Lady Jane Grey
| At the death of King Edward
VI in 1553, the powerful Duke of Northumberland proclaimed his young daughter-in-law
the 16 year old Lady Jane Grey as Queen of England. Jane derived her royal claim as
a great granddaughter of King Henry VII. An avowed Protestant, the studious Jane was
chosen over his own devoutly Catholic sister Mary Tudor by the dying King Edward who
shared Jane's religious sympathies. Jane Grey's reign lasted a short 9 days as Mary Tudor quickly rallied the country to her cause. Although promised clemency at first by the new Queen, a failed rebellion by Jane's father led to her execution and that of her young husband, Guildford Dudley in February 1554. |
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Pictured: Jane Grey (Helena Bonham Carter) from the film Lady Jane.
