Unfortunately, on his deathbed Jane’s cousin King Edward VI declared that Lady Jane Grey would be his heir, not his eldest half-sister Mary, who his father had named as Edward’s heir if Edward had no children of his own. It makes you really wonder what her life might have been like if she had not been coerced to become Queen of England. Her zeal for learning is so admirable and relatable. Lady Jane Grey has been known throughout history as a young scholar and a martyr for Protestantism. Jane was a rather unusual royal girl because she was not concerned about who she would one day marry. If Frances and Henry Grey had sons, we would not have to talk about Jane’s claim to the throne, but Jane had two sisters, Katherine and Mary Grey. It was through her mother Frances that Jane had a claim to the throne because Frances Grey was the daughter of Mary Tudor, the younger sister of Henry VIII, and Charles Brandon. She was the eldest daughter of Henry and Frances Grey. Lady Jane Grey was born into a royal family full of fighting for the throne of England and for the right to either be Protestant or Catholic. Lady Jane Grey has been one of those historical figures that I have felt sympathy for in the past and I wanted to learn more about her life. I had heard about this one through recommendations from other Tudor history fans, so naturally, I wanted to give it a try. I have been a fan of Nicola Tallis’ other biographies, “Uncrowned Queen: The Fateful Life of Margaret Beaufort, Tudor Monarch” and “Elizabeth’s Rival: The Tumultuous Life of the Countess of Leicester: The Romance and Conspiracy that Threatened Queen Elizabeth’s Court”. Lady Jane Grey’s tragically short story, how she became queen, and the consequences of her reign are discussed thoroughly in Nicola Tallis’ beautifully written debut biography, “Crown of Blood: The Deadly Inheritance of Lady Jane Grey”. Her name was Lady Jane Grey, but many refer to her as the “Nine Day Queen of England”. It was a battle between Protestantism and Catholicism with a 17-year-old scholar caught in the middle. She was the successor of Henry VIII’s only male son, King Edward VI, and was meant to replace his eldest half-sister, who would become Queen Mary I. Most kings and queens of the past lasted for a few years, but there was one queen who lasted for a handful of days. “Uneasy lies the head that wears the crown.” This famous quote from William Shakespeare’s play Henry IV, Part III has been used throughout the centuries to describe how difficult it is to rule a country for any duration of time.
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