The Nine Days Queen
- Lady Jane Grey was a teenage English noblewoman who was Queen of England and Ireland from 10 July until 19 July 1553.
- She was born in 1537 and died on 12 February 1554 at the age of 17.
- She was the first crowned Queen of England. Until this point England (and most of Europe) would only allow men to be King, and so a woman would only become Queen because she married the King or future King. Lady Jane was crowned Queen in her own right, and although there was pressure on her to make her husband King, she refused.
- In England today a King still outranks a Queen and therefore a crowned King’s wife will become Queen but a crowned Queen’s husband will be given a different title. Queen Elizabeth II’s husband was designated to be Prince Philip. Jane announced that her husband would be known as a Duke.
- Jane was the great granddaughter of Henry VII through his younger daughter Mary, and was a first cousin once removed of Edward VI.
Quick Facts
Born – October 1537
Died – 12th February 1554 (executed)
Father – Henry Grey (1517 – 1554)
Mother – Frances Brandon (1517 – 1559)
Spouse – Guildford Dudley (1535 – 1554)
Children – No children
Queen of England – 1553, 10th – 19th July
Preceded by – King Edward VI 1547 – 1553
Succeeded by – Queen Mary I 1553 – 1558
Watch the following three videos. Carry out the activities in between.
Timeline of Events
- 1537 (October) – Lady Jane Grey, was born to Frances Brandon, daughter of Henry VIII’s sister, Mary and Henry Grey at Bradgate Park, Leicester, England.
- 1540 (25th August) – Jane’s sister, Katherine, was born to Frances Brandon and Henry Grey.
- 1543 (around) – Jane began her education. She was taught by private tutors who reported that she was a very able scholar.
- 1544 (7th February) – Act of Succession: A new Act of Succession stipulated that Prince Edward should succeed King Henry VIII to the throne with any children from Henry’s present marriage being next in line. Lady Mary and Lady Elizabeth were next in line to the throne.
- 1545 (around) – Jane’s sister, Mary, was born to Frances Brandon and Henry Grey.
- 1547 (23rd January) – Henry VIII was sick and believed to be dying. He declared that Edward Seymour should be head of a regency council to govern until Prince Edward reached his majority.
- 1547 (28th January) – Henry VIII died at Whitehall Palace in the early hours of the morning. He was succeeded by his son as King Edward VI. Edward’s maternal uncle, Edward Seymour declared himself ‘Protector of all the Realm and Dominions of the King’s Majesty’.
- 1547 (20th February) – Edward was crowned King of England at Westminster Abbey. After the ceremony a banquet was held in Westminster Hall.
- 1547 (April) – Edward’s stepmother, Katherine Parr, secretly married Edward’s uncle, Thomas Seymour. Although Katherine was in love with Seymour it is likely that he married for power rather than love.
- 1547 (Spring) – Jane became a member of Katherine Parr and Thomas Seymour’s household.
- 1548 (7th September) – Katherine Parr died of puerperal fever after giving birth to a daughter, Mary.
- 1548 (after 7th September) – Jane remained in the household of Thomas Seymour.
- 1549 (January) – Thomas Seymour was arrested after he tried to abduct the King. He was found guilty. Jane returned to her parents’ home.
- 1549 (10th March) – Thomas Seymour was executed.
- 1549 (11th October) – Edward Seymour, Lord Somerset, was arrested by the Council.
- 1549 (26th November) – Jane and her sisters, Katherine and Mary, were taken to visit Mary Tudor at Beaulieu.
- 1550 (January) – John Dudley realised that England could not afford to continue war with France and sent a delegation to negotiate peace.
- 1550 (February) – John Dudley, Earl of Warwick became leader of the Council.
- 1551 (during) – John Dudley became Duke of Northumberland.
- 1551 (October) – Jane’s father was created Duke of Suffolk. As a duke he was a member of the royal court and Jane was often present at court as well.
- 1552 (April) – King Edward was taken ill with smallpox. He survived but was weakened by the disease.
- 1553 (Spring) – Edward was taken ill again and it became clear that he was dying.
- 1553 (Spring) – Jane was engaged to Guildford Dudley, son of the Duke of Northumberland.
- 1553 (25th May) – Jane married Guildford Dudley at Durham House. In the same ceremony, Jane’s sister, Katherine, married Lord Herbert and Guildford’s sister Katherine married Henry Hastings.
- 1553 (June) – Devise for the Succession: Edward opposed the succession of either of his half-sisters due to their illegitimacy and Mary’s Catholicism. This document passed the succession to Lady Jane Grey, granddaughter of Henry VIII’s younger sister, Mary in the event of of there being no legitimate male heir on his death.
- 1553 (15th June) – Edward summoned his leading councillors and made them sign a declaration to uphold the Devise for the Succession on his death.
- 1553 (6th July) – King Edward VI died.
- 1553 (10th July) – Jane was proclaimed Queen of England. She and her husband Guildford Dudley entered the Tower of London to await the coronation. However, Jane declared that she would not allow Guildford to be King and that he would be given the title Duke of Clarence. Guildford was angry and isolated himself from Jane.
- 1553 (10th July) – Henry VIII’s eldest daughter, Mary Tudor, sent a letter to the Council saying that by the terms of the Act of Succession of 1544 she was now queen. She called for their obedience and loyalty.
- 1553 (11th July) – Henry VIII’s eldest daughter, Mary Tudor, left Hunsdon and rode to East Anglia where she called for support.
- 1553 (14th July) – The Duke of Northumberland left London at the head of a force to capture Mary Tudor. However, after he had left London the Privy Council, seeing that popular support was for Mary, decided to support Mary’s claim.
- 1553 (19th July) – Mary Tudor, was proclaimed Queen.
- 1553 (19th July) – Jane and her husband were arrested and charged with treason. Jane was imprisoned in the Gentleman Gaoler’s Quarters of the Tower of London while her husband, Guildford was imprisoned in the Bell tower.
- 1553 (8th August) – Edward was buried in the Henry VII Lady Chapel at Westminster Abbey.
- 1553 (22nd August) – Jane’s father-in-law, John Dudley, Duke of Northumberland, was executed.
- 1553 (13th November) – Jane was tried for high treason. She pleaded guilty and was sentenced to death. The date of her execution was not set because Mary believed that she and her husband were innocent parties in a plot by Northumberland to take control of the throne and she remained imprisoned in the Gentleman Gaoler’s Quarters of the Tower of London.
- 1554 (February) – Wyatt’s Rebellion: Thomas Wyatt organised a rebellion against Catholic Mary’s plans to marry King Philip of Spain. He was supported by Jane’s father, the duke of Suffolk. The rebellion was suppressed but Mary decided she had no choice but to execute Jane and Guildford Dudley to prevent them becoming a focus for further anti-Catholic rebellions.
- 1554 (12th February) – Jane was beheaded within the walls of the Tower of London.
Activity One – Family Tree
Draw out a family tree showing the family connections from Henry VII through to Queen Jane.
You must include:
- dates
- full names (at least first)
- images
- rulered lines
- explanative tile
Activity Two – Timeline
Create a timeline of the major events in Jane’s life from birth to death (17 years). You can complete this after the final video.
You must include:
- dates
- names
- places
- images
- names
- explanative tile
Activity Three – Exposition
Write a report (expository genre) on Jane Grey.
You sections should include.
- interesting title
- subheadings
- important dates and places
- key characters
- dramatic themes
- descriptive language
- Strong opening and closing sections
- concise use of paragraphs
Wrap Up!
Lady Jane Grey
How much do you know about the Nine Days Queen?
