Lady Jane Grey facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Lady Jane Grey
The Streatham portrait, discovered at the beginning of the 21st century and believed to be based on a lost contemporary woodcut
Queen of England and Ireland (more...) (disputed)
Reign	10 July 1553 – 19 July 1553
Predecessor	Edward VI
Successor	Mary I
Born	1536 or 1537 Possibly London or Bradgate Park, Leicestershire, England
Died	12 February 1554 (aged 16 or 17) Tower of London, London, England
Burial	Church of St Peter ad Vincula, Tower of London
Spouse	Lord Guildford Dudley ​ ​ (m. 1553; died 1554)​
House	Grey
Father	Henry Grey, 1st Duke of Suffolk
Mother	Lady Frances Brandon
Religion	Protestant
Signature

Lady Jane Grey (born around 1537 – died 12 February 1554) was an English noblewoman. She is often called the "Nine Days' Queen" because she was Queen of England and Ireland for a very short time, from 10 to 19 July 1553.

Jane was a great-granddaughter of King Henry VII. This made her a grandniece of Henry VIII and a cousin to Edward VI, Mary I, and Elizabeth I. She received an excellent education and was known as one of the smartest young women of her time.

In May 1553, Jane married Lord Guildford Dudley. He was the son of John Dudley, Duke of Northumberland, who was King Edward VI's most important minister. In June 1553, the young King Edward VI was dying. He wrote his will, naming Jane and her future sons as the next rulers. He did this because his half-sister Mary was Catholic. Jane, however, was a strong Protestant and would support the Church of England, which Edward had helped create. Edward's will also removed his half-sisters, Mary and Elizabeth, from the line of succession. This was because he considered them illegitimate.

After Edward's death, Jane was announced as queen on 10 July 1553. She waited for her coronation at the Tower of London. But many people quickly started to support Mary. Most of Jane's own supporters soon left her side. The King's advisors, known as the Privy Council of England, suddenly changed their minds. They declared Mary as queen on 19 July 1553, which meant Jane was no longer queen.

Jane's main supporter, her father-in-law the Duke of Northumberland, was accused of a serious crime against the ruler and was put to death less than a month later. Jane was kept prisoner in the Tower. In November 1553, she was found guilty of a serious crime against the ruler, which meant she could be put to death.

Queen Mary at first decided to spare Jane's life. However, Jane soon became seen as a danger to the Crown. This happened when her father, Henry Grey, 1st Duke of Suffolk, joined a rebellion against Queen Mary. This rebellion was against Mary's plan to marry Philip of Spain. Because of this, Jane and her husband were put to death on 12 February 1554. Jane was only 16 or 17 years old when she died.

Lady Jane Grey's Early Life and Education

Lady Jane Grey was the oldest daughter of Henry Grey, 1st Duke of Suffolk. Her mother was Frances Brandon. Many historians believe Jane was born at Bradgate Park in Leicestershire in October 1537. However, newer research suggests she might have been born earlier, perhaps in London, between May 1536 and February 1537. This would mean she was 17 when she was put to death.

Jane's mother, Frances, was the oldest daughter of Henry VIII's younger sister, Mary. Jane had two younger sisters, Katherine and Mary. Through their mother, the three sisters were great-granddaughters of King Henry VII. They were also great-nieces of Henry VIII and cousins to the future Edward VI, Mary I, and Elizabeth I.

Jane received a very good education from John Aylmer. She learned to speak Latin and Greek from a young age. She also studied Hebrew with Aylmer and Italian with Michelangelo Florio. Throughout her life, she loved writing letters in Latin and Greek.

Because of her father and teachers, Jane became a strong Protestant. She also wrote letters to Heinrich Bullinger, a religious reformer from Zürich.

Jane preferred studying over activities like hunting. She reportedly found her strict upbringing, which was common at the time, to be very harsh. A scholar named Roger Ascham visited her and found her reading Plato. She supposedly told him:

• "When I am with my father or mother, whether I speak, stay quiet, sit, stand, or walk, eat, drink, am happy or sad, sewing, playing, dancing, or doing anything else, I must do it perfectly. If not, I am sharply scolded, cruelly threatened, and sometimes even pinched or hit. I won't name the other ways, out of respect for them. It makes me feel like I am in hell."

