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Lady Jane Grey (?)
1537 - 1554
The possible depiction of Lady Jane Grey,
above, hung undiscovered for years in a house in Streatham.
Backstory
Lady Jane Grey was the granddaughter of
Henry VIII’s youngest sister, Mary.
A ferociously intelligent young woman, she was brought up in the piously
Protestant circle of Katherine Parr, Henry’s sixth wife.
After Henry VIII died in 1547, his son Edward VI, aged eight, succeeded to the
throne.
The Duke of Northumberland, Lord Protector, induced the ultra-Protestant Edward
to name Jane his successor.
But on the death of the young Edward in 1553, the Catholic Mary proclaimed
herself rightful queen
under the terms of Henry’s will, bringing Jane’s nine-day rule to an end.
Jane was beheaded in the Tower the following year.
Is this the true face of Lady Jane?
Painting found in Streatham house could be the only contemporary portrait of the
nine-day queen
Charlotte Higgins, arts correspondent
The Guardian p. 9
Monday January 16, 2006
http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk_news/story/0,3604,1687239,00.html
Related
http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/historic_figures/grey_lady_jane.shtml
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lady_Jane_Grey
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