In this latest edition of my “Facts about…” series, I share 18 interesting facts about Lady Jane Grey, or Queen Jane, who is also known as “The Nine Day Queen”.
Find out more about the fourth Tudor monarch…
Book recommendations:
The Sisters Who Would Be Queen – Leanda de Lisle
Lady Jane Grey: A Tudor Mystery – Eric Ives
Very interesting. I always learn something new
Jane is always known as the nine days queen but the next in line is always referred to as the monarch from the minute the predecessor dies, so in fact she did rule for thirteen days, there were old myths about Jane being docile and without much spirit, in fact she was full of spirit and as much a zealot in her beliefs as was Edward V1 and Mary 1st, she did not aspire to the throne but when her young cousin named her as his successor, she readily accepted her new position and was determined to rule justly and wisely, but her crown was shaky and her followers who had sworn to defend her right to be queen, soon deserted her when they knew Mary Tudor had ridden to Framlingham and raised an army of loyal subjects before riding onto London, one by one they scurried away to Mary’s side like rats deserting the sinking ship, leaving Jane alone forlorn and in a state of anguish in the Tower of London, she is a fascinating creature, only young when she died the Victorians came to portray her as an innocent virginal young maiden, a sacrificial lamb to the slaughter, the picture by the French artist shows her at her execution, she is blindfolded and nervously seeking the block, that is the image of Jane Grey that has prevailed for several hundred years, the artist has painted her as young and fair with auburn hair, we know she was auburn haired, the hereditary Tudor genes that her cousins Mary and Elizabeth Tudor possessed, like them tragically for her, her Tudor blood put her in the line of succession by the terms of Henry V111’s will, it was to prove her downfall, but she was no sacrificial lamb, she would have been pardoned if she was to forsake her Protestant beliefs and embrace the Catholic faith, but Jane could no more change her faith than a leopard could change its spots, sadly she chose to die and her end was very emotional, she became the third Queen of England to have her blood split on Tower Hill, and she is commemorated on the plaque that was put near the site of the scaffold, her body was never found when the excavation work began in Victoria’s reign, and because she was just a teenager when she died, it is believed her bones dissolved in the limestone of the earth where her body was interred, as Eric Ives puts it she did not achieve anything she left no lasting impression, her reign was short and she left no dynasty, but she is remembered today as as another victim of Tudor injustice, she accepted the crown without lawful right as she said in her execution speech, but she was not to blame for the kingly burden that was forced on her, she did not coerce Edward to change his will, she cannot be blamed for him naming her as his successor she did not commit treason, but her very life was seen as a threat to Mary Tudor, and she was too vocal in her condemnation of the Catholic faith, even calling it the wh*re of Babylon such fervency coming from a very young girl, so she had to die, her father also although initially pardoned led a second uprising against the queen, and this time Mary signed his death warrant, for this act of foolishness he also signed Jane’s death warrant, it was a terrible waste of a young young that held such promise for her brilliance was well known she was a scholar of the highest degree, she was a quiet serious girl who loved to study rather than joining the hunt, had not Edward changed his fathers will Jane Grey would have faded into history, she would have made a suitable marriage and had children and lived her full life span, she would be only a name known to her family, but she became famous for her short lived rise to fame, and her tragic bloody death that followed, Mary’s seizure of the throne was successful but many ponder to this day, who was the rightful queen? It was a constitutional crisis that Edward left his country in, and Eric Ives is in no doubt that it was Jane who was the lawful Queen of England, the crown left to her by Edward V1 which was his right as sovereign Lord of the realm, but there are many who disagree, I feel her death however was tragic and unlawful given that she had been named as Edwards successor, it does not constitute treason to accept the crown when you have been named the reigning monarchs successor, but as we have seen it was not as simple as that to the 16thc mind, however historians perceive it, Jane was simply murdured.
I recently said that Jane should be accepted as Queen just as others should be incorporated into our modern list of Kings and Queens even though the legislation at the time excluded them from the crown. The best example is that of the Excluded Catholic Stuart Dynasty, the sons and grandchildren of James ii of England. The young James, son of James ii by his second wife, Maria of Modena, was raised under William iii of Orange and England and Queen Mary ii, who defeated and outed James ii into exile. His son was excluded by new legislation to end all future Catholic succession and it also made it illegal for anyone in the line of British succession to marry a Catholic or become a Catholic and if they do, even now they have to give up their right. This 300 year-old archaic piece of discrimination was almost abolished by the Coalition Government during 2010 but for some unknown reason this was abandoned. So whilst you can’t exclude anyone from anything under the Equality Act on the basis of sex, sexuality, sexual preference, race, age or gender, in some cases religious persecution and discrimination is still lawful in the twenty first century.
