Historical_Diary-_Jane_Grey_Time_Period

January 30, 1547 The word is officially out... The King has died. It was two days ago that it happened. Poor old man, I know he was sick and extremely uncomfortable. And as for his wife, Queen Consort Katherine, I admire her greatly. She is a saint (although we do not celebrate those Christian saints as widely, thanks to His Grace’s changes in the church) for having taken care of our late ruler, God rest his soul. I met him once. It was a public appearance that he made so to promote himself and his new church. The people of England enjoy seeing their leaders very much. I was lucky, so lucky in fact, that I met the portly man face to face when he stopped only briefly at He asked me my name and told me I was very pretty, although I am sure he’d said it a thousand times already to every other teenage girl he met that day. I thanked him and curtsied, and then I kissed his right hand. I remembered it smelled of horses and a faint sickly odor, no doubt his gangrene. He wore a ring on his pointer and pinky fingers that were large rubies. And to think that that meeting happened only two years ago, right after he married his sixth wife, the Lady Katherine Parr. The King, of course, had several wives... First Katharine of Aragon, the Spanish Queen and mother of the Lady Mary, who was his wife when I was born and only for another year after that. Then it was the temptress Anne Boleyn who gave birth to the Lady Elizabeth. Later, there came another woman- Jane Seymour. She gave Henry his only male heir, Edward (who will now become king at the age of nine!). Jane Seymour died due to complications from giving birth to Edward, so soon after her came the German princess Anne of Cleves. The King did not care for her so that marriage was annulled (it was never consummated) and then Henry married Anne Boleyn’s younger cousin Kathryn Howard. She was suspected of adultery, among other things and she was sent to the block, just like Anne. Finally, the old king met Katherine Parr and he died being wed to her. So now the nine-year-old Edward shall take the crown. -Winnie April, 1548 Edward’s coronation was held on the 20th of February. Because of Edward’s young age, a Lord Protector was engaged. First it was Edward Seymour and then his younger brother Thomas, but both were sent to the block because of heresy. Now it is John Dudley, the duke of Northumberland. He is a clever man and he has a lot of cunning. I do believe this man to be a schemer, though. I think he could be a climber and is very interested in personal gain. But what do I know' I am just a daughter of a lady in waiting to a Marchioness... -Winnie May, 1553 My Lady Jane has married! It was to Guilford Dudley, the youngest son of the Duke of Northumberland. Guilford is astonishingly handsome, but you can tell that he is a mother’s boy. He pouts often and it is easy to see that he does not share the love of learning that his new wife does. Also, Jane’s younger sister Katherine was married today. She looks to be very in love with her new husband, the son of the Earl of Pembroke. Not to mention, My Lord and Lady Henry Grey and Frances Brandon became Duke and Duchess of Suffolk, all thanks to their daughter’s new father-in-law. I do tell you, that John Dudley has many ideas and tricks up his sleeve. -Winnie July, 1553 Oh, is there much to tell! To start from the beginning of this crazy tale, the Young King Edward was finally called upon by God to live in the kingdom of Heaven on the 6th. Four days later, My Lady Jane received her coronation! How was this all possible' Well it goes that Northumberland convinced the late king to change his father’s will. Rather than the Lady Mary take the throne, or next after her the Lady Elizabeth, next in line would have been Mary Tudor, Henry’s younger sister. Well since she died a while ago, the line goes on to her eldest daughter, The Duchess of Suffolk. For some reason or another, she abdicated her right, placing the Lady Jane Dudley- formerly Grey- on the throne. This was all Northumberland’s working, no doubt. He had to have convinced Edward to sign some document to count the Lady Mary out of the race, most likely because she had previously been declared a bastard. Northumberland had to have tapped into Edward’s fear of Mary returning the country back to the dead religion, Catholicism. Then he must’ve convinced the Duchess to pass on her right to her daughter. At that point, Northumberland had his own son and daughter-in-law as King Consort and Queen. I knew he was a scheming man! But, the people were not happy. They wanted the daughter of Henry on the throne. The Lady Mary has escaped the grip of Northumberland thanks to some help from her cousin, the Emperor. -Winnie October, 1553 The Lady Mary has returned and Jane was removed from the throne! Mary became Queen of England and Ireland officially on October 1. She released many Catholics and will begin to convert the country back to what she believes to be the true religion. I have a feeling this could end up badly for many, many people. -Winnie February, 1554 I am devastated! My Lady Jane was executed on the 12th of this month! The bitter, yet strategically gifted, Queen Mary had her beheaded in order to prevent any riots or other upsurges in Protestant promotion. Also beheaded on that day was John Dudley, the schemer. I must say, I found him to be deserving of his fate and probably would have made the same decision were I in Queen Mary’s position. But Jane was merely a pawn in a greater scheme. How I do feel so bad for my friend! I did not attend the beheading, but I heard that she was terrified. I do think she was unprepared (but then again, how prepared can one be for their own death') because Mary knew she was only being used and I think she wanted to give Jane a chance to convert back to the Catholic faith. But Jane was steadfast and set in her religious views and would not bend. The Queen finally had to have her executed for Her Grace’s own safety. I know she is in Heaven with Christ and should be very content, probably doing translations or reading… -Winnie November, 1558 Much had happened in four years. Queen Mary wedded Prince Phillip of Spain. She conducted many persecutions against non-Catholics. She was thought to be pregnant twice, but nothing ever came of it. Phillip released the Lady Elizabeth from custody so that she would be received with open arms in case the Queen died in childbirth without an heir. This is exactly what happened- The Queen Mary died on the 17th, childless. It is now Elizabeth on the throne. I am very happy of this because I can once again practice my religion freely. Elizabeth is a staunch protestant and is allowing it in her country. I am thankful because I no longer must worry of being caught and charged as a heretic and burned at the stake or beheaded. I have met Elizabeth once or twice, and she is a captivating individual, to say the least. With shocking red Tudor hair and a soft, yet bold creamy face and pretty hands, she is a prize. And yet I do suspect she will resist marriage. She is also extremely smart. She and Jane were the smartest people I have ever known- man or woman. I do think rule under Elizabeth will be good for the country of England. This is fantastic because I am with child and I want him to grow up in a thriving society. My husband of four years and I have finally conceived and I could not be happier. God bless, Winnie