Lady Jane Gray fate gave only 17 years of life. But what! The great-granddaughter of Henry VIII - the king of England - paid with her life only for having to do with the famous Tudor family. In history, she is known as the uncrowned queen. What made this girl die so early? You will learn the history of the most mysterious queen of England by reading this article.
England: features of that time
In order to fully understand the tragedy of fate of Jane Gray, whose biography is simply overflowing with various events, we will get acquainted with what England was like in the 16th century. It was a time when the Tudors were at the top of power. Historians characterize this period as a time of dawn and rich splendor. With England began to reckon in the world, because now she took possession of the seas and began to rule the world of trade.
However, political instability, strife and religious scandals did not leave these lands. We can say that wealth and luxury were obtained through the chopping block and multiple executions. It was during this period that Lady Jane Gray's short, nine-day rule came.
First years of life
The future queen's parents were: Henry Gray (Marquis of Dorset) and Lady Frances Brandon. Later, her father will be awarded the title of Duke of Suffolk. The girl was born in the autumn of 1537.
This was not the first child to appear on the Gray estate. Yet the couple’s first children: a boy and a girl, died shortly after birth. Dreaming of a son, the Gray family soon acquired two more daughters - the Jane sisters.
From an early age, Lady Jane Gray, whose childhood and youth passed in the family estate, was interested in various sciences. Time favored this unpopular female occupation. Henry VIII conducted the Reformation, and women were allowed not only to do housework, but also to study.
Only girls of wealthy families could join the sciences, for our heroine this was not a problem. She perfectly mastered the art of dance, played musical instruments, was fluent in several languages. Jane was very fond of reading, and devoted all her free time to this occupation. Her family adhered to Puritan views on life, so she practically did not take any part in social life.
Will of the king
Anticipating his death, Henry VIII took care of the will. In it, he called his heirs children: Mary, Elizabeth and Edward. The will included an annotation which stated that if the king’s children did not leave heirs after their death, the right of succession would pass to the king’s niece, Lady Francis and her daughters. So, the mother of Lady Jane Gray and she herself were on the list of candidates for the throne.
When the king died, the throne was inherited by his son, who was the same age as Jane.
Throne Thoughts
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 that it would be nice to marry this couple.
In particular, Lord Seymour Saddley, 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 executed. So it happened with Lord Seymour.
The girl’s mother, despite the fact that Lady Jane Gray was not the first in the list of candidates for the throne, took up her upbringing, in which the emphasis was on the fact that she, possibly, the future queen.
Jane and the King
The idea of marrying Jane and the king after the execution of her guardian was firmly rooted in her mother's head. She really wanted her daughter to become a queen.
Indeed, the king loved Jane, but with a completely different love. He appreciated her education and intelligence, and was going to give his heart to an overseas princess in order to strengthen his position.
Mother blamed this only on her daughter. Lady Francis believed that Jane should have better seduced King Edward. She showed her displeasure 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.
Jane Gray Biography Briefly divided into 2 periods: childhood and the formation of the queen, because, in fact, this girl was happy only in childhood, the rest of the time she simply suffered from the ambitions and desires of her relatives.
Marriage
Soon, the Duke of Northumberland, regent of the 16-year-old king, enters the game for the throne.
According to the current version of historians, he forces Jane to marry his fourth son. And subsequently takes an active part in the fact that the king of England develops a deadly disease.
The wedding was played very magnificent and rich. The newly-born husband was only a year older than his wife, and had already found fame as a drunkard and a brawler. Of course, such a union did not like Jane at all, but the word of her family was law for her. It should be noted that husband Jane, having seen his young wife, fell in love and promised to stop his dubious adventures.
The Duke of Northumberland so "crafted" the young king that he deleted from the list of applicants for the throne of his sisters. Henry VIII in his will indicated the half-sisters of Edward, as direct heirs. However, by the will of the young king, the parliament declared them illegitimate.
So lady Jane Gray, who became after marriage Jane Dudley approached the throne.
The death of the king
Sick Edward, removing 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 the queen without any problems.
And the problem with Jane and those who supported her accession to the throne was. Mary, daughter of Henry VIII, had to be urgently hidden in the Tower of London.