I am digressing as usual, but context is important. James Francis Edward, Prince of Wales as he had been born was excluded from the crown by this legislation and eventually he fled abroad into France and was recognised by a number of followers, known after the death of James ii as the King over the Water and the Old Pretender. The Jacobites, those who supported James iii, plus most of Europe actually recognised him as the legitimate King. The 1715 and the 45 were both raised in his name, although it was his older son, Charles Edward Stuart who pressed the claim and came very close to success. He marched as far down as Derbyshire, but his intelligence told him the wrong information and his commanders were not willing to fight a huge Royalist force. In fact George ii was in hiding on a ship in the Channel ready to flee. Luckily Bonnie Prince Charlie withdrew and Butcher Cumberland followed him and the armies met at Culloden where he was defeated. He would spend the rest of his life planning a new claim but he became an alcoholic and nobody was willing to rise again. It wasn’t the defeat at Culloden, it was the aftermath. The slaughter was random and widespread. Although he never did anything about his claim, Henry, the Cardinal Duke of York after the death of the Old and Young Pretender, was proclaimed King Henry ix by his supporters all over Catholic Europe and recognised by Rome. He was the last of the direct male line of the original Stuart Dynasty. A Society existed and still does to press the claim of those who were descendants of this branch of the Stuart line. These are either via the female line or two illegitimate sons and three daughters of Bonnie Prince Charlie or associated families.
Jane was made Queen by her cousin, through his will or Devise and it was accepted, either under duress or by consent, by the Council. So far, so good. Now Edward died before the document could be ratified by Parliament and its four days before Jane was actually told that she was even Queen. This was because legally and through title, blood and descent, Princess Mary, eldest daughter of King Henry Viii should have been confirmed as Queen. Edward was using his prerogative as Sovereign to name his own successor, when no clear line existed, that is where he had no legitimate male heir. However, what most people agreed should have happened was that the Third Act of Succession 1544 and Will of King Henry Viii should have been honoured, allowing Mary to peacefully and naturally succeed her brother. Edward was paranoid as well as ill and deeply Protestant and he saw Mary’s succession as a big problem. After Mary, Elizabeth should have followed, although her succession at that time wasn’t the popular idea it later became. Nor was she this mythical popular Tudor Princess everyone adored. She was hardly known. It was Mary who was the popular Tudor Princess, the beloved daughter of Henry Viii and Katharine of Aragon and everyone was horrified at her being set aside. Now John Dudley probably had a lot to do with this decision, but let’s be generous and pretend that’s not true and this was Edward’s idea alone. Mary was set aside as was Elizabeth, both because Edward saw them as illegitimate and half blood as he wrote. He also detested the Catholic Faith, so Mary was overlooked. Elizabeth was also overlooked as illegitimate and Anne Boleyn was described as a deceitful and hateful wh*re and is blackened in the document. The Final version of the document made his cousin Jane, not her mother as his heir and any male children she would produce in the future. Because the legislation had not been through Parliament it was uncertain as to how legal this document was Dudley and Henry Grey had to manoeuvre themselves, try to capture Mary and Elizabeth and to ensure everything was set up for what was essentially a coup. The Council lined up behind the Earl of Arundel and everyone was on board. Men are sent to secure Mary by telling her to come as Edward is dead. Mary was warned by her goldsmith and escaped to her estates in East Anglia, collecting Elizabeth en route. Then Jane was summoned and declared as Queen. She wept for Edward and according to legend said the crown wasn’t hers. By nightfall, however, she was proclaimed Queen and was issuing orders. She moved to the Tower through silent crowds and one boy shouted that Mary was Queen and his ears were cut off. Mary gathered her people and won over the ships sent to attack her and the local gentlemen. Northumberland was sent to attack her and was useless. On 19th July 1553 Mary was declared Queen. Jane was stuck in the Tower, giving orders, taking the keys in order to stop the Council from escaping but they still stuck out and Arundel led them in submitting to Queen Mary. Without shredding blood, nine days after being told she was Queen, Jane was informed by her father that it was over. Jane was no longer Queen, Mary was and wild rejoicing followed her proclamation. Jane has been accepted as Queen by some historians because of the fact she was accepted and made Queen by her predecessor and issued documentary evidence in her name as Queen. Legally, however, this was not strictly true because Parliament had not confirmed her as Queen. In the end she was deposed and history recognised Mary as the true Queen and legal successor as well as the heroic victorious Sovereign. She is also recognised as the first Queen Regnant of England. Her being the Fourth Tudor Monarch is ambiguous and most historians actually don’t accept her as such. Eric Ives did, going as far as to call Mary a usurper. I think that goes too far and ignored the strict legality of recognition of Kingship in England in this period. However, if we are to look at others overlooked, despite right of titles, that is direct legitimate bloodline, set aside because of regime change or religion and for no other reason, then its reasonable to call Jane and Mary legitimate Queens and perhaps one day modern heritage makers will do just that.
