Lady Jane Grey Biography
(Queen of England and Ireland from 10 July 1553 to 19 July 1553)
Born: 1537
Born In: Leicestershire, United Kingdom
Lady Jane Grey was the nominal queen of England who ruled for only nine days in 1553. Her accession was part of her father-in-law, John Dudley’s unsuccessful plan to enthrone his own son, Lord Guildford Dudley. She became an iconic figure after her execution at the hands of Mary Tudor, largely due to the machinations of her wicked mother and deceitful political games. Despite her reluctance to take over the kingdom considering herself incompetent and undeserving, she was forcefully nominated as the heiress by Edward VI, upon being influenced and manipulated by Dudley. However, her succession lasted for just nine days, as she was arrested and charged for high treason by Mary, who proclaimed herself as the queen, supported by the populace and Privy Council. Hence, she was also known as the ‘Nine Day Queen’. Her death sentence, which was suspended initially, was revoked after Sir Thomas Wyatt’s Protestant rebellion, leading to her execution along with her husband. Despite her short journey of nine days as the queen, she is still considered one of the most prominent empresses England had. She was later remembered as a martyr during the reign of her Protestant cousin, Queen Elizabeth I. Even though she died young, she had a fetish for learning and became proficient in various languages under her tutors.