Queen for Nine Days Trivia Quiz

Answer: sixteenth

The sixteenth century ran from the year 1501 to 1600.

Lady Jane and her sisters were the great-nieces of King Henry VIII. While the exact date of birth is unknown, it's believed Lady Jane was born sometime in late 1536, the same year that Henry's second wife, Anne Boleyn, was executed. Others say she was born in 1537.

Answer: Protestant

Jane had a very strict upbringing and, through the influence of her parents, became an ardent Protestant. She also had a good wider education.

Answer: May 25th

Guildford's father, John, Duke of Northumberland, was an ambitious man. He knew that if one of Edward's half-sisters took the crown, he would most likely lose his high position (and his head along with it). Therefore, he arranged with Jane's parents for her to marry his last unmarried son.

The event ended up being a triple wedding with both Jane's and Guildford's younger sisters also marrying (Catherine Grey to Henry Herbert, Katherine Dudley to Henry Hastings).

Answer: Mary was Catholic

Mary, a Catholic, was next in line to the throne. Edward, however, was a Protestant, and he didn't want Catholicism to return to England. Therefore, Mary was declared illegitimate. Doing this meant that Edward would have to say that his other half-sister, Elizabeth, was also illegitimate, despite her being a Protestant.

In early 1553, Edward became terribly ill. As he lay dying, he composed a document titled "My Devise for the Succession" in which he named his first cousin, Lady Jane (and any sons she may have), as his successors. Edward died on July 6th, 1553.

Answer: False

In fact, Lady Jane was not happy about the decision to have her crowned as Queen, insisting that Henry VIII's daughter, Princess Mary, was the rightful Queen. She also refused to name her husband as King.

Answer: September 1553

As soon as Mary became aware of Edward's death, she journeyed to East Anglia to gather her supporters. John Dudley knew he needed to isolate or capture Mary and left London with troops on July 14th. However, in his absence, the Privy Council changed their allegiance. On July 19th, Mary was proclaimed Queen.

In September, Parliament named Mary as the rightful Queen and revoked Jane's claim to the throne.

Answer: Guildhall, London

Two of Lord Guildford's brothers along with Thomas Cranmer, the former Archbishop of Canterbury, were also put on trial. As was expected, all were found guilty and sentenced to death.

Answer: a Protestant rebellion

With Mary proclaimed Queen, Lady Jane and her husband were imprisoned in the Tower of London. Initially, Jane's life was going to be spared, until January 1554, when it became known that Mary planned to marry King Philip II of Spain. Thomas Wyatt the Younger led a rebellion that was supported by Jane's father and uncles.

This was what sealed Jane's fate, as the plan was to have Mary overthrown and Jane re-instated as Queen. However, the rebellion failed.

Answer: False

There were two places of execution in the Tower of London: Tower Hill, where the public executions were held and an enclosed or "private" area, Tower Green.

On the morning of February 12th, 1554, Lord Guildford was beheaded on Tower Hill. Shorty after, Jane was beheaded on Tower Green. It's believed Jane was no older than seventeen when she was executed.

Since their executions, the ghosts of Jane and her husband are said to have been seen wandering the Tower.

Answer: Her father

On February 23rd, 1554, Jane's father, Henry Grey, First Duke of Suffolk, was beheaded after being convicted of high treason for the part he played in Thomas Wyatt's rebellion.