Defiant Unto Death: Lady Jane Grey

In the year 1536 King Henry VIII ruled England at the height of the time of the Tudors and the infancy of The Great Reformation. Nobody knows the exact date, but sometime in the latter half of that year Henry and Frances Grey gave birth to their firstborn , a daughter, Jane.

Henry was a rich nobleman, the Marquess of Dorset and his wife was Frances Brandon of the House of Suffolk the niece of the King. Together the Grey's had three children, all daughters, Jane, Kathrine, and Mary.

Just prior to the birth of Jane, the King, desiring a male heir, had broken free from years of Roman Catholic rule and created the Church of England and seated himself at its head. This obviously created great tensions throughout all of Europe. Under Henry's reign Protestants now had many freedoms that they had previously not enjoyed. Henry Grey was one of those men.

Childhood: Raised to be a Queen

Jane being royalty and raised in the upper class grew up wanting for nothing. However Jane's heart was never set on riches, or dress and worldly things, she usually spent her free time reading books.

However being a child of nobility was not easy. Jane's day was very full and structured. It would have begun around 7a.m. and would have consisted of learning from the finest teachers and partaking in multiple course meals which left little time for play. Although being born Catholic, Jane's parents had converted to Christianity and therefore raised her and her sisters as evangelicals.

Jane spent many of her youthful years at her family's estate in Bradgate Park, however eventually she went to live with Thomas Seymore and his wife Kathrine Parr, who was the widow of king Henry VIII.

While here she was tutored by John Aylmer, where she not only learned all her basic school subjects but also learned 8 languages. Her Italian teacher, Michelangelo Florio, was forced to leave Italy due to his faith. As a young lady Jane heard many of his stories of the persecution of Christians in Italy where he himself had almost died for his faith.

Jane excelled at her studies and usually preferred reading and studying to most other activities. She even had correspondence with the Reformer Henry Bullinger.

The Brewing Storm

Jane lived a life of relative solitude spending her free time reading and studying theology. One of her most cherished possessions was her prayer book. Behind the scenes though many things were happening. Before Henry VIII died he had passed resolutions that made his two eldest daughters, Mary and Elizabeth, ineligible to wear the crown so that his son Edward VI by his 3rd wife could be king. Edward who was a Christian had now become sick and was worried that when he died his older half sister Mary, a staunch Catholic, would be made queen. Edwards main advisor Northumberland used this scenario for personal gain. Henry Grey for years had ambitions of his daughter someday becoming queen and Northumberland used these desires to arrange a marriage between Jane and his son Guildford. It then wasn't hard to play on the fears of a dying Edward to install Jane, a Christian who was actually third in line to the throne, as queen. Upon Edwards death, in order to obey her king and please her parents, with tears she received the crown she had never wanted and became the Queen of England. This enraged Mary who thought that she was the rightful heir to the throne. Unfortunately due to Jane's life of solitude she was unknown to the people and it wasn't hard for Mary to rally the people and have Jane overthrown and imprisoned in the Tower of London.

A Time to Die

Jane and Guildford were imprisoned for 6 months in the Tower. During this time Northumberland was arrested and tried for treason. He shamelessly converted to Catholicism to try and receive leniency from the Queen. She was not impressed and had him beheaded. Henry Grey who had received a pardon from the Queen, ended up entrenched in another scheme to overthrow Mary and was subsequently arrested and beheaded. During Jane's imprisonment she would have witnessed these beheadings from the window in her apartment in the Tower.

Even though they were innocent pawns in the schemes of others, Jane and her husband were eventually tried for treason, found guilty, and sentenced to death.

The Execution of Lady Jane Grey by Paul Delaroche

While awaiting her execution day Jane was visited by Dr John Feckenham who was queen Mary's personal chaplain. His task was to try and get a conversion out of Jane. He was utterly unsuccessful in his attempts. Unlike Jane's predecessors who were bent on trying everything to try and save their lives, she was resting on the promises of her Savior and did not fear death. Feckenham's response after talking to her was

she had taken leave of all earthly matters so that she did not even think of the fear of death and that she had prepared patiently to accept it in the way in which the Queen would be served to command; it was quite true that it would be painful to her flesh as mortal thing, but her soul was happy to abandon this darkness and ascend to the eternal light, as she was confident, putting her trust in God's mercy alone.

On the morning of February 12 Jane watched from her window as Guildford was lead to the gallows; the same one that had ended both of their father's lives. Shortly afterwards Jane was lead out of her apartment where it was observed that the young girl was 'nothing at all abashed, neither with fear of her own death, which then approached, neither with the sight of the dead carcass of her husband when he was brought in to the chapel'.

Jane walked unabashed, with neither her eyes anything moistened with tears, praying with her prayer book in her hand to the scaffold.

At seventeen years old Jane stood on the scaffold and looked upon the faces of the spectators determined not to show fear while clinging to her prayer book. She began

"Good people, I am come hither to die, and by a law I am condemned to the same. The fact, indeed, against the Queen's highness was unlawful, and the consenting thereunto by me: but touching the procurement and desire thereof by me or on my behalf, I do wash my hands thereof in innocency, before God, and the face of you, good Christian people, this day.

I pray you all, good Christian people, to bear me witness that I die a true Christian woman, and that I look to be saved by none other mean, but only by the mercy of God in the merits of the blood of his only son Jesus Christ: and I confess, when I did know the word of God I neglected the same, loved myself and the world, and therefore this plague or punishment is happily and worthily happened unto me for my sins: and yet I thank God of his goodness that he hath thus given me a time and respect to repent. And now, good people, while I am alive, I pray you to assist me with your prayers."

Kneeling down she opened her prayer book and recited Psalm 51. Never losing her dignity or composure she stood up and was handed a handkerchief to tie around her eyes. Before she did the hangman kneeled down and asked her forgiveness, whom she then forgave willingly. He then moved her to stand upon the straw and doing so Jane saw the block. It was on this block that she would die. With one final look at the Tower and the crowd Jane tied the handkerchief around her eyes.

Now blind Jane reached down for the block but could not find it. She cried out "where is it?" Thomas Brydges then moved and guided her hands to the cold block. Once more composing herself, she laid her head down on the block knowing that she would never again rise from it.

With time for just a few more words, to show that Jane was ready she cried out 'Lord Jesus, into thy hands I commend my spirit!" Then the headsmen raised his axe and a few seconds later it fell.

For more on the extraordinary life of Lady Jane Grey check out Crown of Blood by Nicola Tallis