Lady Jane Gray fate gave only 17 years of life. But what! The great-niece of Henry VIII - the King of England - paid with her life only for being related to the famous Tudor family. In history, she is known as the uncrowned queen. What was the reason that this girl passed away so early? You will learn the story of the most mysterious Queen of England by reading this article.
England: features of that time
To fully understand the tragedy of the fate of Jane Grey, whose biography is simply full of different events, let's get acquainted with what England was like in the 16th century. This was the time when the Tudors were at the pinnacle of power. Historians characterize this period as a time of dawn and rich splendor. England began to be reckoned with in the world, because now she mastered 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 we althluxury was obtained through the chopping block and multiple executions. It is during this period that Lady Jane Grey's short, nine-day reign falls.
First years of life
The parents of the future queen were: Henry Gray (Marquis of Dorset) and Lady Francis Brandon. Her father would later be honored with the title of Duke of Suffolk. The girl was born in the autumn of 1537.
This was not the first child to appear at the Grey's family 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 - Jane's sisters.
From the earliest years, Lady Jane Grey, whose childhood and youth were spent in the family estate, was interested in various sciences. Time favored this unpopular female occupation. Henry VIII led the Reformation, and women were allowed not only to do housework, but also to study.
Only girls of we althy families could join the sciences, for our heroine this was not a problem. She perfectly mastered the art of dance, played musical instruments, and spoke several languages fluently. Jane was very fond of reading, and devoted all her free time to this activity. Her family adhered to puritanical views on life, so she practically did not take any part in social life.
King's Testament
Anticipating his death, Henry VIII took care of the will. In it, he named his children as his heirs: Mary, Elizabeth and Edward. The will contained a note thatstated that if the king's children did not leave heirs after their death, then the right of succession to the throne would pass to the king's niece - Lady Francis with her daughters. So, the mother of Lady Jane Gray and she herself were on the list of contenders for the throne.
When the king died, his son, who was Jane's age, inherited the throne.
Thoughts of 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 environment began to think that it would be nice to marry this couple.
In particular, Lord Seymour Saddley, who was her guardian, began planning this marriage in all seriousness. However, these plans were not destined to come true. At that time, anyone could fall into disgrace and be executed. So it was with Lord Seymour.
The girl's mother, despite the fact that Lady Jane Gray was far from the first on the list of contenders for the throne, took up her upbringing, in which the emphasis was on the fact that she might be the future queen.
Jane and the King
The idea of Jane marrying the king after the execution of her guardian was firmly planted in her mother's mind. She really wanted her daughter to become queen.
Indeed, the king loved Jane, but with a completely different love. He appreciated her education and intelligence, and he was going to give his heart to an overseas princess to strengthen his position.
Mother blamed only her daughter for this. Lady Francis thought that Jane should have done better at seducing King Edward. Ownshe showed 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.
Jane Gray's biography is briefly divided into 2 periods: childhood and becoming a 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 family.
Marriage
The Duke of Northumberland, regent for the 16-year-old king, will soon enter the game for the throne.
According to the existing 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-minted husband was only a year older than his wife, and had already found the glory of a drunkard and a fighter. Of course, such an alliance did not please Jane at all, but the word of her family was law for her. It should be noted that Jane's husband, upon seeing his young wife, fell in love and promised to stop his dubious adventures.
The Duke of Northumberland so "processed" the young king that he crossed out his sisters from the list of contenders for the throne. Henry VIII in his will indicated Edward's half-sisters as direct heirs. However, at the behest of the young king, Parliament declared them illegitimate.
So Lady Jane Gray, who became Jane Dudley after her marriage, approached the throne.
Death of the King
Sick Edward, having removed his competitors to the throne, dies. Death came in the middle of the nighthappened so calmly and without fuss that if everything could be hidden for a while, Jane would have become queen without any problems.
And Jane and those who supported her ascension to the throne had a problem. Mary, daughter of Henry VIII, had to be urgently hidden in the Tower of London.
Immediately after the tragic event, Duke Dudley sends for Mary, who was already warned of her brother's death by the Council, a cavalry guard.
