The Myth of 'Bloody Mary'

[muriel_volestrangler]

10. The dubious thing about Edward naming Jane to succeed him was her mother was still alive

Last edited Mon Jul 27, 2020, 08:22 AM - Edit history (1)

Frances Grey was Edward's first cousin, and the one surviving child of his aunt Mary (if Edward had allowed a Catholic to succeed him, it ought to have been Mary, Queen of Scots, since her grandmother Margaret was older than her sister Mary).

But Edward named Frances's [not Mary's, as previously written) daughter Jane; this may have been because the Duke of Northumberland, Edward's most powerful minister, was Jane's brand-new father-in-law. Edward at first specified just any sons Jane might have (a male-only rule that would at least justify leaving out Frances too), but then as he grew seriously ill, he put Jane in first - but not Frances too. So the whole thing smells of a power-grab by Northumberland. It's notable that Northumberland was executed well before Jane or his son Guildford (who were still teenagers) - he was seen as the leader of that faction. They were only executed when there was a further rebellion against Mary.