The Life of Lady Jane Grey – The “9 Day Queen” of England (10th July 1553 -19th July 1553)

Posted on July 10, 2015 Updated on July 10, 2015

Lady Jane Grey remains one of the most tragic figures of Tudor history, primarily a victim of her heritage and her religion resulting in her execution at the young age of 16.

She was born to Henry Grey, 1st Duke of Suffolk, and his wife, Lady Frances Brandon. By birth Jane was the great-granddaughter of King Henry VII whose sister Princess Mary Tudor was the mother of Lady Frances.  At the age of nine she was sent under the guardianship of Henry VII’s sixth queen Katherine Parr. There Jane was subjected to a Protestant environment and she slowly became well educated and was conversant in Latin, Greek, French, Italian and English.

During this time young Edward VI, son of King Henry VII was the ruling King under the regency of John Dudley, the Protestant Duke of Northumberland. John wielded the real power in the kingdom and was a highly ambitious man. After King Edward became terminally ill, John realized that he will lose his position of power if any of Edward’s Catholic sisters (Mary and Elizabeth Tudor) ascended the throne. He therefore conspired with Jane’s parents and had Jane married (On 25th May, 1553) with his son Lord Guildford Dudley. In order to keep the throne under a Protestant Monarch John then persuaded King Edward to name Jane the heir to the throne and not Elizabeth or Mary.

King Edward VI died on 6 th July 1553 and after four days on 10th July Jane Grey, now Lady Jane Dudley was proclaimed Queen. However, popular support rested with Mary Tudor (a devout Catholic), the rightful heir to the throne as per the will of King Henry VII. Mary reigned as the Queen only for a short span of 9 days. At the end of which, Mary Tudor was proclaimed Queen on the basis of popular support on 19^th July 1553.

Jane and her husband Lord Guildford Dudley were imprisoned in the Tower of London and charged with treason in November 1553. Following the trial her life was initially spared but the decision was reversed following the Protestant rebellion of Thomas Wyatt the Younger in January 1554 in their name. Jane along with her husband was beheaded on 12 th February 1554. Jane’s father, the Duke of Suffolk was also executed after two days. However, Jane’s mother, the Duchess of Suffolk who remarried shortly after (with chamberlain, Adrian Stokes in March 1555) was pardoned by the new Queen Mary and she continued to live in the Queen’s court for the remaining of her life.

Following her death, Jane began to be regarded as a Protestant martyr. Her name and tale featured in the Book of Martyrs by John Foxe. The tragic story of her life also became the subject of novels, plays, paintings and films over the years.

Source: English History; Lady Jane Grey.org; BBC UK; Tudorhistory.org; The Official Website of the British Monarcy