I left a comment on here yesterday but it hasn’t appeared so il have to post again, the tragedy of Jane Grey was that she was another victim of Tudor politics and ambition, so very young when she died she exists in the mind as an innocent victim a lamb to the slaughter, she was seen thus by the Victorians who portrayed her as virginal and docile and was slaughtered on the alter of innocence, their portrayal of Anne Boleyn was much the same, a beautiful wife betrayed by her husband, who perished in the same fashion, the Victorians certainly loved their victims, the beautiful painting by the French artist Delaroche depicts Janes execution, it is in a little room dark with only a few attendants, one is guiding her to the block as she stumbles blindfolded towards it, the executioner stands nearby, she is dressed in white the colour of innocence and virginity, this image is not real as Jane, being an important personage was beheaded on Tower green within the precincts of the Tower, but the artist has captured her terror in her last final moments and guided her to the block, it is a very sad pathetic image of this young girl who was just a teenager when she died, but there was nothing pathetic or docile or meek about her, certainly she was no lamb to the slaughter, but chose to die instead of renouncing her faith which was so dear to her , the real Jane was a religious zealot like her two cousins Edward V1 and Mary 1st, spirited academically brilliant and showed when she was queen, she had the capacity to rule with an iron will, just like her Tudor forbears, and much later Mary and Elizabeth, she had not wanted the crown, she like everyone else, expected Mary to be proclaimed queen on her brothers death, but shockingly and unbeknown to her, Edward had drawn up a devise for the succession, and had cut both his half sisters out of his new will, he had left his crown to her, this act by Edward caused a bit of a constitutional crisis, and was to result in tragedy for the Grey family and the Dudley family to, Jane was arrested for high treason when Mary’s followers rode into London and she her father and Dudley, her young husband and his brothers were destined in the Tower, once it had been Jane’s place of glory, but one by one her council, those who had sworn to uphold her right as sovereign, scurried away like rats deserting the sinking ship and went over to Mary’s side, first Mary intended to pardon her and her young husband, but Jane’s foolish father in a further act of rebellion tried and failed miserably to seize the new queen and free Jane, the result was he lost his life and also sealed his daughter and her husbands fate, Mary under pressure from Spain signed both their death warrants, Lord Dudley who it appeared masterminded the whole plot to put Jane on the throne, and have his son Guildford crown king as well had already been beheaded, Jane wrote letters to her family, to her father she showed no animosity, to her younger sister Katherine she advised her to be good and to follow the true faith, we do not have a record of any letters she wrote to her mother Frances, she was beheaded with one stroke of the axe, and it was noticed how great was the deluge of blood that appeared from her tiny corpse, it was another dreadful miscarriage of justice which really, the Tudors were famous for, it seems inconceivable to us today that a young woman, in her teens should be judicially murdered ,for accepting a crown that had been left to her by a true sovereign king, how does that constitute treason ? Eric Ives book ‘A Tudor Mystery’ is a wonderful study of this grim chapter in English history, he is in no doubt that Jane was the lawful Queen of England, he writes that Jane’s reign was short and unremarkable, neither did she leave a dynasty, we she was queen for only thirteen days although is known to history as the nine day queen, her reign it seems was a hiccup in the succession that was soon put to rest, and Mary’s successful coup soon saw her settled on the throne, her death paved the way for the glorious Elizabeth, and in between the two of them and Edward to, Jane is seen as insignificant and had she never been placed in the succession, we may never have heard of her, her name would merely have been that of another noblewoman, in the Tudor family tree, who married had children and who led a rich but unremarkable life, a life that was sadly denied to her, she was the third and final queen to die on Tower Hill and she is said to have been buried in St Peter Ad Vincula, but her bones were never found during excavation work of the chapel in Victoria’s reign, other skeletons were discovered but Jane’s remains are a mystery, it is thought her bones being so young dissolved in the limestone that was in the earth when she was interred, she however is commemorated in the chapel along with the other victims who perished, and she is also commemorated on Tower green, her mother was the fortunate one who was pardoned by Queen Mary and soon was welcomed back at court, they had been childhood friends their mothers being so close, and Mary maybe thought Frances had been led astray by her husband and Dudley, she went onto marry a second time and her two remaining daughters served Elizabeth 1st, but they soon caused unrest for that queen by making unsatisfactory marriages, along with their legitimate Tudor blood, Frances Brandon has a beautiful tomb in the Abbey whilst her eldest and most brilliant child was laid to rest unmarked in the grounds of St Peter, Janes story was a terrible Tudor tragedy, more so because of her lost and wasted youth.
