Lady Jane Grey

Born: October 1537

Became Queen: 10th July 1553

Reign ended: 19th July 1553

Died: 12th February 1554

Lady Jane Grey was the eldest daughter of Henry Grey and Lady Frances Brandon – The Duke and Duchess of Suffolk. She was the great-granddaughter of Henry VIII through his youngest daughter Mary Tudor.

She became the Queen of England after her cousin Edward VI died and left the throne to her. However, Jane only reigned over the country for nine days and was later executed.

The tragedy of her story is that her death was through no fault of her own, it was to do with her heritage and her religion.

Childhood

Lady Jane Grey was born in October 1537 and became the eldest daughter of Lady Frances Brandon and Henry Grey, the Duke of Suffolk. She was a well-educated and intelligent child and could speak five languages – English, Latin, Italian, Greek and French.

Jane grew up in Bradgate, Leicestershire with her two younger sisters Lady Catherine Grey and Lady Mary Grey. However, when she was around ten years old, she was sent to stay with Katherine Parr (the widow of Henry VIII) in her suburban household. She had recently married Thomas Seymour, the younger brother of Edward. During King Edward VI’s reign, Edward Seymour was the Lord Protector and Thomas was insanely jealous of his authority and power.

During Jane’s stay, she became very close to Katherine and received love and tenderness that she never got from either of her parents. In addition, it was this trip that Jane became devoted to the Protestant faith, as Katherine herself was Protestant.

Whilst Jane was staying with the couple, Thomas Seymour convinced Jane’s father Henry to hand over Jane’s wardship and marriage rights in exchange for money, and Seymour guaranteed that he would arrange for her to marry King Edward VI. Henry Grey basically sold his daughter to Thomas Seymour.

In time, Katherine became pregnant. She gave birth to a healthy baby girl but unfortunately due to complications, she died a few weeks later. After Katherine’s death, Jane stayed with Thomas Seymour for a while, but her parents were questioning why she was not married to Edward VI. Under pressure, Seymour paid her parents another sum of money and assured them that he would make it happen.

At the same time, Seymour boasted to many people that he would soon destroy his brother, and this gossip saw him meet his end. John Dudley, Earl of Warwick (who had wanted to destroy the Seymour brothers for many years), had Thomas Seymour arrested for treason and he was subsequently hanged. After his death, Jane returned to her family home in Bradgate.

Marriage

Like Thomas Seymour, John Dudley had also been making plans and he was made Duke of Northumberland and he replaced Edward Seymour as the power behind the throne. In early 1553, King Edward VI’s health deteriorated rapidly and Dudley began to think about his successor. He knew that as the King had no children, his sister Mary would be heir to the throne and if this happened, he would lose his position of authority. He had to act quickly in order for this not to happen.

Dudley plotted with Jane’s parents and then set about putting the plan in place. He firstly became Jane’s ward and then arranged for her (as she was the next eligible female in line to the throne after Henry’s sisters) to marry his eldest son Guildford Dudley. The ceremony took place in May 1553 and meant that when Jane became Queen, Guildford would become King.

Claim to the throne

The Third Act of Succession (1544) and Henry VIII’s last will and testament stated that the heir to his throne would be his son Edward, followed by his sisters Mary and Elizabeth. They also stated that if his children died childless, the throne would be passed to the children of Henry’s younger sister Mary Tudor. The plan completely disregarded Henry’s sister Margaret’s children. It was said that he did not care for his sister (the former Queen of Scots) and did not want the English throne to be in Scottish hands.

Although it was unlikely that Henry VIII’s three children would all die without children, it did in fact happen. However, King Edward VI decided to make some changes himself.

When Edward VI’s health deteriorated rapidly in 1552, he accepted that he was going to die very soon and set plans in place for when this happened. According to parliament and his fathers will, Mary was his heir, but Edward – a devout Protestant – did not want his Catholic sister to rule. With advice from his closest advisor, John Dudley, Edward removed Mary from succession on the grounds of her illegitimacy. Because of this, he had to also remove his youngest sister Elizabeth as she was also declared illegitimate, despite her being a Protestant.

Edward VI died in 1553 and though his initial plan was to pass the throne to his cousin (and daughter of Mary Tudor) Lady Frances Brandon and her male heirs, he simply left it to her daughter Lady Jane Grey, as Frances had no sons. It was thought that Duke of Northumberland John Dudley influenced Edward’s decision.

