Lady Jane Grey, remains one of the most compelling and tragic figures in Tudor history.

She possessed royal blood through her grandmother, Princess Mary Tudor and this

heritage brought her to the scaffold in 1554.

Jane had been named heiress to the English throne in her great-uncle Henry VIII's will,

but only if his son Edward and daughters Mary and Elizabeth died without issue.

But Edward ruled for just six years and his ambitious advisor, John Dudley, was

determined to remain in power hoping to gain the throne of England through ‘his’

family . . .

To that end, he persuaded Edward to write his own will and leave the throne to his

pious cousin, Jane Grey.

Though just fifteen at the time, she was known for her Protestant piety and

learning; it was this religious devotion which persuaded Edward to alter the succession.

Deeply pious himself, he could not leave the throne to his Catholic sister, Mary. Jane

was quickly wed to Dudley's son and crowned Queen of England in July 1553. But she

ruled for just nine days, trapped and unhappy.

 Mary Tudor, claimed the throne with great popular support and Jane was imprisoned

in the Tower of London.

Her subsequent execution was a political necessity for Mary Tudor.

Despite her youth, Jane met her end with great dignity and courage.

Jane did watch her husband's execution.  He was condemned to a ‘Traitors Death’.

He was ‘Hung, Drawn and Quartered’.

He was taken from Beauchamp Tower at 10 o'clock in the morning and led to the execution

area on Tower Hill.

Jane stood by her window and watched as he went to his death.

Guildford died with great courage and dignity and, when the cart rolled past

 carrying his corpse, Jane muttered his name and a comment about 'the bitterness of death.'

Perhaps she realized that ‘he had been a victim, too’. In any case, she saw his blood-splattered body,   

 thrown on top equally stained straw,  driven to St Peter-ad-Vincula; his head was wrapped in a cloth

beside the body.
Permission had to be granted for her burial at St Peter-ad-Vincula since the church had recently become
 
Catholic again. John Feckenham, dean of St Paul's,was forced to go to court for the permission.
 
So Jane's body lay exposed and unattended for nearly four hours, spread obscenely across the blood-soaked straw.
 
The French ambassador reported seeing it there hours after the execution. Her attendants
 
kept watch, though they were not allowed to cover the corpse.
 
 Finally, Feckenham returned and Jane's body was laid to rest between the bodies of
 
two other headless Queens – Queen Anne Boleyn -Tudor and Queen Catherine Howard -Tudor.
 
During the  reign of her Protestant cousin, Elizabeth Ist, Jane was celebrated as a martyr to her
 
faith and she remains one of the most famous queens of England.