I did a great post last night on here but its gone into thin air and it said there were already two posts. All three have vanished into thin air. There is definitely something weird haunting this site.
I can see your comment – 12.20 am, above Christine’s. It wasn’t held in moderation, it was published straight away. Weird it didn’t show for you.
Hi I can see it now. The page is displayed properly now. Maybe the rain here is doing something to the network. Very odd. Everything good there, yes?
Hi BQ, all good here, although sweltering. In our area it could get near 50ºC at the weekend and early next week! Hope you’re ok x
That sounds like cooking in hellfire conditions. Very hot.
Yes, we are all OK. I am now supporting Denmark, Steve is going for England but really its Italy who look in for the trophy.
I was thinking how many masks my Spain shirt would make last night but its too beautiful a shirt so its back on its hanger now.
Take care and stay safe
LynMarie
50 degrees blimey! The UK would go into meltdown if we had that temperature over here!
I was worried because I posted my first comment on Monday and the second yesterday, glad they have both come through, although the second comment was of course, unnecessary.
It’s the ghost of Anne Boleyn. If she approves they appear. If not, well they disappear into the netherworld never to be seen again. Ah, but wait we then have the wise and great Queen Claire of Tudor who by her gracious intervention, waves and deems all comments shall pass and thus by the grace of Her Majesty, they appear. . LOL.
Christine, I will email you either tomorrow or Friday. Sorry, haven’t been in touch but haven’t done much with the Euro’s.
Take care all. I have found a very old book on Henry Benedict Stuart, Cardinal Duke of York, brother of Charles Edward Stuart, who was recognised by a remarkably wide range of people as Henry ix which is available as a download very cheap at Amazon. I knew who he was but his story has not really been told. I am fascinated by more or less unknown people in history and their stories. Did you know that most of the covers of books on Bonnie Prince Charlie and galleries show the portrait of Henry, his brother, for example. It was only in the last decade that an authentic portrait was identified and now stands in the Scottish National Gallery. They labelled the previous painting as being Henry, Cardinal Duke of York and the owner let them borrow their new one. That’s what I like about history, its often changed by new discoveries and new evidence.
The discovery of letters from various Ambassadors and also letters from Jane to her family as well reinterpreted portrait of her mother Lady Frances Grey, Duchess of Suffolk, which was originally misidentified have all given us a much better understanding of Jane, her family dynamics and her reign as well as her character and personality. We see that foreign disapproval of her succession was present from the day she moved to the Tower. Of course one did interpret the fact that her mother carried her train, even though she was of higher rank and should have succeeded ahead of her daughter, as being menial. However, it was an honour for Frances to do this and something she wanted to do. Frances had accepted the will of King Edward and although she soon abandoned her daughter, once Queen Mary had won the day, seeking her forgiveness straight away, she was content to support her now. Jane was as much the victim of switching loyalties as her own obscurity. In the end it came down to one thing…she wasn’t Mary Tudor, daughter of King Henry Viii and Katharine of Aragon.
That sounds like cooking in hellfire conditions. Very hot.
Yes, we are all OK. I am now supporting Denmark, Steve is going for England but really its Italy who look in for the trophy.
I was thinking how many masks my Spain shirt would make last night but its too beautiful a shirt so its back on its hanger now.
