born October 1537, Bradgate, Leicestershire, Eng.
died Feb. 12, 1554, London
Titular queen of England for nine days in 1553.
The great-granddaughter of Henry VII , she was married in May 1553 to the son of the duke of Northumberland . Northumberland persuaded the dying Edward VI to set aside his half sisters as successors in favour of the Protestant Lady Jane. She was proclaimed queen on July 10, despite popular support for Edward's half sister Mary Tudor (see Mary I ). Mary was proclaimed queen on July 19 after Lady Jane gladly relinquished the crown. Committed to the Tower of London, Lady Jane and her husband were sentenced to death in 1554. The sentence was initially suspended, but her father's participation in Wyat's rebellion sealed her fate, and she was beheaded.
Lady Jane Grey, detail of a panel attributed to Master John, 0441; 1545; in the National Portrait ...
Courtesy of The National Portrait Gallery, London