Lady Jane Grey
| File:Janekath.jpg | |
| Reign | July 6,July 10 1553 - July 19 1553 |
| Predecessor | Edward VI |
| Successor | Mary I |
| Spouse | Lord Guilford Dudley |
| Issue | None |
| Royal House | Tudor |
| Father | Henry Grey, Duke of Suffolk |
| Mother | Lady Frances Brandon |
| Born | October 12, 1537 |
| Died | February 12, 1554 |
Lady Jane Grey (October 12, 1537 – February 12, 1554), a great-granddaughter of Henry VII of England, was proclaimed Queen regnant of the Kingdom of England for nine days in 1553. Her status as a monarch is controversial as her succession contravened an Act of Parliament, although this has also been the case with other English monarchs. After her brief rule ended, however, her proclamation as Queen was revoked. She was also known as one of the most learned women of her day and described as one of "the finest female minds of the century"[citation needed].
She is sometimes known as "The Nine Days' Queen" (July 10 – July 19, 1553) or "The Thirteen Days' Queen" (July 6 – July 19, 1553) — owing to uncertainty as to when she actually succeeded to the throne and was deposed. "Nine days" is the more commonly held view. The day of her predecessor's death (July 6) and that of her official proclamation as Queen (July 10) have both been considered to be the beginning of her short reign.
Early life and education
Jane was born at Bradgate Park near Leicester in October (unknown day: perhaps the 12th) 1537, the eldest daughter of Henry Grey, Marquess of Dorset and his wife Lady Frances Brandon. She had two younger sisters: Lady Catherine Grey and Lady Mary Grey. She was a companion to Edward VI and shared many similarities with him. Jane was extremely well educated, knowing Latin, Greek and Hebrew as well as several modern languages. She read her Greek New Testament daily and corresponded with the Swiss Zwinglian reformers in Latin from the age of thirteen. Jane's parents often mistreated her and she herself admitted that she enjoyed studying because it provided her an escape from her parents. Jane, through the teachings of her tutors, became a devoted Protestant. Her religion was very important to her.
Claim to the Throne
Jane's claim to the throne was through her mother, Lady Frances Brandon, who was the daughter of Mary Tudor (a daughter of King Henry VII of England) and her second husband, Charles Brandon, 1st Duke of Suffolk. Frances was still living but renounced her claim to the throne in favour of her daughter.
According to the notion of male primogeniture, the Suffolks (Brandons and later Greys) were the junior branch of the heirs of Henry VII. The 1544 Act of Succession restored both Mary and Elizabeth to the line of succession even though neither had been re-legitimized. Furthermore, this Act authorised Henry VIII to alter the succession by his will. His last will reinforced the succession of his three children, and then declared that should none of his three children leave heirs, the throne would pass to heirs of his younger sister, Mary. His will completely ignored the claims of the heirs of his elder sister Margaret Tudor, which were superior to those of the Suffolks.
Several Protestant nobles had become wealthy since Henry VIII closed the Catholic monasteries and divided the lands and possessions among his supporters. John Dudley, Duke of Northumberland, was the foremost among them, having been the regent during the reign of Henry's son, Edward VI. Fearing a return to Catholicism, and the prospect of losing his wealth and power, Northumberland led a faction which, when it became clear Edward VI was dying, would ensure the accession of a Protestant instead of the Catholic Mary Tudor. Northumberland hastily arranged for his son Guilford Dudley to marry Jane, hoping through him to gain control over his daughter-in-law and the reins of England. When informed by her parents of her betrothal, Jane refused point-blank to obey because Guildford was ugly and stupid. Scholars today still scratch their heads over what made this seemingly quiet and obedient girl go completely against precedent and refuse her parents' marriage arrangements. The refusal was ineffective, as her parents forced her into submission.
The question of the succession had arisen as a result of the religious unrest that had prevailed during the reign of King Henry VIII of England (1509–47). When Henry VIII's Protestant successor Edward VI died at an early age, the next in line to the throne was his Roman Catholic half-sister Mary. However, Edward VI named the heirs of his father's sister Mary Tudor (not his own half-sister Mary) as his successors in a will composed on his deathbed under the persuasion of Northumberland. He knew that this effectively left the throne to his favored cousin Jane Grey, who like him was staunchly Protestant and highly educated. At the time of Edward VI's death, and ignoring the will (which was of dubious legality, being contrary to the Act of Succession), Jane was fourth in line to the throne, after Mary, Elizabeth, and Frances. Jane's claim to the throne was therefore obviously weak.
