Uploaded October 2023 | Updated September 2026, 1 hour ago
The TRAGIC DEATH of Lady Jane Grey on a scaffold at the Tower of London in February 1554 was one of the greatest stains on the reputation of Mary I. Jane, who is known to history as the nine-day Queen and whose name at the time of her death was actually Lady Jane Dudley (in recognition of her marriage), was killed on the orders of Mary Tudor because her father, Henry Grey, Duke of Suffolk, kept plotting to put his daughter on the throne. Jane herself, having been only 15 or perhaps just 16 when she was made to take the crown after the death of Edward VI in 1553, can hardly be blamed. Also killed on the same day as her was her teenage husband, Lord Guildford Dudley, brother of Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester, who was later Elizabeth I’s great favourite. Jane’s father was killed two days later.
In this video from History Calling I look at the execution of Lady Jane Grey by comparing the historical record to one of the most famous depictions of her last moments, the 1833 painting by French artist Paul Delaroche, which now hangs in the National Gallery in London. I will discuss the hours leading up to her death, including her distressing sight of her husband’s mangled corpse after his own execution on Tower Hill; her final letters to her family; Lady Jane Grey’s final words; what she wore to the scaffold; her demeanour; the famous moment seen in the painting when she struggled to find the block once her blindfold was one; who was with her at the moment of her death and the shocking way in which her body was treated after her execution and before her burial in the Chapel of St Peter Ad Vincula. We’ll consider how accurate the portrait it and hear about the reaction to it when it was first exhibited. I’ll also explain why Jane hailed as one of the Tudor era’s many Protestant martyrs and ask, can paintings of famous historical events really do them justice?
BUY MY BOOK (Find Your Irish Ancestors Online): amzn.to/3Z2ChnG
Website (with 2 FREE DOWNLOADS): historycallingofficial.com
Patreon: patreon.com/historycalling
Amazon storefront: amazon.com/shop/historycalling
Instagram: instagram.com/historycalling
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ROYAL WOMEN PLAYLIST
youtube.com/playlist?list=PLLSjVq5Qtb0HnqxlXmoJ1C3iQK3bXNO_g
MURDER, DEATH AND CORPSES PLAYLIST
youtube.com/playlist?list=PLLSjVq5Qtb0HqKJP-pwWUcP1OtH1hRvN4
ART HISTORY PLAYLIST
youtube.com/playlist?list=PLLSjVq5Qtb0Eh4LJzcqLO_ayueqJt8ao-
WHAT DID LADY JANE GREY LOOK LIKE?
youtu.be/66YkitHniAc
EXECUTION OF KATHERINE GREY AND JANE BOLEYN
youtu.be/LaiU2HHTuKQ
EXECUTION OF ANNE BOLEYN: HOLLYWOOD VS HISTORY
youtu.be/gBczwBsGCqM i
THE STRANGE DISAPPEARANCE OF KATHERINE HOWARD
youtu.be/RF1GYu2njC8
GEAR USED
DJI Drone: amzn.to/38h1vXr (UK LINK) OR amzn.to/39hROZm (US LINK)
Go-Pro Hero 10 camera: amzn.to/3EPIK9U (UK LINK) OR amzn.to/3rTWScL (US LINK)
GoPro 3-Way 2.0 (Tripod/Grip/Arm): amzn.to/37CdC1r (UK LINK) OR amzn.to/3vaVxjU (US LINK)
Memory Card: amzn.to/36QvcOQ (UK LINK) OR amzn.to/3KeLZZs (US LINK)
Microphone: amzn.to/3MFtoaK (UK LINK) OR amzn.to/3rYtjH8 (US LINK)
BUY OR RENT
Becoming Elizabeth (Starz, 2020). Available at amzn.to/3PkKz5m
[Includes the character of Lady Jane Grey played by Bella Ramsey in several episodes]
READ
Eric Ives, Lady Jane Grey: a Tudor mystery (Wiley-Blackwell, 2011). Available at amzn.to/3EiF012
Stephen Bann, Paul Delaroche: history painted (1997). Available at amzn.to/3YX3HJU or read for free on archive.org
NB: Links above may be affiliate links. This means if you make a purchase through one of these links, I earn a small commission. It in no way affects the price you pay.
