England’s Forgotten Queen: The Life and Death of Lady Jane Grey
In July 1553, Tudor England was plunged into political and military crisis. Henry VIII’s 15-year-old son, Edward VI, died leaving no male heir. For the first time, a woman would wear the English crown, but who would it be: Edward’s Catholic half-sister Mary, or his Protestant cousin Jane Grey? On his deathbed, Edward cut Mary out of succession and named 16-year-old Jane as his heir. As fierce a Protestant as Edward himself, and already married to the son of the power-hungry Duke of Northumberland, Jane was proclaimed queen and taken to London to await her coronation. But Mary would not accept her disinheritance—and neither would the country. Just nine days later, Jane’s brief reign was over, and seven months later she lost her head on the block. Author and historian Helen Castor will explore this dramatic story and assess Jane’s role in the coup that would ultimately cost her life. The tragic tale of the Nine Days’ Queen is not only a breathless political thriller, but a defining moment in the history of England’s religion, its constitution, and its crown.
Thank you to our cultural co-sponsors: The Oxford & Cambridge Society of New England; Oxford & Cambridge Society of San Diego; The Colonial Dames of America; St. George’s Society of New York; American Friends of Attingham; The American Scottish Foundation
Lady Jane Grey, c. 1590-1600. National Portrait Gallery, London
