Lady Jane Grey was born in 1537, the Granddaughter of King Henry VII. Her family home was Bradgate House, which now stands in ruins in Bradgate Park.
Following the death of Edward VI in 1553, Jane was proclaimed queen, despite having no real claim to the throne. Her proclamation as queen was part of a plan by the protestant Duke of Northumberland, father of Jane's husband, to prevent the throne being taken by Mary Tudor, the rightful Catholic heir. Before Edward's death, Northumberland persuaded him to declare Mary illegitimate and change the line of succession in order to make Jane queen. However, Mary had a great deal of popular support and Jane was arrested and sent to the Tower of London after only nine days as queen. She was tried and convicted of high treason and beheaded, along with her husband, in 1554.
This portrait of Lady Jane Grey is taken from John Nichols History and Antiquities of the County of Leicester.
