The "Traitor-Heroine" of the Reformation

I just watched Lady Jane, starring a teenage Helena Bonham Carter. Quite interesting. Let me tell you the Lady's story.

Jane was a Protestant intellectual by the age of 15, reading the Bible in Hebrew and Greek, as well as other classic literature in the original languages. She engaged in debates with Catholic scholars and lived, as she said herself, for the purpose of study and prayer.

At age 16, her parents' close advisor Lord somebody Dudley arranged her marriage to his own son, Lord Guilford Dudley, a young man whom Jane initially despised as "ugly and stupid." Months into their cold marriage, the two discovered a mutual dissatisfaction with certain oppressive ways of the monarchy, a common vision for the service of the monarchy to its people, and indeed fell in love with one another over time.

Jane Grey was the 15-year old cousin of the sickly King Edward VI and fourth in line for the throne. On his deathbed, Edward "willed" her to power, superceding the succesion order that would have placed his Catholic cousin Mary Tudor, illegitimate cousin Elizabeth, or Jane's own mother, Mary Grey, as Queen. As Edward was but 16 or 17 years old, he was not yet old enough according to English law to will anything to anyone ( a right obtained at 21 years), so Jane's claim to the throne was tenuous. In fact, her reign lasted but 9 days. In those 9 days, she ruled side by side with her husband and swiftly enacted various social reforms, including revaluing the shilling, releasing prisoners arrested for treason under Edward, and returning commandeered lands to the populace. It is suspected that had she been more prudent with her power in those early days, her right to the monarchy might not have been challenged by her own advisors and Parliament. She saw her position as an opportunity to "set the captives free," though, and perhaps she had an idea of what was to come.

After those 9 days, Mary Tudor came to power and Queen Jane and her husband Gulford Dudley were charged with high treason. Initially, Mary made clear that she intended to spare their lives, but after Jane's father led a rebellion to restore her to the throne, the sentences of death were delivered and carried out.

Jane was beheaded at London Tower on February 12, 1554. On the platform, she forgave her executioner, dellivered a short speech to the onlookers, and recited a Psalm. Her last words were, "Lord, into thy hands I commend my spirit."

John Godwin said she was "the most perfect young creature of the female sex to be found in history."

Pretty high praise! The movie is engaging, gracefully acted and pretty accurate (okay, I think so, based on my quick internet research of her life).

Check it out...