Creative Commons licenses used see creativecommons.org/licenses
The TRAGIC DEATH of Lady Jane Grey on a scaffold at the Tower of London in February 1554 was one of the greatest stains on the reputation of Mary I. Jane, who is known to history as the nine-day Queen and whose name at the time of her death was actually Lady Jane Dudley (in recognition of her marriage), was killed on the orders of Mary Tudor because her father, Henry Grey, Duke of Suffolk, kept plotting to put his daughter on the throne. Jane herself, having been only 15 or perhaps just 16 when she was made to take the crown after the death of Edward VI in 1553, can hardly be blamed. Also killed on the same day as her was her teenage husband, Lord Guildford Dudley, brother of Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester, who was later Elizabeth I’s great favourite. Jane’s father was killed two days later.
In this video from History Calling I look at the execution of Lady Jane Grey by comparing the historical record to one of the most famous depictions of her last moments, the 1833 painting by French artist Paul Delaroche, which now hangs in the National Gallery in London. I will discuss the hours leading up to her death, including her distressing sight of her husband’s mangled corpse after his own execution on Tower Hill; her final letters to her family; Lady Jane Grey’s final words; what she wore to the scaffold; her demeanour; the famous moment seen in the painting when she struggled to find the block once her blindfold was one; who was with her at the moment of her death and the shocking way in which her body was treated after her execution and before her burial in the Chapel of St Peter Ad Vincula. We’ll consider how accurate the portrait it and hear about the reaction to it when it was first exhibited. I’ll also explain why Jane hailed as one of the Tudor era’s many Protestant martyrs and ask, can paintings of famous historical events really do them justice?
BUY MY BOOK (Find Your Irish Ancestors Online): amzn.to/3Z2ChnG
Website (with 2 FREE DOWNLOADS): historycallingofficial.com
Patreon: patreon.com/historycalling
Amazon storefront: amazon.com/shop/historycalling
Instagram: instagram.com/historycalling
YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE:
ROYAL WOMEN PLAYLIST
youtube.com/playlist?list=PLLSjVq5Qtb0HnqxlXmoJ1C3iQK3bXNO_g
MURDER, DEATH AND CORPSES PLAYLIST
youtube.com/playlist?list=PLLSjVq5Qtb0HqKJP-pwWUcP1OtH1hRvN4
ART HISTORY PLAYLIST
youtube.com/playlist?list=PLLSjVq5Qtb0Eh4LJzcqLO_ayueqJt8ao-
WHAT DID LADY JANE GREY LOOK LIKE?
youtu.be/66YkitHniAc
EXECUTION OF KATHERINE GREY AND JANE BOLEYN
youtu.be/LaiU2HHTuKQ
EXECUTION OF ANNE BOLEYN: HOLLYWOOD VS HISTORY
youtu.be/gBczwBsGCqM i
THE STRANGE DISAPPEARANCE OF KATHERINE HOWARD
youtu.be/RF1GYu2njC8
GEAR USED
DJI Drone: amzn.to/38h1vXr (UK LINK) OR amzn.to/39hROZm (US LINK)
Go-Pro Hero 10 camera: amzn.to/3EPIK9U (UK LINK) OR amzn.to/3rTWScL (US LINK)
GoPro 3-Way 2.0 (Tripod/Grip/Arm): amzn.to/37CdC1r (UK LINK) OR amzn.to/3vaVxjU (US LINK)
Memory Card: amzn.to/36QvcOQ (UK LINK) OR amzn.to/3KeLZZs (US LINK)
Microphone: amzn.to/3MFtoaK (UK LINK) OR amzn.to/3rYtjH8 (US LINK)
BUY OR RENT
Becoming Elizabeth (Starz, 2020). Available at amzn.to/3PkKz5m
[Includes the character of Lady Jane Grey played by Bella Ramsey in several episodes]
READ
Eric Ives, Lady Jane Grey: a Tudor mystery (Wiley-Blackwell, 2011). Available at amzn.to/3EiF012
Stephen Bann, Paul Delaroche: history painted (1997). Available at amzn.to/3YX3HJU or read for free on archive.org
NB: Links above may be affiliate links. This means if you make a purchase through one of these links, I earn a small commission. It in no way affects the price you pay.
Creative Commons licenses used see creativecommons.org/licenses
