Profile of Jane Grey on Famous Like Me

Lady Jane Grey (October 12?, 1537–February 12, 1554), was a great granddaughter of Henry VII of England, and was proclaimed Queen of England for nine days in 1553. Her status as a monarch is controversial; her succession contravened an Act of Parliament, but so did the succession of several other monarchs. However, after her rule ended, her proclamation as Queen was revoked. She was also known as one of the most learned women of her day, described by the historian Alison Weir as one of “the finest female minds of the century.”

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.

She was also the subject of the she-tragedy entitled Lady Jane Grey from 1715 by Nicholas Rowe, which emphasizes the pathos of Jane's fate.

Early life and education

Jane was born at Bradgate Park near Leicester in October 1537, the eldest daughter of Henry Grey, Marquess of Dorset and his wife Lady Frances Brandon. October 12 has been suggested as a date of birth. She had two younger sisters: Lady Catherine Grey and Lady Mary Grey.

As a girl, she was the beneficiary of the new mode of education for women promoted by certain contemporary humanists, and was tutored by John Aylmer, one of the circle of young Cambridge University scholars who also educated Elizabeth I of England. Like Elizabeth, she also spent time in the household of Henry's then wife, Katherine Parr, Queen consort of Henry VIII of England. When Jane was fifteen, she was observed by an Italian ambassador, and reported to have been fluent in several languages, including Ancient Greek, and capable of debating the most intellectual points with anyone, including learned scholars.

Claim to the Throne

Her 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 on 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 authorized 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 will pass to the heirs of his younger sister, Mary, The French Queen. His will completely ignored the claims of the heirs of his elder sister, Margaret Tudor, which were superior to those of the Suffolks.

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. When Henry's Protestant successor Edward VI died at an early age, the next in line to the throne was his Roman Catholic half-sister, Mary.

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 who, when it became clear Edward 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.

At the time of Edward VI's death, Jane was fourth in line to the Throne, after Mary, Elizabeth, and Frances. Jane's claim to the throne was therefore obviously weak, and Northumberland's other sons John, Ambrose, Henry and Robert were all subsequently imprisoned but later pardoned for their part in their father's scheme.

Accession

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. 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 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. After Jane 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. 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. Five days after Wyatt's arrest, Jane and Guilford were executed.

On the morning of February 12, 1554, Guilford Dudley was dragged from his rooms at the Tower of London to the public execution place at Tower Hill, where his head was hacked from his body with a few strokes. 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 into the Tower courtyard, inside the Tower of London, for a private execution. Such was reserved 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 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. Jane and Guilford are buried side by side in the courtyard grounds.

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