Uncrowned Queen of England, Lady Jane Gray: Biography, Life Story and Interesting Facts

Lady Jane Gray fate gave only 17 years of life. But what! The grand-niece of Henry VIII, the King of England, paid a price only for what had to do with the well-known Tudor family. In history, she is known as an uncrowned queen. What was the reason that this girl died so early? The history of the most mysterious Queen of England you will learn by reading this article.

England: features of that time

To fully understand the tragic nature of the fate of Jane Gray, whose biography is just full of different events, we will get acquainted with what was England in the 16th century. It was a time when the Tudors were on top of power. Historians characterize this period as the time of dawn and rich splendor. With England began to reckon in the world, because now she has seized the seas and began to rule the world of trade.

However, political instability, discord and religious scandals did not leave these lands. It can be said that wealth and luxury were extracted through plows and multiple executions. It is for this period that the short, nine-day reign of Lady Jane Gray occurs.

The first years of life

The parents of the future queen were: Henry Gray (Marquis of Dorset) and Lady Francis Brandon. Later, her father will be awarded the title of Duke of Suffolk. The girl was born in the autumn of 1537.

It was not the first child who appeared in the patrimonial estate of Gray. Yet the first children of the couple: a boy and a girl, died soon after birth. Dreaming of the son of the family, Gray soon got two more daughters - Jane's sisters.

From the earliest years, Lady Jane Gray, who spent her childhood and youth in a family estate, was interested in various sciences. Time for this unpopular women's occupation was favorable. Henry VIII carried out the Reformation, and women were allowed not only to be engaged in housekeeping, but also to study.

Only girls of rich families could join the sciences, for our heroine this was not a problem. She perfectly mastered the art of dance, played musical instruments, spoke fluent in several languages. Jane was very fond of reading, and she devoted all her free time to this activity. Her family adhered to the Puritan views on life, so she practically did not take any part in the secular life.

Testament of the King

Feeling his own death, Henry VIII took care of the will. In it, he named his children the heirs: Mary, Elizabeth and Edward. In the will there was a postscript, which said that if the children of the king did not leave their heirs after their death, then the right of succession would pass to the king's niece, Lady Francis and her daughters. So, Lady Jane Gray's mother and herself were on the list of pretenders to the throne.

When the king died, the throne was inherited by his son, who was the same age as Jane.

Thoughts on the throne

Jane was very friendly with the king. The upbringing of the girl did not even allow her to think about how close she was to the throne. And if the girl in her friendship with the king did not see anything else, then people from her entourage began to think about what would be nice for this couple to marry.

In particular, Lord Seymour Saddlie, who was her guardian, began seriously planning this marriage. However, these plans were not destined to materialize. At that time, anyone could fall into disgrace and be put to death. So it happened with Lord Seymour.

The mother of the girl, despite the fact that Lady Jane Gray in the list of pretenders to the throne was far from the first, engaged in her education, in which the emphasis was on the fact that she might be a future queen.

Jane and the King

The idea of marrying Jane and the king after the execution of her guardian firmly settled in her mother's head. She really wanted her daughter to become a queen.

Indeed, the king loved Jane, but a completely different love. He appreciated her education and mind, and her heart was going to give to the overseas princess to strengthen her position.

Mother blamed it only on her daughter. Lady Francis believed that Jane should have been better suited to King Edward. She showed her discontent through the punishment of her daughter. It is known that the girl was flogged with rods, deprived of food and locked in a room for several days.

Biography of Jane Gray in Brief Divided into 2 periods: childhood and the formation of the queen, after all, in fact, this girl was happy only in her childhood, the rest of the time she just suffered from the ambitions and desires of her relatives.

Marriage

Shortly after the throne, the Duke of Northumberland, regent of the 16-year-old king, enters the game. According to the current version of historians, he forces Jane to marry her fourth son. And subsequently takes an active part in the fact that the King of England is developing a deadly disease.

The wedding was very lush and rich. The newly-born husband was only a year older than his wife, and had already found the glory of a drunkard and a fighter. Of course, such a union did not like Jane at all, but the word of her family was for her the law. It should be noted that Jane's husband, when he saw his young wife, fell in love and promised to stop his dubious adventures.

The Duke of Northumberland so "processed" the young king, that he deleted from the list of candidates for the throne of his sisters. Henry VIII in his will indicated the step-sisters of Edward, as direct heirs. However, according to the will of the young king, the parliament declared them illegitimate.

So lady Jane Gray, who became after marriage Jane Dudley approached the throne.

Death of the King

The patient Edward, having removed competitors on the throne, dies. Death came in the middle of the night, everything happened so calmly and without fuss, that if everything could be hidden for a while, Jane would become a queen without problems.

And the problem with Jane and those who supported her ascent to the throne, was. Mary, the daughter of Henry VIII, had to be urgently hidden in the London Tower.