Queen for nine days

When John Dudley heard of the King’s death, he sent a letter to his sister Mary telling her that Edward was gravely ill and wished to see her. Upon receiving this letter, Mary made the journey to London. Dudley’s plan was to have Mary seized when she was on her way, and then for her to be kept in the Tower as a prisoner. Unfortunately for him, Mary discovered that her brother had already passed away on the 6th July. She then sent a letter to the Council, assuming that she was the rightful heir to the throne.

Meanwhile, before they received Mary’s letter, the Council sent Lady Jane a letter asking her to come to Sion House. When she arrived, Jane was confused and embarrassed at how nobles and others, including her parents, were treating her. It was only when Dudley stood up and made an announcement did she understand. He stated that Edward VI had passed away and that his wish was for the throne to be taken by Lady Jane Grey. Shocked and speechless, Jane declared “The crown is not my right and pleaseth me not. The Lady Mary is the rightful heir.” Dudley and her parents were quick to correct her and tell her that she must obey the orders.

The following day, on the 10th July, Jane was taken from Sion House to the Tower of London where the crown jewels had been laid out for her. As she travelled by barge, people lined the shores but stayed deadly quiet. They had only just learned that their King had died and now Jane – unknown and more importantly, unwanted – was claiming the throne. The majority of people believed that Mary was the rightful heir.

As Jane entered the Tower, she was greeted by officials and the Marquess of Winchester handed her the keys of the fortress. It was Dudley who accepted the keys though, clearly showing that he would be the true power behind the throne. Guns were fired and flags were flown to celebrate Jane’s coronation.

An eyewitness, Baptista Spinola said:

“She is very short and thin, but prettily shaped and graceful. She has small features and a well-made nose, the mouth flexible and the lips red. The eyebrows are arched and darker than her hair, which is nearly red. Her eyes are sparkling and reddish brown in colour. Her complexion was good, unmarked by the pox, but freckled; she had sharp white teeth and a lovely smile. Because she was so short, she wore chopines; Her gown was made of green velvet stamped with gold.”

In the Tower, the Marquess of Winchester handed her the royal jewels to try on, including the crown. Jane was hesitant about doing this. To her, the crown was the most sacred item of the monarchy, and it reminded her of the importance of her role. When the Marquess told her that another crown would be made for the King, Jane realised that this had been John Dudley’s plan all along. Angry at this realisation, Jane announced that her husband Guildford would not be made King, and that she would simply make him a Duke.

Hearing this, Guildford’s mother said her son would be leaving for Sion House with her. After he left, Jane sent two nobles to prevent him doing so, as she recognised they needed to be together, even though she could not stand him. Talking about this incident, Lady Jane said:

“I was compelled to act as a woman who is obliged to live on good terms with her husband; nevertheless I was not only deluded by the duke and the Council, but maltreated by my husband and his mother”.

Though she was officially Queen, the public weren’t happy with this and Dudley understood their opinion. He also knew that the two people who were a threat to Jane’s reign were Mary and Elizabeth. After failing to capture Mary, he began trying to track her movements. Elizabeth chose to stay silent on the situation and didn’t support or reject Jane as Queen.

During her nine days of reign, Jane made no political statements, it was Dudley who did. He sent a letter to all the lieutenants and sheriffs announcing Jane’s succession and telling them to resist any appeal from Mary. He knew the issue wouldn’t be settled so easily and that it would be decided on the field of battle. On 12th July, he, an experienced soldier, ordered a muster at Tothill Fields. He planned to put Jane’s father Henry Grey in charge but she insisted he stay, with Dudley himself going instead. Two days later on the 14th July, Dudley led 600 men to the field. At the same time, Mary and her army were marching towards London. As Dudley’s army passed through towns, they heard cries from people declaring Mary as their Queen. Even the ships that Dudley had sent to stop Mary’s escape had deserted Dudley. Once this news got back to London, councillors realised they didn’t want to be on the ‘losing side’ and so attempted to leave the Tower. Realising this, Lady Jane ordered for the Tower gates to be locked and the keys brought to her.

On the last day of Jane’s reign, it was obvious that there was no way back. All but one of her council had abandoned her, and he who hadn’t was her father. That evening, Mary was publicly declared as Queen and the people celebrated by ringing church bells and lighting bonfires.

With Mary taking over as Queen, Jane was kept as a prisoner in the Tower. John Dudley was arrested and he and his family were also held in the Tower, however Mary released his wife almost immediately. Later, Jane’s husband Guildford was also detained.

