Jane Grey

Lady Jane Grey was Queen of England for just nine days in July 1553 before being deposed and executed at age 16. Lady Jane Grey, often called the "Nine Days Queen," was born in 1537 into a noble Protestant family with royal ties—she was the great-granddaughter of Henry VII and cousin to Edward VI, Mary I, and Elizabeth I. Exceptionally educated, Jane was fluent in Latin, Greek, French, and Italian, and deeply committed to Protestantism. In 1553, as King Edward VI lay dying, he named Jane his successor to prevent his Catholic half-sister Mary from taking the throne. Jane was married to Lord Guildford Dudley, son of Edward’s chief minister, and proclaimed queen on 10 July 1553. However, public and political support quickly shifted to Mary Tudor, who was declared queen on 19 July 1553, ending Jane’s brief reign. Jane was imprisoned in the Tower of London and, despite initial reluctance from Mary to punish her, was executed on 12 February 1554 after being deemed a threat by Protestant plotters. Her tragic story—caught between powerful factions—has made her a symbol of innocence, martyrdom, and political manipulation.