Wonder Woman of the Week: Jane Grey

This week's Wonder Woman who gives a serious name to the term "queen for a day." Sixteenth Century English aristocrats sued the young woman as a political pawn on the eve of a major war between Catholic and Protestant royals- leaving Jane Grey as the Queen of England for a mere nine days before a serious rivalry erupted between Mary and Elizabeth over control of the crown. Grey was more than a mere figurehead however. The minute-monarch was a well educated woman who married who she chose to marry, and faced her execution with stoicism and dignity.

Jane Grey grew up during a rough time during English history. The Tudor Dynasty was waning and whispered spread of the possibility of a new dynasty ruling Great Britain and Ireland. Grey's aristocratic parents raised their daughter with the intent to train her to become the wife of the child king as an arranged marriage. As part of that training, Grey's parents made sure their daughter received the greatest education available to her- a humanist philosophy school which emphasized human biology and anatomy- as well as other Renaissance ideas. Instead of marrying her first cousin and king of England, Grey chose to marry a duke of Northumberland, and King Edward respected the Lady's choice. In his will, Edward VI listed Jane as the heir to the throne of England along with her future children. The decision cut off Mary and Elizabeth- Edward's half-sisters from the throne.

Immediately following Edward's death, England proclaimed Lady Jane Grey Queen of England. Mary however held the true support for the throne. As a Catholic, Mary had support from the still largely Catholic landlords of the islands- convincing them to dethrone Jane and replace her with Mary. With barely more than a week of rule under her new title, Grey lost her seat as queen to Mary. Jane's husband was proclaimed a traitor and executed, and Jane soon followed him to the chopping block. Everyone in the ceremony understood the ridiculousness of the execution- including the executioner who begged for Grey's forgiveness before following through on his orders.

Lady Grey forgave her executioner and accepted her sentence. After her death, the kingdom rose up in anger. Grey's death became a rallying call for the dethroning of the Catholic Mary- leading to Mary's Protestant sister Elizabeth rising to the throne. Elizabeth I would come to be remembered as one of England's greatest monarchs and the queen long remembered and respected the Lady who ruled before her for a mere nine days.