Lady Jane Grey
Article abstract: Had her reign as queen of England been fully legal and more lengthy, Jane Grey would have been England’s first ruling queen and likely a successful monarch.
Early Life
Lady Jane Grey was born in October, 1537, to Henry Grey and Frances Brandon, the duke and duchess of Suffolk. Jane’s mother was also a distant heir to the throne as the daughter of Henry VIII’s sister Mary. Her parents, being Protestant, saw to it that Jane, the eldest of three daughters, had a proper education in the “new religion,” as the Protestant faith was called. Jane was an intelligent, learned, clever, and scholarly girl; by the time of her death, she could read six languages, including Greek and Hebrew. She was well versed in the Greek and Roman classics, philosophy, and contemporary religious doctrine, and she early on developed a reputation as a precocious child nearly obsessed with her studies.
Jane’s parents, while not particularly well-schooled nor overwhelmingly enthusiastic about their eldest daughter’s dedication to learning, did not mind sending Jane off to court to study with her cousins, the Princess Elizabeth and the future King Edward. Such connections could potentially benefit Jane’s parents, for as provincial nobility, they were constantly struggling for political and social influence. These potential political connections could also benefit them in pursuit of a suitable husband for their daughter.
Life’s Work
Jane’s availability and attractiveness as a marriage prospect, along with her religion, made her a pawn in the political power plays of the day. Henry VIII died in early 1547, and the throne passed to his nine-year-old son, Edward VI. The boy’s uncle, Thomas Seymour, duke of Somerset, became the “protector” of the realm and regent to the young king. Somerset suggested several times to Jane’s parents that a marriage between Edward and Jane would benefit all involved. There was also talk of Jane marrying Somerset’s son. Somerset, though, fell from power, primarily due to political maneuvering by John Dudley, duke of Northumberland, and thereafter the Seymours had little to offer.
The issue of religion was one that plagued all of the Tudor family monarchs. Henry VIII had split from the Catholic Church in order to divorce his first wife, unwittingly laying the groundwork for the Church of England. Many of his top advisers during his last years were moderate Protestants, as were virtually all of Edward’s counselors. As the succession stood, should Edward die before having children, the throne of England would pass to Henry’s eldest daughter, Mary. This possibility raised the religious issue again, for Mary was Catholic, and many of Edward’s advisers, especially Northumberland, were concerned that Mary’s accession would result in England’s return to Catholicism. The religious differences between Edward’s advisers and Mary also virtually guaranteed for the counselors at best the loss of prestige, at worst perhaps torture or death for their heretical beliefs.
The ill health of the king also became a major concern. Despite his love of outdoor activities, Edward had never been particularly healthy, and his health worsened as he aged. There was growing alarm that Edward’s sicknesses could become life threatening, and Northumberland knew his power rested solely with Edward. In 1553, when the young king was fifteen, a cold developed into a more serious lung ailment. Repeated treatments by doctors proved fruitless, and Edward slowly worsened. It was obvious that the boy-king’s days were numbered.
Northumberland, understandably worried about his position should Mary succeed her half-brother Edward, and perhaps also concerned about the likely return to Catholicism, agonized over possible courses of action. Edward was getting sicker and sicker, and Northumberland decided...
(This entire section contains 2079 words.)
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that Mary had to be somehow excluded from the succession. According to Henry’s will, the next successor after Mary was Elizabeth, his daughter with Anne Boleyn. Elizabeth was a Protestant, but Northumberland had little influence over her. Following Elizabeth was Frances Brandon, followed by Lady Jane. If Northumberland could alter the succession to elevate Frances or Jane to the throne, he could continue to exert his considerable influence over the government.
Lady Jane’s dedicated Protestantism and her place in the succession made her an attractive pawn. Jane had engaged in theological debates with numerous religious scholars and had even confronted her cousin Mary regarding the sanctity of the Catholic “host.” The details of Jane’s accession to the throne, however, are fairly complex.
Northumberland had Edward draft a will of his own that precluded his two sisters, Mary and Elizabeth. (Elizabeth was excluded on the pretext that she might marry a foreigner, which the English did not want.) This left Frances as the heir, but Northumberland had her sign away her claim, essentially “abdicating” in favor of her daughter. Lady Jane was thus left as the primary heir. Yet this new succession was far from secure. While it was entirely a monarch’s prerogative to change his or her will, and the duty of the kingdom to follow the will’s provisions, any change in the succession had also to be approved by Parliament. Thus, despite the fact that Edward’s will was a binding legal document and that anyone who refused to carry out its provisions was guilty of treason, the entire will was not legal until approved by Parliament. Anyone who did follow the will, then, was breaking the law. There is also some uncertainty as to whether Edward himself wrote the new will or whether Northumberland wrote it and simply had the sick king sign it.
Meanwhile, Northumberland had proposed a marriage between his youngest son, Guildford, and Jane. Such a match was an advantageous one for the Greys, and they approved. Jane protested violently; though noble children rarely had any say in their marriages, she pleaded to not be married. Regardless, Jane and Guildford were hastily married on May 25, 1553. Noble weddings tended to be large affairs, but this ceremony was a small and hasty event, with few guests and little joy. At first, the two newlyweds were allowed to stay with their families rather than to live with each other, but Jane’s parents later insisted that they stay together, presumably so that Jane could conceive an heir to the throne. With the potential royal couple waiting in the wings, Edward in June formally changed his will; he also declared his two half-sisters illegitimate, which effectively removed them from the succession regardless of the will.
