Protestant queen of England and martyr Lady Jane Grey ruled England as queen for nine days between the reigns of EdwardVI and Mary I. Jane, the eldest of three daughters born to Henry Grey, duke of Suffolk and his wife Frances Brandon, was the granddaughter of Henry VIII’s younger sister Mary (b. 1496). Though a convinced Protestant and brilliant student, the “nine days’ queen” was the pawn in a failed attempt by John Dudley, duke of Northumberland, to control England.
Educated by some of the leading tutors of the day, Jane proved to be an exceptional student. She acquired proficiency in Latin, Greek, Italian, and French, and she studied Hebrew so that she would be able to read the Old Testament in its original form. She was also an accomplished musician and played the lute and harp, as well as composing her own music. At the age of nine, she was placed in the household of Catherine Parr, Henry VIII’s sixth and last queen. Jane remained in this household for two years and under Parr’s guidance learned
Jane Grey, Protestant queen of England and martyr. Engraving by unknown artist. (Library of Congress)
About life at court and the expectations of her social rank. Jane’s parents unsuccessfully promoted her as a possible wife for her cousin, Edward VI. Both Henry VIII and Edward VI believed that the potential for a foreign alliance was too important for England, so Englishwomen were not considered good marriage candidates for Edward.
Lady Jane Grey became an ardent Protestant. She had very little patience for what she saw as the “old religion,” Catholicism. She often spoke her mind about what she saw as the childishness of those who continued to follow the ceremonies and practices of the Catholic church.
While Edward VI was still alive and Henry VIII’s last will was enforced, Jane was fifth in line to take the English throne, behind Edward’s half sisters and Jane’s own mother, the duchess of Suffolk. When Edward VI became seriously ill in 1553, his leading advisor, Northumberland (John Dudley), feared the loss of his own power and devised a scheme to keep a Protestant on the throne of England and himself in power. Northumberland married his youngest son, Guildford Dudley, to Lady Jane Grey. He then convinced EdwardVI to change the succession. Edward VI’s will declared his half sisters illegitimate and removed them from the succession in favor of Jane. Many of Edward VI’s councilors had misgivings about the plan; they realized that his will lacked legitimacy. He could only change Henry VIII’s order of succession with the permission of parliament, which he did not have.
When Edward VI died, Northumberland had Lady Jane Grey declared queen of England. She reluctantly accepted the crown. Northumberland planned to have his son Guildford declared king, ensuring that he would remain in power, but Jane refused to allow her husband to be crowned king and instead she granted him the duchy of Clarence. For Northumberland’s plan to succeed, he needed to capture Mary, the Catholic daughter of Henry VIII and Catherine of Aragon (1516—1558), before she could raise an army. He failed in this, and the country rallied around Mary. While Northumberland was away raising an army against the lawful queen, the council lost its nerve for the coup, declared Northumberland a traitor, and crowned Mary I queen of England. Jane relinquished her claim to the title; she had ruled for nine days. She and her husband, Guilford Dudley, along with others involved in the plot, were tried and found guilty of treason. Most were sentenced to death, but, while Northumberland was executed, Mary I planned clemency for Jane.
This plan changed the following year when Thomas Wyatt rebelled against Queen Mary’s proposed marriage to Philip of Spain and Jane’s father again attempted to gain support for her rule. Mary believed that she had no choice but to execute Jane and Dudley because, as long as Jane remained alive, she would provide a viable alternative as queen and further plots might center around her. After an unsuccessful attempt to convert Jane back to Catholicism, Mary ordered that her execution be carried out.
Lady Jane Grey was executed on 9 February 1554.Though Jane was only sixteen at the time of her death, she had written a number of letters about her faith that were subsequently published. The tragedy of Jane’s brief rule also inspired a number of romances and dramas, especially in the nineteenth century.
Shawndra Holderby
See also Education, Humanism, and Women;
Mary I; Power, Politics, and Women; Religious Reform and Women.
Bibliography
Primary Works
Foxe, John. The Acts and Monuments of John Foxe; with a Life of the Martyrologist, and Vindication of the Work. Edited by George Townsend. New York, AMS Press, 1965.
Nichols, J. G., ed. The Chronicle of Queen Jane and Queen Mary. New York: AMS Press, 1968.
Secondary Works
Chapman, Hester W. Lady Jane Grey. Boston: Little Brown and Company, 1962.
Jansen, Sharon L. The Monstrous Regiment of Women: Female Rulers in Early Modern Europe. New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2002.
Plowden, Alison. Lady Jane Grey: Nine Days Queen. Phoenix Mill, UK: Sutton, 2003.
World History
