English Kingdoms

Lady Jane Grey and Mary I

LADY JANE GREY 
Born in 1537 
Ascended in 1553 
Died in 1554 (executed), aged 17 
Reigned for 9 days
Married to the Duke of Northumberland's son.

MARY I
"Bloody Mary" 
Born in 1516 (Greenwich Palace) 
Ascended in 1553 
Died in 1558 (St James Palace), aged 42 Reigned for 5 years
Married to Philip II of Spain 

Edward VI had nominated Lady Jane Grey to be his successor and she was proclaimed Queen. She reigned for nine days before Mary, daughter of Henry VIII and Catherine of Aragon, marched on London to claim the throne. Mary met with no opposition until she proposed to marry Philip II of Spain.

Many people were not happy with the proposed union with Spain as it posed a threat to English Independence. A rebellion, led by Sir Thomas Wyatt, led to his own execution, the execution of Lady Jane Grey and the imprisonment of Elizabeth - the future Queen of England.

Mary reinstated Catholic beliefs with a severity that earned her the title Bloody Mary and religion dominated her interests for the remainder of her reign. She even reinstated the heresy laws, which caused the deaths of many hundreds at the stake.