Immediately after the tragic event, the Duke of Dudley sends for Mary, who already warned of the death of her brother, the Council, an equestrian guard squad.
Celebrations of the uncrowned queen
In light of the events, Jane was sent to Dudley's house, which was located in Zion. She arrived there the very first: she sat and waited, watching how dignitaries began to gather in the house.
“Jane Gray is the Queen of England,” the girl heard when all the guests were assembled. What she heard so startled her that she lost consciousness, because Jane never aspired to be the queen. This fate was destined to be transferred to her only thanks to the efforts of her family and friends.
It is a fact that the first to greet the new queen are precisely those who are the very first to betray her, taking the side of Mary. These will be Earl Arundell and Earl Pembroke. In the meantime, high-ranking counts and lords persuaded Jane to 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 yet happened. And it is Earl Arundell who will help Mary hide, and, betraying Jane, will continue to help her.
The uncrowned Queen of England, Jane Gray, arrived at 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 already received bad news: Princess Maria also proclaimed herself the queen and loudly declared her rights to the throne. Preparations began to resolve the conflict through military intervention.
Historians agree that Jane had the opportunity to hold the throne if she had not made several mistakes during her brief reign.
First, she appointed the commander in chief of the army of the Duke of Northumberland, who was not popular with soldiers. Moreover, he was hated by the bulk of the army, which was composed of petty nobility. If the Duke of Suffolk commanded the army , the army would support Jane, and with the commander-in-chief appointed by her, the soldiers supported her rival, Mary.
It took five days to assemble an army and oppose Mary. 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 transferring monastic lands to the poor for eternal use, on opening schools for the poor, and on stopping stigmatization of people.
Fight for the throne
Maria, whose popularity among the people was very great, did not wait until she was captured, she fled. The army, which tried to overtake her, advanced further into the depths of England. The army did not have success, since the inhabitants of England, and even the military themselves, often betraying the new queen, switched to the side of Mary.
In London itself, too, became restless, the unrest that the Queen’s guard tried to suppress became more frequent. While Jane fought with the rebels, many members of the Council, people from her entourage simply betrayed her, moving to the side of the daughter of Henry VIII.
Over time, England was divided into 2 camps. Jane felt sorry, but supported Mary.
Betrayed by all
The situation was aggravated so much that on the 9th day the Council also betrayed Jane. That is why she went down in history as Lady Jane Gray, the queen of nine days.
Only 2 people: the Duke of Suffolk and Archbishop Kranmer remained loyal to her. Everyone betrayed the queen girl: the Council, the commander in chief of the army, whom she appointed, people from her entourage. The courtiers, guards and servants also left her.
Just nine days completely changed the fate of Jane and turned the history of England in a completely different direction.
The fact that she is no longer a queen, Jane learned from her father. She even rejoiced at this news, because the role of the queen only weighed on her. The girl took off the crown, and, leaving her, went to other chambers.
Execution
Two women in the history of Jane Gray played a fatal role. First, her mother pushed her to the throne, dreaming that her daughter would rule England. Then Princess Mary, trying to take this throne, took her 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 arrest of Jane. Not only the former queen, but her whole family were arrested. However, the parents were later released. John Dudley with his sons was sentenced to death.
The first instigator of history with the young queen, the Duke of Northumberland, was the first to die at the hands of the executioner. All his sons, except for her husband Jane, were pardoned, although they were stripped of all their titles and posts.
Married couple: Guildford and Jane, in order to avoid collusion, were placed in the Tower in different cells. It is known that the girl was imprisoned in the Bloody Tower, and her wife - in a tower called Beauchamp.
Now the guides show the tourists the inscription "Jane", which, according to legend, was drawn by a young man in love with a passionate love.
In November 1553, the couple was tried and sentenced to death. The queen herself had to decide exactly how to kill the perpetrators: by burning or by decapitation.
Jane witnessed the execution of her husband. Through the window, she saw her husband with dignity accept death at the hands of the executioner, he was beheaded. She understood that her turn would soon come.
Execution of Lady Jane Gray
took place almost without witnesses, in the closed courtyard of the Tower, because Mary was afraid of the discontent of the crowd. Witnesses say that with her own hands, Jane blindfolded herself and fell on the block. After reading the prayer, the executioner chopped 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 had been queen for only 9 days.