On 3rd August, Mary had her state entry in to London and she rode past cheering crowds draped in purple velvet and rich jewels, whilst Lady Jane Grey waited imprisoned with her husband and father-in-law.

Execution

During her time kept in the Tower, Lady Jane was treated well but she was anxious about her fate. She wrote a letter to Mary detailing the events since her marriage to Guildford Dudley, including accepting the fact that she should not have accepted the throne.

Mary knew that Jane had never intended to be Queen and that she was just an innocent young girl who had been duped by Dudley. For these reasons, she could not sentence her to death. Dudley however, received his fate and was killed.

In the days following his death, Jane relaxed a little and was treated well in the Tower. She was given a weekly allowance and allowed to roam the gardens, buy books and have four staff in her suite. One of the members of staff, Partridge, recorded what Jane had to say about John Dudley:

“Woe worth him! He hath brought me and our stock in most miserable calamity and misery by his exceeding ambition. But for the answering that he hoped for life by his turning, though other men be of that opinion, I utterly am not; for what man is there living, I pray you, although he had been innocent, that would hope of life in that case; being in the field against the Queen in person as general, and after his taking so hated and evil spoken of by the commons? and at his coming into prison so wondered at [reviled] as the like was never heard by any man’s time. Who was judge that he should hope for pardon, whose life was odious to all men? But what will ye more? Like as his life was wicked and full of dissimulation, so was his end thereafter. I pray God, I, nor no friend of mine, die so. Should I, who am young and in my few years, forsake my faith for the love of life? Nay, God forbid! Much more he should not, whose fatal course, although he had lived his just number of years, could not have long continued. But life was sweet, it appeared; so he might have lived, you will say, he did not care how. Indeed the reason is good; for he that would have lived in chains to have had his life, by like would leave no other mean [un]attempted. But God be merciful to us, for he sayeth, Whoso denieth him before me, he will not know him in his Father’s Kingdom.”

Weeks passed and Jane eventually faced trial along with her husband Guildford. As they were led from the Tower to Guildhall to be charged, Jane was dressed sombrely all in black. Both Jane and Guildford pleaded guilty to charges of high treason and they received their fate. Guildford was to be hung, drawn and quartered and Jane burnt or beheaded, but only at the Queen’s pleasure. Many believed, including Jane, that she would live, as Mary did not want to have her cousin killed.

However, the date of both Jane and Guildford’s execution was set for 9th March and the decision to do so was heavily influenced by Mary’s husband-to-be (Phillip of Spain) and her council members.

The executions were delayed until the 12th March and Lady Jane Grey approached the date with dignity and grace. She chose her outfit, wrote letters to her sister and father, prepared her speech and chose two household members to dispose of her body.

Jane watched as her husband was killed and then watched as the scaffold was being erected for her own execution. She was escorted to her execution and stayed calm and composed, again with great dignity. She wore the same all black outfit that she had worn on the day of her trial and carried a prayer book in her hands.

She greeted John Feckenham, Dean of St Pauls and said:

“God grant you all your desires and accept my own hearty thanks for all your attention to me. Although indeed, those attentions have tried me more than death can now terrify me”.

She then turned to the crowd and admitted that she had committed treason by accepting the crown. She then said:

“I do wash my hands in innocency, before God and the face of you, good Christian people this day.”

Following this, she wrung her hands and asked them to witness her death and confirm that she died a good Christian, before asking them to pray for her. As she knelt, she read the fifty-first psalm and Feckenham repeated it in Latin.

Lady Jane then rose to her feet and handed her gloves and handkerchief to her attendant Mrs Tylney and gave her prayer book to Thomas Brydges, the lieutenant’s brother. She undid her gown and her outer garments were removed – becoming the executioner’s possessions.

Jane was asked to get in position and so she stood up on the straw. Seeing the block for the first time, her composure faded. She whispered to her executioner, “I pray you despatch me quickly.” After securing the blindfold around her head, she knelt but couldn’t find the block to place her head. She panicked and cried “What shall I do?” as those stood around her hesitated. One member of the crown jumped up on to the scaffold and guided her head to the block.

Her last words were:

“Lord into thy hands I commend my spirit”.

And moments after saying those words, the axe was lifted into the air and slammed down, severing her head. As blood splattered everywhere, including onto many witnesses, the executioner lifted her head and said, “So perish all the Queen’s enemies. Behold, the head of a traitor”.

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