Northumberland took the king’s will and had Edward’s advisers sign it to acknowledge their support for the plan, though few were eager to do so. Since Parliament was not in session, however, Parliament’s approval was not likely to come before Edward’s death. In place of a legitimate parliamentary approval, Northumberland had as many Parliamentarians as he could locate sign the document, thus providing some semblance of legality. Had it been in session, Parliament as a whole would most likely have debated the new will fiercely, since it skipped the two most rightful heirs. Edward VI died on July 6, 1553, and Northumberland quickly pressured remaining advisers to support his plot. On July 9, at Syon House, north of London, Jane was told that she had been declared queen. She was shocked, and at first she refused the crown. It became clear to her, belatedly, that she was simply a pawn.
News spread of Edward’s death, and Jane’s accession was announced on July 10, but few greeted either announcement with any enthusiasm. Despite the Catholicism of Mary, she was the rightful ruler, and most preferred a legal Catholic queen over an illegal Protestant one. Most of Edward’s counselors fled, many going to Mary personally and begging her forgiveness for their parts in the plotting. For her part, Mary remained in hiding for most of Jane’s nine-day reign.
While it is not clear whether Jane might have shed the influence of Northumberland and her parents easily had she remained queen, it seems likely that she would have been a successful ruler. She displayed a fiery spirit and courage, and after ascending the throne, she refused to crown Guildford king, instead making him a duke. As an educated and strong-willed woman, she might have had a long successful life and reign similar to that enjoyed later by Elizabeth. During her brief occupation of the throne, Jane overruled Northumberland on who would lead troops to capture Mary; Dudley wanted Henry Grey to go, but Jane instead ordered her father-in-law to assume command. What little support Jane enjoyed quickly evaporated, however, and exactly nine days after being crowned, she was placed under house arrest as Mary approached London.
Northumberland and Henry Grey were arrested along with Guildford and Northumberland’s other sons. Frances Grey begged Mary for forgiveness for her husband, but it appears that no one pleaded for Jane. Instead, Jane wrote a letter to her cousin asking forgiveness and saying that she had been foolish to have even accepted the crown, since she had never wanted to be queen anyway. Mary, who initially showed great compassion, forgave both, though Jane and Guildford were convicted of treason and confined in the Tower of London. Mary even took Jane’s two younger sisters into her employ as attendants. Northumberland, despite a last-minute conversion to Catholicism, was beheaded.
Jane may have lived out a long but lonely life in prison had it not been for a rebellion that started in January, 1554, in southern England. Wyatt’s Rebellion was essentially an uprising opposed to Mary’s planned marriage to Philip of Spain, but some of the rebels called for Jane to be restored to the throne. Foolishly, Henry Grey also participated in the uprising, which failed when the rebels were prevented from entering London. While Jane was certainly not involved in the rebellion, it was clear that as long as she lived, she could be a catalyst for further unrest. The Spanish ambassadors who were in England making marriage arrangements pressured Mary to rid herself of Guildford and Jane, insinuating that Philip would never marry her if they lived. Much like Jane, then, Mary was a victim of circumstance, and she ordered the execution of Jane and her husband in early February, 1554.
Jane had been unaware of the rebellion and its aftermath, but she was told of her father’s involvement and of her impending execution. Mary sent her priest, Doctor Feckenham, to try to reconvert Jane, and though the two engaged in the religious debate that was so characteristic of the young former queen, she remained dedicated to her Protestant faith.
Guildford was executed outside the Tower on February 12; as his body was brought back into the complex, Jane apparently passed the cart on the way to her own death inside the Tower grounds. On the scaffold, Jane delivered a short speech expressing her faith and asking God to forgive her. After tying a scarf around her eyes, kneeling in the straw, and placing her head on the block, Jane was beheaded.
Summary
Jane’s impact on English history is limited. While potentially an excellent ruler, she did not rule with enough support or long enough to make any lasting contribution. Although Jane displayed the characteristics that made the Tudor family popular, such as courage, a dedication to ideals, and a noble bearing, her story remains primarily a romantic but unfortunate addendum to the Tudor-Stuart period.
Bibliography
Foxe, John. Foxe’s Book of Martyrs. Edited by Marie Gentert King. Old Tappan, N.J.: Spire Books, 1987. An account of Protestant martyrs written in the late 1500’s. Favorably inclined toward Jane and Edward, but a primary source not to be missed.
Geary, Douglas, ed. The Letters of Lady Jane Grey. Ilfracombe, England: Arthur Stockwell, 1951. This work includes virtually all the literary remains of Jane, including letters, notes, and the text of her speech on the scaffold. Invaluable primary material.
Luke, Mary. The Nine Days Queen. New York: William Morrow, 1986. A well-written, factually sound account of Jane’s life and brief rule. Few footnotes, but the most accessible and accurate modern account.
Mathew, David. Lady Jane Grey: The Setting of the Reign. London: Eyre Methuen, 1972. Provides a respectable background to the reign of Jane, though it says little of Jane herself.
Plowden, Alison. Lady Jane Grey and the House of Suffolk. New York: Franklin Watts, 1986. Delves into the political workings of Jane’s family and Northumberland, and is useful in conjunction with other overall texts on Jane.
