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THE EXECUTION OF LADY JANE GREY

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THE EXECUTION OF LADY JANE GREY

The English king Henry VIII was first of all remembered for «polygamy», much more important even than the execution of two wives by him, was the fact that he brought some confusion into the minds of the British and into the state structure by the formation of a new Anglican church, but at the same time the Catholic Church continued to operate in the country.

After the death of Henry VIII, his son ascended to the throne of England under the name of Edward VI. Under him, the Church in England became almost entirely reformed. Almost the entire regency council under the infant king consisted of staunch Protestants.

Jane Grey is being persuaded to become queen.

Such was the great-granddaughter of King Henry VII, the daughter of the Duke of Suffolk, Jane Grey. Since she had royal blood in her veins, she could theoretically claim the English throne. But her number in the line of succession was far from the first. If something had happened to the young Edward VI, his elder sister Mary Tudor would have taken the throne. But for English Protestants, she was an extremely undesirable heiress. Everyone knew that Maria was a staunch Catholic.

It is curious that the Catholic Mary and the Protestant Jane were on good terms with each other. It is known that Princess Mary presented her younger relative with expensive gifts.

Because of the admixture of royal blood, Jane was a profitable match. And it became her misfortune, because she turned into a kind of commodity.

Her parents, through their daughters, using their close relationship with the Tudors and their status as heiresses to the throne, hoped to strengthen their influence in the country. And they placed special hopes on their eldest daughter, Jane, whom they intended to marry Edward VI. This marriage was promised to them by the Lord Protector, the Duke of Somerset, Thomas Seymour. But it didn’t work out. Seymour was executed on March 20, 1549, on charges of treason. John Dudley, Earl of Warwick (later Duke of Northumberland) became the new protector and regent of the King. And he made an agreement with the Grays that they would give their daughter Jane for his son Guilford.

Soon after, in June 1553, the terminally ill Edward and the regent John Dudley removed the Catholic Mary from the succession and appointed the sixteen-year-old Protestant Jane as the heir.

Four days after Edward VI’s death, on July 10, Jane Grey was proclaimed queen. But Mary Tudor did not want to put up with this and moved to London, gathering an army of her supporters along the way.

In fact, at that time Jane was just a young seventeen-year-old girl. When it was announced to her that she was now the queen, Jane fainted. But they brought her to her senses and explained that everything was legal. She is the queen by the will of Edward, according to the acts of succession to the throne. After that, Jane pulled herself together and announced to the assembled lords that she had never dreamed of greatness, but if she was destined to reign, then she asked God’s blessing to rule the country for the glory of God and for the benefit of her people.

However, it soon became obvious to Lady Jane that she had become just a pawn in the hands of the Duke of Northumberland, John Dudley, who had elevated her to the throne. The duke first of all wanted to make his son Guilford king, who was Jane’s husband, but did not have royal blood.

Painting by Charles Leslie. «Guilford Dudley inclines Jane to accept the crown.» (1827)

However, when John Dudley announced to Jane that she was obliged to crown her husband Guildford, the young queen refused. In this she showed integrity, despite her age. Of course, if she had an unearthly love for Guilford, she might have been more loyal to him. But, apparently, their family life was still only at the stage of lapping. They spent only a few nights in the same bed, then Jane, citing poisoning, said that she would like to sleep alone. And then the situation spun so rapidly that Guilford was not up to family pleasures.

Jane and her husband Guilford arrive at the Tower for the coronation on July 10, 1553

The people of London, that the papacy, that Protestantism — «did not care.» He was indifferently silent, not taking the side of the new Queen Jane, but also not rebelling against her. But the inhabitants of East Anglia, who remained faithful to the Catholic faith, supported Mary and began to flock to her banners.

Painting by Paul Delaroche. «Jane Grey in custody»

Soon the troops of Notumberland were defeated and the eldest daughter of Henry VIII, Mary, was proclaimed Queen of England. Jane Dudley was informed that she was no longer the queen, her father. And she went down in history as, «the queen for 9 days.» And the fact that she was arrested was already reported to her by the guards. But since Jane was living in the Tower at the time of her arrest, she was left there, only as a prisoner.

Execution of John Dudley, 1st Duke of Northumberland. 1553

On August 22, 1553, the main troublemaker John Dudley was executed by beheading, and Lady Jane, her husband Guilford Dudley and her father, the Duke of Suffolk, who were imprisoned in the Tower, were also sentenced to death. However, the new Queen Mary I Tudor did not want to start her reign with excessive bloodshed, and therefore was in no hurry to carry out this sentence. She even pardoned Jane’s father, however, it happened as in the saying: «do not do good, you will not get evil.» Once free, the Duke of Suffolk took part in an uprising led by Thomas Wyatt to overthrow the «Catholic» government of Mary I and re-enthroned his daughter Jane languishing in the Tower. After that, Maria I stopped being liberal. And decided to execute Jane, Guilford, his brothers Ambrose and Henry, as well as the reformer Archbishop Cranmer.

The Northcote painting. «Feckenham and Jane Grey». (1792)

Their execution was scheduled for February 9, 1554, but the preacher John Feckenham, who was sent to confess Jane, asked for a three-day delay, hoping to return Jane to Catholicism. However, Jane, who had already said goodbye to everything earthly, refused to change her faith.

Drawing by Peter Jackson. «Lady Jane Grey in the Tower of London.» (1964)

In retaliation for this refusal, Mary I decided to subject Jane to moral suffering. She ordered Guilford to be executed first and his corpse to be taken past the windows of Jane’s dungeon, and then executed in front of her father, Lord Grey. By that time, the uprising in which he took part was defeated, and Suffolk himself was captured in the hollow of a huge oak tree near Astley Hall, where he tried to hide.

Jane Grey goes to execution

On February 12, Guildford was the first to lay down his head on Tower Hill, then Jane was taken to the courtyard of the Tower to the scaffold hastily put together there. By tradition, before her death, she was allowed to say farewell words.

Mary L. Gow. «Lady Jane Grey on her way to the scaffold»

And she said:

— Good people, I came here to die. The plot against Her Majesty the Queen was a lawless thing, but it was not done for my sake, I did not want it. I solemnly testify that I am not guilty before God. And now, good people, in the last moments of my life, do not leave me with your prayers. Wanting to be executed as soon as possible, she asked the executioner: «Won’t you cut off my head before I have time to put it on the block?» But he replied, «No, madam.»

Painting by Paul Delaroche. «The Execution of Jane Grey.» (1833)

To show that she faces death with courage, Lady Jane removed the executioner’s hands and blindfolded herself with a white handkerchief. But because of this, a certain incident arose.

Joseph Martin Kronheim. «The Execution of Lady Jane Grey.»

The deposed queen began to fumble around with her hands to find the block, and the executioner only watched this. Finally, a soldier standing next to her helped her find the block and put her head on it.

As soon as Lady Jane said, «Lord, I give my Spirit into Your hands,» the executioner’s axe whistled, beheading her.

The execution made Jane the first Protestant martyr in England and glorified her for centuries.

Oleg Loginov

*Translated using an electronic dictionary. The original text in Russian and much more on the criminal topic can be selected on the main page of the site — https://crimerecords.info/