Lady Mary Grey - Heiress Of Elizabeth I
Sister Of Lady Jane Grey And Lady Catherine Grey
Apr 4, 2009
The third and youngest daughter of Henry Grey, 1st Duke of Suffolk, and Frances Brandon was born in 1545. Mary’s mother was the niece of the powerful Henry VIII. However, Mary was seen by many to be a royal embarrassment, due to her numerous deformities. Contemporaries described her as the ‘smallest person at court, crooked back and very ugly.’ Despite this, her parents to their credit did not hide her away from society and Mary often accompanied her elder sisters Jane and Catherine to court.
Succession After Henry VIII
Upon the death of Mary’s great uncle Henry VIII, in January 1547, the nine year old Edward VI succeeded to the throne. More importantly to the Grey family was the fact Henry VIII’s will stated that, following the deaths of his three children, the family of his younger sister Mary Tudor were to succeed. Frances’ mother, Mary Tudor, was long dead, which now left her 3rd in line to the throne. The Duke and Duchess of Suffolk's secret hope was that their eldest daughter Jane would marry the new King, Edward VI. This was not to be. In early 1553, the young King Edward VI lay dying of tuberculosis and the Duke and Duchess of Suffolk's dreams of their daughter becoming Queen appeared to lie in ruins. However, the young king was determined that his Catholic sister Mary would not succeed him as Queen and so he planned to divert the succession to his cousin, Jane Grey.
Lady Jane Grey: Nine Days Queen
Despite Frances’ annoyance at the succession being passed to her daughter, she was keen to see her family bear the crown of England and so she accepted the dying King’s request. The Lord Protector, the Duke of Northumberland, joined allegiance with the Duke and Duchess of Suffolk and they cemented this union when Northumberland’s youngest son Guildford married Jane on 21st May. Edward VI finally died on 6th July 1553, aged only fifteen and four days later Jane was proclaimed Queen of England. Mary Grey, now eight years old came to court with her parents to witness her sister’s proclamation as Queen. However, only 9 days later, Jane was deposed by the rightful Queen Mary and Jane, her husband and parents were imprisoned in the Tower of London. Seven months later, following a further rebellion, all those accused were executed for treason. Mary’s mother was to marry her steward, half her age, only weeks later.
Queen Mary was soon reconciled to her cousin Frances, despite her treason, and Mary and Catherine were made ladies in waiting. The death of Mary I on November 17th 1558, led to the succession of Queen Elizabeth I. Mary’s mother was to die only a year later, which left her sister Catherine as heiress presumptive. Catherine though, was soon to ruin herself following her secretly marriage to Edward Seymour, 1st Earl of Hereford. Elizabeth consequently imprisoned the couple in the Tower on the count of treason. Mary’s family was now steeped in treason and she was to suffer the humiliation of her sister’s disgrace. Despite her sister’s incarceration, Mary did not abandon her and often visited Catherine in the Tower.
Mary Grey: Heiress Presumptive
Mary did not, however, learn from Catherine’s own mistake as she herself was to make an ill advised marriage in June 1565. Mary’s chosen bridegroom could not have been a worse choice, as she married the royal gatekeeper, Thomas Keyes, who was ‘twice her age’ and called the ‘largest man in the kingdom.’ Mary was never to see her sister again, as she and her husband were both imprisoned. Catherine died soon afterwards of tuberculosis, in January 1568. Eventually, Mary was released in 1572, following her husband’s death months earlier. Mary was now a disgraced princess, and went to live with her stepfather until her own death at the age of thirty three, in 1578.
Under the terms of Henry VIII’s will, Mary, termed by many as ‘crooked and deformed,’ died as heiress presumptive to Elizabeth I. Her life had been lived in the shadow of her formidable parents and her charismatic sisters. Following their tragic deaths, she was not to learn by their example and showed a will of her own to lead the life she wanted. More than anything she craved love, which her parents had rarely shown either herself of her sisters. It was this desire for love that led to her own dismal end.
Sources:
Cavendish, Richard., Kings & Queens, David and Charles Limited, 2006.
Fraser, Antonia., The Six Wives of Henry VIII, Weidenfeld & Nicholson, London, 1992.
Williamson, David., Kings & Queens of Great Britain, The Promotional Reprint Company, 1991.
