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Thursday Book Club: Lady Jane Grey

February 14, 2008 by WendyB

Infamous New York Post headline from 1982

If only the New York Post had been around in 16th century England! Imagine what the ink-stained wretches at Ye Olde Tabloid would have done with the story of Lady Jane Grey, the headless teen queen whose reign was as brief as the love between Dennis Rodman and Carmen Electra.

If the whole “16th century beheaded English queen” story sounds very Henry teh 8 to you, there’s a good reason for that. Poor Lady Jane, the “nine-day queen,” was Henry’s grandniece through his younger sister. It was that connection to Henry that inspired Jane’s scheming, abusive parents and in-laws to seize the throne in her name after the death of Henry’s son and successor, Edward VI. Jane Grey, incidentally, may have been named after Edward’s mother and Henry’s favorite wife, Jane Seymour, who had the good sense to pop out a boy and die immediately, before she could annoy Henry into divorce or execution.

16th century New York Post via Banterist

Edward became king at the age of nine. He was always sickly and died a gruesome, painful death — possibly of measles and tuberculosis, with a dash of arsenic –at 15 on July 6, 1553. Since Edward was so young, a council of regents had ruled for him. One of the regents was John Dudley, the Duke of Northumberland. Dudley enjoyed the whole “ruling through a child” thing. Power and money. What’s not to love? When Dudley realized Edward was dying, he came up with a plan to keep the good times going: he’d make his own son Guilford king by marrying him off to Henry’s 15-year-old grandniece Jane Grey. Jane wasn’t so crazy about this idea, but her parents beat her until she realized that Guilford was the man for her.

This engraving, supposedly of Jane, was done years after her death.

For Guilford to become king, his unhappy bride had to become queen, which was a problem because Henry still had two direct descendants: Mary (by Katherine of Aragon) and Elizabeth (by Anne Boleyn). So John Dudley, preying on the dying young king’s religious convictions, persuaded Edward to write a new will that excluded his sisters from inheriting the throne. Edward was an ardent Protestant and Mary was a Catholic. Then, as now, people who believed in the same God relished killing each other in God’s name; signing away his sisters’ rights to the throne was nothing, even though it contradicted an act of Parliament and Henry’s will.

Edward’s signature

After that, Edward swelled up, turned black, lost his hair and nails, emitted a vile odor, and died in agony during a violent thunderstorm. John Dudley stood over the poor king and laughed an evil laugh: “Mwah ha ha ha. MWAH HA HA HA!” Okay. That’s not in any of the books, but I still think he did it. Dudley definitely kept the king’s death a secret for days, so he had time to convince his fellow regents that Protestant Jane would be a preferable ruler to Catholic Mary. He also needed time to get Jane to the Tower of London which, in addition to being a popular head-chopping location, was the traditional place for monarchs to stay before their coronation.

When told of her good fortune by Dudley in front of the council and her family, Jane passed out. When she recovered, she said, “The crown is not my right and pleaseth me not.The Lady Mary is the rightful heir.” No one smacked her, but her father-in-law and her parents did order her to be an obedient daughter. Jane prayed to God for a sign and when no sign was forthcoming, she reasoned that the Scriptures said she should obey, and so, she committed treason by accepting the crown.

Spelling was flexible back then.

Meanwhile, Lady Mary was riding towards London with thousands of soldiers to claim the throne. The fickle English people were on her side. They hated Catholics, but they hated Dudley and his cheating ways even more. Later, they would hate Mary again, but not yet. Most of the regents realized which way the wind was blowing and abandoned Dudley and Jane. On July 19, 1553, in London, Mary was proclaimed queen to wild public acclaim, without ever having had to fight a battle. “Out of obedience to you and my mother I have grievously sinned,” Jane said when her father told her the news. “Now I willingly relinquish the crown. May I not go home?” At that point, Jane’s loving dad abandoned her in the Tower and ran out to greet Queen Mary.

Queen Mary I

Mary pardoned many traitors, including Jane’s parents and Dudley’s wife. She had Dudley executed the next month, but Jane and Guilford lingered in the Tower while Mary weighed a pardon for them. She was also trying to negotiate a marriage with the future King Philip II of Spain. Mary was madly in love with him, or at least his portrait, but the feeling wasn’t mutual and he was driving a hard bargain. He, being Catholic, wanted to be sure there wasn’t going to be a Protestant rebellion against him and indeed, a short-lived one flared up in 1554, again centered on placing Jane on the throne. Her father, having learned nothing, was a participant. That meant Jane had to go.

