Jane Grey

Jane was born in 1536 or 1537; she was the eldest daughter of Henry Grey, 1st Duke of Suffolk, and his wife, Frances Grey (the eldest daughter of Mary Tudor). Jane had two younger sisters, Catherine and Mary. Through their mother, the three sisters were great-granddaughters of King Henry VII, grandnieces of King Henry VIII, and first cousins once removed of King Edward VI, Queen Mary I and Queen Elizabeth I.

Jane received a humanist education, studying Latin, Greek, Hebrew and Italian. Through the influence of her father and her tutors, she became a committed Protestant. Jane preferred books to hunting parties and regarded her strict upbringing, which was typical of the time, as harsh.

In early February 1547, Jane was sent to live in the household of Edward VI’s uncle, Thomas Seymour, who soon married Henry VIII’s widow, Catherine Parr. Jane lived with them until Catherine’s death in September 1548.

Lady Jane acted as chief mourner at Catherine’s funeral; Thomas Seymour showed interest to keep her in his household, and she returned there for about two months, before he was arrested in late 1548. Thomas’ brother, the Lord Protector Edward Seymour, felt threatened by Thomas’ popularity with the young Edward VI. Among other things, Thomas was charged with proposing Jane as a bride for the King.

In the course of Thomas’ following attainder and execution, Jane’s father was lucky to stay out of trouble. After his 4th interrogation by the King’s Council, he proposed his daughter Jane as a bride for the Lord Protector’s son, Lord Hertford. Nothing came of this, and Jane was not engaged until the spring of 1553. Her betrothed was Lord Guildford Dudley, a younger son of John Dudley, 1st Duke of Northumberland (the most powerful man in the country). On 25 May 1553, the couple was married in a triple wedding: Jane’s sister Catherine married the heir of the Earl of Pembroke, Lord Herbert; and Guildford’s sister Katherine married Henry Hastings, the Earl of Huntingdon’s heir.

The Third Succession Act of 1544 restored Henry VIII’s daughters, Mary and Elizabeth, to the line of succession (although they were still considered illegitimate). Henry’s will reinforced the succession of his three children and then declared that, should none of them leave descendants, the throne would pass to the heirs of his younger sister, Mary. For unknown reasons, he bypassed the claims of Lady Frances Grey and of the descendants of his elder sister, Margaret.

When the 15-year-old Edward VI lay dying in the early summer of 1553, his Catholic half-sister Mary was his heir presumptive. However, Edward, in a draft will (My devise for the Succession), had first restricted the succession to (non-existent) male descendants of Frances Grey and her daughters, before he named his cousin Lady Jane and her heirs male as his successors. The intent was to insure his Protestant legacy, thereby bypassing Mary who was a Roman Catholic.

Edward VI died on 6 July 1553, but his death was not announced until four days later. On 9 July, Jane was informed that she was now Queen of England, and according to her own later claims, accepted the crown with reluctance. On 10 July, she was officially proclaimed Queen of England, France and Ireland after she had taken up secure residence in the Tower of London. She refused to name her husband Guildford King, because that would require an Act of Parliament; she would agree only to make him Duke of Clarence.

Jane’s father-in-law, the Duke of Northumberland, faced a few key tasks to consolidate his power after Edward VI’s death. Most importantly, he had to isolate, and ideally capture, Mary Tudor to prevent her from gathering support. However, as soon as Mary was sure of Edward’s demise, she left her residence at Hunsdon and set out to East Anglia, where she began to rally her supporters. Northumberland set out from London on 14 July to capture Mary. Meanwhile, the Privy Council switched sides and proclaimed Mary Queen of England on 19 July. The historical consensus assumes that this was in recognition of overwhelming support of the population for Mary. However, it seems that Henry FitzAlan, 19th Earl of Arundel (whom Northumberland had arrested and detained twice) engineered a coup d’état in the Privy Council.

On 19 July 1553, Jane was imprisoned in the Tower’s Gentleman Gaoler’s apartments, her husband in the Beauchamp Tower. Her reign lasted nine days. The Duke of Northumberland was executed on 22 August 1553. In September, the Parliament declared Mary the rightful Queen and denounced and revoked Jane’s proclamation as that of a usurper.

Jane was charged with high treason, as were her husband, two of his brothers and the former Archbishop of Canterbury, Thomas Cranmer. Their trial took place on 13 November 1553, at Guildhall in the City of London. As was to be expected, all defendants were found guilty and sentenced to death. Jane’s guilt, of having treacherously assumed the title and power of the monarch, was evidenced by several documents she had signed as Jane the Quene. Her sentence was to be burned alive on Tower Hill or beheaded as the Queen pleases. The imperial ambassador reported to Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor, that her life was to be spared.

The rebellion of Thomas Wyatt the Younger in January 1554 against Mary’s marriage plans with Philip II of Spain sealed Jane’s fate. Her father and her two brothers joined the rebellion, and so the government decided to go through with the verdict against Jane and Guildford. Their execution was first scheduled for 9 February 1554 but was postponed for three days to give Jane the chance to convert to Catholicism. Mary sent her chaplain to Jane, who was not pleased about this. She did not give in to his efforts, but they became friends and she allowed him to accompany her to the scaffold.

On the morning of 12 February 1554, the authorities took Guildford to the public execution place at Tower Hill, where he was beheaded. A horse and cart brought his remains back to the Tower, past the rooms where Jane was staying. Seeing her husband’s corpse return, Jane is reported to have exclaimed Oh, Guildford, Guildford. She was then taken out to Tower Green to be beheaded. According to the account of her execution, Jane gave a speech upon ascending the scaffold:

Good people, I am come hither to die, and by a law I am condemned to the same. The fact, indeed, against the Queen’s highness was unlawful, and the consenting thereunto by me: but touching the procurement and desire thereof by me or on my behalf, I do wash my hands thereof in innocence, before God, and the face of you, good Christian people, this day.

While admitting to action considered unlawful, she declared that I do wash my hands thereof in innocence. Jane then recited Psalm 51 (Have mercy upon me, O God) in English, and handed her gloves and handkerchief to her maid. The executioner asked for forgiveness, which she granted him, pleading I pray you dispatch me quickly. Referring to her head, she asked Will you take it off before I lay me down?, and the axman answered No, madam. She then blindfolded herself. Jane failed to find the block with her hands, and cried What shall I do? Where is it? The Deputy Lieutenant of the Tower helped her find her way. With the head on the block, Jane spoke the last words of Jesus as recounted by Luke: Lord, into thy hands I commend my spirit! Jane was just 16 or 17 years old.

Jane and Guildford are buried in the Chapel of St Peter ad Vincula on the north side of Tower Green. No memorial stone was erected at their grave.

The Streatham Portrait of Lady Jane Grey

c. 1590