SOURCE: Plowden, Alison. “Jane the Quene” and “The Ende of the Lady Jane Duddeley.” In Lady Jane Grey and the House of Suffolk, pp. 94-113; 114-27. London: Sidgwick & Jackson, 1985.

In the following essay, Plowden recounts the events of 1553 and 1554 that culminated in Grey's execution, and discusses several letters she wrote during the period that reflect her state of mind and her religious and political attitudes.

Jane the Quene

On paper John Dudley's ascendancy looked to be absolute. The reign of his daughter-in-law and puppet had begun; he controlled the capital, the Tower with its armoury, the treasury and the navy, while the great lords of the Council, apparently hypnotized by his powerful charisma, waited meekly to do his bidding. His only opponent was a frail, sickly woman of thirty-seven, without money, influence, professional advice or organized support of any kind. No informed observer of the political scene believed...