Hot or not?
Was Philip II worth it?

Jane resigned herself to her fate, though she did write pointedly to her dad: “Father, although it hath pleased God to hasten my death by you, by whom my life should have been lengthened…” Exactly 454 and two days ago, on Feb. 12, 1554, Jane and Guilford were executed. Guilford had aways been a crybaby and, true to form, bawled all the way to the executioner’s block. (Interestingly, the one time Jane managed to stand up for herself was when she, as queen, refused to name Guilford king. He had to settle for duke.) Jane was determined to go bravely but, again, things went wrong for her. Once the blindfold was on, she couldn’t find the block where she was to put her head down. “What shall I do? Where is it?” she called out, waving her hands around in a panic. Someone finally guided her to the block. “Lord, into Thy hands I commend my spirit,” she said and then the axe came down.

A 19th century painting of Jane being guided to the block

This sad story inspired me to create this blood-and-tears necklace in Jane’s honor. It consists of teardrop-shaped rock crystal filled with loose rubies and set in 18K yellow gold.

Lady Jane necklace in 18K yellow gold, rock crystal and rubies.
© Wendy Brandes 2007-2008
(Photo by SquareMoose)

Some people says it reminds them of a vial of blood that a certain actress used to wear.

If you want to read more about Jane, try these:

  • The Children of Henry VIII by Alison Weir. This non-fiction book by a well-known Tudor dynasty biographer is the source of many of the quotes in this post.
  • Innocent Traitor by Alison Weir. Weir’s first work of historical fiction is written from the perspectives of numerous people including Lady Jane; her mother, Frances; her servant, Mrs. Ellen; Jane Seymour; the last wife of Henry VIII, Katherine Parr; John Dudley; Lady Mary; and the executioner.
  • The Wives of Henry VIII by Antonia Fraser mentions her.
  • The Prince and the Pauper by Mark Twain is about Edward. It includes a reference to Jane.

I am not going to get in the habit of recommending movies in my book posts, but I’ll make an exception this time:

  • Lady Jane (1985) stars Helena Bonham Carter (Sweeney Todd)

You can also check out Jane online:

  • The Lady Jane Grey Internet Museum
  • Lady Jane Grey
  • Jane the Quene
  • A biography and Jane’s letter to Queen Mary can be found here.

I’ll get back to my Arizona adventures tomorrow.

You might also like
Jewelry for the Warrior Woman
Jewels of the Month, Part 1: For the Whistleblower
Jewel of the Month: Amethyst Birthstone Studs

Filed Under: book club, my designs, necklaces, queens

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. enc says

    February 14, 2008 at 1:25 pm

    Ah, the tawdry Tudors. I spent years reading up on them. I’ve read several of those books, isn’t it funny that we have that in common?

    Are you and your fella going to do anything special for Valentine’s Day?

  2. Chic and Charming says

    February 14, 2008 at 1:51 pm

    I adore that necklace!

  3. Cee-Cee says

    February 14, 2008 at 2:13 pm

    awesome post 🙂

  4. Queen Rosie says

    February 14, 2008 at 2:20 pm

    oh that is just devine!

  5. The Clothes Horse says

    February 14, 2008 at 2:58 pm

    Poor Jane, too bad no one could comfort her with that necklace then…

  6. hebden says

    February 14, 2008 at 3:34 pm

    Your necklace is…gorgeous. It does remind me of a vial of blood…or chemicals bubbling in a test tube…it is mesmerizing…okay, I’m going to stop gushing now…

  7. Frasier says

    February 14, 2008 at 5:41 pm

    I miss you!!!
    I love the books based on Henry the 8ths wives
    They were absolutely wonderful
    Vintage bunny

  8. jennine says

    February 14, 2008 at 5:51 pm

    out of control!
    this is hilarious… i swear, i can’t wait until you start working on the bible for thrusday book club…

    it’s amazing how you make this stuff fun!

  9. Princess of the Universe says

    February 14, 2008 at 5:52 pm

    You know what’s bizarre Wendy – I’ve been meaning to mention Jane Grey to you. She’s so obscure, I wasn’t sure if you knew her story. It’s always touched me because it was so tragic.