Immediately after the tragic event, the Duke of Dudley sends for Maria, who had already been warned of the death of her brother by the Council, a mounted detachment of guards.

Celebration of the uncrowned queen

In the light of the events that happened, Jane was sent to the house of Dudley, who was in Zion. She arrived there the very first: she sat and waited, watching the high-ranking people begin to gather in the house.

"Jane Gray is the Queen of England," the girl heard when all the guests were assembled. Heard so impressed her that she lost consciousness, because Jane had never wanted to be a queen. This fate was destined for her to be transferred only thanks to the efforts of her family and friends.

The fact is that the first to greet the new queen is those who will be the first to betray her, taking Mary's line. This will be Count Arundell and Earl Pembroke. In the meantime, high-ranking counts and lords persuaded Jane that she would agree to become a queen.

Everyone understood that the coronation of Jane was possible only if Elizabeth and Mary were captured and placed in the Tower. This has not happened yet. And it is Count Arundell that will help to hide Mary, and, betraying Jane, will continue to help her.

Uncrowned Queen of England Jane Gray arrived in the Tower 4 days after the death of the king, and was proclaimed Queen.

The shortest reign

On the second day of her reign, Jane had already received bad news: Princess Mary also proclaimed herself a queen and loudly declared her rights to the throne. Preparations for resolving the conflict by military intervention began.

Historians agree that Jane had the opportunity to retain the throne if she had not made several mistakes during her brief reign.

First, she appointed Commander-in-Chief of the Army of the Duke of Northumberland, who was not popular with the soldiers. Moreover, he hated the bulk of the army, which was a small nobility. If the army was commanded by the Duke of Suffolk, the army would support Jane, and with the commander-in-chief, the soldiers supported her rival, Maria.

It took five days to build an army and fight against Maria. All this time the young queen issued new decrees, trying to win the love of ordinary people. She tried to convene a parliament to pass laws on the transfer of monastic land to poor people for perpetual use, to open schools for the poor and to stop people from stigmatizing.

The struggle for the throne

Maria, whose popularity among the people was very great, did not wait until she was seized, she fled. The army, which tried to overtake her, advanced further and further into England. The army did not have success, since the inhabitants of England, and even the military themselves, frequently betrayed the new queen, went over to Maria's side.

In London, too, it became unsettled, the riots that the Queen's Guard tried to suppress became more frequent. While Jane fought against the rebels, many members of the Council, persons from her entourage simply betrayed her, turning to the side of Henry VIII's daughter.

Over time, England was divided into two camps. Jane was sorry, but supported Mary.

Committed by all

The situation was exacerbated so much that on the ninth day the Council also betrayed Jane. That's why she went down in history, like Lady Jane Gray - the queen of nine days.

Only 2 people: the Duke of Suffolk and Archbishop Cranmer remained faithful to her. The queen was betrayed by everyone: the Soviet, the commander-in-chief of the army, whom she appointed, the people from her entourage. The courtiers, guards and servants also left her.

Only nine days completely changed the fate of Jane and turned the history of England in a completely different direction.

About the fact that she is no longer a queen, Jane recognized from her father. She was even delighted at this news, because the role of the queen only bore her. The girl took off the crown, and leaving her, she went to other rooms.

Execution

Two women in the history of Jane Gray played a fatal role. At first, her mother pushed her to the throne, dreaming that her daughter would rule England. Then Princess Mary, trying to take away this throne, deprived her of life.

Maria ascended the throne peacefully, there was practically no bloodshed, because everyone supported her. One of the first orders of the new queen was the order to arrest Jane. They arrested not only the former queen, but her entire family. However, the parents were later released. John Dudley and his sons were sentenced to death.

The first to die at the hands of the executioner was the chief instigator of history with the young queen, the Duke of Northumberland. All his sons, except for Jane's husband, were pardoned, although they were deprived of all titles and positions held.

Married couple: Guildford and Jane, in order to avoid collusion, placed in the Tower on different chambers. It is known that the girl was imprisoned in the Blood Tower, and her husband - in a tower called Boschamp. Now the guides show tourists the inscription "Jane", which, according to legend, drew on the wall of the tower a passionately in love young man.

In November 1553, a couple were tried and sentenced to death. The queen herself had to decide how to kill the guilty ones: through burning or by decapitation.

Jane witnessed the execution of her husband. Through the window she saw her husband with dignity take death at the hands of the executioner, he was beheaded. She knew that soon her turn would come.

Execution of Lady Jane Gray Was held practically without witnesses, in the closed courtyard of the Tower, because Maria was afraid of the discontent of the crowd. Witnesses say that Jane blindfolded herself with her own hands and sank to the scaffold. After reading the prayer, the executioner cut off her head.

The executed girl was buried with her husband in the chapel of St. Peter.

Thus ended the suffering of a girl who was only a queen for 9 days.