Take care and stay safe
LynMarie
Mary was extremely lucky if one thinks back to the evening of 6th and 7th July 1553 because people were on their way to arrest her and a letter told her and Elizabeth to present themselves to pay respects to their dying brother. They were apparently not informed that he was dead. Mary has spies and friends at Court and she was very well informed. She always had been. She had learned to be kept informed during the reign of her father when she was cut off and banished to serve her half sister. Officially Mary wasn’t allowed visits or letters from her mother unless her father and Cromwell allowed them. However, she regularly had information sent via Chapuys and its very clear that Anne Shelton passed on information to Mary. She was sent regular amounts of money by her father, despite his attitude towards her and she had a contact network. A letter from her mother was passed to her when she was ill during 1534 and she received her mother’s last letter and fur collars. Henry sent visitors to her to inform her of her duty and Anne tried to speak with her several times. Mary knew about Anne’s downfall before it even happened and she was in the know during her trial and had a letter prepared to send to Jane Seymour as early as 20th May. She wrote again asking for Henry to accept her back and for reconciliation with new confidence on 26th May 1536. During her brother’s reign she was defiant about his desire for her to stop hearing Mass, something she knew in advance by messenger. It was this network of support which allowed Mary to act with such speed.
Mary actually knew that her brother was dying despite efforts to hide this fact. Her Goldsmith arrived the next day to inform her of Edward’s death and that she was now Queen, but warned her not to go to London because of the plot against her. Mary was fast of the mark and declared herself Queen on 7th July and then wrote to the Council telling them she was Queen and to swear allegiance to her.In other words she knew before they did officially that Jane was being made Queen. Not even Jane knew about her cousin’s death. On 9th July that all changed when Jane was briefed at dinner of the situation and the next day she was officially told that she was now Queen. Jane was apparently upset but she saw this as an act of the will of God and accepted the crown. When she processed to the Tower the next day, 11th July Jane was now determined to hold onto her crown and was soon making arrangements for a potential civil war and attack by Mary who on 12th July was making her way towards London. Her gathering of support had been growing and she was now preparing to move on her capital. It was her father’s last gift to his daughters which allowed their defence now, a wealth of landed estates, mainly across the South of England. Mary used her fleeing to the centre of her power, East Anglia, had allowed her to gather sufficient armed supporters around her and to gain the upper hand. However, for a few more days it was very tough and go and a very large Royal Army was on its way to intercept Mary and stop her march on London. It was lucky for Mary that people did abandon Jane on the reception of Mary’s letters and her succession was bloodless. Jane was left like the rat who clings to the sinking ship, holding onto the mast as the Council snuck out of the Tower and one by one declared for Mary and as she tried to carry on, holding Court and so on, desperately awaiting news from her army under Northumberland, she grew ever more anxious and desperate. In the end even Northumberland declared for Mary in a desperate effort to save his own head. It was not the only thing which turned the tide, it was the refusal of troops to fight her, it was the navy which surrendered power and control and refused to fire on her or to stop her, it was the swelling of her popular support and it was Jane herself who may have helped. She was far too fanatical for those around her and too pushy. The Council were becoming more and more disenchanted with Jane and some were not happy with her as Queen to begin with. They abandoned her. Her family remained with her until the end and then as Mary emerged as the formal victor and was proclaimed Queen on 19th July, they too abandoned their daughter.
The Duke and Duchess of Suffolk ran to their London home, the Charterhouse, there to remain until Mary had entered the City. Eventually Mary arrived and received her Catholic prisoners in the Tower with honours as well as others whom she freed and pardoned. Frances went to the Queen and begged for mercy and was granted both friendship and pardon for herself and her husband. Jane and Guildford were held as prisoners as were others involved and the fates awaited them. Jane now depended on her Faith more than ever and her letters tell us a great deal about this young lady that others cannot. She was not the glum book worm of legend. Yes, she was studious, she preferred study above everything else, but no, she didn’t detest hunting. She had the same high spirits and sense of fun of any teenagers, she grew up as much around the Court as the Leicestershire countryside. She had a sense of humour, she was generous, she cared about her sister Katherine and her advice to her showed a care of her soul and her body, her wellbeing. Jane wrote loving letters to her mother and her father. Her prayer book showed her fervent desire and thirst for God in a real personal way. She was highly critical of the Mass and she was remarkably well educated and intelligent. Jane didn’t just learn Greek and Latin, she knew Hebrew as well and not just the Hebrew of her time, the more ancient pre Medieval original language. That was rare and very impressive. Mary I was the most intelligent and educated woman in Europe, but Jane may even have surpassed her in Hebrew alone. Her cousin matched her in Latin and Greek and other things, but Jane was unique in her command of the language of the Hebrew Scriptures. Jane was excellent at rhetoric as well, a trained art in itself. The masters would contest against each other and dialogue between master and pupils amaze even today. This was noticed by Father John Freckenham, who was sent to save Jane’s soul after she was condemned in February 1554. Mary wanted to give her young cousin one last chance to save her life. Jane wasn’t that happy with such an arrangement but he became her friend and accompanied her to her death. Father Freckenham was very impressed with Jane and wrote how remarkable she was. The rhetoric and debates between them are still recorded and tell us how determined Jane was to stand her ground and to live or die in the faith of her heart and soul. Here we see the fanatical Jane, the Jane who knows her Scriptures and the Classical writings practically by heart, the Jane who did love to learn, the Jane who knew her own mind and the Jane who was free inside herself. She was not going to abandon her faith in order to save her life and now Mary had a real problem.