  10. WendyB says

    February 14, 2008 at 5:56 pm

    ENC, we’re going out to dinner…at 10! And I sent him tulips at the office.
    C&C, thanks!
    Cee-Cee, thanks!
    Queen Rosie, I love your name.
    TCH, Jane had it hard. It’s impossible to be funny about her. It’s just one bad thing after another.
    Hebden, thank you SO much! I’m glad you like it.
    Frasier, I miss you more.
    Jennine, ha ha! Maybe my Bathsheba bangles DO deserve a book club post of their own.
    Princess, it’s such a sad story. It’s like she was born to suffer.

  11. Suze says

    February 14, 2008 at 6:06 pm

    I had to read this post in two sessions. Stop with all these interesting stories. I’m still reading about those Boleyn sisters because of you. Enough!

    Happy Valentine’s Day to you!

  12. WendyB says

    February 14, 2008 at 6:10 pm

    I kept trying to shorten this one, Suze, but I had trouble deciding what to cut!

  13. Mariposa says

    February 14, 2008 at 6:12 pm

    Read this when I was at work…then here at home again! Very nice! Happy Hearts Day!

  14. Shaz says

    February 14, 2008 at 6:34 pm

    Love the necklace! The color is absolutely marvellous!

  15. K.Line says

    February 14, 2008 at 8:03 pm

    Super informative post. What a great inspiration for jewels…

    I loved that movie Lady Jane. I must have watched it 15 times when I was a teenager.

  16. Megan says

    February 14, 2008 at 9:45 pm

    I just finished the virgins lover about Robert Dudley and that family was nuts! poor poor Jane.
    Love the necklace. It’s genius!

  17. the iron chic says

    February 15, 2008 at 6:13 am

    I never grow tired of beheading accounts.
    Mary Queen of Scots is my fave.
    Jane was the sacrificial lamb of her day….Britney?

  18. fabulous girl says

    February 15, 2008 at 9:03 am

    Lady Jane has been one of my fav royals for years now.

  19. CDP says

    February 15, 2008 at 9:22 am

    I love reading about Tudors and Stuarts. Awesome post, and beautiful necklace.

  20. pistols at dawn says

    February 15, 2008 at 3:42 pm

    Nicely done, miss. I particularly fancy the “Hot or Not?” Phillip question that has plagued historians for centuries. I wrote about a similar issue in my book, “Thighs Like What, What, What: Catherine the Great’s Great Ass.

  21. Dulcinea says

    February 15, 2008 at 4:17 pm

    what a gorgeous necklace. i am mesmerized.

  22. Olga says

    February 15, 2008 at 5:46 pm

    oh no! that tabloid is awesome!!!

    let’s invent more headlines. i think you should start your book club posts with a headline like that every time. do you agree?

    loved the mwahaha bit!

  23. Olga says

    February 15, 2008 at 5:47 pm

    The pendant is AMAZING!!!!

    what a wonderful idea! is it large? it must cost a fortune because of so many rubies.

  24. Lynn says

    February 15, 2008 at 8:21 pm

    That question underneath the pic of the man – to answer, and not speaking for the rest: NOT!! LOL Wendy!

    Gorg necklace, I will own it one day, you just wait, lady.

  25. WendyB says

    February 15, 2008 at 8:26 pm

    Thanks, Olga. The pendant is about an inch long and half an inch wide at its fattest. It’s pretty expensive!
    Lynn, I agree with you. That dude was oogly.

  26. Catherine Kai-lin Shu says

    February 25, 2008 at 7:37 am

    I love the Lady Jane pendant. If I had it, I’d just hold it up to the light and tilt it back and forth to watch the rubies move around. It really fits well with its namesake, too.
    Have you seen this miniature before? It’s supposed to be a contemporary portrait of Lady Jane, but the evidence is a bit thin. It’s still a very lovely portrait, though.

  27. Frances says

    April 22, 2009 at 7:38 pm

    I saw that painting when I was in London. It was extremely lovely–the light falling on her alabaster skin made Jane glow!–but the painting was also deeply disturbing. We felt very sad and kept thinking of her all day. Poor queen.

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MEET WENDY BRANDES

Award-winning designer of fine jewelry inspired by women's history and pop culture. A former journalist who writes about jewelry, fashion, medieval history, news, feminism, dogs, cats and whatever else is on her mind. Blogging since 2007.
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