Around February 1547, Jane went to live with Thomas Seymour, 1st Baron Seymour of Sudeley. He was King Edward VI's uncle. Thomas Seymour soon married Catherine Parr, who was Henry VIII's widow. Jane lived with them at Sudeley Castle in Gloucestershire. She was an attendant to Catherine until Catherine died during childbirth in September 1548. Jane was about eleven years old at the time and was the chief mourner at Catherine's funeral. After Thomas Seymour was arrested for a serious crime against the ruler, Jane went back to Bradgate and continued her studies.

Marriage Plans and Royal Connections

Lady Jane was the chief mourner at Catherine Parr's funeral. Thomas Seymour still wanted Jane to stay in his home. She returned there for about two months before he was arrested in late 1548. Seymour's brother, Edward Seymour, 1st Duke of Somerset, was the Lord Protector (a powerful ruler for the young King Edward). He felt threatened by Thomas's popularity with King Edward. One of the things Thomas Seymour was accused of was suggesting Jane as a possible wife for the king.

During Thomas Seymour's trial and execution, Jane's father was lucky to stay out of trouble. After being questioned four times by the King's Council, he suggested his daughter Jane as a wife for the Protector's oldest son, Lord Hertford. However, this marriage never happened.

Jane was not engaged until 25 May 1553. Her husband-to-be was Lord Guildford Dudley. He was a younger son of John Dudley, 1st Duke of Northumberland. The Duke of Northumberland was the most powerful man in England at the time.

On 25 May 1553, Jane and Lord Guildford Dudley were married at Durham House. It was a triple wedding! Jane's sister Catherine married Lord Herbert. He was the son of the Earl of Pembroke. Another Katherine, who was Lord Guildford's sister, married Henry Hastings. He was the son of the Earl of Huntingdon.

Claiming the Throne

"My devise for the Succession" by Edward VI. This draft will was the basis for the letters patent, which declared Lady Jane Grey successor to the Crown. Edward's own writing shows he changed the text from "L Janes heires masles" to "L Jane and her heires masles". Inner Temple Library, London.

The Third Succession Act of 1544 brought Henry VIII's daughters, Mary and Elizabeth, back into the line of succession. However, they were still considered illegitimate. This Act also allowed Henry VIII to change the succession in his will. Henry's will confirmed his three children as heirs. It then stated that if none of them had children, the throne would go to the heirs of his younger sister, Mary. This included Jane. For reasons that are not clear, Henry left out Jane's mother, Frances Grey, from the succession. He also skipped over the claims of the descendants of his older sister, Margaret, who had married into the Scottish royal family.

Both Mary and Elizabeth had been declared illegitimate by law during Henry VIII's reign. This happened after his marriages to Catherine of Aragon and Anne Boleyn were said to be invalid. When 15-year-old Edward VI was dying in early summer 1553, his Catholic half-sister Mary was still expected to be his heir.

Edward, in a draft will he wrote earlier in 1553, first limited the succession to only male descendants of Frances Brandon and her daughters. Then, probably in June 1553, he named his Protestant cousin "Lady Jane and her male heirs" as his successors. His goal was to make sure England remained Protestant, by skipping over Mary, who was Catholic. Edward's decision to name Jane Grey herself might have been influenced by Northumberland.

Edward VI personally watched over the copying of his will. It was officially issued as letters patent on 21 June. It was signed by 102 important people. These included all of the Privy Council, nobles, bishops, judges, and London aldermen. Edward also announced that his "declaration" would be approved by Parliament in September. The necessary documents were prepared.

The King died on 6 July 1553, but his death was not announced until four days later. On 9 July, Jane was told she was now queen. She later said she accepted the crown only with hesitation. On 10 July, she was officially announced as Queen of England, France, and Ireland. She moved into the Tower of London, where English monarchs usually stayed from the start of their reign until their coronation. Jane refused to name her husband Dudley as king, because that would require a special law passed by Parliament.

Northumberland had several important tasks to make sure he kept his power after Edward's death. Most importantly, he needed to isolate and capture Mary Tudor. This would stop her from gathering support. As soon as Mary was sure King Edward had died, she left her home at Hunsdon. She went to East Anglia, where she began to gather her supporters. Northumberland left London with troops on 14 July to capture Mary.

The Privy Council then changed their loyalty. They declared Mary queen in London on 19 July. Historians generally believe this was because most people supported Mary. However, there is not much clear evidence for this outside of Norfolk and Suffolk. This is where Northumberland had put down a rebellion, and where Princess Mary had sought safety. It seems that Henry FitzAlan, 19th Earl of Arundel engineered a sudden change in the Privy Council while Northumberland was away.