Accession
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Edward VI died on July 6 1553. Lady Jane Grey was proclaimed Queen of England while staying at the New Inn, Gloucester on July 10 1553, just four days later. She was, according to some accounts, tricked into putting on the crown by Northumberland; however, she refused to name her husband as king, titling him instead the Duke of Clarence. This infuriated the Dudleys, and Guilford was counseled by his mother to refuse to share Jane's bed and to leave her castle. She had the castle guard stop him, and told him what he did at night did not concern her, but during the day, his place was by her side.
In order to consolidate power, there were a number of key tasks which confronted Northumberland, the most important of which was to capture and isolate Mary in order to prevent her from gathering support around her. Mary, however, was advised of his intentions and took flight, sequestering herself in Framlingham Castle in Suffolk.
Deposal
Mary I proved to have more popular support than Jane, partly because of the continuing sympathy for the treatment her mother, Catherine of Aragon, had received at the hands of Henry VIII. Mary amassed a support of 20,000 men at Framlingham Castle and marched to London where Jane was deposed. After she was deposed, there seemed some likelihood that her life would be spared by Mary, who had now taken the throne. She sent John de Feckenham to Lady Jane, in an attempt to convert her to Catholicism.
Execution
The Protestant rebellion of Sir Thomas Wyatt, in the first months of 1554, sealed Jane's fate despite the fact that she had nothing to do with it directly. The rebellion was at first a popular revolt precipitated by the imminent marriage of Mary to the Catholic Philip II of Spain (1556–98). Jane's father, the Duke of Suffolk, and other nobles joined the rebellion, calling for Jane's restoration as Queen. Phillip and his councillors pressed Mary to execute Jane to put an end to any future focus for unrest. Mary offered Jane a pardon if she would convert to Catholicism, but Jane refused. Five days after Wyatt's arrest, Jane and Guilford were executed.
On the morning of February 12 1554, Guilford Dudley was taken from his rooms at the Tower of London to the public execution place at Tower Hill, where he was beheaded. His remains were carried back to the Tower of London in a horse cart, past the rooms where Jane was kept prisoner. Jane was then taken out to Tower Green, inside the Tower of London, for a private execution. Such was reserved, with few exceptions, for royalty alone, and was done at the request of Queen Mary, in a gesture of respect for her cousin. John de Feckenham, who had been unable to convert Jane, stayed with her during the execution. Jane had been determined to go to her death with dignity, but once blindfolded, could not find the executioner's block. She had begun to panic when an unknown hand, possibly de Feckenham, helped her find her way and retain her dignity in the end.
The "traitor-heroine of the Reformation" was only 16 years old at the time. There is no record that her mother made any attempt, request or otherwise, to save her life, and her father was already awaiting execution for his part in the Wyatt rebellion. Jane and Guilford are buried in the Chapel of St. Peter ad Vincula on the North side of Tower Green. Queen Mary lived for only four more years after she ordered the death of her cousin, Jane.
Northumberland's other sons John, Ambrose, Henry and Robert were all subsequently imprisoned but later pardoned for their part in their father's scheme.
Lady Jane Grey in culture
She was the subject of the 1715 she-tragedy entitled Lady Jane Grey by Nicholas Rowe, which emphasizes the pathos of Jane's fate.
Her story has been filmed three times: as Lady Jane Grey; Or, The Court of Intrigue in 1923, as Tudor Rose in 1935 when she was played by Nova Pilbeam, and as Lady Jane in 1986 when she was played by Helena Bonham Carter.
She has often been depicted in art, examples include: The Execution of Lady Jane Grey, Lady Jane Grey Preparing for Execution, and the engraving Lady Jane Grey.
Bob Dylan's song Queen Jane Approximately was likely written about Lady Jane.
External links
- Tudor history teaching tool for students aged 12 to 18
- Site of author C.W. Gortner, author of "The Secret Lion" a novel about the final days of Edward VI's reign, featuring Jane Grey.
- EnglishHistory.net's section on Lady Jane A complete account of Lady Jane's life from birth to death.
- The Lady Jane Grey Internet Museum Large collection of images of Jane and her life experiences.
- Is this the true face of Lady Jane? - article from The Guardian, 16th January 2006, describing a new portrait found in a South London home that is purported to be of Lady Jane Grey.
Bibliography
- Chronicle of Queen Jane and of Two Years of Queen Mary - anonymous primary source
- "Children of England" - Alison Weir
- "Nine Days Queen of England" - Faith Cook
- "Lady Jane Grey: Nine Days Queen" - Alison Plowden