1553, Jane Dudley herself asked the mathematician John Dee to write two books for her. These books were about the stars and the tides.

Jane Dudley was very close to her children. Her oldest son, Henry, died in 1544 during the siege of Boulogne. He was 19 years old. In 1552, Jane wrote a note at the end of a letter from her husband to their eldest son, John Dudley, 2nd Earl of Warwick. It said: "your lovynge mothere that wyshes you helthe dayli Jane Northumberland."

Jane also had health problems. In 1548, her husband did not want to leave her side. He said she "had had her fit again more extreme that she had any time yet."

Under King Edward VI, John Dudley was made Earl of Warwick in 1547. Another powerful man, Edward Seymour, became Duke of Somerset and Lord Protector. In October 1549, the Protector lost his power. John Dudley, Earl of Warwick, became the leader of the government.

Somerset had been put in the Tower of London. But he was soon allowed to rejoin the King's Council. Before his release, the Duchess of Somerset and the Countess of Warwick (Jane Dudley) arranged daily meals. They wanted to help their husbands become friends again. The two ladies also encouraged a marriage between their eldest children, Anne Seymour and John Dudley. In June 1550, a grand wedding took place at the palace of Sheen. King Edward, who was 12, attended the wedding.

Jane Dudley remained an important lady at court. Her husband became Duke of Northumberland in October 1551. She had influence with him. Important people like the financier Thomas Gresham asked for her help. She also spoke up for Mary Tudor, who later became Queen Mary I. Mary had been a godmother to one of Jane's daughters in 1545.

A Queen's Mother-in-Law

King Edward VI became very ill in early 1553. He wrote a document called "My Devise for the Succession." The final version, from June 1553, aimed to give the Crown to his Protestant cousin, Lady Jane Grey. This would skip over his half-sisters Mary and Elizabeth. Lady Jane Grey was the daughter of Frances Grey, Duchess of Suffolk. Frances was a niece of Henry VIII.

On May 25, 1553, three weddings were held at Durham Place. This was the Dudley family's home in London. Two of Jane's younger children were involved. Guildford, who was about 17, married Lady Jane Grey. Katherine, who was between eight and ten years old, was promised to the heir of the Earl of Huntingdon, Henry Hastings.

A few months later, these marriages were seen as proof of a plan by the Duke of Northumberland. People thought he wanted to put his family on the throne. But when the marriages happened, even people who were suspicious did not think they were part of a big plot. Historians today see them either as part of a plot or as "routine actions of dynastic politics." The idea for these marriages probably came from the Marchioness of Northampton.

After King Edward died on July 6, 1553, Northumberland tried to carry out the King's will. Lady Jane Grey only accepted the Crown after her parents and parents-in-law convinced her. On July 10, the Duchess of Northumberland (Jane) went with her son and daughter-in-law into the Tower of London. They were to live there for the rest of their short time as royals.

According to a letter Jane Grey wrote to Queen Mary later, Guildford wanted to be made king. The young couple agreed he should be declared king by Parliament. But then Jane Grey changed her mind. She said she would only make him a duke. "I will not be a duke, I will be King," Guildford replied. He then went to get his mother, Jane Dudley. The Duchess was furious and sided with her son. She told him to leave the Tower and go home. However, Jane Grey insisted he stay at court. Jane Grey also wrote that the Duchess "induced her son not to sleep with me any more." It is clear from Jane Grey's writings that she did not like her mother-in-law.

Struggle for Her Family

To claim her right to the throne, Mary Tudor began gathering supporters. She demanded that the King's Council in London recognize her as queen. When her letter arrived on July 10, 1553, during dinner, Jane's mother, the Duchess of Suffolk, and the Duchess of Northumberland both cried.

Mary was gaining strength. On July 14, the Duke of Northumberland marched with troops to Cambridge to capture her. He spent a quiet week there. On July 20, he heard that the Council in London had declared for Mary. By order of the Council, Northumberland himself announced Queen Mary at the market-place. He then waited to be arrested. His wife, Jane, was still in the Tower but was soon released.

Jane tried to speak to Queen Mary personally. She wanted to ask for her imprisoned husband and five sons to be freed. Mary was staying outside London. But Jane was turned away about 5 miles before reaching the court. She then wrote a letter to her friend Lady Paget. Lady Paget was the wife of William, Lord Paget. Jane asked her to plead with the Queen's ladies for her husband's life. Her plea was heard, but it was not answered. The Duke of Northumberland was executed on August 22, 1553, at Tower Hill. He had changed his mind about his Protestant faith before his death.

After another uprising called Wyatt's rebellion, Guildford Dudley was executed on February 12, 1554. This happened shortly before his wife, Lady Jane Grey. Knowing the Queen's nature, Jane Dudley asked the authorities in June 1554 to allow her remaining sons to attend Catholic mass.

During 1554, the Duchess and her son-in-law, Henry Sidney, worked hard. They pleaded with the Spanish nobles who came to England with the new king consort, Philip of Spain. Lord Paget may also have helped. Henry Sidney even traveled to Spain to help the Dudley brothers. In the autumn of 1554, the Dudley brothers were released from the Tower. However, the eldest, John, died immediately afterward at Sidney's house in Penshurst, Kent.

At the same house, Philip Sidney was born on November 30, 1554. His godmother was his grandmother, Jane Dudley. His godfather was Philip of Spain.

After the Dudley family's possessions were taken by the Crown in July 1553, Queen Mary allowed Jane Dudley to keep her clothes and valuables. She also kept carpets and other household items. She was allowed to use the Duke's house in Chelsea, London. Jane Dudley died there on either January 15 or 22, 1555. She was buried on February 1 at Chelsea Old Church.

In her will, she tried to provide money for her sons. She thanked the Queen and the many Spanish nobles she had asked for help. She gave her green parrot to the Duchess of Alba. To Don Diego de Acevedo, she gave "the new bed of green velvet with all the furniture to it." She asked him to continue being like a father and brother to her sons, even after she was gone.

She also remembered "my lord, my dear husband." She asked: "in no wise let me be opened after I am dead." She added that she had "not lived to be very bold before women." So, she would be "loth to come into the hands of any living man, be he Physician or Surgeon." She did not talk much about religion in her will. But she stressed that "who ever doth trust to this transitory world, as I did, may happen to have an overthrow, as I had." She concluded: "therefore to the worms will I go as I have before written."

Images for kids

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  John Dudley, 1st Duke of Northumberland, Jane Dudley's husband, in the 1540s