Biography
Jane Grey was born in 1537, at Bradgate Park, in Leicestershire, England. She was the eldest daughter of Henry Grey, Marquess of Dorset, and Frances Brandon, who was the niece of King Henry VIII. She was of the royal blood. Her parents were ambitious and harsh, and they pushed her hard in her studies. She was a child of unusual gifts. By the age of ten, she was reading Latin and Greek. She also studied Hebrew, French and Italian. She was a devout Protestant, who was deeply moved by the new teaching of the Reformation.
She was raised in the household of Catherine Parr, the last wife of Henry VIII, for a time. She was a serious and gentle girl, who loved her books. A famous story tells that the scholar Roger Ascham found her reading Plato's Phaedo in Greek while the rest of the family was out hunting. He asked her why she did not join the hunt, and she replied that all their sport in the park was but a shadow of the pleasure that she found in Plato. She said that she was happy in her studies and that her parents were harsh with her, striking and pinching her if she did not perform. She found her refuge in learning.
In 1553, the young king, Edward VI, a devout Protestant, was dying. He feared that his Catholic half-sister, Mary, would succeed him and undo the Reformation. The Duke of Northumberland, who was the most powerful man in the country, persuaded the king to change the succession and to name Jane as his heir. Northumberland had arranged for Jane to marry his son, Guildford Dudley, in May 1553. When Edward died on July 6, Jane was told that she was queen. She was reluctant and was said to have wept and fainted. She said that the crown was not hers and that Mary was the rightful heir. She yielded to the pressure of her family and was proclaimed queen on July 10.
Her reign lasted nine days. The people of England rallied to Mary, who was the daughter of Henry VIII. Support for Jane collapsed, and on July 19, she was deposed. She was taken to the Tower of London as a prisoner. She was sixteen years old. Her father-in-law, Northumberland, was executed in August. She and her husband were tried for treason in November and were condemned to death. Mary was inclined to spare her, as she knew that she had been used as a pawn, and she held her for a time.
In January 1554, a rebellion broke out in the country, led by Sir Thomas Wyatt, in protest against Mary's plan to marry the Catholic king of Spain, Philip. Jane's father took part in the rising. The rebellion was put down, and the queen was persuaded that Jane was a danger. The sentence was carried out. Mary sent a priest to convert Jane to the Catholic faith, and Jane engaged him in debate and held to her convictions. She wrote a letter in Greek to her sister, urging her to stand firm in the faith, and she wrote a prayer.
On February 12, 1554, she was executed on Tower Green. Her husband was beheaded first, and she watched his body being carried back. She was composed and spoke to the crowd, saying that she had done wrong in accepting the crown, though not by her own seeking. She declared that she died a true Christian woman and that she trusted in the mercy of God through the blood of Christ. She recited the Psalm of penitence in English. She was blindfolded and groped for the block, and she said, Lord, into Thy hands I commend my spirit. She was about seventeen years old.
Her story moved many of her countrymen. She is remembered as a young woman of great learning and piety, who was used by the powerful and who met her death with courage. John Foxe included an account of her in his Book of Martyrs. Her life shows the cruelty of ambition and the strength of a young person's faith. She was not a schemer, and she was a victim.