The Execution of Lady Jane Grey, by the French painter Paul Delarohe, 1833. National Gallery.

Jane is often called the Nine-Day Queen. However, if her reign is counted from the moment Edward died on 6 July 1553, her reign could have been a few days longer. On 19 July 1553, Jane was imprisoned in the Tower. Her husband was held in the Beauchamp Tower. The Duke of Northumberland was put to death on 22 August 1553. In September, Parliament declared Mary the rightful queen. They said Jane's claim to the throne was wrong and took back her proclamation.

Trial and Execution

The court referred to Jane as Jane Dudley, wife of Guildford. She was accused of a serious crime against the ruler. Her husband, two of his brothers, and the former archbishop of Canterbury, Thomas Cranmer, were also accused. Their trial happened on 13 November 1553, at Guildhall in the City of London. The trial was led by Sir Thomas White, who was the Lord Mayor of London, and Thomas Howard, 3rd Duke of Norfolk. Other members included Edward Stanley, 3rd Earl of Derby, and John Bourchier, 2nd Earl of Bath.

As expected, all the accused were found guilty and sentenced to death. Jane's guilt was proven by several documents she had signed as "Jane the Quene." Her sentence was to "be burned alive on Tower Hill or beheaded as the Queen pleases." The imperial ambassador told Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor, that her life would be spared.

Official letter of Lady Jane Grey signing herself as "Jane the Quene". Inner Temple Library, London

The Wyatt's rebellion in January 1554 sealed Jane's fate. This rebellion was against Queen Mary's marriage plans with Philip of Spain. Jane's father, Henry Grey, 1st Duke of Suffolk, and his two brothers joined the rebellion. Because of this, the government decided to carry out the death sentence against Jane and Guildford.

Their execution was first planned for 9 February 1554. But it was delayed for three days to give Jane a chance to change to the Catholic faith. Mary sent her chaplain John Feckenham to Jane. Jane was not happy about this at first. Although she would not change her faith, she became friends with him. She allowed him to be with her at the scaffold.

On the morning of 12 February 1554, Guildford was taken from his rooms at the Tower of London to the public execution place at Tower Hill. He was beheaded there. A horse and cart brought his body back to the Tower, past the rooms where Jane was staying. Seeing her husband's body return, Jane is said to have cried out: "Oh, Guildford, Guildford."

She was then taken to Tower Green, inside the Tower, to be beheaded. According to a historical account, Jane gave a speech when she stepped onto the scaffold:

• "Good people, I am here to die, and by law, I am sentenced to it. What I did against the Queen was wrong, and I agreed to it. But as for planning or wanting it myself, I wash my hands of it in innocence, before God and you, good Christian people, today."

She admitted her actions were unlawful but said she was innocent of planning them. Jane then recited Psalm 51 in English. She gave her gloves and handkerchief to her maid. The executioner asked for her forgiveness, which she gave him. She pleaded: "I pray you dispatch me quickly." Referring to her head, she asked, "Will you take it off before I lay me down?" The axeman answered: "No, madam." She then covered her eyes with a blindfold. Jane then struggled to find the block with her hands and cried, "What shall I do? Where is it?" Sir Thomas Brydges, the Deputy Lieutenant of the Tower, likely helped her find her way. With her head on the block, Jane spoke the last words of Jesus from the Bible: "Lord, into thy hands I commend my spirit!" The axe then fell, and Jane was beheaded with one clean stroke.

Grave of Lady Jane Grey, St Peter ad Vincula

Jane and Guildford are buried in the Chapel of St Peter ad Vincula on the north side of Tower Green. No memorial stone was placed at their grave. Jane's father, the Duke of Suffolk, was put to death 11 days after Jane, on 23 February 1554. Her mother, the Duchess of Suffolk, married Adrian Stokes in March 1555. She was fully forgiven by Mary and allowed to live at Court with her two remaining daughters. She died in 1559.

Lady Jane Grey's Legacy

In 1911, the British historian Albert Pollard called Jane "the traitor-heroine of the Reformation." During the time of Mary's persecutions of Protestants, Jane became seen as a Protestant martyr. She was featured prominently in several editions of Foxe's Book of Martyrs by John Foxe.

The story of Jane's life grew into a legend in popular culture. It led to many romantic biographies, novels, plays, operas, paintings, and films. One example is the movie Lady Jane from 1986.

Family Tree

Images for kids

• 

  Lady Jane Grey's signature as "Jane the Quene".

See also

In Spanish: Juana Grey para niños