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Not to be confused with Lady Jane Grey (character).

"I am queen. Edward is dead–and I, Jane, am queen–Queen of England. It does not matter how often I write those words, I still cannot believe them. Queen Jane–it sounds false and wrong to me as I am sure it must to many others. I have no wish to be queen."
Lady Jane Grey[2]

Lady Jane Grey: The Diary of a Tudor Lady is a fictional diary written by Sue Reid. It is the twenty-ninth book in My Story to feature a female protagonist and the fifty-first overall. The book was published in June 2012 by Scholastic UK. It is also sometimes considered to be a part of the My Story spin-off, My Royal Story.

The story follows Lady Jane Grey for eight years of her life during the reign of her cousin King Edward VI.

Dedication[]

"For Michael"

Book description[]

"It's 1547. King Henry VIII is dead and nine-year-old Edward is crowned. Meanwhile his cousin, Lady Jane Grey, is used as a pawn in her parents' dangerous political schemes.
And when the young king is taken ill and dies Jane's life takes a dramatic, tragic turn...
"

Plot[]

Nine-year-old Lady Jane Grey receives a diary from her favorite cousin Edward in January 1547. Soon after, he becomes King of England when his father Henry VIII passes away. Jane's parents, Henry and Frances, send for her to come to London. There she learns that she is to be the ward of Thomas Seymour, one of Edward's uncles, from now on. Her parents and Thomas desire to wed her to Edward, though she herself has no interest in becoming queen. At his coronation, Jane sees Edward Seymour, whom is now the Lord Protector and the King's Regent, as well as the ambitious and ominous John Dudley. In May, Thomas reveals to Jane that he has married the late King's widow, Katherine Parr.

Jane is exceedingly fond of Katherine, preferring living with her and Thomas than her own parents whom never seem happy with her. Her cousin Elizabeth also comes to live with them, but she treats Jane like a pest. Elizabeth is mysteriously sent away before Katherine gives birth in late August 1548. Jane is heartbroken when she dies of childbed fever. The grieving Thomas sends Jane away, but calls her back within a month. A few months later, Thomas is arrested for treason and executed in March 1549. Later that year, Edward Seymour is imprisoned for attempting to kidnap the King. Jane becomes suspicious of John Dudley whom is quickly rising to power.

Over the following year, Jane's parents' positions in court start to rise coinciding with her father befriending John Dudley. He somehow orchestrates the second arrest and eventual execution of Edward Seymour and many of his associates. In early 1552, King Edward falls ill suddenly but recovers soon after. However, by January 1553, Edward is once again in ill health. His elder sister and successor, Mary, comes to visit him. Jane worries what will happened if Mary rules since she is a Catholic and Jane's family are all staunch Protestants. Later, Jane is betrothed to John Dudley's fourth son, Guildford, which she protests. She ultimately does what her parents want and marries him.

In July 1553, King Edward passes away but not before naming Jane as his heir. John Dudley appears to bully the rest of the council into naming Jane queen. She is reluctant to accept as she does not wish to reign. After only nine days, Mary gains support and is named the rightful queen. John Dudley is executed for his role in the plot. Jane and Guildford are both found guilty of treason, but they are also expected to be pardoned. Unfortunately, Thomas Wyatt begins a rebellion against Mary. The Queen sentences the couple to death. Jane faces her fate bravely. She declines Guildford's request to meet again, feeling it would only "increase their pain" and that they will "soon be together for all time."

Historical Note[]

The section first denotes the rise of Protestantism and its spread in England. It only really "took hold" in England when Henry VIII's son Edward VI ascended the throne. Despite the reforms, Edward's sister Mary continued to practice Catholicism in the open. Edward, whom became gravely ill, and his council feared that his successor Mary would roll back all of their reforms. He then disinherited his sister Mary and Elizabeth to make his cousin Lady Jane Grey his heir. However, support for Jane quickly dwindled and Mary was declared Queen. Jane and her husband Guildford Dudley were sentenced to death. Mary was reluctant to carry out the sentences until the unsuccessful Wyatt's rebellion.

The latter half of the section is labeled "True or false?" and focuses on the previously firmly held notions of Lady Jane Grey and her story. The questions include how she was treated by her parents, whether she was bullied into marrying Guildford, and the role of the Duke of Northumberland in the situation. The author concludes that there are still "many mysteries" about Jane which "will probably never be answered." The section includes a timeline, which begins with Mary's birth in 1516 and ends with Jane and Guildford's execution in 1554.

Characters[]

Main article: List of Lady Jane Grey characters
  • Lady Jane Grey, a cousin of King Edward VI whom gives her a diary when she is nine-years-old. She is a devout Protestant and would love to spend her entire life reading books.
  • Frances and Henry Grey, Jane's ambitious and sometimes abusive parents. They expect a lot of their daughter, whom they attempt tp use to gain more power and position at court.
  • Guildford Dudley, Jane's husband and the son of John Dudley. Despite deeply disliking him at first, Jane comes to like him when she realizes that he too is also a pawn in parents' plots.

Author[]

Main article: Sue Reid

Sue Reid is an English children's and young adult author. She works primarily in the historical fiction genre, including her books, By My Side and Langdown Manor. Reid is also the author of several My Story books, including Mill Girl, War Nurse, Pompeii, The Fall of the Blade and Give Us the Vote!. For Lady Jane Grey, Reid worked with the few facts she had to create her interpretation of the real-life person. She found it difficult as little is really known about Jane and historians have in recent years questions previous interpretations of her. Reid also visited several of the places Jane knew during her time.[3]

Editions[]

Notes[]

  • The cover of Lady Jane Grey was illustrated by artist Richard Jones.

References[]

See also[]


My Story
Original

The Hunger | Voyage on the Great Titanic | The Crystal Palace | Blitz | My Tudor Queen | Twentieth-Century Girl
The Great Plague | The '45 Rising | Civil War | Trafalgar | The Trenches | Battle of Britain | Mill Girl | Transported
Armada | Crimea | Bloody Tower | Indian Mutiny | Zulu War | Mayflower | Agincourt | Suffragette | Waterloo | Slave Girl
Flying Ace | Anne Boleyn and Me | D-Day | Victorian Workhouse | Spy Smuggler | Desert Danger | War Nurse
U-Boat Hunter | The Queen's Spies

1st relaunch

Princess of Egypt | Pompeii | Road to War | Roman Invasion | Viking Blood | Highway Girl | Sophie's Secret War
The Storm to Come | The Sweep's Boy | The Fall of the Blade | Pyramid of Secrets | Factory Girl | Dodger!
No Way Back | Wartime Princess | London Stories | Berlin Olympics | Lady Jane Grey | Nowhere to Run

2nd relaunch

Codename Céline

3rd relaunch

Noor-un-Nissa Inayat Khan | Ignatius Sancho | Princess Sophia Duleep Singh | Mary Prince

My Royal Story

Victoria | Anastasia | Cleopatra | Marie Antoinette | Elizabeth | Mary, Queen of Scots | Henry VIII's Wives

My True Story

What If They Find Us? | Hero at Dunkirk | Standing Alone | Give Us the Vote!

External links[]

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