Lady Jane Grey Family Tree showing:
parents 
siblings 
partner 
Short Biography
Early Years
Lady Jane Grey was born in October 1537 the daughter of Henry Grey and Frances Brandon. She was the granddaughter of Henry VIII‘s younger sister Mary Tudor. Her upbringing was strict and her parents sought to use her and her sisters to improve their station in life.
After the death of Henry VIII in 1547, his son, Edward became King Edward VI. As he was a minor the country was ruled by a council first headed by Edward Seymour, Duke of Somerset and then John Dudley, Duke of Northumberland.
In the summer of 1553 it became clear that Edward was dying. Next in line was Edward’s sister Mary. However, Mary, a Catholic, had vowed to restore England to the Catholic faith. King Edward and John Dudley were staunch Protestants.
Reluctant Wife and Queen
Jane Grey was a Protestant and Dudley had arranged for her to marry his son, Guildford. Before he died, Edward signed the Devise for Succession which nominated Jane Grey as his successor.
Jane herself was reluctant to become queen but had no say in the matter. She was proclaimed Queen of England on 10th July 1553, four days after Edward’s death.
Jane and Guildford were housed in the Tower of London to await their coronation, but Jane did not have the support of the people. The people supported Henry VIII’s eldest daughter Mary, believing her to be the rightful Queen.
On 19th July 1553 Mary was proclaimed Queen. Soon afterwards, Jane and her husband Guildford were found guilty of treason. However, knowing they were innocent pawns, Mary did not sign their death warrants.
Death Sentence
In February 1554 Jane’s father, Henry Grey, joined Thomas Wyatt’s rebellion against Mary’s planned marriage to King Philip II of Spain. Their plan was to overthrow Mary and put Jane back on the throne. After the rebellion was put down, Mary had no choice but to sign the death warrant.
Jane Grey was executed, by beheading, for treason, on 12th February 1554. The act was carried out privately within the walls of the Tower of London.
Published Jul 2, 2020 @ 4:05 pm – Updated – [last-modified]
Harvard Reference for this page:
Heather Y Wheeler. (2020 – 2022). Lady Jane Grey Family Tree (1537-1554). Available: https://www.treesofblue.com/lady-jane-grey-1537-1554. Last accessed December 18th, 2024