Jane refused to name her husband Dudley as king, because that would require an Act of Parliament. Most importantly, he had to isolate and, ideally, capture Mary Tudor to prevent her from gathering support. Jane and Guildford are buried in the Chapel of St Peter ad Vincula on the north side of Tower Green. In February 1554, Jane's father, who had been released, was one of the rebel leaders in Wyatt's rebellion. Delaroche was presumably aware that the Tower of London was founded by William of Normandy. Lady Jane Grey was the eldest daughter of Henry Grey, 1st Duke of Suffolk, and his wife, Frances. With her head on the block, Jane spoke the last words of Jesus as recounted by Luke: "Lord, into thy hands I commend my spirit!"[43]. ", Hoak, Dale. [38] The imperial ambassador reported to Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor, that her life was to be spared. [36], Referred to by the court as Jane Dudley, wife of Guildford, Jane was charged with high treason, as were her husband, two of his brothers, and the former Archbishop of Canterbury, Thomas Cranmer. [15] Seymour's brother, the Lord Protector, Edward Seymour, 1st Duke of Somerset, felt threatened by Thomas' popularity with the young King Edward. [18] The Duke, Lord President of the King's Council from late 1549, was then the most powerful man in the country. [47] Her mother, the Duchess of Suffolk, married her Master of the Horse and chamberlain, Adrian Stokes, in March 1555. The Third Succession Act of 1544 restored Henry VIII's daughters, Mary and Elizabeth, to the line of succession, although they were still regarded as illegitimate. She died in 1559. After his fourth interrogation by the King's Council, he proposed his daughter Jane as a bride for the Protector's eldest son, Lord Hertford. Jane’s father was Henry Grey… The execution actually was conducted in the open air, in a part of the grounds of the Tower of London that is known as Tower Green, and where Henry VIII's wives Anne Boleyn and Catherine Howard had been executed. In September, Parliament declared Mary the rightful successor and denounced and revoked Jane's proclamation as that of a usurper. Lady Jane Grey reigned as queen for nine days in 1553. The intensely dark areas that occupy a large proportion of the painting's surface play a big part in the drama. On Friday 12 February, Mary had Jane, then aged 16, and her husband beheaded. At the rear of the pictorial space the handrail of stairs descends, and the tops of two weapons indicate the presence of guards. Her exact date of birth is uncertain; many historians agree on the long-held estimate of 1537, while others set it in the latter half of 1536 based on newer research. [37] Her sentence was to "be burned alive on Tower Hill or beheaded as the Queen pleases" (burning was the traditional English punishment for treason committed by women). [4] Despite the artist's familiarity with the painting of historical narratives, there are aspects of the painting which are inaccurate. Chandos was a Lieutenant of the Tower at the time of Jane's execution. Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). Jane then failed to find the block with her hands, and cried, "What shall I do? The Execution of Lady Jane Grey is an oil painting by Paul Delaroche, completed in 1833, which is now in the National Galleryin London (until 27 January 2019, on loan to an exhibition in the Houston Museum of Fine Arts). Jane’s Protestantism made her the preferred candidate of those such as Northumberland who supported the Reformation. [34], Jane is often called the Nine-Day Queen, although if her reign is dated from the moment of Edward's death on 6 July 1553, her reign could have been a few days longer. Mary sent her chaplain John Feckenham to Jane, who was initially not pleased about this. Lady Jane Grey, also called (from 1553) Lady Jane Dudley, (born October 1537, Bradgate, Leicestershire, England—died February 12, 1554, London), titular queen of England for nine days in 1553.