Honoring the Uncrowned Queen
In light of what happened, Jane was sent to Dudley's home in Zion. She was the first to arrive, sitting and waiting as the dignitaries began to gather in the house.
"Jane Gray is the Queen of England," the girl heard when all the guests were gathered. She was so shocked by what she heard that she lost consciousness, because Jane never aspired to be a queen. She was destined to endure this fate only thanks to the efforts of her family and friends.
The fact is that the first to greet the new queen are those who are the very first to betray her, taking Mary's side. These will be the Earl of Arundell and the Earl of Pembroke. In the meantime, high-ranking earls and lords persuaded Jane to agree to become queen.
Everyone understood that Jane's coronation was possible only if Elizabeth and Mary were captured and placed in the Tower. This hasn't happened yet. And it is Count Arundell who will help Maria hide, and, betraying Jane, will help her in the future.
Uncrowned Queen of England Jane Gray arrived at the Tower 4 days after the king's death and was proclaimed queen.
The shortest reign
On the second day of her reign, Jane already received bad news: Princess Mary also proclaimed herself queen and loudly declared her rights to the throne. Preparations have begun to resolve the conflict through military intervention.
Historians agree that Jane would have been able to hold onto the throne had she not made a few mistakes during her brief reign.
Firstly, she appointed the Duke of Northumberland, who was not popular with the soldiers, as commander-in-chief of the army. Moreover, he was hated by the main part of the army, which was made up of the petty nobility. If the Duke of Suffolk had commanded the army, the army would have supported Jane, and with her appointed commander-in-chief, the soldiers would have supported her rival Mary.
It took five days to raise an army and march against Mary. All the while, the young queen has been issuing new decrees in an attempt to win over the love of the common people.
She tried to convene parliament to pass laws to transfer monastic lands to the poor for perpetual use, to open schools for the poor, and to stop people from being branded.
Struggle for the throne
Maria, whose popularity among the people was very great, did not wait until she was seized, she fled. The army that tried itto overtake, moved further and further deep into England. The army did not have success, since the inhabitants of England, and the military themselves, often, betraying the new queen, went over to the side of Mary.
In London itself, too, it became restless, the riots that the queen's guards tried to suppress became more frequent. While Jane fought the rebels, many members of the Council, people from her entourage simply betrayed her, going over to the side of the daughter of Henry VIII.
Over time, England was divided into 2 camps. Jane was pitied, but Mary was supported.
Betrayed by all
The situation worsened so much that on the 9th day the Council also betrayed Jane. That is why she went down in history as Lady Jane Gray - Queen of Nine Days.
Only 2 people: the Duke of Suffolk and Archbishop Cranmer remained faithful to her. The girl queen was betrayed by everyone: the Council, the commander-in-chief of the army, whom she appointed, 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.
The fact that she is no longer 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 her crown, and, leaving it, went to other chambers.
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 this throne, took her life.
Mary ascended the throne peacefully, there was practically no bloodshed, because all of hersupported. One of the first orders from the new queen was 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 main instigator of the story with the young queen, the Duke of Northumberland. All of his sons, except for Jane's husband, were pardoned, although they were stripped of all titles and positions.
Married couple: Guilford 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 tourists the inscription "Jane", which, according to legend, was drawn on the wall of the tower by a passionately in love young man.
In November 1553, a married couple was tried and sentenced to death. The queen herself had to decide how to kill the guilty: by burning or by decapitation.
Jane witnessed her husband's execution. Through the window, she saw how her husband accepted death with dignity at the hands of the executioner, he was beheaded. She knew that her turn would soon come.
The execution of Lady Jane Gray took place practically without witnesses, in the closed courtyard of the Tower, because Mary was afraid of the discontent of the crowd. Witnesses say that Jane blindfolded herself with her own hands and sank onto the chopping block. After reading the prayer, the executioner cut off her head.
Executed girlburied with her husband in the chapel of St. Peter.
Thus ended the suffering of a girl who was queen for only 9 days.