Jane was considered an innocent by Mary, in face of her Council who pressed for her demise and Spain whose Ambassadors did the same. Another rising in favour of a rival could completely destabilise a neurotic and xenophobic country, which was exactly what happened with the Wyatt Rebellion. Although this was in favour of Elizabeth and not Jane, her father was involved. Jane was considered legitimate, Elizabeth wasn’t and didn’t have the popular support she would have by the time she came to power. Jane still looked like a more likely successor or alternative than Elizabeth and the Council were divided over who to support. Some followed Wyatt and saw Elizabeth as a puppet ruler, some remained loyal and others looked to freeing Jane. Mary was encouraged to act against both of her rivals. Elizabeth was suspected of plotting against her and arrested and kept in the Royal Apartments in the Tower. Jane and her husband had been condemned to death in November 1553 and so were on borrowed time. Mary didn’t want to carry out that death sentence but this second rebellion by her family sealed her fate. Now she had one last hope. By becoming a Catholic she might save her life because now she would be less attractive to those who wanted a Protestant on the throne. Some people believe Mary failed to get why people objected to the marriage with Spain and that is a real bone of contention today. It wasn’t personally that people didn’t want Prince Philip who was a true Renaissance man at this point, but that they had growing concerns with Spain and her attitudes in Holland and Flanders. It’s difficult to pin down when anti Spanish feeling began but it well and truly started prior to Mary’s reign. However, what English paranoia did not appreciate was either the reality of a Spanish alliance or the benefits. Mary didn’t simply fall in love with a portrait and Philip did not find his second cousin unattractive. Modern research has dismissed these notions and its time to put them to bed. Nor did she choose Philip because she was advised to by Charles V, although this was partly true. No, she carefully weighed up the advantages of such an alliance. For one thing she would gain a husband who was her equal, not her superior. She would also gain a husband who came from the same stock as her mother and who was worthy of her. England would gain vast territories associated with Philip and his inheritance and a firm alliance against France. She would gain access to massive trading and commercial opportunities and merchant access in the Azores and several Spanish advances in shipping as well. Mary was extremely careful when preparing and negotiating this treaty and actually Philip had many limitations put on him. His powers in England would be limited, his inheritance would be limited, the children would remain in England until they came of age and all rights of inheritance were controlled by the Council. Basically, this was a mostly ceremonial partnership and Philip did not have any rights in England if Mary died first. This had more to do with her being a woman than Philip being Spanish and sixteenth century norms of female rule. Mary, unlike Elizabeth, chose to marry and had to find a way around the demand by the Church and convention that a woman must obey her husband. This was why her marriage to Philip was important, as this also presented Mary with the unique occasion of a joint Monarchy. This was typical of the Sovereignty of her grandmother and her Aunt Juana and something she had learned form her own mother. It was the misunderstandings that the rebellion of Wyatt was personal and religious which almost certainly caused Mary and her Council to see those it aimed to use against her as a true danger. Mary believed that by turning Jane into a Catholic any further protests would not be attracted to her. There is some logic in this because a Catholic Jane would certainly follow the same party line as Mary and the rest of the country and the Protestant minority would certainly have to turn their attention elsewhere or pipe down. In the end, however, Jane stuck to her guns and Mary was reluctantly persuaded to execute her and her husband and now her father as traitors. She spared other members of the family and indeed even members of her Council who had supported one or both rebellions and the majority of the rebels themselves.
Sorry if this was already mentioned, as I can’t really watch the video because of internet problems and what not, but there is speculation if Jane’s parents were abusive to her or not. Some of the things I have read say they aren’t, and other do. In my book, The Innocent Traitor by Alison Weir, Jane’s parents are depicted as these nasty, abusive, selfish, and manipulative people towards Jane. Not her sisters Katherine or Mary, but just Jane, which confuses me. Do you have any information about their parents and whether or not they were truly the abusive parents Alison Weir wrote them as?